As Paisley walks through the door, she is immediately greeted by the sound of Ashton, who is singing along to the radio in the kitchen while making some coffee. Ashton hears the sound of the door closing. 'Hey babe' He calls happily through their apartment, they both share in Los Angeles. He finishes making his coffee before he turns off the radio and turns round to see a tearstained Paisley, his face drops. 'Babe what's happened? What's the matter?' He said worriedly rushing over. Paisley puts her hands up to stop Ashton coming any closer. She'd been planning the words she was going to say to Ashton for the last few weeks. Everytime she came close she just couldn't do it. She still loved him, but not in the way she needed too. She just didn't feel happy anymore. 'Ashton, I just can't do this anymore' she found herself whispering. 'Can't do what?' his face suddenly turned very serious. 'Us Ashton, I can't do us anymore. I can't pretend to be happy when i'm not' she said as more tears began to fall from her eyes making her makeup run. 'Paisley, what are you saying?' Ashton trembled, his eyes beginning to gleam with tears. 'I think you know what i'm saying Ash' Paisley replied calmly. 'I don't, I don't understand. What are you trying to say Paisley?' Ashton was whispering at this point. 'I haven't been happy for a while Ash and I know that you have felt that too.' Paisley explained trying to make Ashton understand. 'I, I, I just thought it, it, it was a phase or something, I, I love you Paisley' Ashton stuttered, a single tear now falling from his eye. 'No Ashton, don't! That's not fair. I love you too but not in the way that you want or need me too' Paisley cried, getting fed up. 'Just give it some time babe, we can fix this I know we can. I will do better, I can't lose you.' Ashton begged nearly inaudibly. 'It's not just you Ash, it's everything. It's too late Ashton, I've met someone else.' Paisley replied harshly. There was a long pause in the apartment. 'I'll be back round to pick up my stuff tomorrow. If you aren't home I'll leave my key on the dining table' Paisley said in a whispered before turning on her heal and walking out of the apartment. As she was walking out Ashton tried calling to her 'But Paisley...'. He was met by the door in his face...'I love you' he finished as more tears escaped. He wiped away the tears on the back of his hand and opened the door in an attempt to run after her. He ran down the stone steps which led to the driveway outside at top speed and on to the street but she was nowhere to be seen. Ashton pulled his phone out of his pocket and try to call her to convince her to come back and talk. It went straight to answerphone. He tried again just as Calum drove past him and into his driveway. It went straight to answerphone again, Ashton collapsed onto the pavement.
Calum's POV
Ashton was outside on the street as I pulled up outside his apartment. He looked upset about something. I got out of the car and ran back out on to the street, as I did all I saw Ashton collapse. I ran over to him as fast as I could, he was crying hysterically. 'Ash mate, come on let's get inside' I encouraged trying to help him up. But he couldn't walk or wouldn't. I don't know, I couldn't get any sense out of him at all. I left him be for a few minutes while I tried to call Michael. He picked up his phone almost instantly. 'Michael, how long are you guys gonna be we have a situation?' I asked, panicking slightly. As soon as I said that I saw Luke's car round the corner with him and Michael in it. 'Never mind' I said and hung up. I went back over in a second attempt to get Ashton up. This time it didn't take much, he accepted my help and soon Michael was on his other arm with Luke in front to open the doors. Once we got to Ashton's apartment we set him on the sofa. Luke grabbed some tissues and we all sat around him.
It had been about 30 minutes since he had collapsed and no one had managed to make any sense out of what he was saying. He seemed to have calmed down and now was just sat in silence staring into space. Every few minutes a newly formed tears would cascade from his eyes down his cheeks. 'Ash, tell us what happened mate? We can't help if we don't know' Michael soothed. Ashton slowly turned to look at Michael 'You can't help. No one can help. It's over, she ended it. It's all my fault' Ashton sniffed as even more tears began to form. 'Shit mate i'm so sorry' Michael said looking gutted for Ashton. 'What happened?' I asked slowly. Ashton took a deep breath 'Well she came in from... probably being with him.' he gritted his teeth and clenched his fists. 'She said she couldn't do it anymore, that she had been unhappy for a while now and we both knew it. She said she loved me but not in the way I wanted or needed her too and...' Ashton paused to take another deep breath. 'She's met someone else. She's coming to pick up her stuff tomorrow' he finished.
Michael's POV
Ashton looked so broken and devasted it hurt to just look at him. He was in love with Paisley and she has just ripped his heart out, bashed it with a mallet and left it to rot. 'Luke? Go and grab some of Ashton's clothes and anything else he might need please. We are all going back to mine tonight. We're going to have a guys night.' I said looking at Ashton. 'No Michael, I will be fine here on my own.' Ashton argued. 'No, you're not staying here on your own. Either you are coming back to mine with us or we are all staying here with you' Luke replied, getting up to go and grab the clothes from Ashton's room. 'Fine' Ashton retorted.
An hour later, we were ready to head back to the apartment I shared with my girlfriend, who was out of town for the week. As we were walking out of Ashton's apartment, he picked up a photo frame from the bookshelf in the corner of the room. He took a few minutes to study it. I watched him as the pain in his eyes grew more and more. A single tear fell on to the glass, Ashton then held the picture to his chest and looked to the heavens as if he was praying for her to come back. I couldn't bare to see him like this he was my best friend. He was in agony and there was nothing anyone could do to help... Apart from her. All of a sudden Ashton took a deep breath and proceeded to walk slowly out of the door I was holding open. I patted him on the back as he walked out and closed the door behind him, listening for the click of the latch before I turned to head down the stone steps.
Luke's POV
Michael stayed behind and waited for Ashton while me and Calum headed outside to the cars with Ashton's stuff. 'Cal if you take Mike and Ash back in your car, i'll see you guys a bit later I've got something i've got to do.' Luke says to me quietly. 'Luke you can't get involved.' I warn, knowing exactly what he was going to do. 'Cal have you seen the state of our best mate in there.' Luke said raising his voice slightly. 'Yes Luke I know, but it's not for us to get involved. I'd love to have a go at her too and tell her what she has done, but if they are going to sort it out then Ashton needs to be the one to do that with her. If we get involved we will only make it worse and Ashton may never forgive us.' Calum said trying to convince me to make the right decision. 'I know but i've never seen him like this before Cal. I don't know what to do I can't bare to see him so.... so....broken.' I finished, a look of despair on his face. 'There is nothing we can do to take the pain and heartache he is feeling away. Yes Paisley hurt our best friend but you have got to look at it from both sides. If she wasn't happy in their relationship then she couldn't string him along that would be even more unfair to him. The only thing that we can do for Ash now is be there for him and try and help him get over her' I tried to reassure him. Seconds later Ashton and Michael appeared from his apartment. I could see Ashton squint as his eyes met the bright sunlight for the first time since he'd been crying. He was clutching what I could only make out to be a photo frame, as he slowly made his way towards the direction of me and Calum.
