Permanent Vacation ~ MGC

Part 19 - Y/N's POV

After around half an hour, Ashton returned from the bathroom, eyes red and puffy as if he'd been crying. I was about to ask him if everything was okay, as Luke beat me to it, but was simply told "I'm such and idiot! Just leave me alone, dude!"
I was getting really worried about Ashton. After I found out about Summer, he seemed sort of uncomfortable, but that wore off after a while; until he found out about Michael and I. I didn't want to annoy him any more by asking what was wrong, but at the same time, I wanted him to tell me everything that was making him feel so miserable.
I sighed, and brought out my phone, scrolling through my contacts until I found Luke's number. I pressed on it, and typed out a message:
Can I swap seats with you for a while? I'm worried about Ash :(
After I sent the text, I heard a small 'ping' from behind me, and a shuffling as Luke moved out of his seat, gesturing me to do the same. He smiled as I passed him, and after squeezing past Ashton's ling legs, sat down in Luke's seat.
"What?" Ashton said sternly, his voice wavering slightly as he spoke. I sighed at his tone.
"Are you okay?" I asked, and he turned his head away from me, moving his hair from his face before resting his chin on his hand. He muttered something under his breath, before facing me again.
"I'm f-fine, Y/N, completely fine." He stuttered, attempting a smile. He was lying, definitely.
"You were crying Ash, for a solid half an hour." He looked down at the floor, sighing, "You always tell me it's going to be okay when I'm upset, so, Ash, whatever it is, it's going to be okay." I smiled, but Ashton didn't; his face twisted, half way between pain and sadness.
"I messed up okay, Y/N. I messed up! Just leave me alone!" I was shocked at Ashton's tone, to be sure. If he had messed up at something, it wasn't me and Michael that was bothering him. Something was definitely wrong, and the last time I saw him this upset was when he broke up with his (ex)girlfriend over a year ago. Suddenly, it hit me.
"Woah, did you break up with Summer?" I asked, and Ashton turned away from me immediately, confirming what I'd suspected. I tried to tell him it'd be okay, but again, he kept saying 'it was his fault' and that I should just leave him alone.
Luke stood at the end of the row of seats, and I knew he'd heard what Ashton had said, and had come back to sit in his own seat. When I eventually got back to my own, Michael smiled to try and get me to cheer up. I smiled back weakly, and he laced his fingers with mine.
"Is he okay?" He asked me, and I shook my head, not knowing whether Ashton would want me to mention what had just happened. I noticed Dan has disappeared from his seat, and was quite glad one thing was off my mind. But as I shook my head, Michael frowned, and I knew he was worried about Ashton as much as I was - they were best friends.

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The rest of the flight back to Sydney passed very quickly; quicker than expected. When we got to the airport, we were greeted by many of the boys' fans, who all kept repeatedly asking Ash if he was okay. He simply said yes, taking a picture with a few of them, before we eventually left the airport to drive home.
"Crap, Ash do you have a key?" I said, as the door wasn't unlocked. But of course it wasn't, it was 11pm, and Mum was always asleep by 10.30. He nodded, and pulled a key from his pocket. Our luggage was being brought here by someone tomorrow, so we didn't have to bother with it so late at night. Ash handed me the key, and I put it in the lock, grinning at the thought of seeing our family again. Michael groaned from behind me at the cold, and I jumped, almost forgetting he was staying with us until his Mum got back. As the door opened, I heard small shuffling in the dark, before the light swiched on, and Mum sat at the breakfast bar, grinning. She stood up, and hugged Ash and I, before also greeting Michael in the same way.
"I missed you," She said to us all, "even you Michael!" She laughed, as did all of us. Ash stopped laughing before Michael and I, obviously still upset from before. He turned around, and pushed the door that hadn't been shut yet. We all stood, staring at Mum, who was staring back at us without saying anything.
"Right!" She said eventually, "You guys must be hungry!" And she gestured towards the counter that was laden with multiple pizza boxes.
"Actually," Ash began, ruffling his hair as Mum's smile turned to a frown, "I'm really tired." He yawned, which passed onto me almost instantly, before Mum smiled again. He was right, we were all drained, and the pizza could be eaten for lunch tomorrow.
"Right, right!" She said, closing all of the boxes one by one. "Long flight; you all must be tired! Go on, go upstairs and we'll catch up tomorrow!" I smiled tiredly, before she pulled me into a tight hug.
"You guys are cute." She whispered, and I took a step back, before catching on to what she meant. I smiled at Mum, who did the same to me, before following Michael upstairs, where Ash had already locked himself in his room.