45" ▪︎ a.i.

39"

I didn't see any cars in the driveway, so I knew Luke had called and made them leave. But that also meant Ashton knew something happened and he knew I went to Luke instead of him. Thinking about it now, it was probably the worst thing I could've done. For the second time today, I found myself sitting in the car, not wanting to get out and face what's to come. I laid my head down on the steering wheel, trying to shut out the world, when the car door was opened. My head shot up and I was met with those gorgeous hazel eyes I could get lost in. "Are you okay?", he asked, taking my hands in his and pulling me out of the car. I shook my head and he pulled me into his arms. In that moment I promised myself, that I would never doubt him again. He'll always be the first on I'll run to, not Luke, not anyone else, but him. 

He closed the car door and helped me inside. For the second time today, someone held me in their arms while maneuvering us to the couch. He sat down with me in his arms, and I couldn't help but appreciate him not trying to get answers. But maybe Luke told him what he needed to know anyway. 

"I'm sorry I went to Luke.", I whispered. The guilt for not relying on Ashton almost eating me alive, making me feel even worse than the chat with my mother did. 

"I'm not mad Haze, just glad you're here now.", he replied, and I knew that he was too good to be true. There's no way he isn't at least hurt by my actions, and still, for the sake of my feelings, he ignored his own hurt and reassured me that everything's alright.

We didn't talk about the conversation with my mother that evening. He kept me close to him, humming a new song, eventually making me drift off. I woke up the next morning in our bed, Ashton sleeping next to me, one arm lazily around my waist. I couldn't help but smile at the sight of him, his hair being in his natural curls, completely out of control. Still smiling because I was the only one to see him like this. I pried his arm from my body, and got up, shivering as my naked feet came into contact with the cold floor. I walked into the kitchen, starting the coffee machine, watching the cups slowly fill, before taking them back upstairs to see Ashton on his phone, sitting upright against the headboard. 

"I had hoped you'd come back here.", he said, smiling as he saw the coffee in my hands. I gave him his cup and sat mine down next to the bed, before crawling back into bed with him, cuddling into his side. He kissed the top of my head, wrapping his arm around me. 

"How'd you sleep?", he asked, even though I knew that wasn't the question he wanted to ask. 

"Good.", I replied, contemplating to just tell him now. He had been there for me without questioning anything and I owed the truth to him, even if repeating her words hurt only thinking about it. 

Taking a deep breath in, I said: "I talked to my mother yesterday." I looked up to see his reaction, but the stroking of his hand on my back urged me to keep going. 

"Told her about the job, about you. I should've known to leave when she asked me if I was still taking advantage of my uncle. Anyway, she told me that it was naïve to drop everything to, I quote 'be with some semi-famous guy who you've known for barely a year'. She also told me you would ditch me as soon as you find a replacement. But she didn't only talk about you, she told me photography won't get me anywhere as music and photography are hobbies, not jobs. She literally told me I should've stayed with my uncle because I seemed to like that it wasn't challenging to do the job. Maybe I should've never entered that house, she was so cold at the door already.", I drifted off, my thoughts going back to the moment at the door, when she told me to come inside. 

Ashton was still rubbing my arm, but I had felt his grip tighten a bit during the story. I was surprised how controlled he was, but then again, I've never expected him to be visibly angry anyway. 

"I want to meet her. I want to talk to her.", he said after a few moments of silence between us. 

"Absolutely not.", I immediately replied, shocked he would even suggest such a thing. 

"Not today. But I want her to know that this is not the way I'm letting anyone talk to you, family or not. This isn't a way you should talk to anyone, but she seems like she doesn't care a lot about people in general. I'm not letting her say things like these and have you believe you don't deserve any of this. You deserve it all Hazel. I don't even know why you're settling with me but trust me I'm the luckiest man to call you mine. You deserve to have your dream job; you deserve to live the life you've always wanted to live and I'm gonna give it all to you until you don't want me to. I love you Hazel, and you won't get rid of me so easily.", he finished, and I looked at him in awe. I didn't expect him to give a whole speech, let alone tell me all of this. 

I couldn't imagine my life with someone else. And yeah, maybe it was naïve to go all in so quickly. But sometimes you have to take risks, and sometimes you have to do things scared in order to accomplish anything at all. But I wasn't scared. Not as long as he was by my side. So, even though I never wanted to set foot into my childhood home, I agreed to him meeting her. It wouldn't be funny, it would certainly cause more hurt and tears on my part. But I knew that with him by my side, I'd be alright.  

A.N.: short one but I wanted to get this out, seemed like people were mad at her for going to Luke's first?! xx J