Spaces Between Us | A.I.

28.

- POV Ashton-

"Ashton, are you okay?" Michael asks me. I am sitting backstage staring into nothing. I snap out of my thoughts and look at Michael.
"What?" I ask.
"I asked if you are okay."
"I'm fine."
He frowns, "are you sure?"
I nod, "yeah."

I see that Michael doesn't believes me but he brushes it off.
"Lets play a game," he says.
I frown, "a game?"
"Yeah. I'll be iceberg and you-"
I cut him off while laughing, "that one is getting old."
"I still like it," he mumps.
"I know you do. No but for real. What game?'

"Lets count how much Calum and Luke flirt with each other. Because tell me I'm not crazy to see they're flirting," Michael says.
I glare over at Luke and Calum. They're laughing together.
"I haven't noticed that. But I noticed they spent more time together. But they're both straight, right?"
"I don't know..."

"We'll see," I say and I check my phone. Nothing special.
I look back up at Michael, "what else can we do? When do we need to go on stage?"
"In 20 minutes."
"Okay. Let's walk around and see what we can do."
"Sure."

After a while Michael and I find a skateboard and I decide it's a good idea to go on it together. "We're going to fall," Michael says.
"No, we're not," I say and we start to move.
"I swear this is going to end badly..."
"If you keep saying that it'll happen."
Michael sighs.

We get to a corner. "Ashton this isn't going to work," Michael says kind of worried.
I try to make the skateboard turn but I feel like falling so I step off. Michael doesn't noticed it on time so he falls down.
"I told you," he groans.
"Are you okay?" I ask worried.
"My wrist hurts. But hopefully that'll go away..," he says while getting up. His hand is around his painful wrist.
"We need to let someone look at it. Fuck. I'm so sorry."
"It's fine, Ash."

"We need to go to a crew member, Michael. Maybe you can't preform tonight," I say really worried. I feel terrible. It's my fault.
"It's fine. No worries. Let's just go back to the others."
"You can't play with pain."
"It's fine."
"It isn't."
"Yes. It is."
Michael starts to walk away. I follow him and we get back to the others.

"5 minutes to go," Calum says to us.
"Okay. Michael just do what I told you to do..." I say.
"I'm fine, Ash. Let is go."
The other boys give of confused looks.
"Michael fell of our skateboard," I explain.
"But I'm fine," Michael says more towards me than the others.
"You don't look fine."
"Just go to a doctor. If everything's fine then it'll come out as fine. If something's wrong we know that."
Michael sighs and just goes to doctor we have backstage.

When he comes back he looks stressed. "I need to go to the hospital," he says and looks down.
"What's wrong?" Calum asks.
"I broke my wrist."
"Can't you stay for the show to sing and then go?" Luke asks.
I look at Luke in disbelieve what he just said.
"I need to go now," Michael says. "The sooner the better. I'm sorry guys..."
"I'm sorry for this. It's my fault," I say.
"It's not, Ashton," Michael says with a small smile.

"It is, Michael. I was the one with the dumb idea of going on the board together while you kept saying it wasn't a good idea. So yes, it is my fault."
"But what are we going to do now? We miss one member."
"I can play guitar. I think that can work," Luke says.
"But what about Michael's solo's?" I ask.
"You can sing them," Calum says kind of insecure.
"Or you can," I say.
"Both do it. What Calum can't sing. Ashton does," Michael says.
We both agree.

And so Michael went to the hospital and we started to perform. But I couldn't help it but feel guilty all the time. I am so stupid...