Ashton: I won’t let you close enough to hurt me.
Ashton sat in the hospital, dumbfounded. His heart physically hurt, his mind had turned to mush. Blinking, and staring at the plain white wall, he felt the onslaught of overwhelming, indescribable pain take over his body. He clutched his abdomen, tears falling from his bloodshot and tired eyes. Heavy sobs shook him, until he was wailing, the boys beside him staring at him with a sympathetic expression. He was hyperventilating as the realization hit him, that you were never coming back. It wasn’t like you two were a thing anymore, that had ended a few months ago. It had been not so private, and not so clean. Words had been exchanged along with emotional pleas for this to work on your side. Ashton had told you that this wouldn’t last, that this wasn’t a good idea to stay together. You both were growing apart, and that it was time to move on. After a long period of silence, the last words you told Ashton was I won’t let you close enough to hurt me, before walking out of the apartment for good. He hadn’t seen you since, but news had gotten to him that you were in a car accident, and that you were in critical care. Ashton, along with the band, had arrived at the hospital just in time to see you go into a seizure, your heart rate causing the monitor to buzz uncontrollably, until it flat lined completely. The doctors swarmed in, moving your body onto the hard board, and charging the clamps that would hopefully induce enough of a jolt back into your heart to keep it pumping. But to no avail would you come back, the harsh sound of your flatlining heart filled Ashton’s ears with such a deafening dread that it had knocked him against the wall, forcing him to bite his fist to muffle the sobs and weak sounds escaping him. And here he was, sitting on a hard plastic chair watching through the glass as your loved ones clutched at your now dead body, screaming and crying in utter terror that you were gone. And all that could be heard in Ashton’s head was I won’t let you close enough to hurt me. Boy, had you been right. You were gone now, unable to even see Ashton. This would be his eternal plague, remembering the way you had begged for this not to end, and that there was some way to make this work. His enthral torture knowing that maybe if you had of been with him tonight, that deer wouldn’t have jumped out in front of your car, making you swerve and crash into the guardrail, forcing you to roll in your car for about three miles until your car finally stopped, pinning you in its metal confines. Maybe, if he hadn’t of been so selfish, you would be smiling, laughing, and most importantly in his arms. But you were gone, so far away from him that he could never hurt you again, because you were gone forever, leaving Ashton with his own personal form of torture. The what if game.
Calum: Its time to say good-bye to turning tables.
Your relationship with Calum wasn’t stable anymore. You both loved each other, but it was getting more and more rocky as the weeks went by. He was getting busier, fame was sweeping him off of his feet, and with the more time he was away, the more time you spent trying to occupy yourself. You had a wonderful job that you loved, and the more you worked, the more you moved up the ladder. You were improving everyday, and you were falling in love with your job. With conflicting schedules left no time for each other, barely a hello was said now, and when you did see each other it was quick, with no more romance. You loved Calum so much, it hurt you to even think of proposing the idea of taking a break. It was unstable, and unhealthy to continue. So, staying up well into the night to wait for Calum to come home, you mindlessly puttered around the house, trying to calm yourself. The door creaked open, and it was time for you to confront him about your thoughts. He was quiet, like he always was, but you heard him gasp when he saw you. “What are you doing up?” He asked, coming to sit on the couch. “I need to talk to you Cal,” You said. He straightened up, before you sat down across from him. “This isn’t healthy, this isn’t stable anymore. We rarely see each other, and when we do its more friendly than anything. Cal, I love you so much, it hurts. And it hurts for me to even say this. But I think we need to take a break.” You rushed out the sentences as if saying them faster would ease the slap that the words delivered. He blinked before shaking his head. “Define unstable.” You sighed, running a hand through your hair. “We don’t communicate, we don’t talk, when we do see each other its hello’s and nothing romantic. You’re gone before I wake up, and when you get home I’m asleep. I work a lot now, I’m getting a promotion…” You trailed off. He leaned forward and grabbed your hand. “So I take some time off. We’re only recording and promoting. I can take a few days off, I can take a few weeks off. Whatever you need. I’m not giving up on us.” He traced your knuckles with his thumb. You took a shuddering breath, before biting your lip. “Are we just going to fall into the same thing after our break?” He sighed, sitting back. “No. Because now I know. I should have known before.” He said, blinking. “Come to bed, we can talk in the morning.” He said holding out his hands. You sighed, feeling fatigue overtake you. You reluctantly stood up, before Calum turned to you. “I’m not letting you go that easy.” He said chuckling.
