---Kelly---
"So, Kelly, what are you going to do for spring break next week?" Mali asks. I've been avoiding thinking about it. Originally, I was supposed to fly out to the guys for a week and tour with them, but since Mikey is still the only one who will talk to me, that's not a good idea. I thought about flying out anyway, since I have the plane ticket, but I can't afford a hotel for the week.
"Nothing, I'll probably just go visit Mum and Dad and Mark."
"What about the ticket you have?"
"Mali, Mikey is the only one who's talking to me, and I can't afford a hotel. Not to mention I can't get to Minneapolis from Dallas to be able to fly home. It just won't work. Maybe you should take the ticket and spend the week with Cal. I know he'd like that."
"I can't take the week off work. But thanks for the thought." Oh well. I guess there's one plane ticket going to waste.
---Ashton---
"So Ash, isn't your girlfriend supposed to be coming out again soon? Like for her spring break or something?" Liam asks. I completely forgot about that. I hope she's not planning on still coming out. I look to Michael, since he's the only one who would know.
"Originally, yes, Liam. She was supposed to fly out Friday. But she's not coming now." He glares at Harry with the deadliest look I've ever seen.
"Thank God!" Harry says. Jackass is the reason behind it, too. "I don't need another black and blue nose. She almost broke it last time. Bitch has a mean arm on her!" What? Kelly's the one that did that to his nose? Why? She's the one that was kissing him! I look to Mike, who has a proud smirk on his face.
"You deserved it, you prick!" he told Harry. This isn't quite the way to "bond" with the guys.
"If I knew she'd almost break my perfect face, I never would have kissed her. Damn!"
"Why did you in the first place?" Mikey asked the question that was on the tip of my tongue. I'm beginning to feel like there's more to the story than I thought. Like Kelly and Michael tried to tell me.
"I don't know," Harry laughs drunkenly. I firmly believe this conversation would not be happening if he was sober. "I was jealous? I wanted to piss off Ashton. And it worked! I knew she'd never kiss me on her own accord, she was much too in love with Ash. I was dying to know what her lips tasted like. So when Ben kept her at mix a bit longer, I saw an opportunity and took it. I never expected you to bruise my neck Mike, or for her to have such a wicked right hook though. She went all crazy bitch on me. You're better off without her, Ash! I'm surprised she never unleashed on you!"
"Mike, let me out of this booth! NOW!" Michael quickly slides out of the booth, standing between Harry and I. He knows me too well.
"Go call her already. I'm not letting you at Harry. That's why she wouldn't let me tell you the truth. She didn't want to ruin the tour for us. She'd rather suffer without you than see something happen to the band, or the tour." That is such a typical Kelly thing to do.
Luke and Calum get out of the booth and follow me. "What are you doing?" I ask them.
"We didn't know mate. We need to apologize to Kella too." Calum answers.
I pull out my phone and decide to send her a text before I call her from the hotel.
---Kelly---
Once again, I cried myself to sleep after talking to Mali, but my grumbling stomach woke me up. I haven't gotten a good nights sleep in over a month and a half since I left the guys. I sit on the couch eating my bowl of cereal and start flipping through Twitter. I've been following their tour via my timeline. I'm glad that Ash never goes out with the guys because then I don't have to see pictures of him with other girls. It also makes it easier to tell when Mikey's going to call me. He always calls me after a night out, drunk off his ass, unless he finds some chick. Then I don't hear from him til the next day. He's so predictable. Tonight there's a new picture up. All nine of them are out together. That's a good thing for them. They need to bond. A few minutes go by and I get a text. My heart stops beating, or at least I stop breathing, as I open the text from Ashton.
To my everything
You and me
I can't stop the tears, yet again. There's so much meaning in those three words, and having those be the first words I hear can only mean one thing. He knows the truth. I'm going to kill Michael. I told him not to. If Ashton knows, it could create so much more tension between the bands than is necessary and could ruin the tour, and therefore the band's career! I'd rather be without Ashton than see that happen.
***flashback***
After the guys left the stage, Ben, the sound engineer, showed me how to program each of the settings for later tonight when they take the stage. Once it's all ready, I head backstage towards the 5sos dressing room to meet Ashton, just as I always do. Just before I turn the corner to the hallway with the dressing rooms, I'm met by my least favorite person, Harry.
Before I can comprehend what he's doing, he has me pinned against the wall. I try to squirm away from him, but that just makes him press himself harder against me, making me feel the bulge in his pants grow with every movement. I hear voices from the other hall and just as I'm about to call out to them for help, he raises my arms to his neck, holding them in place, and forces his lips onto mine. I refuse to kiss him back, and try to get out of his grasp, despite the obvious repercussions pressing even larger against my stomach.
Suddenly, I'm free from his grasp and I see Michael grasping him by the neck. I slap Harry across the cheek and Michael tells me to go.
"Go after Ashton, Kel! He saw!" Fucking asshole did that on purpose! What happened next was really strange. My body reacted without me knowing what I was doing. It was like I was watching from outside of myself as I curled my hand into a fist and punched Harry in the nose without having any control over myself. "That's my Tiger!" Mikey laughs, "Now go!"
***end flashback***
---Ashton---
"Hey Mike?" I ask. "How did you know that this would come up tonight?"
"One thing I've learned about Harry is that when he gets drunk, he doesn't shut up. So I asked Liam to bring up Kelly's name. I wasn't sure if he'd admit it, but I was hoping he would. I only promised Kel that I wouldn't tell you. I never said I wouldn't set Harry up to spill the truth." Damn, Mike's so much smarter than people give him credit for!
"Thank you."
"Like I said, I can't stand seeing two of my best friends so miserable. I had to do something, without breaking my promise to Tiger."
When we reach the hotel, I go in Cal and I's room.
"I'll be in Luke and Michael's room if you need me," Calum says. I sit down on the bed and bring up Kelly's contact. What do I say? How do I start? These past two months without her have been hell and it's my fault. I should've listened to her that night. She wanted to explain, but I never gave her the chance.
To Mikey
How do I start? What do I say?
To Ash
Start with hi? With apologizing for not letting her explain?
Right. Okay.
To Mikey
What if she doesn't forgive me?
To Ash
She cries herself to sleep every night. She'll forgive you, dumbass!
Okay, here goes nothing. I linger over her contact, gaining the strength to do this. Finally I press the green phone picture to call her. It takes three rings before she picks up.
"He-hello?" There's uncertainty and pain in her voice. I caused that. Fuck, I'm such an idiot.
"Uh, hi Kelly."
"Hi Ash."
I take a deep breath. It's now or never Ashton. This is your one chance to get her back.
"Listen, Kel, I'm really really sorry I never gave you a chance to explain. I was so stupid. I was so hurt by what I saw, and didn't think there could be any explanation outside of that. God I was an idiot. Can you ever forgive me?"
"Did Mikey tell you?" She hasn't answered me and that rips my heart in two.
"No. Harry did." I'm not going to tell her that Michael prompted the conversation though. I'm too grateful for him doing that. I'm not going to get Kelly mad at him for it.
"Harry did? What?! How? Why?"
"When Harry gets drunk, he talks non-stop. Liam had asked me about you coming out over spring break and Harry just started blabbering. Nice job on his nose, by the way! You almost broke it!"
"I wish I had," she says quietly. I can tell she's embarrassed about it, but she has no reason to be.
"He's scared of you now!" I tell her. She starts to laugh and the butterflies in my stomach awaken. I've missed that sound so much.
"You haven't been going out with the guys. Why not?" Has she been checking up on me? Probably just Michael telling stories of the three of them.
"Just wasn't up to it. It's not the same without you in my life. I miss you so much Kelly and I am so sorry for not listening to you. I don't deserve your forgiveness, but I will do anything to prove it to you. Just please come out over spring break? Give me a chance to make it up to you?"
"What about Luke and Calum?"
"You'll be hearing from them soon.They feel awful, too. Did you make Mali promise not to tell Cal?"
"Yeah. I didn't want her or Cal to have to get in the middle of it." Can she ever think of herself first for once?
"Please, Kel, please come out? We can work through this. I know we can. You and me, right?" And that's what bringing the tears. I hear her crying through the phone. I finally broke through the wall. I have a chance to get her back.
---Kelly---
"Please, Kel, please come out? We can work through this. I know we can. You and me, right?" And there goes the wall I was trying so hard to keep up. I didn't want to be a crying blubbering idiot on my first time talking to him in months. But those three words, again. That's the "open sesame" to my heart. I'm trying to be strong and not cave the moment I hear his voice, but I can't do it any longer. It hurt me so much that he wouldn't listen, but I really can understand. I would've been the exact same way. And I've missed him so much. I can't live without him in my life.
"I'll come out. But Ash? I think I need to stay in Mikey's room at hotels. We both know that we can't just pick up where we left off." I can't trust myself to be in the same room as him, and I honestly believe what I said. Staying with Mikey's the only way this can work.
"Oh. Yeah, of course."
"Ok. Then I'll see you Friday?"
"See you Friday. I love you Kel!" I love you too Ashton, but it doesn't feel right saying it right now.
"Bye."