Unpredictable (A Lashton Fanfic)

Chapter Twenty Three - Go ahead rip my heart out.

*Luke’s POV*

I don’t even know why I tried to sleep that night. I had so many thoughts running through my mind; I should’ve known sleep was impossible. I stared up at the ceiling for six hours straight, trying to figure out what could possibly be wrong with my voice, but I kept coming up empty. Maybe Ashton was right. Maybe I do need to go see a doctor, although something’s telling me he couldn’t do anything for me.

            I leaned over and stared at the clock every hour until seven-thirty, when I made the decision to just get up already. I slipped on my shirt, careful not to wake Ashton, but somehow he must have noticed my absence beside him because I heard him mumble the words, “Lukey? Are you okay?”

            “I’m fine,” I reassured him, keeping my voice low. “Go back to sleep.”

            “Why are you up so early?” he asked me, opening his eyes and sitting up.

            I decided on telling him the truth instead of coming up with an excuse. “I couldn’t sleep. I’m sorry I woke you up.”

            “It’s fine,” Ashton said quickly, a concerned tone to his voice. “Were you worried about your voice last night? Is that why you couldn’t sleep?”

            I nodded. “Yeah. I just don’t know what I’m going to do, Ash. I thought maybe it was a temporary thing like you said, but it’s been two days and it still hasn’t gotten any better.”

            “Things will get better, I promise,” Ashton said cheerfully, smiling up at me. “and if they don’t, we’ll figure something out. Plus, tonight’s our last concert for a week. You’ll have time to rest your voice for a while.”

            I smiled back at him, instantly feeling better. This always happens whenever I have anything bothering me; I can just talk to Ashton, and he can say the simplest things that somehow make everything okay again. “Thanks, Ash,” I said after a few moments, standing back up and walking to the window. “What’s on our agenda for today?”

            “I have no idea,” Ashton laughed. “I don’t think we have any more interviews though, which is good.” He stood up and walked over to me. “With that said, we can do whatever we want today—up until six-thirty, that is.”

            “Don’t we have to go to soundcheck?” I asked him, and relief flooded through me when he shook his head. “No. We don’t have to do anything but be together.” He walked over to the bedside table and grabbed a set of car keys, a mischievous smile spreading across his face. “I may or may not have once again stolen the keys to the Range Rover. Now come on, let’s go.”

            I sighed and slipped on my Vans. “Where are we going exactly?”

            “To visit some of the parks here in Ireland, of course,” Ashton replied, grabbing my hand and pulling me down the stairs that led to the parking lot.

            There were surprisingly no fans waiting outside, so we were able to get in the dark red Range Rover and drive away with no problem. I kicked my feet up on the dash and rolled down the window—thankfully it had stopped raining, which meant it was ten degrees warmer—before leaning over and taking Ashton’s hand.

            We rode in silence for about twenty minutes, just enjoying each other’s company, before Ashton pulled into a small parking lot overlooking the ocean. He turned off the engine and jumped out of the car, running over to open the door for me. I shook my head but couldn’t help but smile as he put his arm around me and led me down to a sandy beach. “Isn’t this beautiful?” he asked me, sitting down on an old wooden bench. I was looking more at him than I was the view in front of us as I nodded and said, “It sure is.” He lifted his arms and pulled me closer to him, and I smiled contentedly. This was absolutely perfect; I couldn’t have asked for a more perfect moment than right here, right now.