Demons (hemmings au)

Thirty-Four

Ellie’s POV

I follow Ashton into the guest room, not even registering that I am crying anymore. My whole body hajust fallen numb to the shock and upset that I have endured. As Ashton looks back and gives me a small, reassuring smile I break down even farther. His once beautiful, happy face looks so broken down; his nose is still swollen with a bruise forming around it, dried blood spread across his upper lip, and his once sparkle filled eyes are now a dull hazel color. I did this to him, this is all my fault. 

“Ellie, I need…” Ashton starts as soon as we sit down on the guest bed, he taking my hands into his own and staring down at them entwined together instead of looking at me. 

“Ashton, I am so, so sorry. This is all my fault, if I didn’t dance with you Luke would have never,” I interrupt spitting out profuse apologies. Suddenly Ashton’s face shoots up to look me directly in the eyes, his face scrunched up as he thinks about what I am saying. 

“Ellie shut up, none of this is your fault,” he states simply, putting his finger to my lips to shush me as I open my mouth to argue in return. I heed his gesture and close my lips, deciding to stay silent and listen to what he has to say. When he sees that I am done speaking and waiting for him to talk he removes his finger and places his hand back down in his lap. 

“Ellie I need to tell you something, I’ve been meaning to tell you this since yesterday but I just couldn’t do it. But now, you need to know. And I’m not going to tell you what to do with this information, and I’m not saying I did this because I want you to choose me, but I’d be lying if I didn’t say that reason was a part of why I did what I did.” Ashton speaks slowly. I listen to his words and just end up confused, I have no idea what he is talking about. I open my mouth to ask but he holds up his hand, telling me that there is more. 

“I want you to know that I am in love with you, I have been ever since I met you in sixth grade and we played queen of the castle and I beat Michael and Calum to be your king. As you smiled down at me and deemed me your royal king I knew that I was in love with you and would be for a very long time. Things got messed up somewhere along the way and I know it is partially my fault, but my feelings for you never changed,” he whispers sadly, fitting his hand with my own and bringing them up to his face before lightly kissing my knuckles. As I wait to hear what he has to say next I can’t help but be a little frightened, that he has done something very bad. 

“Ash, what did you do?” I answer, in a voice not much louder than his. I put my hands underneath his chin and lift his face up so I can meet his soft, hazel eyes filled with sorrow and dread. 

“I went to the cops El, I told them everything. They arrested the guys that did what they did to Luke’s sister. I got community service for seeing and never telling, but since I agreed to testify they said I would have no jail time. It’s over Ellie, they’re done,” Ashton squeaks before breaking down into tears. I quickly bring him into me, wrapping my arms around his broad chest as he lays his head on my shoulder and continues to cry. I know he has been holding all of this in for so long, and right now he just needs someone to be here for him. 

“Shh, shh Ashton. It’s okay, it will all be okay,” I whisper as I stroke the back of head, trying to comfort him. There is nothing more I can say, I don’t known what else to say. If what he says is true, the guys that killed Luke’s sister will be punished. Ashton gave up some of his best friends for me…and for Luke, even though he hates Luke. He knew that this could possibly bring me and Luke back together yet he still did it because why? He loves me, Ashton said he loves me, that he’s loved me since sixth grade. Do I love Ashton in return? I feel like there has always been a part of me that has loved Ashton but I have always looked at it as an older brother type of love, could it possibly have been something else that I just forced back because I knew my best friend, Emma, liked him?