march 2015
houston tx
Ashley directs Awsten the best she can as he drives; he keeps glancing towards her, unable to help the concerned frown on his face.
He helps her out of the car when they get there, and he's determined to stick close by her, no matter what.
Awsten finds it painfully obvious the way Ashley winces whenever she opens the front door, the music blaring far too loudly, and she grips his arm a little tighter.
Thankfully, she doesn't have to look very far for her purse, since someone must've found it laying around, and placed it on the coat hanger in the hall.
"I've got it," Awsten tells her, taking the purse for her.
She offers him a small, gracious smile in return, before taking a look down the hall, where the party is still as lively as ever.
Her eyes linger for a moment, and she feels like her heart stops when she finds herself staring.
Awsten can barely keep up with what's happening before Ashley is trudging down the hall, towards two specific people amongst a crowd.
It takes him a second to realise who it is, and his eyes widen when he finally recognises Jake, kissing another girl, with his hands all over her.
"What the fuck?" Ashley shouts over the music, having stomped towards them.
Jake pulls away from the girl, in surprise, enabling Ashley to finally get a good look at her.
"Aimee?" Her eyes widen, only earning a smirk in return.
"Aw, hey, Ashley," she greets innocently. "Oh, is this your boyfriend?" Aimee asks, gesturing to Jake. "If only I had known...Oops," she feigns innocence, barely able to suppress a laugh.
Ashley diverts her attention from Aimee quickly, shifting it to who she's actually angry with; she has her own problems with Aimee already, but that's far too much to unpack right now.
"Jake, what the fuck is going on?"
By this point, the commotion has gained the attention of a fair few people around them, but Ashley is too angry to even notice.
"I think it's kind of obvious," Jake scoffs. "What did you expect me to do?" He stares down at her. "Did you really think I'd spend this long with you without getting laid? It's not like it's the first time," he snares. "Not my fault you're fucking oblivious."
Ashley's mouth gapes, suddenly feeling like she wants the ground to swallow her up.
His words hurt more than she wants them to, and she tries to rid of the hollow feeling in her chest, as she takes a moment to compose herself.
She stands up straighter, finally breaking eye contact with Jake, to look briefly at the people stood around them.
In one swift motion, Ashley takes a full cup from someone stood next to her, and throws its contents all over Jake.
At this point, Awsten's brain has caught up to what's happening in front of him, and he grabs Ashley's arm protectively, pulling her back when Jake takes a step towards her.
