"And if you recall, you were in the opposite position last night, and couldn't understand why I was upset. It's fine when it happens to you, but not me, is that right?" she asked, not expecting an answer.
Ashton's face fell. He knew she was right. In that instance, he had seen red when he looked over at Kaylee and saw the guy trying to kiss her.
"Kaylee, I'm sorry!" he yelled to her, as she tore out of the room.
She stopped quickly and turned around, tears filling her eyes. "Don't. Just don't," she growled, with her hands up in resignation. The hurt in her eyes was unmistakable as everyone in the room watched her turn and leave. All was quiet for a minute because no one knew what to say.
Ashton broke the silence by throwing his glass at the closest wall, watching it smash into tiny pieces and rain onto the floor. Colton went over and put his hand on Ashton's shoulder. "Come on man, let's get out of here and cool off."
Colton led him to the exit and pushed him outside.
"Are you happy now?" Colton asked him, glaring.
Ashton looked up at Colton. "What do you think, man?" his voice wavered. "I understand that she was upset last night, and I understand why. That's not the problem. The problem is that she doesn't trust me, and without trust, there is no relationship. And I just made things worse."
He shook his head, trying to get his thoughts together. "But I will get her back. I'll show her that she can trust me, and that we can be together and happy, if it's the last thing I do," Ashton promised.
Colton looked at the determination in Ashton's eyes and knew that he was right. He would do everything he could to get her back, and eventually they'd be alright. How he was going to do it remained to be seen, but it was something Colton looked forward to sitting back and watching.
Chapter 26
It had been five days, five very long days since Kaylee and Ashton had last spoken. One hundred and twenty hours had passed since their last exchange of words. In a normal world, it would have been undesirable, but alright. Living together in a house, it would have been annoying. But living together on a tour bus where the quarters were tight, five days of tension and silence was insufferable.
But with their next concert being played that night, Ashton had a plan. He was sure that it would make everything alright. His first course of action would be the hardest, but the most crucial. He needed to get Kaylee back on his side, even if it was just as friends, on the way to his final destination.
He saw her, sitting at the front of the bus, reading again. She was alone. He knew that because the rest of the guys were in the back playing a video game. It was the perfect opportunity for him, and he wasn't going to let it pass. He slowly approached her, like a man hunting his prey. He didn't want to make any sudden movements to send her scurrying back into the woods...or the back of the bus.
Ashton decided to sit on the couch opposite the one that she was sitting on, so that they were facing each other. "Kaylee?" he asked gently. "Can I talk to you for a minute?"
Kaylee was surprised by the gentleness in his voice. It almost sounded like he was afraid or nervous. That wasn't like Ashton at all. She looked up hesitantly from her book, almost afraid of what she would see. Thankfully, she didn't see a man who was broken, even though that was how he had sounded. Sure, he looked a little worse for wear, but that happened when you got stuck on a tour bus for weeks at a time. Other than that, he was still the same stunning Ashton.
"I guess, but I really don't want to fight right now."
"I know. I don't want to fight either. I actually wanted to apologize to you," he told her. He leaned a little closer so they didn't have to talk too loud. This wasn't what he wanted the rest of the guys to hear. He put his elbows on his knees and leaned into the aisle separating the two couches, and finally looked up at Kaylee's face.
"I am so sorry for overreacting to that guy the other night. I know that you think I was doing the same thing