Unanswered - Ashton Irwin Fanfiction

Letter 11

Quick hands opened drawer after drawer of the familiar living room in search of an address book, each time with no luck. They discovered drawers with remotes, magazines, knick knacks of all kinds, but not what they needed. The hands tugged at the next drawer, surprised to find it would not open. Tugging again, it was decided that the drawer must be locked, but why? Curiosity won over, and a bobby pin was quickly slipped from the girl's hair. The hands carefully bent the pin, sliding it into the key hole. It took a few seconds of maneuvering for the lock to click and the drawer to slide open with ease. What was found inside was not what was expected. A pile of envelopes filled the drawer, looking innocent enough. The hands picked the top one up, examining it with interest. Eyes looked quickly towards the door to ensure no one would be coming before the hands opened the envelope, carefully pulling out the letter and unfolding it.

Letter after letter the hands revealed and the eyes read, each one causing more anger and confusion. Soon the letters were finished, but something in the last letter told the reader it was not over. The hands gathered the letters, sliding them quickly into a bag and shutting the drawer, hoping to be able to return the letters before they were discovered missing.

Ashton stormed into his hotel room, knocking over a lamp on his way to the bed, where he threw off the pillows, looking for an outlet for his frustration. He was just kicking over an armchair when a knock came at the door. He froze, wondering who could possibly be visiting him. He hadn't told anyone he was coming to Seattle. Praying it wasn't a fan, he made his way to the door, opening it slowly.

"Lacey?" he asked, surprised to see Dakota's friend standing in the hotel hallway. He looked her over and his eyes fell on a stack of letters in her hands. "Oh," he said quietly. knowing exactly why she was here.

"Can I come in?" She asked, peering past him into his overturned hotel room. Ashton stepped aside, allowing her to step into the room silently. She carefully straightened a chair and took a seat, motioning for Ashton to seat himself across from her.

"How did you know I was here?" he asked, working hard to keep his face and voice void of emotion.

"You're in a pretty popular band," Lacey explained, "You aren't that hard to track." Ashton nodded, wondering to himself how many people knew what he was up to. "I'm here about your letters," Lacey explained.

"Yeah," Ashton said, wanting her to just continue, "What do you wanna say?"

"What do you think I'm gonna say, Ashton?" she asked, sounding suddenly exhausted and much older than nineteen. Ashton simply shrugged, not in the mood for her lecture. "I told you not to pursue her a long time ago," Lacey began with a sigh.

"Look, I really don't need to hear this, alright?" Ashton snapped. "I loved her and I wanted to give it a try and I still love her but I get it. She loves Chase. She made that clear today. I don't need to hear it from you, too. I'll leave them alone. I don't want to cause any more problems for her."

"That's not what I was saying," Lacey said quietly. Ashton gave her a questioning look and she continued. "I told you not to pursue her back when we were in California, but you did." Ashton nodded, not understanding why Lacey had to recount the past that he remembered so clearly. "And I've never seen her happier than when you won her heart. I knew that you loved her, and I really think she loved you. You don't know how much I tried to persuade her to stay with you, but she was scared. You know that." Ashton hesitated, but nodded, still unsure of why he had to hear this from Lacey. "Anyway, I guess the reason I'm here is to tell you that you can't give up on her. Chase is a horrible mistake, and I've told her that, but she needs to see it. She needs you to show her."

"Look, I'm not some puppet you can string up and drag around to fix Dakota's problems," Ashton pointed out, growing sick of his heart being pulled in different directions.

"I know," Lacey consented, "But you love her don't you?"

"Well, yeah," Ashton sighed, "But she doesn't love me, and I can't handle hearing her say that again. I can't handle her pitying smile again."

"Fine," Lacey said, suddenly getting to her feet, "But don't leave town. Just - just give me a week to, I don't know, do something."

"Fine," Ashton replied, rising to meet the fierce blonde. "I'll stay for a week, but I'm not playing any games."

"Understood," Lacey said with a curt nod. Her hand jutted out, and Ashton took it in his one, giving it a strong shake, although neither was entirely sure what they were agreeing upon. "See you soon, then," she confirmed before letting herself out.

[A/N] this is so so so so late and really just setting up the next few chapters but please stick with it it'll get good again soon