Behind The Limelight

28: You Snooze, You Lose

Ashton yawned loudly. Today was the last day of the shoot before their four day break, and he could not wait to be done. He had already made reservations at a spa for some desperately needed massage and relaxation. Just a few more hours. That was it. He could do it.

"—am I boring you?" Tabitha asked.

"No, no, sorry," Ashton said, shaking his head. His body betrayed him again as he let out another yawn. "Sorry. I'm just tired. Been a long day."

"Oh man, I feel you. Lee and I are flying out to Mexico for a mini vacation tonight and I'm literally counting down the minutes," Tabitha replied.

"Have fun," Ashton spoke with a soft smile.

It was endearing to see Tabitha light up each time she spoke about Lee. Ashton could only wish that someday he would have someone like this too, a healthy and happy relationship like theirs. But after his past encounters, he was very close to giving up any hope of ever finding anybody to call his own, anybody to love wholeheartedly.

"Thanks! My agent was going to fill my schedule up with interviews and what not and I was like nope! Ain't doing that none of that these next days!" Tabitha let out a small chuckle before continuing. "What are your plans? I know Ryk's heading down to visit his family. Are you going to see your parents too?"

"Nah," Ashton answered. "I'm just going to chill at home. Swim. Play video games. Get a pedicure maybe."

"Oh," Tabitha frowned slightly, before perking up again. "That's nice! Lee and I are actually thinking of buying a new house together once we get married. I really like the neighborhood you live in. Any idea if anyone's selling?"

"I'll have to ask around," Ashton said.

"Please do!" Tabitha exclaimed, an excited grin on her face.

"How are the wedding plans coming along?" Ashton questioned.

"Don't even get me started on that," Tabitha groaned. "So look, I really like orchids, okay? And I want a red velvet cake, multi-tiered, obviously. But Lee thinks that—"

Ashton braced himself for a long rant, which it was. And by the end of it he grew even more exhausted than he was before. Tabitha had a lot of opinions, as she should, and apparently planning a wedding was a shit load of work.

"—and then there's also dance lessons. You may think that Lee has a lot of grace, but let me tell you something, they have two left feet when it comes to getting a move on. It feels like June is getting closer and closer and there's no preparation whatsoever!"

"That sounds...stressful," Ashton remarked, at a loss for words once Tabitha finally stopped rambling.

"That's an understatement," Tabitha muttered.

"You'll figure it out," Ashton offered, making Tabitha let out a long sigh.

Ashton's phone buzzed in his pocket, but he ignored it. He guessed that it would probably just be his mother again, who had been blasting his phone non stop ever since the event. He was extremely close to blocking her number, but for the sake of their relationship, no matter how bad or superficial, he didn't.

Then again, she'd probably find other ways to contact him if she wanted to. So blocking her would do no good in the greater scheme of things. He figured that if he just ignored her long enough then she would get the hint and back off. Or at least that was the hope.

A man can dream, right?

When his phone vibrated again and then again, Ashton begrudgingly decided to see what was up. He picked up his mobile, only to find that it wasn't his mother texting him, but Ryker's sister Abi.