speak. • sequel to mute. • muke au

melissa.

Luke.

"W-What? She cheated on you?!? How could she do this?!? She loved you! I just, I don't understand..." I stand, frustrated. I saw the way she looked at Ashton, and I saw the way he looked at her. It was how I look at Michael, and how he looks at me. Could he really do something like this to me? I mean,she did. They loved each other, and she just through that all away.

I watch as Ashton wraps his arms around April, more tears streaming down her face.

"It's all my fault.." he mumbles, voice cracking as he tries to control his breath. He continues sobbing and Michael pulls a sleeping April from his arms and hands her to me. I take her and place her gently on the opposite side of the couch. Michael then leans into Ashton, allowing him to rest his head against Micheal's chest.

Michael looks at me with wide eyes, and motions me to come over. I sit next to Ashton, opposite side of Michael and soothingly rub his back.

"I-I couldn't protect her, it's my fault...my fault." he cried.

"Ashton...how could you possibly think that it was your fault? It had nothing to do with you...she cheated on you, nothing is your fault." I tell him. He lifts his head from Michael's chest and looks at me, his eyes are red and the skin around then is puffy and sticky with fresh tears.

"It is completely my fault, I left her alone, I didn't go with her..."

"What are you talking about?" I ask, confused.

"Oh God, I'm such a fucking idiot..." he tugs on his hair. "If it wasn't for me, none of this would have happened."

"Aston, I don't understand..."

"I was with her, at first. We were out at a friends party, in a club downtown. And, and this guy kept flirting with Mel, but she ignored him. I eventually stopped it, and I got angry. I punched him, he told me I would regret it...he told me..." he takes a shakey breath. "I was just so angry, I blamed Melissa, I told her is she really wanted him to stop, that she would've done something about it, not just ignore it. So we had a fight, and I left, I went back home. She told me should would be home later, but she never came home. S-she never came home..." his head in his hands he wipes his tears. "So, I looked for her, turns out she was at her friends, and when I asked to see her, her friend told me no. I was confused, I didn't understand why she was still upset. When she finally did come home, she couldn't even look at me, she flinch every time I touched her. Even if we brushed against one another, she wouldn't eat, she slept on the couch...we would only bluntly talk. I confronted her,and she told me." He began to sob again.

"She told me that that man, the one from the club, he...he raped her." he whispered, crying hysterically. "because I wasn't their to protect her! A-and she blames herself! She thinks it's her fault! She thinks I hate her! She just-she won't listen to me...I'm the reason that this happened to her. I'll never be able to forgive myself. If I would've been there...I mean, he raped her, He touched her. That will always be with her, and it's my fault. I don't understand how she doesn't hate me, I hate me. She deserves so much better than me. She deserves someone who will protect her...I can't do that. I just don't know what to do...I love her so much. I was going to fucking propose! And now...now I can't."

I have no words. I cannot comprehend what Ashton has just told us. What do I do? What do I say? I don't know what to do, so I sit there, my hand still awkwardly on his back. He just silently cries into Michael's chest. Michael's eyes show guilt and hurt, he was judging her and now he knows the truth, we both do. We make eye contact and he mouths 'What do I do?' to me.

I wish I knew.

"Uncle Ashy? Why are you crying?"

Ashton stops and looks up, seeing April standing in front of him, confused. he leans down and hugs her tightly.

"I;m just sad sweetie, it's okay." he sniffles.

"Luke was sad, but he's better now. What made you sad?"

"Grown up stuff." he fakes a smile.

"Is it because of Melissa?" she asks in a soft voice. Did she hear us talking about her? Was she awake the whole time? "Do you love Melissa?" she asks after no one speaks.

"Yea, I really do. I want her to marry me." he tells her.

"Then do it." she says simply.

"I wish it were that easy..."

"It is." she says matter-of-factly.

"Ashton," I begin. "Just tell her how you feel, you know she still loves you, and you deserve each other. She probably feels so alone right now, and only you can fix that. And it's not your fault, you can't protect her from everything. I know you want to think you can, but you just can't. If you go around thinking that then you are only going to feel guilty when something bad happens, because bad things will happen, but you have each other to work through them. You'll always have each other. And you need to go and tell her that right now, and damn, it go make her your fiance." I say.

"Your right." he stands and begins to walk t the door. "I'll go right now. Thank you, thank you so much."