Stuck {A.I.}

seven

(unedited)

It felt as if Bayla's heart was beating out of her chest. Maybe it was from the nerves about leaving her family and flying across the country to go to a strange rehab center. Maybe it was because all she'd had to eat or drink in the last twelve hours was coffee. But Bayla knew that Ashton was the reason she felt nauseous and shaky.

Even though they hadn't broken up, she knew she would have to end things eventually. No matter how much she loved him, he was too much for her. It seemed that her heart had been breaking every day when she realized more and more each day how little she trusted him. They were too dependent on each other, she would realize that later.

"Now boarding flight 435 to Arizona." The voice crackled on the loudspeaker.

"That's me." Bayla whispered, clutching her suitcase so tightly her knuckles turned white.

"Do you have everything?" Her dad asked, wringing his hands sadly. Bayla nodded and tried not to feel guilty about how hard this must be for him or how much money this was costing them.

She knelt down beside her sister, who was pouting in one of the plastic chairs. "I love you Daisy. Have a fun summer. I'll be back soon, I promise." Daisy remained silent and pouting, but hugged her back.

"I love you. Call me if you need anything or if you miss us or if you want to come back home, ok? You don't have to do this." Her dad pulled her into a tight hug.

"I know but I want to do this." Bayla squeezed her eyes shut, trying not to cry.

"I'll send any messages from Ashton along! We love you! Bye!" Her dad called after her as she handed her ticket to the flight attendant.

"He's not going to call." Bayla whispered. And he didn't.

Bayla sat upright the second she woke up. Her chest was filled with a million emotions she couldn't place, all stemming from her vivid flashback of a dream.

"Taylor Beth, are you ok?" Ashton asked groggily from the floor.

"Um, yeah I'm fine, just a weird dream." She peered over the edge of the bed to look down at Ashton. He was huddled up as close to the space heater as possible and shivering a bit.

"Ash, are you cold?"

"No I'm fine." He lied through chattering teeth.

"No you're not, it's freezing." Without a single thought about what she was doing, Bayla flung her blankets aside and patted the space next to her. "C'mon."

Ashton hesitated for only a moment before climbing into bed with her, drawing the covers up close to him. He let out a shuddering breath, while Bayla was holding hers, unsure of what to do next.

The foot of space between them felt too gaping and cold, and Bayla could feel the mattress shake from Ashton shivering still. Her heart pounding, she rolled over until her head was pressed against his chest. She could hear his heartbeat as he cautiously draped his arm across her side. Sleep overcame Bayla again before she had time to think about what they were doing.

Their prom night was a blur to Bayla. She had been on crazy crash diets all month, leaving her lightheaded and fatigued. The night went by in a stream of lights and music and people that left her overwhelmed. Ashton's face was the only one that stuck with her.

He was in a good mood that night; saying hi to everyone he knew, laughing and chatting with her, and grinning while slow dancing with her, while she was holding back tears for some stupid fucking reason. His eyes were sparkling the entire night. They went outside to leave, and he gave Bayla his tux jacket to wear, and they just stood there for a minute, breathing in the cool night air that was a welcome change from the stuffy ballroom. That was the one specific moment that Bayla remembered. Ashton looked so happy and it made her so angry that he was oblivious to her.

She was fuming the entire car ride back to his house, but that changed almost as soon as he kissed her forehead and climbed out of the car. His face crumpled as soon as the door closed, and he cringed every step he took towards the front door. By the time he reached the porch, he was fighting back tears and had to sit on the step.

Bayla rushed out of the car and over to him, where she could hear his parents screaming inside.

"Why won't they just get a divorce? Do they think they're fucking protecting me or some shit like that? Because they're not. God!" Ashton slammed his hand onto the concrete. Bayla didn't know what to do, so she sat there in silence while Ashton leaned on her shoulder and sobbed.

They ended up back at her house, curled up on the couch together in her basement. Ashton was hugging Bayla so tightly she could barely breathe, let alone sleep, but she let him anyways because she knew he needed it. He needed her. He needed her so much he was suffocating her.

Ashton's skin was soft against hers, his head burried in her neck tickling her slightly. She loved the feeling of sleeping next to Ashton, it made her feel so safe and secure and loved. It was a warmth deep in her chest that helped her not mind the fact that she couldn't breathe.

It took Bayla a moment to realize that she wasn't sleeping anymore. She rolled over to look at Ashton's face; so calm and peaceful, with a few strands of hair falling across his eyes. She gently sweeped them back, letting her fingers brush across his skin. Her heart was pounding. This wasn't a dream anymore, this was real.

Ashton's eyelids fluttered for a minute before flying open. He blinked down at Bayla, a small smile sliding across his lips.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to wake you up." Bayla murmured. Ashton let out a little sigh and burrowed further down into the blankets. His hands never left her waist even for a second.

"It's ok." He said it into her neck, so she could feel the vibrations of his lips. She shivered involuntarily, and he pulled her closer to his chest. Bayla closed her eyes again, letting out a shuddering breath.

She couldn't deny it any more. She was still in love with Ashton.

-

hah i wrote most of this in school except for the ending which sucks so i'll probably rewrite the ending

but yeah here ya go

thanks for reading and dont forget to vote and comment