Green Light ✓ || Ashton X Reader

Chapter 4

"Well," Luke says, arms on his waist, "this is small, but it'll do." He and the other 5SOS members are surveying your itty bitty dorm room back at the Magnificat.

"You weren't kidding when you said you only had a couple of boxes," Calum says, kicking an empty box. "But you do need sheets. How about we go order some online for you?"

"We can use the laptop computer the Magnificat loaned us," Luke explains, "and we can look at it together and figure out what looks good."

You nod, anything to get these boys out of your room and to leave you alone for a moment. That way, you can check your phone in peace, make sure he hasn't texted you. But only three of them leave, as Ashton volunteers himself to stay behind. Why is he staying? Oh, well. At least you could hide out in the bathroom and check your phone. It's easier to hide from one person than it is four.

"All right, love," Ashton says as Luke shuts your door, "you got about fifteen minutes to tell me what's got you in a tizz. What's on your mind?" He leans up against the door, and it appears he's not gonna let you out of your own room until he gets an answer.

You sigh, and you put your phone down, and you open your mouth. You talk about this boy who you had met at your workplace, a couple of years ago. He was charismatic, and you weren't even attracted to him, but he always seemed to be in your space, giving you compliments. Eventually you started hanging out with him, mostly because he just made you feel so bad when you didn't have time to. Hanging out turned into more than that, and at some point, you just easily fell in love with him.

And he was the perfect boyfriend. He was always by your side, taking care of you. Even if there were times that you didn't want him to. Like the time your best friend came over after years of not seeing her, and he wouldn't let her in your apartment, said it wasn't safe. It was your best friend, for crying out loud! But no, he said there was something about her that seemed off. Two days later, she told you that she was hoping you would buy her car off of her, and in retrospect, it was a total piece of junk. See? Your boyfriend was totally justified. Maybe she wasn't that great of a friend after all.

After you moved into his place, though, it was like he really was too good of a boyfriend. He was always doing everything for you, going above and beyond to make sure you were taken care of at all times. It got to the point where you no longer had to work, because he was working two jobs to ensure you were safe. But if he got home and anything was out of place, or you had left, then he would be...well, putting it upset was mild. He never hurt you, but he would always find something of yours, smash it against the wall, rip it up.

And then he would always apologize later. I'm sorry, baby. I didn't mean it. I only want to keep you safe. You know that's all I want from you, right? The making up part was the best. It made you feel like you were on cloud nine. But he would always get angry about something little again, sometimes during the same day. And you could never hide from it. You learned that the hard way. The only place to hide was in the bathroom, and he had broken the lock on day one.

He had never put his hands on you, so it didn't seem abusive. And he still loved you. He took care of you, right? He made it so you didn't have to work, that your lifestyle was perfect and stress-free. But you weren't actually accomplishing any of your dreams. You couldn't really remember what your dreams were anymore, come to think of it. All that mattered was making sure he wasn't mad at the end of the day, that you weren't sleeping alone while he slept on the couch.

You had considered leaving several times, but every time you had made a plan, he had found out, and that hadn't gone well. Every time you even mentioned going anywhere without him, he accused you of abandoning him, said you didn't love him anymore. And it hurt. Every time. You knew you had to get out and away, but you had no clue where to go. And then you had seen the Magnificat on TV, during a news broadcast. The segment talked about how the complex was paving the way for mental health and employee safety.

He always checked your Internet history, but you looked it up when he wasn't home and wiped it like you always did. And you knew that maybe, just maybe, the Magnificat could be the one place you were safe.

"He hasn't contacted you since you left?" Ashton asks. It's clearly been more than fifteen minutes, and he's a fantastic listener.

You shake your head. "But I'm so used to him having my number. I know it's just a matter of time, and he'll find me."

"And then do what? Force you to go home with him? That's not what you want, love. You're so brave for coming here, but now that you're here, you can't be a pansy. You're in the right place. But you need to talk to somebody about this." He sits by you, on your bed with no proper sheets. "You're allowed to ask for help. You can only get through something like this with a proper support system. Tell you what, love, when the others get back with the computer, how about you take the day off and go talk to employee services? We're big men. We can take care of ourselves." He laughs. "Most of the time."

You nod. "Maybe that's a good idea. Thank you."