lover of mine | c.h

twenty two

Sabrina and Ashton's trip to target went better than she expected it to. She had spent the past couple of weeks moping around in her feelings, not knowing how to cope. But maybe she needed a distraction. She needed something to take her mind off of the beating she had gotten from a man she thought loved her. And Target was just the thing.

"Are you sure you're done? We can go back and look at the books if you want, Sab" Ashton told her. She gave him a look and continued pushing the cart towards self checkout. She knew he was trying to stall before the two went into the office, but that wasn't going to work on her.

"I don't even read, Ash" Sabrina told him. "I got enough stuff already. I didn't even need half of the shit you put in the basket"

"Yeah, but you clearly wanted it" Ashton said in an obvious tone, making the girl chuckle. Then a look appeared on the man's face, causing Sabrina to falter.

"What? Is there something on my face?" Sabrina furrowed her eyebrows, confused onto why Ashton was staring at her the way he was.

"Your eye" Ashton cleared his throat and took a step closer to the girl, speaking in a hushed tone so no one around them would hear their conversation. "It looks like the concealer rubbed off a bit"

"Shit" Sabrina muttered, reaching a hand up to her eye, even though that wouldn't do much but rub more of the makeup off.

"Here, take your purse and go to the bathroom. I'll checkout these items for you and meet you by the exit" Ashton told her, handing the purse to the girl. She shot him a smile, mouthing a thank you, before heading to the bathroom. Her anxiety started to bubble in her stomach as thoughts began to flood her mind. Had anyone seen her? Did people take pictures of her eye? She was too distracted with Ashton and the cute baby clothes, she didn't notice anyone around her until now. She walked into the bathroom, taking notice in her surroundings. No one was in there, letting her release a sigh in relief.

As she opened the tube of concealer, she felt her phone buzz in her back pocket. She ignored the feeling, continuing to blend the concealer around her eye before anyone walked in the rest room and saw her. Slightly wincing at the pain caused when her finger made contact with her cheek, she kept feeling the buzzing in her pocket. Huffing, she closed the makeup and pulled out her phone, seeing multiple texts from the last person she wanted to hear from.

Jake:
Sabrina I'm so sorry
Just come over so we can talk things out
I know I fucked up

Sabrina felt the blood drain from her face as she saw his name on her home screen. Just as she thought she was getting away from him, he managed to sneak his way back into her life.

Sabrina:
Leave me alone Jake.
Stop texting me, you're just
making things worse for yourself

Sabrina shook her head, and shoved her phone back into her purse. She continued to ignore the continuous buzzing that came from the device, and finished blending in the makeup on her face. Looking in the mirror back at her reflection, she wanted to sob right then and there. She didn't know what to do at this point. She had been holding everything in for the last few weeks, fearing once she let it out, she wouldn't be able to stop. Ashton had been such a big help, but he wouldn't push anything out of her. Calum had too, but he was now busy with his other priorities. Sabrina couldn't put any of the blame on him though. She wasn't his anymore. He had no obligation to give her the attention he once did, and it killed her. It absolutely killed her.

She zoned out for maybe a good five minutes before she heard the door swing open. She took a quick deep breath and then gathered her things, getting ready to walk out. An older lady had entered, giving Sabrina a warm smile as she passed by. She was lucky it wasn't a fan or someone who recognized her.

"Hey, what took you so long? Are you okay?" Ashton asked her, standing near the entrance and exit of the store. He had a look of worry on his face and reached his arm out to put it around the girl.

"Yeah, sorry. My concealer wasn't cooperating" Sabrina lied, not wanting to cause any further worry. Ashton slowly nodded and continued to walk out of the store. "Mike called and asked if I wanted to go into the studio with him for a bit. Are you gonna be okay alone while I'm there?"

"I'll be fine, Ash. I'm not a little kid" Sabrina spoke, climbing into the car.

"I know but still" Ashton sighed, closing the car door and putting the key into ignition.

"So what are you guys gonna work on?" Sabrina asked, switching the topic. Ashton gave her a side glance. He knew what she was doing, but he didn't say anything.

"Michael has an idea for a new song. It sounded pretty good over the phone so I'm gonna run over there and mess around, see if we can come up with some chords" Ashton explained. Sabrina nodded and looked out the window at their surroundings.

"Well if you need any help, you know who to call" Sabrina joked, now leaning her head on the headrest of her seat.

"Oh of course. Who could forget the masterpiece you wrote about eight years ago" Ashton remarked, turning onto Sabrina's street.

"San Francisco was and is a masterpiece" Sabrina pointed at him, causing the man to laugh.

"You're right, you're right" He nodded, pulling up to the curb where Sabrina's apartment building was. "Do you need me to help you with your bags?"

"No, it's not too much. I can handle it" Sabrina answered him, hopping out of the car to grab her bags. She closed the back doors and then walked back to the front car door to tell Ashton goodbye. She could practically sense the stress radiating off of the man. "Ashton, I promise I'll be okay. I'm gonna go shower, and then watch some tv. I'll be in the same spot once you get back"

"I know" Ashton let out a breath. "Call if you need anything. I mean it, Rina"

"Yes sir" Sabrina nodded, receiving a look from Ashton. She laughed and began to close the car door. "I'll see you later. Love you"

"Love you more" And with that being said, Ashton drove off. Sabrina stood and watched the car disappear into the distance and then turned around to walk into her building. It had felt like forever since the last time she was alone. She thought she would want a break from having company twenty four seven, but that wasn't the case. Now all she was thinking about was what Calum was doing. She knew it wasn't right, but the thought wouldn't leave her mind. But she knew he was probably off with Gabi, or heading to the studio, so she tried to push the idea of him to the side of her mind.

She was alone. And it had to be okay.

a/n: yall i am SO SORRY IVE BEEN SLACKING SO BAD LATELY school and dance has been kicking my ass but i promise i will try my hardest to start updating more
i already have the whole story planned out i just need to add some stuff and edit, so please be patient with me 🥲