Stare At the Photograph - A.F.I.

10

ALYA

I'm not gonna lie. I know I shouldn't be feeding into this attraction with Ashton because it'll end badly for me.

Michael's a guy in a world famous band. Fool me once, that's on you. Fool me twice, well that's on me.

Even as I think this, I'm still dancing in a random club in New York City with Ashton Irwin after he shoved a man for grabbing me.

Ashton spins me around to have me face him and has his hands on my hips. He starts kissing me down my neck.

"We can't go further than this." I say breathlessly.

"Okay Princess." he whispers in my ear.

I would have melted on the floor like jelly if he wasn't holding me up.

I hold his face in my hands and start to kiss him.
"We can't go further than this." I say, taking a breath before kissing him again.

"Whatever you say." Ashton says as he trails his fingers down my back.

"Ashton-" I say breathlessly.

"I'll call an Uber." He says.

I blink into consciousness back in the real world. As Ashton is ordering a car, I turn around to see Michael giving me the most dirtiest look.

"Ashton-" I begin to say.

"I know it's coming in 7 minutes." He says, wrapping his arms around me.

"No." I say breaking out of his arms.

Michael gets up from his chair and starts to leave.

"Where are you going?" Ashton asks, holding my wrist.

"Ashton," I say with tears streaming down my face. "I like you a lot, but I'm still love Michael."

He releases my wrist and I run after Michael.

ASHTON

I'm so stupid. Of course she's not into me, I'm her rebound. She and Michael just broke up. She was just using me to piss him off. Honestly, I didn't mind until I actually started falling for her.

She was nowhere to be found- probably with Michael somewhere and I was trying to keep my mind off of her. Calum convinced me to talk to another girl, so I've been sitting at the bar with random fan. I would've taken advantage of the moment, but all I can think about is her.

I couldn't believe what had just happened. One moment, I was dancing with Alya at the club, and the next, we were making out in a dark corner. It was wrong, I knew it was wrong, but I couldn't help myself.

Now, as I stood alone in the club, watching Alya walk away from me with tears in her eyes, I felt sick with guilt. I had betrayed Michael, my best friend, and I had hurt Alya in the process.

I knew I had to go after her, to apologize and try to make things right, even if it meant facing the consequences of my actions. So, without a second thought, I left the club and followed her into the night.

As I caught up to her, I saw that she was crying. I reached out to touch her arm, but she pulled away, her eyes red and puffy.

"I'm so sorry, Alya," I said, my voice cracking with emotion. "I never should have done that. I was stupid and selfish, and I hurt you and Michael in the process."

Alya looked up at me, her eyes filled with tears. "I don't know what to do, Ashton," she said, her voice shaking. "I feel so guilty for what we did, but I can't help how I feel."

I nodded, feeling the weight of my own guilt pressing down on me. "I know it's complicated," I said, "but we have to figure out a way to make things right. We can't just run away from our problems."

Alya looked at me, her expression softening. "I know," she said. "But right now, I need to go talk to Michael. He's hurting, and I need to be there for him."

I nodded, feeling a pang of jealousy and regret. I knew that Alya still loved Michael, even though he had hurt her, and I couldn't help but wonder if I had made a huge mistake.

As Alya walked away from me, her figure disappearing into the night, I felt a sense of loss wash over me. I knew that things would never be the same between me and Michael, or between me and Alya.

But I also knew that I had to face the consequences of my actions, and try to make things right, even if it meant sacrificing my own happiness. For me, that was the true mark of a friend, and I was determined to live up to it.

—
Where is she?

Is she still with Michael?

Where is she staying tonight?

How is she going to get her things?

"Ash!" The girl says. I forgot what her name is. Tiffany? I don't know. Calum has been making me talk to girls all night, but I'm only thinking about one right now.

'Tiffany' walks away annoyed and Calum looks over at me.

"Everything alright mate?" He asks.

I'm unsure if I should tell him about how I'm feeling about Alya.

What's worse is I still have her camera in my pocket.