wild youth [sequel to never again] // n.h.

Chapter 12

Riley's POV ~  

I woke up the next morning, curled up next to Harry. My phone vibrated on the nightstand, which is what woke both me and Harry. I checked the time - 7:31 - and groaned. Who was texting me at this ungodly hour? I thought to myself.  

Ashton! :)  

Hey punk! The boys and I uploaded a new video on our YouTube channel! I thought you'd want to check it out: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2GRtFC8nTag.  

"Do you mind if I watch this?" I asked Harry, who was groaning into his pillow.  

"Please keep the volume down," he mumbled into the fabric.  

I clicked on the link and was led to a video titled "5 Seconds of Summer - Wherever You Are." I turned down the volume, trying not to disturb Harry, and was greeted with a definitely younger-looking Luke. My heart literally tore into two pieces throughout the whole song, knowing that there was a strong possibility it was written for me. Fuck, who am I kidding? It was written for me.  

I couldn't possibly wrap my head around the fact that Ashton wrote a song for me, recorded it, and fucking posted a music video on YouTube. How was I supposed to digest that?  

Ashton! :)  

Do you like it?  

To Ashton! :)  

No - I fucking love it. It's amazing! But one question... is it about me?   

I stared at my phone for approximately three minutes until I closed the app and decided to go back to sleep. I knew Ashton would text back eventually.   

The thing was, I couldn't truly fall back asleep. Not when I still didn't know who to be with. Management was telling me to be with Harry, and I agreed because I wanted to. But something else told me to be with Ashton, that he could treat you better. I wasn't sure what to do, or who to turn to. If I turned to Zayn, it would be awkward because him and Harry are best friends. But if I turned to Luke, Mike, or Calum, it would get back to Ashton.   

Ashton! :)  

Yeah. Is that okay?  

 I pretty much had to play this by ear, and it would be awkward as hell doing so.  

To Ashton! :)  

Of course.   

• • •  

Finally, it was April and I was able to fly back to England to work on my own album, along with practicing for my own tour with 5 Seconds of Summer. It was hard trying to slowly distance myself from Harry, after promising him I'd give him another chance. But after hearing the song Ashton wrote for me, I felt like Ashton would be a better boyfriend than Harry, any day.   

So here I was, sat on a plane back to England, rereading the lyrics I wrote last night. This one was about Niall - they were all about Niall. This one was just a little more obvious. Well, to me, at least.   

I put in my headphones and tuned everyone out with the sounds of Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova, playing in perfect harmony. The soft sound soothed me into a restful sleep, carrying me through the sky towards England.   

I was woken hours later by a flight attendant offering me complimentary breakfast, to which I happily agreed to. I kept one earbud in while I slowly ate the food placed in front of me, munching away happily. My phone chimed in my ear, signaling me I had a text message.