CHAPTER THIRTY ONE- Sabotage me.
Niall’s POV:
Leaning forward in my seat I let my fingers dance over the keyboard and after typing the first two letters of my last name the suggestion of Niall Horan and Ashley Dawson came up as the second one. Clicking on that I braced myself for the results, which, as Google kindly told me, were delivered within 0.23 seconds.
Niall Horan and Ashley Dawson: Maybe not just the summer fling everyone thought they were?
Horan and Dawson: Fling of last summer or this winter?
Boy band member and Fashion Icon rekindled romance?
Is Ashley Dawson pregnant with Niall Horan’s baby at the tender age of eighteen?
Well, rumours sure are a bit spicy today. I cast my mind to Ashley and imagined her probably doing the same thing right now, her eyes narrowed as she scanned the text from her phone, laptop screen, whatever as she held her hair from her eyes. But unlike me, no doubt she was being drawn in by negative articles about her. That was the thing with Ashley, people talking about her really broke her, but she just couldn’t resist the temptation to keep reading, however much it was damaging her confidence. She always had been like that though, four people said she was pretty she wouldn’t believe them but thank them anyway, one person said they hated her and fired countless insults at her usually along the lines of whore, ugly, fat the type that she really couldn’t use or deserved she would believe it. But the thing was she never did retort back that often, since she thought what they were saying was true I guess she never really felt the need to confront them about it. I had told her on countless times that it was just someone sitting behind their computer screen, jealous of her and everything she is both inside and out but she was adamant that if one person saw her that way, then surely everyone did, right? Wrong, but with Ashley, she never was convinced easily.
Last September the breakup of Niall Horan and daughter of Michael Dawson, Ashley Dawson, took the nation by sheer surprise as the two appeared to drift apart, right? Well, at the time that was what it was perceived to be but a recent source told us a few months afterwards that the breakup was anything but a dragged out and distant multiplying fading relationship but a sudden and most surprising ugly one. The breakup was rumoured to have happened in-between the dates of September 13th and September 25th and was the result of a rather heated and serious argument between the two seemingly ‘loved up’ couple in the eye of the public. It was never clear who ended it once and for all or whether it was a mutual decision but our source seems to think it was the result of Ashley getting a little too worked up at perhaps something Nialler had said…? Or perhaps something she unwillingly found out about her Irish blondie of a pop star boyfriend? We don’t know for sure. But after this ‘heated argument’ Ashley was rumoured to have been quite the bit upset about the whole ordeal and was spotted crying on her way home from a club in London where she went with her now ex-boyfriend and his band mates after they came back from their two and a half week trip to America. Mere days before this happened the couple seemed quite the bit fine and tweets were circulating claiming how much they ‘loved and missed each other’. But that was all last year and after a month or so this all seemed to blow over and aside from being spotted at the subway a few times Ashley had fled to New York pursuing a career in the fashion industry and there was no public contact with our poor Nialler who was apparently heartbroken and housebound back in England. Apparently he was also quite the bit teary about the whole thing and went through the whole break up routine grieving over his beautiful blonde and blue eyed fashion icon of a girlfriend. However after two months of lying low in New York Ashley began to be pictured a lot more often in the city that never sleeps and was rumoured to be boozing it up and was also seen hanging around with a new guy whom she was even spotted leaving her NYC apartment with once or twice.
Bullshit, right? In all fairness though, we weren’t together then, or even on mere speaking terms.
After three months of nothing else being rumoured in the public eye between Niall and Ashley, accordingly Niall’s band One Direction made a fluke trip to New York, the city that Niall’s blonde bombshell of an ex-girlfriend moved to just months before and days after their up, and were apparently spotted at the Xmas party that Ashley’s employers were holding, could an encounter have been apparent at this party? And why did Niall agree to go in the first place if he knew his beloved Ashley was going to be there?
Maybe because we were forced to make an appearance by management? Where the hell do they get this stuff from?
These are all good questions. However we don’t see them being answered anytime soon as the weeks began to slip by after their breakup and Niall began to merge back into the public eye again (where did he go anyway?) in any interviews where he was asked about the situation with fashion icon and now New Yorker girlfriend Ashley, he would never answer claiming ‘he didn’t want to talk about it’, could Ashley have been the girl that Nialler was waiting for but then abruptly left him heartbroken for America? As you can tell, the whole relationship, breakup and months after of Niall Horan and Ashley Dawson was full of drama and very much analysed in the public eye only dying down by February 2013, when coincidentally, One Direction began their UK tour and Ashley’s fame in the fashion industry sky rocketed over in America. So they both seemed to have moved on and now been doing their own thing, right? Well, you’re wrong. With a break in their shows in the UK One Direction made a two month long trip to L.A and around the same time Ashley’s employers were the shameful victims of an armed robbery attack resulting in closing the company for up to two months. No more was seen of Ashley the first few weeks afterwards but soon afterwards some pictures were shockingly leaked of none other than our Ashley Dawson in L.A with her ex-boyfriend’s band One Direction. Could this romance have been sparked back up then? Well it would appear another bump in the road occurred and Ashley fled back to England almost a month into her time in L.A and two weeks after doing this she was hospitalised after collapsing in her own home-
“Hey Nialler what are you reading?”
Louis questioned plonking himself down into my desk chair and spinning around on it to face me an expectant look on his face.
“Just something.”
I replied dismissively as I scrolled through the various pictures from both last year and the ones that had been leaked from L.A.
“Just something huh?” He questioned peering over my shoulder and narrowing his eyes at the rather lengthy article regarding Ashley’s and I’s whole past. “Ooh Ashleeey I should have known. Why are you reading that?”
I shrugged now scrolling down to the bottom of the page so he couldn’t read all of it. I didn’t exactly endure reading a summary of our break up and I didn’t want other people to either. But people seem to have fun writing them that’s for sure.
“To see what’s going on I guess.”
“Surely you have more of an idea of what’s going on than they do?”
He questioned.
“Yeah but just to see what people are saying.”
“No doubt Ashley’s doing the same.”
He commented frowning slightly as he leant against the wall just staring at me watching me scroll through the various pictures that accompanied this article.
“Probably, if she’s not working.”
I shrugged again.
“She works a lot doesn’t she?”
“I guess.” To be honest I was a bit pre-occupied with my researching on Ashley and I and wasn’t really up for engaging in this conversation. “She is manager or whatever though, she’s just dedicated.”
“She is…Hey she looks really hot there.”
He commented leaning forwards in his space to get a better look at a picture of us in London last year at a park or something holding hands. I shot him a look and she shrugged.
“Well she does.”
When I just continued to look at him he smirked leaning back into his space.
“Sorry, but she’s hot”
“Watch your mouth.”
I scolded scrolling through a few more pictures before shutting the lid on the laptop and resorting to sifting through some design sheets and paperwork she’d left here.
-
The further I got, the wearier I got of this place. The alley seemed to be ever growing in darkness cloaking around it like it had descended from Satan itself. There were washing lines hanging from one building to the other with just one or two cloths on them and I could have sworn I just saw a rat. It never really occurred to me that things were this bad in London. It all seems rather dapper on the outside, bright lights and tall structures, expensive shops and designer clothing, concert arenas, theatres, fashion, famous museums. But the further you go in, the worse it gets. It wasn’t completely shocking, I’ve seen worse on TV and such in other countries but it really did shock me the condition some of these people were living in. And it shocked me even further that even though distant, a member of Ashley’s family would be. Not that I cared, or it put me off her in any way at all, it just surprised me. Ashley’s family are…Well off. And because the family I know of are I kind of expected her whole family to be but clearly that’s not the case, well not here anyway. She’s a rich girl, and always has been, but she’s different from any other ‘rich girls’ I’ve met. She’s not conceded and doesn’t think of herself as higher than anyone else because she’s more intelligent, because she’s richer, prettier, because her family are famous, in fact she probably thinks of herself as lower. Which is sad, but I guess she’s kind of always been like that. Way too modest.
As I got further in I felt a strange silence fall over this place and the air all seemed to get a bit tenser and I felt extremely out of place. People had their knees hugged to their chest leaning up against the walls that lined the alley and they all turned their heads to look at me as I passed, watching me as I uncomfortably walked past them. It was almost like this wasn’t real, some kind of ghost town and they were all just ghosts watching me as I intruded on their territory, venturing in deeper. My trainers crunching against the loose dirt and gravel that every so often kicked up a cloud of dust causing me to cough earning a few more pointed and angry looks from the people I was passing by. At an ever growing pace too, the further I walked, the faster I got, keen to get out of this place as soon as possible.
I was sceptical of myself at first as to why I was doing this, let alone without Ashley knowing. Don’t ever get involved with him, he’s nothing but trouble and he’s my problem. I could hear her sweet and tainted with concern voice in my head. It was always there though; there was just something about it. How gentle, girly and kind it was, there was a certain twang within her London accent that just really stuck with you, etching it’s way into your brain and forever ringing throughout your ears. I knew it stuck with me but I didn’t doubt it stuck with other people too, I didn’t doubt she stuck with other people too. And sometimes, I couldn’t quite believe she was mine. Physically, she was probably every guy’s dream. With her piercing bright blue eyes, blonde hair reaching her waist, slim figure (naturally and non-naturally.) and plump pink lips. Rich, a fashion icon and beautiful she was probably the girl who pretty much had everything. But when you got to know her, underneath the layers of faux dazzling smiles, the make-up and in general immaculate appearance I guess on the outside the girl who has it all isn’t always what she seems to be. And inside, Ashley has a lot more problems than she lets on. I suppose she’s always been good at hiding her problems from everyone, she didn’t like the attention of other people when something was wrong. Whenever people tried to get her to open up she’d just respond with ‘it’s complicated’, but with Ashley, everything always was more complicated than it needed to be, even she knew that.
I could almost see some light at the end of the alley now, a thin ray of sunshine bursting through the cracks of the crumbling building to my far right. This only drew me to walk faster, as I was seriously questioning the physical state of this place, if any. I was so close and the worst of it seemed to be disappearing now and then suddenly there’s a rather scary looking/rough looking man blocking my path. Figures.
“Err excuse me?”
I tried awkwardly. Wow I sound like an idiot. I probably look like one walking through here. He just looked at me and blinked once. Now that I looked behind me I could see all the other people situated in this place staring with wide eyes as I encountered upon this, man.
“Accent. Where do you come from?”
He questioned. His voice was gruff and deep like he had a really saw throat.
“Ireland.”
I stuttered and he simply nodded.
“I can tell you’re one of the rich lot. What do you want with this place?”
I shoved my hands deeper into my pockets slightly intimidated by him, okay well maybe a lot. I was half expecting him to pull out a knife any second or something.
“I’m-I was err looking for John Dawson?”
Something in his facial expression changed and he continued to stare at me with that same bored and impassive expression.
“Oh, I didn’t exactly have you down as one of his clients. What do you do, crack? Weed?”
“What? I’m not a…I’m not a client. I don’t do drugs…”
His eyes widened and I could have sworn I heard people gasp behind me. Was that really that much of a surprising thing now?
“Oh, well what do you want with John then?”
“I just, I just need to talk to him.”
Why was I telling this person anyway?
“O-kay, well very well.”
He narrowed his eyes at me stepping aside and I passed with haste keen to get out of here.
The numbers on the doors went past in a blur. At least these doors actually had numbers, or doors for that matter. I stopped outside number 43; glancing to the address I had on the paper this should be right. I was about to lift my hand to knock when the door opened and a rather…exposed looking girl appeared. She had long black hair reaching her hips and thick eye-liner accompanied with black eye-lids too. Her olive skin tone was tainted with bronzer and when her eyes fell upon me she licked her lips giving me a shady wink before strutting off in the direction I came from, she was also clutching a small plastic packet of something, which with the new information I had gained, was most likely some kind of illegal substance. Okay. It was then that I pushed the door back a bit that I saw him. He looked different to when I had last year, he had put on a bit of weight and had lost a bit of hair too. He was ripping a packet open of something with his teeth and then he took a cigarette from behind his ear and took a drag before exhaling and returning it to behind his ear. I just kind of stood there, unsure of what to do but thankfully or not so thankfully as I was now having second thoughts, he craned his neck from the shadows to look at me and took a few steps forward and then motioned for me to come in. So, that’s what I shakily did, stepping inside the dingy smell of smoke and something that was not tobacco greeted me as I carefully shut the door behind me.
“It’s you.”
He observed nodding his head at me. Well, I could have told him that.
“Well I guess I can put the cabinet away for this one. Dear Ashley’s not the type to date a druggie, more like worldwide pop star type, right?”
He seemed so smug I was almost suspicious, as if he had been expecting me. Or knew that whatever I was here for was regarding Ashley, well of course it was, I wouldn’t have any other reason but still. Unless there was something she hadn’t told me, she had endured no more encounters with him since last summer but the way he spoke of her straight away, kind of implied otherwise to me.
When I said nothing, as I didn’t exactly know what I was supposed to say, I wasn’t exactly going to agree with the label he had put on me and told me that it was Ashley’s type. I wasn’t even sure what that was supposed to mean, it wasn’t like she was a gold-digger, she had money herself, a lot of it, she didn’t need a significant other purely for money. So he continued, still seeming as smug as when he started.
“My oh my to be honest son, I have to hand it to you. I wasn’t exactly expecting my Ashley to hold up a relationship with you for so long, and that’s not on your behalf, I just thought she would have dumped you by now, but clearly not, right?”
These circumstances could have been looked at in many different lights. I suppose in a way she did dump me, but it was a bit different to that, it held a lot more reason than the she’ll-get-bored-of-you thing he was implying.
“She’s hardly your Ashley.”
I corrected a little braver than I expected from myself. In fact, I was a lot calmer than I expected myself to be, and I hadn’t blown up at him yet either, which as her boyfriend, would have been totally reasonable since he practically attempted to rape her last year.
“Oh is that so? Whose is she then, yours?”
I felt like saying yes, yes she is. But then I decided that he probably wouldn’t take it in the same context that I meant it, I didn’t own her, she was just my girlfriend. So I kept my silence only earning myself a smirk.
“Why don’t you have a seat and you can tell me all about little Ashley and you, aye?”
I rolled my eyes when his back was turned as he led me into what I assumed to be a living room of some sorts. There were two red cheap swade coloured sofa chairs and a small TV in the corner with some dying plants on top of them. On the coffee table by the door I could see various packets of what I assumed to be drugs. Although I couldn’t say for sure since I wasn’t entirely definite on what drugs looked like.
I nervously sat down in the armchair opposite him and he kicked back the recliner on his seat and sighed as he took another drag from his cigarette.
“So, last time I saw you, you were shouting at me from getting close with my niece. What’s new since then?”
The way he talked about that kind of disgusted me. He said it right there, his niece, but then again in Ashley’s family at the moment, for the majority, the term family doesn’t appear to mean a lot.
“It wasn’t just getting close though, was it? How could you even do that?”
He sighed the smallest of smiles was quirking at his lips, and that was really disturbing and kind of disgusted me. He practically started to rape her. How could you do that and not feel guilty?
“You weren’t there the whole time, you don’t know what happened. She was accusing me of killing her aunt, I had to shut her up somehow didn’t I?”
“Well maybe she had a right to.”
I mumbled and he raised his eye-brows.
“And what would that be?”
I leant forward in my seat resting my elbows on my knees and licking my lower lip once.
“Well you almost raped your niece; maybe it’s not hard to believe that you killed your own wife too.”
I had to stop my voice from cracking when saying this. It would still perplex me to this day how people could so something so disgusting and not feel guilty. He was married to the women, how could you kill someone you supposedly loved? I wouldn’t be able to find the courage to kill somebody I hated, let alone somebody I loved.
“Wow you’ve got a bit of gut talking like this to me, haven’t you?”
“Yeah well believe it or not I get a bit angry when my girlfriend’s almost raped by her own Uncle.”
I grumbled and he smirked as if he heard this every day.
“Blunt. I like it. But I can’t believe you made the trip out here to confront me about last year’s incidents, so what brings you here?”
He leaned to the right picking up a can of an unknown energy drink from the floor and cracking it open as it fizzed onto the floor and then he brought it to his lips sipping it carefully.
I sucked in a deep breath and balled my fists up to try and channel some anger into myself and not him, because if he made one more remark regarding that what happened last year was okay then I think I might just lose it.
“Someone’s…Someone’s sabotaging Ashley and I want, I need to know who. You know about this, right? And if it’s you then-“
“It’s not me.”
He stated smirking and I could tell he was supressing a chuckle.
“What?”
“I said it’s not me, I’m not always the bad guy you know.”
I just looked at him. I had walked so far, gone through so much and lied so many lies to come here completely convinced that everything that had been going on the past few months was him. It had to be, right? Who else was it going to be? It completely made sense. Ashley knew/was pretty sure that he was the killer of her Auntie, she’d accused him a few times meaning that she would be a threat to him. She could spill her mouth anytime soon and dob him into the police, to her family, to anyone. There was nothing from stopping her, apart from if he blackmailed her, right? He would have a motive, a huge one. Killing someone is huge, he knew what the consequences would be and he probably didn’t want to face them. So of course he would have to blackmail/ get rid of anyone who did know or could be a threat to his innocence, or not so much innocence. I had thought this through so many times and it finally seemed to make sense and now he was telling me it wasn’t him, that he wasn’t doing anything. But this was a man who had lied his way through a lot of things. Or rather, had seriously edited and held back the truth. This was a man with a cold heart and an even colder brain. He would probably do whatever it took if it meant not going to jail over killing his own ex-wife. This was a man who would risk everything and everyone if it meant not going to jail. And obviously that also included doing something to ward off his biggest threat which was of course, Ashley. Ashley was popular in the public eye, very popular. Why wouldn’t she be? She’s beautiful, cute, funny, kind, sweet and many other adjectives and he wasn’t any positive adjectives. So who would they be more likely to believe? Ashley. I was so proud of myself for figuring this all out and now, everything’s going al defunct again. Maybe I should have discussed this with Ashley, but she wouldn’t have let me do it. She wouldn’t have let me find her Uncle and confront him straight on about what’s been going on lately. He just wouldn’t. She didn’t like to make a fuss. And of course she was an easy and ideal target for him. Ashley was the type of girl who never told. Those kids that you got in the school playground who would run up to teacher’s ‘telling’ on the kid next to them, that wasn’t Ashley. She didn’t dob people in, she sucked up any crap that got dished out to her and dealt with it in the most reserved of ways. Going to the police about something that had happened to her was the last thing on her list. She believed that ‘telling’ on the person who did whatever to her would only make their motive to grow bigger. She was always living by the rule of just ignore them and then they’ll get bored, but in all reality I don’t think she even believed that herself. She just told herself she did because it was easier than dirtying her hands with the messy details. But right now, I was all for getting my hands dirty with tracking down who was sabotaging my Ash. Anyone hurts Ashley in anyway and I will find out whom and why and something will be done. I can’t say she always endures in this but that doesn’t matter. She’s basically my everything and if she doesn’t want to dirty her notably clean hands with the messy details, that I’ll do it a thousand times for her.
“I don’t understand. It had to be you-“
“Whoa, be careful with shooting the insults off kid. Remember I am actually a member of the Dawson family still; I can always put a bad word in for you to her parents or whatever if necessary. Because judging by how determined you are, you foolishly really love Ashley don’t you?”
“What do you mean foolishly?”
He shrugged sipping his can again.
“Doesn’t it make sense? I think I’m the position to say, as a guy myself, that she’s quite the type of girl that guys drool over, right? I never saw her sticking around with someone like you to be quite honest. She’s the type of girl that guys would pay to just show the smallest amount of flesh, she’s the type of girl that if she wasn’t so reserved and had so much respect for herself would end up in all the Playboy magazines. She’s the type of girl that on the outside you would think to have more sense than to fall in love. Let’s face it, when you first met didn’t you think the same? I would know, she’s like a drug for guys, they’re addicted to her.”
“No, I didn’t think that because I have a lot more respect than that.”
“Oh you’re that type of guy are you? Rather go for her heart than her boobs or anything else. Hmm, should have known Ashley would fall for someone like that. But we all know where she really belongs, right?”
Now I was absolutely astounded at his words and how open he was about this. It was clear that (rather disgustingly) he looked at her in a sexual way, which of course as her boyfriend, unsettled me and made me feel rather protective, of course it did, he was right, I suppose. I would rather her heart than anything else and I don’t feel like I should be frowned upon to think so. He spoke of her like she was just a toy, something to make love to and then leave the next day. And that pissed me off to an end because knowing Ashley; I could never look at her that way. I wasn’t saying I didn’t find her attractive in more ways than just shoulders and above, what guy wouldn’t? But that was only a small factor for me. Her herself mattered a lot more to me than her body or anything else. I guess what I mean is, that our relationship is much more of an emotional one than a physical one and I prefer it that way.
“She belongs in a place where she’ll get the respect she deserves, and that’s obviously not with you. How can you even look at your own eighteen year old niece like that? I’m sorry but that’s kind of…Disgusting.”
I commented feeling the anger already boiling inside of me. When guys her own age flirted or hit on her it was annoying, let alone somebody more than twice her age, also her Uncle, making comments on her like that.
“Oh come on you don’t seriously believe that shit do you? Girls are for sexual relationships, not emotional ones. I can’t believe you’ve fallen for that shit. Especially with a girl like Ashley. You’re asking me how can I look at her that way, how can’t you?”
“Look whatever you’re calling ‘shit’ I believe in it, yeah. I’m not with Ashley for her physical features, they’re just a bonus.”
“Awh how sweet.”
He cooed with sarcasm and I had to refrain an eye-roll. I didn’t exactly think of it as ‘sweet’ I just thought of it as honest, that was honestly the way it was. I fell in love with Ashley because of what she is on the inside; her appearance is just a huge bonus. I have no idea when people are going to start understanding that love isn’t all about looks, you don’t fall in love with someone’s appearance, you fall in love with them.
“Look, kid, I don’t know who’s sabotaging Ashley but it’s not me. I have done nothing to the girl since last summer and that was hardly anything.”
The way he was referring to me as ‘kid’ was annoying. I mean come on, I’m older than Ashley. I concluded that even if it was him, he wasn’t going to admit anything anytime soon so I might as well just give up. Should I tell Ashley about today’s events? She kind of deserved to know, I mean, I told her everything else all the time so I should tell her this, right? But somehow I just feel like she wouldn’t take it as lightly as it should be. In her eyes John was a dangerous man, which I guess he was, I mean what he did to her last year was absolutely revolting and the things he’s said about her today are equally as disgusting. She told me not get involved with him and I did, but it was for her, I’m worried. I have the right to be, I mean someone is sabotaging her and I intend to find out who.
“Fine.”
I grumbled and after dropping in a few more comments about how unhappy I was with both what he did last year and how he looked at Ashley, I left. But this was only my first suspect down, this was by no means over, somebody was after my Ash and I will not rest until I find out whom and justice is served.
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A/N.
This is shorteer
uhh my sister's being annoying. she keeps on opening the door like um no she knows I like the door shut and now she keeps on like throwing things at the wall or something cus her room is next to the one I'm in like no thank you
so it just rained and it better be sunny for when I go to my Nan's...
I'm a little bit concerned at how much my jaws are gonna ache after wednesday if I have to keep my mouth open for an hour while having a brace fitted:S if I even manage to keep it open.
I have over 1500 fans now like seriously I love you guys so much you don't even know;o
keep on voting/commenting etc, you're comments seriously make my day:D
-Emily.