Promise » [cashton] √

2.8

[6th of September - London]

He was waiting patiently outside Ashton's dressing room for him to get changed. When they could they tried to go back to the hotel in the same car, anything for just another twenty minutes to themselves (and sometimes Sierra and Luke, or even Michael). Otherwise when they tried to hang out in Ashton's hotel room, generally Luke would come along and 'say hey'. He didn't call them 'bed checks' but Ashton and Calum did between giggles when he wasn't around.

KayKay

Are things settling down for you?

Yeah, I made my Instagram private so that's helped

Again, I'm so sorry you got caught up in this

Cal, it's fine, it's not yours or Ashton's fault

Whoever took those pictures is to blame!

Thanks for being so understanding, the three of us should catch up when we get back in October!

Sounds good! Call me later in the week <3

The door creaked open, Ashton leaning himself through the opening, "Who ya texting?" he asked, eyes soft and innocent. He was probably just curious... or playing at it. Calum hated that he was doubting his motives, he had perpetuated his reputation, he shouldn't be so annoyed that Ashton had believed him.

He locked his phone, sliding it into his back pocket, "KayKay, I just wanted to make sure she's doing okay, had to make her Instagram private the other day,"

"Oh," Ashton said quietly, "and is she okay?" he pressed himself the last of the way through the door, and Calum could see he had his backpack slung across his shoulders, ready to leave. He tried to take it as a good sign that Ashton seemed to be concerned about KayKay, that the mention of her didn't send his hackles flaring.

He nodded slowly, letting himself start to lead them toward the back exit, "I think so, I told her I'd call her later in the week and we could actually have a talk about it. I think if I get her on the phone she's more likely to tell me if something's actually wrong," he explained, trying to focus on his words and not the fact that Ashton hadn't reached for his hand.

"That's good," and Ashton was bobbing his head, eyes fixed on where they were walking rather than Calum. The feeling that he was receding into his head again worried Calum. "Do you guys talk on the phone often?"

He held back from letting himself feel the exasperation, Ashton could just be making conversation... it didn't feel like that though. Calum had been accused of cheating enough times to know when people were holding back. Not that he had been accused loads of times... but he had a reputation, which he had purposefully cultivated that made people concerned if their partners were hanging around him too much. And that was by design, he had no interest in sleeping with someone who was telling their partner they were 'just friends'. And now he was dealing with consequences he supposed.

So he answered, pretending he couldn't predict where this was going, "ah, every couple of weeks I guess. We normally run into each other a few times a week in LA, you know depending on what's on, we've just sort of gotten used to being in contact. When one of us goes on tour we try and call if we can," he tried to explain.

He hoped Ashton would just drop it. Surely the younger man had taken his words from the

museum to heart, he could ask him anything, but Calum couldn't deal with this passive line of questioning. Just ask him what he really meant, let this be clear cut, rather than trying to figure out what Ashton really was trying to decipher from these vague questions.

"I didn't realise you guys talked so much," he shrugged and Calum wanted to groan. There was more. There had to be, and he didn't know if he had it in him to keep his cool, frustration starting to build deep within himself.

Ashton's not trying to be cruel.

He reminded himself, but his friendships in the past had surely taught him that trust, or a lack of trust always hurt the other person. He thought of Ashton's friendships, all people who more or less worked for him, and he wondered if that had given him a level of security that he felt he didn't have with Calum. A long silence had formed between them, something that they hadn't really felt since those first few awkward meetings and it felt like the distance was returning with it.

"Do you want to see the messages? Do you want to call her with me? You can talk to her yourself if you want," the words left his lips without his permission. Feeling like he was crawling across broken glass, if he watched someone else do this he would pity them.

Ashton shook his head quickly, demeanour softening as he turned to Calum, "no, no I- that's insane, I just-I'm sorry, I need to stay off Twitter. My brain is turning to mush," he smiled softly at the older man, and finally reached out his hand, taking Calum's fingertips in his, squeezing them reassuringly.

Calum's frustration receded, not gone but quelled as his sympathy for Ashton's situation returned, "we said that we were going to catch up, the three of us," he gestured between himself and Ashton, "when we got back to LA," squeezing the younger man's fingers back.

"You don't have to do that, you and her can hang out just you guys if you want," he offered quickly, the shift in his attitude quick. And Calum wondered if Ashton was entirely aware of how he felt about all of this, maybe he did need someone to talk to other than Luke, but he wasn't really sure who that could be.

They started moving again, both of them subconsciously aware that though the car would most likely wait as long as they wanted it wasn't particularly polite. "Ash, I know this is new to you, you're allowed to be worried but you have to tell me how you're feeling. I can't help you if you're not honest with me, okay?" the younger man was nodding, but not meeting Calum's eyes, "and it's not a big deal to me if you wanna hang out with KayKay and me sometimes, I want you guys to be friends still, this shouldn't get in the road of that. I would have invited you that night, but there was so much coke and weed, I just thought it was for the best, you know if you weren't photographed near that," he tried to explain.

"I know that," he said quietly, "maybe, maybe I can just come and see you photograph a show and then we go out for a drink after, just us," it was a quiet less than confident response, but it was something.

Calum grinned, pressing a kiss into Ashton's temple, "that sounds perfect."

Been a bit blocked with writing lately but finally got it sorted, a few chapters ahead now so there will definitely be an update on time next week! Not edited, we die like men!