The Underground

Chapter 47: Confusion and Chaos

"I can't trust him. How could he do this to me?" I said miserably.

"Everyone makes mistakes, Ashten. But he loves you. Don't you get that?" Preston said.

"I don't want to talk anymore," I told him. "I want you to take me home in the morning."

"Sure," he said.

Then he left and I cried myself to sleep.

When I awoke in the morning, I had an awful headache. I tried to remember why I felt so terrible and then it all came back to me and my chest heaved with new cries of grief.

How could he do this to me? I believed that he loved me, and god, I loved Louis so. much. How could he tear my heart out like this?

I realized that I couldn't really go home because my father just gave Louis and me his blessing; if I went home crying, I would look foolish. I decided to stay put for a few days, but I wasn't sure what to do about Louis. If I made him move out, my father would find out about that, too, because Louis was supposed to be working for him.

Deep down, I didn't want Louis to leave at all. I wished that I could just go back in time and pretend I never saw that stupid text! I wish I could go back to being blissfully unaware and that Louis would go back to being perfect.

I heard a light knock on the door.

"Who is it?" I grumbled.

"It's Preston. Can I come in?" He said quietly.

"Yes."

He came in and sat down across from me on the bed. "Are you hungry?" He asked.

"No."

"Louis wants to talk to you," he said gingerly.

"No."

"You're not being fair, Ashten. He deserves a chance to tell you his side of the story."

"You mean he deserves a chance to lie to me some more?" I scoffed.

"You're over-reacting!" He snapped. "Why would he go to so much trouble just to put a notch on his bedpost? He's a man in love, and he's hurting right now."

"Tell him to join the club," I muttered.

With that, Preston left. He came back briefly to give me another cup of tea, and then he left me alone again.

A short while later, Louis walked in. He was so quiet, I didn't notice him at first.

"I don't want to talk," I said flatly when I realized he was there.

"Then let me talk," he said. "You deserve an explanation."

"I deserve someone who won't lie to me," I spat back.

"Okay, you're right. I lied," he said, putting his hands in the air. "I admit it."

"All right. That's that. See you later," I said sarcastically.

"Come on, Ash. Don't do this. I love you."

"You aren't capable of love," I said, glaring at him. "You said yourself that you screwed all those girls after Katie died, and now you're just back at it again! This is who you really are! I'm just another challenge to you!"

I knew my words hurt him deeply by the look on his face.

"I made a mistake," he whispered, his voice cracking. I didn't dare look into his eyes because I knew he was about to cry. "A fucking stupid mistake. But I realized it as soon as I saw how scared you were. That first night at The Underground? I saw how stupid I'd been, and I felt awful."