A/N This chapter made me really emotional while I was writing it. I feel so bad for Luke... :(
Happy reading ~ thank you so much for all the supportive comments and votes! You guys motivate me to keep writing <3 love you!
• CHAPTER TEN •
Providence's POV
I hadn't been prepared to see Luke.
Yes, I'd known I was coming, and I'd known that I was going to be seeing him. But nothing could have prepared me for the fury that welled up the second he shot me a dorky smile and said, "Hey."
It hurt like hell.
Even though I'd pretty much moved past Luke, it still pissed me off that he thought it was okay to stop talking to me for two months. Crush or not, we had been best friends for years. Every fear I'd had bloomed in my imagination as the reason he wasn't talking to me.
It got to the point where I'd called Calum, who told me he had no idea. "He hasn't mentioned anything. Been a bit of a moody prick, yeah, but he hasn't said anything."
Which pissed me off even more.
Still, I was here, in Vegas, with Ashton.
Ashton Irwin.
He'd been there for me when Luke totally bailed. It was almost as if the more Luke slacked off, the more Ashton picked it up. He called me often, updating me on everything and anything, and always found time to chat with me.
I loved him for it.
Not that it made me less mad at Luke, but it made coping with it easier. I hadn't been able to bring myself to ask about Luke, especially not after that night when Luke had looked pissed off at the sight of us chatting.
A knock at my door pulled me out of my reverie. "Hey, Prov?"
I walked over to the door and opened it. "Hey, Ashton," I said, smiling.
He looked me up and down. I'd changed into shorts and a tanktop. "Wow, Providence. I admit, you looked really good in that dress earlier, but I prefer you like this," he said, wrapping an arm around my waist and pulling me into a gentle hug.
I hugged him back, and I felt his unspoken concern about my encounter with Luke. I'd excused myself to my room, claiming I needed to change, although I ended up taking a long shower as well.
The shower is where I do my life thinking, after all.
"It's nothing," I whispered into his ear, and he burrowed his face into my shoulder.
"You know you can tell me anything, right?" he whispered into my neck.
Despite the heat, I shivered. "I know. If I need to, I'll tell you," I promised.
Ashton released me, and followed me into my room. "So, do you and the boys have any plans?" I asked, sitting on the bed.
He sat next to me, rubbing his chin. "Well, the boys have plans," he said evasively, giving me a smile.
"Do you not include yourself in those plans?" I asked.
He shrugged. "I was kind of hoping I'd be able to hang out with you," he said, bumping his shoulder into mine.
My heart raced, and I smiled slowly. "Really? You'd give up time with the boys?"
"Ah, I spend all day of every day with them," he said, grinning. "It's just another day. Besides, we're in Vegas. I doubt I'll be able to take you here on a date any other time soon."
