Unpredictable (A Lashton Fanfic)

Chapter Forty - The Meeting.

*Ashton’s POV*

I woke up just a little after four-thirty that next morning, and after lying there for a few moments desperately trying to think of a way to get out of meeting Gemma Styles but coming up empty, I made the decision to just get up already. Luke was still asleep beside me, and I was careful not to wake him as I stood and walked to the bathroom. I took a shower that I barely remember anything about and changed into the white tank top and dark jeans that were near the front of my suitcase, simply because I didn’t feel like searching for something better to wear, and quickly fixed my hair that stayed messy even when I ran a comb through it.

            By the time I had finished getting ready it was close to five o’clock, and even though I wasn’t scheduled to meet Gemma until seven, I wanted to get today’s events over with as quickly as I possibly could. I felt like I needed to wake Luke up and tell him goodbye, but I knew there would be too many tears shed if I did, and so in order to spare us both an emotional goodbye I leaned down and kissed him on the cheek before exiting the warmth familiarity of our room and stepping out into the hallway.

            As I reached the parking lot I was surprised to see a line of fans already waiting out front even though it was the early hours of the morning, but I quickly made my way past them and climbed into the Range Rover that Michael and Calum had left for me to use. It wasn’t that I didn’t want to talk to the fans because I did; it was just that now wasn’t exactly an ideal time for me to say too much of anything to anyone. I was sad, confused, and angry, and I had to force myself to focus on the road ahead of me as I exited the hotel and turned onto the highway.

            The café where I was supposed to meet Gemma was almost twenty miles away, but it felt more like fifty with all the traffic I had to get through. Once I finally got there I had to drive in circles for ten more minutes until I found a parking space, so needless to say I was even more aggravated than before as I stepped into the tiny diner.

            I spotted Gemma almost immediately, sitting at a booth next to the window. She had dyed her hair since the last time I had seen her, and I had to admit that the shade of light blue mixed with purple looked good on her. “Hey, Ashton!” she exclaimed once I had reached the table, standing up to throw her arms around me. “I’ve missed you.”

            “Whatever,” I muttered, taking the empty seat across from her. She looked almost disappointed, like she had been expecting me to sit beside her, but shrugged and soon returned back to the cheerful mood she had been in just a few seconds ago. “So, I guess you’ve heard about the whole fake relationship thing?”

            “I wouldn’t be meeting with you if I hadn’t,” I snapped, instantly regretting the harsh tone to my voice. I shouldn’t be so angry with her; if we’re being honest, I probably should’ve felt sorry for her. She was a really sweet girl and deserved better than to be used in a cover up story created by a group of people that would rather tear somebody’s world apart and lie to the media than to be known for managing a band where the lead singer and drummer were in a relationship.

            “I’m sorry, Ashton,” Gemma said after a few moments, breaking through my thoughts. “I really am. I know how much you love Luke, and I know how hard this is for you. Anyway, there’s some things we have to go over before we go out in public together for the first time.”

            I rolled my eyes. “For one, if you knew how much I loved Luke you wouldn’t have agreed to this, and secondly, we’re already out in public.”

            Gemma sighed and put her hand on top of mine. “I only agreed to it because I had no other choice, Ashton. Management forced me to be your girlfriend—again—and there wasn’t really a lot I can do. You know what happens to people who say no to them.” She pulled out a piece of paper from her leather purse and spread it out on the table in front of us. “I know we’ve already been through this one time and I probably don’t need to tell you all of this again, but I’m going to do it anyway. Whenever there are cameras around—which will be almost all of the time because your band is getting more and more famous as the days go by—we have to hold hands and act like a real couple. We have to convince people that you are in love with me instead of Luke Hemmings, and in order to do that you have to pretend that you’re actually enjoying spending time with me instead of looking all miserable like you’re doing now. Okay? I know it’s going to be hard, but hopefully this is all temporary.”

            I hoped more than anything that she was right. I had never been good at being or acting like someone I was not, which means I knew I would have a hard time pretending to be in love with her when I wasn’t.

            We sat in an uncomfortable silence for another ten minutes or so before Gemma stood up, grabbed her belongings, and led me out of the café. “Where are we going?” I asked her, all too aware of the cameras that were following behind us.

            “Shopping, of course,” she smiled and motioned towards a black Mercedes convertible that was parked near the curb. “We have to be seen together as much as possible today in order to get all those entertainment websites talking.”

            I knew she was right, and that’s why I ran over to the driver’s side of the Mercedes and held the door open for her, much to the delight of the cameramen. It was something I normally did for Luke and it felt completely wrong doing it for someone else, but I wanted this to be over already and the more things I did for Gemma the more people would believe that we were in an actual relationship.

            “So,” she said as she started the car. “I’ve heard that you boys have a new album coming out soon.”

            “It came out yesterday,” I corrected her. “Have you heard any songs off it yet?”

            Gemma absently turned up the radio. “No, but I’m sure it’s amazing because I also heard that you wrote most of the songs on it. Did you write any for me, Ashton?”

            I fought the urge to laugh. “No, Gemma, I did not write any songs about you.” I shook my head and stared out the window at the buildings and cars passing by until we reached a large outlet store, where she skillfully parked the Mercedes and excitedly jumped out into the Florida sunshine.

            I was slower to exit the car, and by the time I finally reached her she was already carrying two small bags with a label I didn’t recognize on the front. “You’ve bought something already?”

            “Of course,” she took my hand, and I instinctively started to pull away until I realized that cameramen were once again approaching us. “I didn’t have time to wait on you when there are hundreds of designer stores calling my name.”

            I rolled my eyes—something I had been doing a lot of today—and followed behind her as she made her way across the street and disappeared into another set of stores. While I waited for her I went into a few stores of my own and took some pictures with fans, and I had to admit to myself that today wasn’t turning out quite as terrible as I thought it would.

            We stayed at the outlets for what felt like forever, and by the time we finally got back to her car and stuffed the ten different bags she was carrying into the trunk it was almost dark out. “I’ve had fun today, Ashton,” she said once we were back on the traffic-filled road. “I think we’ve been really convincing.”

             I wanted to tell her that I thought the same thing, but I couldn’t bring myself to admit it out loud yet. With that said I just smiled and turned away, focusing my attention back on the lights that flew by the window.