hotel room (halsey)

18

Ashley

I awoke the next morning with a stiff neck, a drool covered cheek, and heavy eyes.

I cringed as the bright sunlight shone through the car windows and brought me back to reality. It was the morning and I had no place to stay.

Maya said we would figure out what to do today, but I couldn't face her without feeling guilt rush through my body.

Yawning, I slid the blanket off myself and unlocked the car doors, deciding that it would be better to speak with Maya sooner than later.

My stomach growled as I made my way up to our hotel room, probably because I hadn't eaten since before going to the club. The bottoms of my feet ached with every step I took because of the now-hardened scabs, and my throat was scratchy. My hair most likely looked like a mess and I had no shoes on which was the reason why I attracted so much attention as I stumbled across the lobby.

Arriving at our door, I noticed that Maya was just down at the other end of the hallway. We both stepped in front of the door at the same time, Maya awkwardly mumbling "good morning" and pushing it open so I could step in.

She sat on the couch, waiting for me to find a place to sit so we could start our discussion. God, this was going to be rough.

I sat before her on the floor, crossing my legs and picking at the skin around my fingernails as we sat in a dreaded silence, waiting for someone to speak up first.

"How did you sleep?" I started, my voice coming out scratchy.

"Fine," She said with no emotion whatsoever. "And yourself?"

"Great, thanks," I lied through my teeth. I didn't want her to know how uncomfortable it was to sleep in the car.

"So," She started, her voice trailing off.

"So," I repeated, wondering what she was going to say.

"I really thought about this last night and I feel like it would be best if we stopped seeing each other."

Her soft voice was now sharp and edgy, causing me to freeze up at her words. I sat in shock, staring at her for a sign of emotions of any sort.

"Wait, you're kidding, right?" I asked nervously, laughing. She continued to stare at me with the same, blank expression in her eyes.

"No. You can stay in this hotel since you're recording your new album and the main studio is here. I'll find a hotel in another city. You won't have to worry about me."

"You can't!" I replied sadly, my voice raising. "You can't leave me."

She sighed and frowned.

"You should have thought of that before you cheated on me, Ashley."

"I know, Maya! I should've, but I was drunk and being stupid, you have to understand," I pleaded, my eyes once again starting to glisten with tears that were threatening to fall.

"I spent all night thinking of whether or not I should forgive you. It would be too hard to just act like nothing ever happened between us. Plus, I don't even know if I can trust you anymore."

I sniffed and looked away, finding interest in the wall, staring at it to save myself the tears from looking at her pained expression.

"Please don't cry, Ashley. Whatever happened is the past and we can't control how things work out sometimes," She said, laughing sadly before continuing. "My time with you was greater than I could've ever asked for, but unfortunately, it's gonna have to come to an end."