Celeste's POV:
It was my first day back at school today.
I told Asher that I'd drive myself, but he insisted on driving me.
I just hope he'll remember to pick me up... our place is further away from school than dads.
I didn't end up finding Callum... but I did leave my window open, and a secret note for him. Hopefully he'll find it.
"Are you okay?" Asher asked as we drove closer towards the school, his hand resting on my thigh.
"Mhm." I nodded with a smile, "I'm a bit nervous, but it should be okay... it's not like Megan's there to harass me anymore..."
No one ever even found out who strangled her to death... to think that could've been me! I probably saw whoever did it that night...
Asher started to laugh at the mention of Megan's name.
"I bet that bitch is rotting in hell right now." he chuckled, and I couldn't help but giggle slightly.
I know I shouldn't, but I couldn't help it!
"Hopefully..."
He looked over at me with a raised brow, before smirking and looking away.
The car stopped and I looked to see we were in the parking lot. People were already looking over, instantly recognising Asher's car.
"If anything happens, ring me and I'll pick you up."
I smiled at him then leaned over to kiss him, before straightening his tie.
"Have a good day at college." I said as I grabbed my bag, and swung it over my shoulder.
He groaned and rolled his eyes as he started the car up again.
"I definitely won't..."
I shook my head at him then opened the door and jumped out of the car.
"Do not forget to pick me up." I reminded him as I raised a brow.
He scoffed as if he was offended and held a hand to his chest.
"Forget? Never." He gasped sarcastically and I rolled my eyes.
Sure...
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I sighed as I tried to ring Asher one last time, whilst I waited for him in the now empty parking lot.
He's not gonna come...
This asshole!
I was gonna drive myself today, but no! He just had to do it!
I scoffed then looked through my contacts, and found Lilly's number then rang it.
'No, baby, I wanna drive you today...'
I huffed as I heard his words in my head.
Why do I even listen to him anymore... Asshole!
I looked around one last time as I waited for Lilly to answer, then froze once I saw a familiar silver car.
What is he doing here?
"Hello?" Lilly's voice spoke through the phone.
"Oh, hi! I was just ringing to see if you could pick me up, but Asher's here now..." I lied as I looked into his green eyes.
"Oh, okay... ring me later and tell me how your first day back went."
"I will. See you later."
"Byeeee!"
I ended the call then walked over to his car, and got into the passenger side.
"Callum... what are you doing here?" I asked, keeping my eyes in front of me whilst he looked at me.
"What do you think Celeste? You're the only high school student I know at the moment, and I'd honestly like to keep it that way..." he growled as he started the car.
None of us said anything as he began to drive away from the school.
This is awkward...
"I heard you got married... well, I saw it on some shitty teen drama accounts on Instagram... For some reason, people can't get enough of that asshole." He muttered, keeping his eyes out the window.
I sighed as I looked at him nervously.
"Callum, I'm sorry... you're probably wondering where I've been..."
I've been a really shitty friend.
"You leaving made me realise a lot of things Celeste..." he said as he glanced over to me.
"Like what?" I whispered as I looked down at my hands.
The car stopped at the traffic lights, and he looked at me again, his eyes lingering for longer.
"That... I missed you... a lot more than I thought I would." He mumbled as he began to drive again.
Oh... I wasn't expecting that.
I smiled at his words whilst I picked at my nail polish.
"I missed you too... I was in Spain... I had a miscarriage, and I wasn't coping very well, so my dad sent me to this place for some help."
He tensed up and looked over to me with sympathy in his vibrant green eyes.
"Shit, the baby... I'm so sorry Celeste... did Asher... you know..."
"No!" I said quickly, in shock at what he was implying. "Asher would never..."
That's a lie...
I shifted uncomfortably as I now remembered the few bruises that were littering my body right now, because of him.
It's not the same though... he'd never hurt me if I was pregnant, I know he wouldn't.
"Celeste you and I both know that's a lie... why did you even get married? And I'm not gonna shout at you or anything... I'm done trying to put some sense into you."
I sighed and crossed my arms, holding them tightly.
"Because we love each other..."
He glanced over to me, then clenched his jaw as he looked down at my arm.
"Is that love, Celeste?" He said through gritted teeth as he held up my arm, and let the sleeve fall down to reveal the small purple bruise.
I quickly snatched my hand away, and pulled my sleeve down whilst my face burned in embarrassment.
"That- that wasn't him... that was an accident." I whispered as I rubbed my wrist as if it would get rid of the mark.
I wasn't exactly lying... he was just holding my hand too tight when he told me off... that's all...It's not even a big deal, so I don't know why everyone's making it out to be...
"You can't let him do this to you! You need to tell someone, or I swear to god I'll just end up killing him myself..."
I didn't say anything and kept my head facing the window.
That's when I realised that Callum doesn't even know where Asher lives, and he's taking me in a different direction to my dads house.
"You're going the wrong way."
"No, I'm not... I'm not taking you home right now."
I started to feel sick as he said that, and quickly turned to him.
I have to go home...
"N-no! I need you to take me back to Asher's right now. He won't be happy if I'm not at home, and he'll wanna know where I've been... if he found out about us..."
It's not even just us two that could be hurt... he could try and hurt Ambrose, or even dad...
"He'll do what? Kill us? Beat the shit out of his fucking girlfriend who's less than half his size?" He scoffed and shook his head, holding the wheel tighter. "This isn't love Celeste... if you think that your boyfriend- sorry, husband is capable of doing that to you, it's certainly not love."
He doesn't even know us... I am sick of people trying to tell me what I'm feeling.
"Shut up! You can't tell me what we have isn't love, you don't even know him... you know nothing about him-" I snapped before he interrupted me.
"Yeah, and what the fuck do you know about him?"
I glared at him as I tried to think of a reply.
"He... he acts mean because he struggles to express his emotions properly... he's had a really hard life, with his fami-
Callum scoffed, cutting me off.
"Asher had a hard life?" He repeated, mockingly. "What, did they serve his food with with a gold spoon instead of a silver one?"
Just because Asher's rich it doesn't mean that his life was easy...
"Having money doesn't make your life not hard Callum."
"Says the girl who's never known what it's like without it..." he muttered under his breath.
I furrowed my brows, and crossed my arms as I turned to look at him.
"Yes I've grown up privileged, but that doesn't mean my life was easy."
"Celeste this will probably offend you, but you've had an easy life. Yeah, it may have gotten tougher for you when you started getting bullied, and whatever happened to that girl, but you could've told someone and it would've stopped easily."
That... isn't true...
I can't believe he's saying this!
"I- I don't even know what to say, I can't believe you right now Callum..." I scoffed in disbelief.
"It's true... Have you ever had to struggle for money, for food or even just a roof over your head? Have you ever had to worry about where your dad is, because he hasn't been home for a week, and the last time you saw him was with a fucking needle in his arm?" He ranted as his grip on the wheel tightened.
No, but that doesn't mean my life was easy... It's unfair of him to assume that just because my dads got money.
"No... maybe I've never had to experience those things, but you know what? I'd do anything to have my mom back... even if it meant she was an addict, and I think you're really selfish for willingly leaving yours!"
He stopped the car suddenly, and turned to face me.
"Do you know how fucking privileged and ignorant you sound right now? I wish my mom was fucking dead so I didn't have to see her the way I did." I crossed my arms stubbornly, and looked out of the window as he sighed. "I just don't understand you Celeste, you have this perfect fucking life, but you willingly put yourself in bad situation-"
"No I don't..."
"Yes you do! How do you see yours and Asher's relationship ending? Honestly Celeste, tell me what you see for you guys."
Why is he being like this?...
"You wanna know what I see? I see you lying to yourself, pretending to be happy, because you think Asher's the only person who can make you happy. I see Asher continuing to manipulate and lie to you, pretending that he loves you when clearly he doesn't know what love is-"
"Call-"
"I'm not fucking done," he spat as he clenched his jaw. "I see Asher getting worse and worse with his anger and his addiction, and if he doesn't end up overdosing, I see him beating you to dea-
"Shut up, Callum!" I shouted as I wiped away the tears that were starting fall down my face.
I looked away from him, watching the buildings pass by us as silence fell among us, nothing could be heard apart from the traffic and my sniffles.
I know that what he's saying is kinda right, I'm not that stupid... but I need to help him, somehow. I can't just leave him when he's obviously hurting.
"Asher needs help, I know that... but I can't just leave him because things are difficult right now..." I finally spoke up as Callum kept his vision in front of him. "You don't know what he's been through... even I don't know everything."
He didn't say anything for a few seconds as he clenched the wheel harder then looked over to me.
"Let's just not talk about this right now..."
I nodded in agreement, then looked for my phone to see if Asher even left me a message.
Of course he didn't...
I tried ringing him again, then sighed as it went straight to voicemail this time.
"I'm sorry... for being so harsh, I just-" he paused as he looked at me then back at the road. "I care about you... a lot. I wouldn't be able to forgive myself if anything extreme happened to you..."
I put my phone down as a smile crept on my face.
"I care about you too Cal... I'm sorry too... for being ignorant about my privilege."
"Don't... I'm just being an asshole." He smiled at me and I felt good again.
Cal and I have little arguments pretty much all the time, but I still didn't like them.
I looked down to see his phone was linked to the stereo, then pressed a button to play whatever he was listening to before.
I smiled as the sound of one of The Neighbourhoods songs started to flood the car, then turned to look at Callum.
"I never knew you liked the neighbourhood?"
He smirked at me, then glanced back to the road.
"Love them... they get me in my feelings." He admitted with a smile.
Wow... I wonder if he's...
"You know... my friend Lilly told me this song was the 'unofficial bisexual anthem'. Are you bisexual?"
I could probably get back in touch with Carter! They'd be a very cute/good looking couple.
"What!" Callum started to laugh like I had said something crazy.
I laughed along with him, even though what I said wasn't a joke... his laughter was just contagious.
"No Celeste, I'm not bisexual, I just like Sweater Weather." He informed me, then reached out to turn the song up.
He began to sing terribly from the top of his lungs, making me giggle.
He laughed with me and shook his head, before I started to sing the rest of the lyrics with him.
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"Hey Asher, I'm home!" I shouted as I walked into the apartment.
He's probably gonna be wondering where I've been... he can't know I've been at Callum's house.
I waited to hear Asher reply but he didn't... he's obviously not here...
I looked at my phone to see it was nearly 8.
How isn't he back yet.
I decided too ring him again, but it went straight to voicemail like last time... I'll leave him a message.
"Hi Ash! I'm at home waiting for you and I'm about to make dinner, so if you could just ring me back or leave me a message, I'd appreciate it... I love you... bye."
I ended the call with a sigh as I began to take my bag off and Cals hoodie that he borrowed me. I'm gonna have to wash it, then hide it until I can give him it back... I don't want Asher being mad at me again.
I went upstairs to our empty room, then walked towards the bathroom, after taking a shower and getting changed, I got some laundry that needed washing and washed it along with the hoodie.
Then I went over to the kitchen and looked in the cupboards for what I was gonna make. Not that Asher would even be here for it...
In fact... I'm not even cooking today, I'll just order Chinese or something...
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I sat on the couch wrapped up in a thick, grey blanket, watching the original nightmare on elm street as I ate my sesame chicken. Ashers food sat on the coffee table, untouched, because he wasn't even back yet. It was now nearly 11 too...
It was quite, and dark, and I'm all alone...
I pouted as I placed my food down, not feeling like eating anymore and wrapped my arms around myself.
Why does he have to do these things to me... I don't have any idea where he is. He could be hurt or anything, and I wouldn't even know.
The sound of the elevator caught my attention, making me look over to it after I paused my movie.
The doors opened and Asher stepped out, carrying a big black bag whilst he hummed a tune.
Where has he been... and why is he in such a good mood?
I watched him with a frown as he walked in and didn't even notice me.
It was only after he threw his bag to the floor, then got himself a glass of bourbon from the kitchen, that he acknowledged my existence.
"Oh,Celeste... what are you doing up?" He asked with a smile, whilst I continued to frown at him.
"Waiting for you, since you didn't bother to call or text me," I said through gritted teeth, trying not to get myself too upset over it as I clenched the blanket. "You were also supposed to pick me up from school, remember."
His smile dropped, and he sighed as he rubbed his temples.
"Oh shit, baby- I'm sorry, I completely forgot." He placed his cup down, then sat beside me, taking a hold of my hand, but I looked away from him. "I was busy, babygirl..."
"Doing what? You're always 'busy' disappearing, then no one knows where you are for hours... what were you doing?" I asked him as I pulled my hand away from him, and crossed my arms over my chest.
The only thing I could think of is that he was with other girls... and the thought of that broke my heart.
"I was... just out. Nowhere specific." I scoffed at his reply, then looked at the bag behind him.
Nowhere specific....
"Then what's in the bag?" I questioned, hoping to see his face change in anyway to indicate he was lying, but he just looked at me blankly.
"None of your fucking business." He smirked, then grabbed my hips, and pulled me onto his lap whilst his large hands gently stroked my waist. "Are you gonna stop bitchin now?"
I stood up as I pushed him away from me, feeling even more pissed off now.
How can he say that to me?
I just want him to leave me alone...
"Don't fucking talk to me like that!" I tried scolding him, but cringed as my voice cracked and I could feel my eyes starting to well up with tears.
Don't cry Celeste, this is so stupid!
"Look, now your getting yourself all worked up over nothing, come here baby." Asher cooed as he held his hands out for me, whilst I debated on wether I should storm off upstairs and go to bed angry, or stay and talk to him.
I decided on the latter, then slowly walked closer to him and sat on his lap, wrapping my arms around his neck as I held him tightly.
"Babygirl... did something bad happen at school, hm?" He asked gently, and I shook my head as I kept it buried in his chest. He took a hold of my chin, then lifted it so that I was looking up at him. "Are you sure, Celeste? I'm not gonna be happy if I found out someone's upset you."
Can't he see that it's him who's upsetting me?
I nodded then pushed myself back into his chest, and tightened my arms around him, enjoying having his full attention now.
He just sighed, then rested his head on top of mine as he began to stroke up and down my back soothingly, starting to make me feel sleepy.
Asher pressed play on the movie I was watching, and I tried to stay awake as I listened to the people screaming.
"Go to sleep baby, I'm not going anywhere." His deep voice whispered into my ear making me nod as I sighed.
"I love you..." I mumbled, before I fell asleep in his arms.
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Umm... hey!
I know it's been a while but I've been so busy. I've had exams AND I have good news!
I kinda have a boyfriend now! Can yall believe I've never had a boyfriend :(
But yeah, I have been super busy so thank you guys for your patience, and I'm gonna try and update again soon.
As always, please tell me you're thoughts on this chapter and I hope yall enjoyed :)