Rhythm || Ashton Irwin

Chapter Forty-Four

Lauren's POV

Three and a half weeks. It was been three and a half weeks since Ashton and I had last spoken. Cassie's stomach is really starting to show, she even has her first ultrasound soon. Calum seems to be more excited about it than she is. Ben and Michael have started to hang out more, almost inseparable, and Luke has a mystery lady, you'll meet her soon, I promise! But then there's me. Lying in bed, pathetically trying to pull myself back together.

"Alright, Lauren, today you're going to get up, be productive, and not cry about Ashton," I sighed, staring at my ceiling, half heartedly trying to talk myself up before slowly lifting my body from the bed. Taking a deep breath, I looked around my room, trying to figure out where to go from here, until a familiar leather jacket, carelessly placed over my closet door caught my eye. Slowly but surly, the tears started to build in my eyes, overflowing as pathetic sobs escaped my lungs.

"How long have you been sitting in here crying?!" My head snapped up, noticing Cassie standing, arms crossed, in the frame of my bedroom door.

"I wasn't—" Throwing up a hand, signaling for me to stop talking.

"Don't even bother, I was here for three minutes before I decided you weren't going to acknowledge my existence," walking towards my bed, she sat on the edge of it, a light hand placed on her abdomen, the other slapping my cheek, not enough to actually hurt, but enough to get her point across. "Look, this is pretty shitty, I'm not going to lie. But you gotta, you know, just... Move on. There are other fish in the sea and sometimes you lose the prize winner,"

"Is this supposed to help?" I questioned, my words shaky as I tried to compose myself.

"Yes?... I don't know, I don't deal with this problem. I never have and hopefully I never will!" She shrugged, a sympathetic look on her face. She was right, she never let a boy sick around long enough to hurt her like this, not until Calum at least.

Sighing, I dropped my head into my hands, shaking it as I thought about my situation. "How did I get here, Cassie? How did I let this happen?" I wasn't surprised when there was no reply. How could I expect her to understand what I was going through? "I should of known we wouldn't last—"

"Alright, stop! Just fucking stop!" Lifting my head, Cassie sat there, hands up and eyes closed in aggravation, "I'm not going to sit here and watch you cry your life away!"

"I'm not—"

Holding up a finger, I shut myself up knowing now wasn't the time to argue. "Oh, I'm not done! Yes, Ashton left, yes you're heartbroken, but you know what? You're better than this, and your better than him, and you're going to live with or without him, cause you know why?"

Looking her in the eye, I made no comment in fear of another outburst from her, "You have so many other great things in your life: Ballet, a good safe home, friends who love you, a bright and successful future and, above all, you have time, and time heals all." Tears started to build in my eyes, making me look down once again hiding how fragile I was.

Her hand was placed under my chin, lifting my face so I could look her straight in the eyes, "And you know hat makes time go faster".

"Alcohol?" I questioned, a small smile forming on my lips after Cassie let out a small giggle, shaking her head.

"And lots of it, in most cases, but today you're not drinking, today you're getting a makeover. Now, get up and lets go!"

Ashton's POV