Hold Me

Chapter 19

Ash ended up turning on a movie to try and help me relax. I kept a tight grasp on his shirt when he settled down on the couch with me. Ash wrapped a blanket around both of us and I rested my head on his chest, his heartbeat instantly helping me to calm down.

It was quiet in the house, except for the movie that was playing quietly on the tv. Ash played with my hair soothingly while I stared off into space. Ash had said that all the other guys were at work. They got called in for an emergency.

"Ash?" I said after a while. I finally felt ready to tell him the truth. I knew Ash would be the easiest to talk to.

"Hm?" He continued to play with my hair.

"Please don't be angry at me."

He gently made me look up at him. His face looked confused, but he still seemed concerned.

"Sam honey, I promise whatever you say won't make me angry. It takes a lot to make me angry."

I nodded and took a deep breath, trying to gain the courage to say it.

"I lied about who I was with and where I was going."

Ashton's face stayed neutral. I couldn't tell what he was thinking which made me even more nervous. He stayed silent for a moment before he spoke.

"Who were you with?" He surprisingly didn't sound angry. His voice sounded generally curious, which was mixed with a bit of worry.

"This guy who I thought I could trust."

Ash held me tighter. "Did he hurt you?" He already knew the answer to that question.

I nodded, feeling tears starting to form again. 

Ash asked me to explain further, wanting to know what he had done. I told him with a shaky voice which made Ashton tense with anger. I knew he wasn't angry at me but at the situation that had happened.

"I just wanted to feel like a normal teen. I thought he actually liked me." I said through tears.

Ashton rubbed my back and kissed the top of my head. "I know sweetheart. You couldn't have seen this coming."

I nodded. I still felt like this was all my fault though.

Ash and I stayed cuddled up on the couch until we heard keys at the front door. The door opened to reveal a tired Michael. His hair was a bit messy, and he was still dressed in his scrubs. He looked up at us and rubbed his eyes.

"What are you guys doing up?" He asked.

"Go get some rest. We'll talk in the morning." Ash told him.

Michael nodded tiredly. He walked over to us and kissed my forehead, saying goodnight to both Ash and I before he headed upstairs to shower and go to sleep.

"You should get some sleep too Sammie." Ash said before yawning.

I nodded. I was starting to feel tired anyway.

"Do you want to go up to your bed or stay here?" Ash asked.

"I don't want to be alone." I said.

Ash nodded. "We can go up to my room. It'll be a lot more comfortable than laying down here."

I nodded, rubbing my eyes. Ash stood up and stretched before reaching out for my hand. I took his hand and followed him upstairs to his room. When we got to his room, I crawled in on one side and Ash got in on the other side. 

Ash had me lay my head on his chest, giving my forehead a kiss. "Sleep well sweetheart. I'll be here when you wake up."

I nodded tiredly, before falling into a peaceful sleep.