Watch Over Me ☆ a.i. [complete]

◌ e i g h t ◌

[Y/N’s point of view]

"Ash, how do I look?"

I walked over to the living room where he was sitting, and opened my arms slightly. I was wearing a dress I had recently bought, and I wasn’t really sure how it looked on me.

Ashton looked up from his phone - I had made him get one, and now he would not be seen without it - and grinned. “You look really amazing.”

I blushed slightly, smoothing out the mesh skirt. “Thank you.”

"Where are you guys going?"

I rolled my eyes very slightly. Ash always asked where Jake and u were going when we went out. I know it was for my protection, but I couldn’t help but feel like he was acting like an older brother.

Which, quite frankly, was kind of upsetting. I really like Jake, a lot, but if I wasn’t with him, I definitely wouldn’t pass up an opportunity with Ashton… If it would ever happen. I doubted the likeliness of that very much. He had seen me in pyjamas and bed hair, after all!

Plus, Jake’s really great. He’s caring and he’s funny, and he knows what he’s doing with his life. He’s so passionate and I really admired that about him.

"Hey, Y/N…" Ashton waved his hand in front of my face, knocking me out of my thoughts.

"Sorry, sorry! We’re going to that… Uh, that Italian place on 2nd ave."

"Oh, I see," he nodded, and I noticed that his grin had fallen into a shadow. "That’s a nice place."

"Yep," I smiled.

We chatted for a few minutes, and then I went back to my room to finish getting ready.

Just as I was grabbing my purse, the doorbell rang. I turned off the light and hurried down the hall to see Ashton talking to Jake. Even from where I was standing, I could feel the tension between the two. It was odd, I never quite understood why they didn’t seem to like each other all that much.

A few awkward moments later, Jake and I were walking down the street, arm in arm. I couldn’t help but notice that he seemed oddly tense, and he kept stuttering over every word.

"Are you alright?" I asked him as we sat down at one of the tables outside.

"Um, yeah, I’m fine," he nodded, pulling at the collar of his shirt a little bit.

I frowned. “Are you sure?”

He nodded frantically. “Yeah, don’t worry.”

I shrugged it off. He would tell me in due time, right?

All through dinner, we made small talk and he cracked a few jokes but I could tell something was up. Everything coming from him seemed almost forced, as if he really didn’t want to be here. He could’ve just cancelled, I wouldn’t have minded all that much!

Finally, I couldn’t take it anymore. As he was reading through the dessert menu, I asked, “Okay, seriously Jake. What’s up? You always get the same dessert anyways.”

He sighed heavily, putting the menu down. “Look, Y/N… The truth is, yes, there’s something going on.”

"Okay," I nodded, trying not to roll my eyes. "What’s wrong?"

"It’s about my job."

"Okay, what’s up?"

"Well, I got a new one."

I grinned, taking his hand. “That’s amazing!”

He forced a smile, but took his hand away from my grip. “It’s… Well, you see, it’s kind of on the other side of the world.”

"Oh," my face fell. "Um…"

"And I really want to take this opportunity, you know? And… Y/N, I really like you, but I don’t think a long distance relationship is going to work out.”

I nodded, trying to wrap my mind around it. I didn’t know what to say.

"Anyways, you won’t miss me that much," he laughed half-heartedly.

"What are you talking about?" I asked quietly.

"I’m talking about Ashton."

I frowned. “But… What?”

"I’ve seen the way he looks at you. He can’t take his eyes off of you. It’s borderline creepy… I’d be worried if I didn’t know he was a good guy."

"I’m not interested in Ash, though, you know that," I sighed. "Can we go back to what we were talking about? Why didn’t you tell me sooner?"

"I just… When could I have?"

I rolled my eyes. “Maybe when you applied for the damn job? That would have been nice. A bit of preparation, you know.”

He sighed, shaking his head. “I had no idea I would actually get the job, Y/N.”

"Well, you did," I huffed as I pulled out my wallet from my purse. I threw down a 20 dollar bill on the table, standing up. "Congratulations on your new job, Jake. Really, I’m happy for you. I hope you’re happy wherever it is you’re going. Good luck, and goodbye."

He stood up, but didn’t follow me as I headed off down the sidewalk. I was incredibly glad he hadn’t, because I really didn’t want him to see me cry.

I managed to make it back to my apartment without catching anyone’s attention with my tears, but I knew that the minute I’d be alone in my bedroom, I wouldn’t be able to hold them in.

I opened the door slowly, hoping I wouldn’t run into Ashton. 

But of course not. He was sitting at the counter, and the second I stepped in, he got up, walking over to me quickly, and wrapped his arms securely around me. I didn’t want to cry in front of him, but my sobs got the best of me. I wrapped my arms around his waist and buried my face in his chest, drenching his shirt. He didn’t seem to care. He rubbed my back, not saying a word which I was incredibly grateful for.

My tears slowed down a few minutes later, finally subsiding into hiccups. I pulled my arms away to wipe my face, and he did too.

"Feeling better?" he asked, trying to give me a small smile.

I shrugged, kicking off my shoes. “I’ve felt better.”

"Do you want to watch Coraline?" he asked, his eyes hopeful. "And we still have some caramel popcorn… And those candies you like!"

I hugged him again, glad that I still had him around, and that I knew he wouldn’t just get up and leave. “That sounds great.”

I grinned and hugged him even tighter when I felt him wrap his arms around me and kiss the top of my head.