Pure Pain, Excruciating Love

Chapter 28

I hope you can drop by tomorrow. I really miss you Sam. Xoxo Jace. 

Ashton was surely furious. His eyebrows furrowed, his jaw tightened, and his hand on the kitchen counter clenched into a fist. Yup, he's angry. I knew showing him the text would make him react this way. But I had to. He knew something was bothering me ever since I woke up and found that I've missed a text. I couldn't hide it from him much longer.

"Drop by? Where? And why the hell did he end it with 'xoxo'?"

I've never seen Ashton get this angry over something like this.

"I think he means the diner. We've been friends for a long time Ashton. He always ends his texts that way," I clarified, not wanting him to think about it any other way.

"The diner? You're still working there?" Ashton asks me, placing my phone down onto the counter's surface.

"Of course I still do. Why'd you ask that?"

Ashton shrugged and then sighed, "I just thought you'd quit since it's been a while since you went back."

I looked at him with shock. Quit? How could I even think about that? Apart of me was trying to push away the thought that he'd want me to quit because Jace was there.

"I need the job Ashton. I didn't quit. I just used all the vacation days that I didn't take," I said, with a sliver of anger evident in my voice. For some reason, this was getting me worked up.

"Look, I'm sorry if I said something wrong. I just assumed you'd quit earlier. I know you didn't like working there," Ashton explained.

"Ashton, why would I want to quit? You're not making sense," I stressed out.

He looked at me as if I was joking, or as if he was waiting for me to finally realize what he was talking about. But I didn't.

"Sam, after a few months, you won't be able to work. Especially if you don't want anyone to know about the whole thing."

My throat tightened. I was mute for a few seconds. I never thought about that. I never even considered what I was going to do in order for people not to know about what happened. I didn't want anyone knowing I'm pregnant. I couldn't say it's Ashton's.

"I-I..umm...I didn't think about that," I confessed, slumping onto the stool that I got up from a few minutes ago.

Ashton realized what a shock this is to me. He rounded the counter and then came to stand in front of me, his hands holding my own.

"Look,we can discuss this later. We'll come up with a plan and everything when you're ready. The most important thing is you'll be able to finish school and graduate without showing. Mom did say you'd probably start showing much later than most women, as you've lost so much weight since the beginning."

I knew Ashton was trying to comfort me, but I couldn't help but be nervous. I couldn't let it go.

"I need my jobs Ashton. I can't just quit," I mumbled.

"I know, but you can't keep working on your feet when you're getting too tired and feeling sick," Ashton reasoned.

I sighed, squeezing his hands in hopes of loosening my tensed state.

"I'm sorry for reacting the way I did about the text," Ashton whispered, his eyes interlocking with mine.

"It's okay," I shrugged, giving him a reassuring smile.

"What do you wanna do then?"

And to that, I really didn't know what to say.