My Baby Girl

The Final Straw

*Tyler's POV*

The entire ride to the restaurant is a blur. I can't help my hands from shaking uncontrollably. Not only is Ashley going to officially tell me she's chosen me, but I'm going to propose to her as well. I've been wanting to do this for a while now, and I'm constantly bombarded with the question of when I'm going to do it. With all the drama over the past few months due to Ryan, I knew I needed to do it sooner than later. So tonight's the night I drop the question.

Nervous doesn't even come close to what I'm feeling as the restaurant comes into view. I step out of the limo, careful to keep my distance from the group of paparazzi lingering nearby.

As I enter the lobby, the overwhelming aroma of sizzling steak and red wine greets my senses. I'm about to take a seat in the waiting area, but a waiter beats me to it and motions for me to follow him.

I walk through many doors and hallways until he stops me at a reserved isolated table at the back of the restaurant. The only company I have is the strange head of a horse on the wall behind me. I stare silently at a blank table as I I try to digest my thoughts into words of what I'm going to say when Ashley arrives. Although the time seems to be slipping away, I grow anxious when I realize it's  minutes past the time when we were supposed to meet, and Ashley is nowhere to be found.

I tap my fingers on the finished wood table and tap my foot in unison, becoming less and less hopeful that she will show up. Thirty minutes, and four shots later, I'm about to request a bill with a heavy heart, when heeled shoes clicking on the linoleum startle me. I look up to see Ashley, carrying an unreadable expression on her face. At this point I'm too relieved to be mad, and that nearly lost hope is suddenly burning in my chest.

"There you are babe! I was beginning to think you wouldn't come!" say, barley able to hide the ginormus smile behind my lips.

"Sorry I'm late." Ashley says shifting uncomfortably.

"It's no big deal. Listen, there's something really important I need to tell you." I pick her up, swing her around and kiss her soft lips. She kisses back, but with almost no force at all.

"Me too." She says, looking down but smiling timidly through her eyelashes.

"Ok, you go first!" I say wanting mine to be the last news of the night. I reach into my pocket, and glide my fingers across the engagement ring box with a hopeful beat in my heart.

"I don't know how to tell you this..." She says in a low whisper.

"Just tell me Ash," I reach for her delicate hands and give them a gentle squeeze. "I'm ready." I assure her. She takes a deep breath before continuing.

"I don't think this is working."

"What isn't working?" I ask confused, my hand still touching the ring.

"This, us! I can't keep running off with you when..." her voice trails off and her eyes draw to the floor.

"When what?" I ask, before realizing what she means. "Oh, I see. You're with Ryan now, aren't you?" I ask, my heart sinking to my toes. A few moments of silence go by.

"Tyler, it's not like that..." She protests, but her argument is weak.

"Then what is it like? Huh? Because I'm tired of you saying everything is complicated and you're working it out when it's clear you've already made up your mind!"

"Tyler, I'm doing this for Everleigh. For four years I have spent every moment trying to forget Ryan, but now he's suddenly back and everything feels the same again. Don't you think that means something? Plus Everleigh adores him and he's proven that I can trust him again! We can finally have what I've always dreamed of, a perfect, whole family. Our family is complete now. Don't you want that for us?" She asks softly.

I swallow back the tears I know I can't keep in for long. "Yeah, you're right. I'm being selfish. I'm happy for you Ash. I really am." I lie. My heart is shattered.

"Tyler, I'm really sorry." Ashley says, the guilt written on her face makes me want to break down in tears. "I never meant to hurt you. I didn't want things to end like this but I-I don't have a choice..." she looks away, wiping away a lone tear as she does. I stand there silently, letting my tears drip onto my shoes. We just stand there silently, as my heart disintegrates.

"Now what was it you wanted to tell me?" Ashley asks suddenly. I take a few deep breaths to avoid hysterics.

"It doesn't matter anymore." I say, yanking my hand off the engagement ring, and balling it into a fist.

"I should probably go..." Ashley says awkwardly. I nod, still staring at the floor. I suddenly feel like a complete idiot. I had so much hope for us. I was so confident that Ashley was going to choose me that I actually bought an engagement ring. Now look how pathetic I am, staring at the floor with tears streaming down my face in the middle of a public restaurant as the monotonous sound of camera shutters drowns everything out. Ashley turns to leave, but before I let her walk out of the door for good, I give her one last kiss on her forehead, unable to contain myself. Then I watch her as she disappears from sight. Once she's gone, I scramble out the door as fast as so possibly can. The heavy flow of tears threathen to turn into heaving sobs as I push past the mob of people shoving cameras and microphones in my face.

"Tyler can you tell me how it went in there?" One reporter asks. I don't reply and instead wipe away tears forcefully and take deep, heavy, breaths.

"Tyler, what did Ashley say to you in there?"

"Tyler can we get a picture with you?" A girl with neon pink hair and a tattoo of a headless chicken begs.

"Tyler what happened? Did Ashley Benson reject you?"

"Tyler, can you tell me how you feel about being dumped by Ashley Benson?"

"How did the date go?"

"Why are you crying?"

"Did Ashley choose Ryan?"

"Did Ashley Benson break your heart?"

My head spins and I can't even see clearly. Everything is a blur. I can hear the blood pounding in my ears, drowning out the chaos of the crowd. I manage to make it to my car where I find myself unstable and unsure of what to do. I quickly take off as the mob of people slowly start inching their way towards my car. The road is difficult to see through my tears but I'm somehow able to make it to my destination collision-free.

I trudge up the few short steps with enough emotions to last a lifetime. I pound my fists angrily on the door. Nothing's standing in my way.

Ryan opens the door, a look of confusion spreading across his face when he notices my tears.

"Tyler I-"

But before I let him finish I raise my fist above my head and throw a punch right under his upper lip. He stumbles back a bit, shocked, and rubs the fresh wound with his hand. I take it as my opportunity to hit him again, this time more forcefully.

I strike him across the face, so hard my own hand tingles from the sting. Then I raise my fist one more time, and barrel it towards his eye. He tumbles to the ground, shaking uncontrollably. I glare at him for a second, watching him whimper in pain unsteadily on the ground, before turning and slamming the front door behind me.

As soon as my waiting car comes into view, I pick up my pace, tears flying angrily off my cheeks. I run faster than I ever have, only half expecting Ryan to be chasing after me with an armed weapon in hand.

Once I'm safely within the walls of my own car, I'm finally able to process the events that took place, and I let myself break down into violent sobs. I reach for the engagement ring that's still in my pocket, and pull it out, turning it over in my palm. I plant a symbolic kiss on the encrusted diamonds, and chuck it as hard as I can out the car window. I watch it land in a pile of left over mud, and crumble to the ground in soul shredding sobs. The unrelenting, merciless grip of growing despair is too much to hold on to. My heart has completely shattered...