Imagines and One-Shots (Book Two)

Break My Heart (Ashton Irwin) - Part 2

Three weeks later

You were sitting outside in the common area, under the tree you always sat at when you needed a relaxing place to do homework. Even though it was Saturday, there weren't many people around – they were all either out shopping or visiting relatives who lived close by or cooped up in their rooms doing their own homework.

It had been nearly a month since you'd last spoken to Ashton, but that didn't mean you weren't trying. You texted him a few times asking him if you could come over to talk, but he would never answer – he did have his read receipts on, so you knew he was seeing them and choosing to ignore you.

You tried not to get mad at him – you tried to give him the benefit of the doubt in maybe he was just still processing the entire situation, but honestly...? You didn't know how much more time you could give him.

"Hey, Y/N," you heard someone say, making you look up from the books spread out in front of you.

"Hi, Cal," you smiled slightly as he sat down on the blanket beside you.

"Why are you alone?" he asked curiously, "I thought you and Ash always came here to work together."

"I'm not alone," you reminded him softly, looking back down, "You're here."

"C'mon, Y/N," he nudged you softly, "You know what I mean."

"I don't know why I'm alone... Ashton won't talk to me anymore..."

"What do you mean he won't talk to you?" he furrowed his eyebrows.

"I mean he won't talk to me anymore," you breathed out shakily, "He hasn't since that party."

"But he's your bes-" Calum started before you cut him off, finally being unable to keep everything bottled up anymore.

"He doesn't even sit beside me in class anymore, Calum!" you exclaimed, looking back up at him, "He promised nothing was going to change, but everything has! He doesn't pout for me to cuddle with him when we watch TV, he doesn't come over in the morning and insist on giving me a piggy back ride to the lecture hall, he doesn't see me standing alone at parties and whine for me to dance with him – he doesn't even hug me when he sees me anymore! It's like the thought of touching me grosses him out now! I can handle being told he doesn't like me as anything more than his best friend, Calum – I can – but I can't bear knowing that me being in love with him makes him not want to be around me anymore!"

"Wait..." Calum trailed off after a moment of silence, seemingly in shock, "Ash told you he doesn't like you as more than a friend?"

"What does that mean?" you sighed softly, your voice not giving you any more than that.

And at that point, Calum didn't care whether or not it was his place to tell you.

"That boy has been in love with you since the moment he met you!" Calum threw his arms up, "He can't go five minutes without talking about how cute you looked when you were yawning in class or how good you looked in a new shirt you just bought or how nice you smelled when you were sitting beside him and how much it distracted him from the lecture! I can't even say 'hi' to him without him immediately telling me about something funny or cute you did or said when we see each other in Psych! You should see how jealous he gets when I mention we were hanging out or had lunch together or anything where he wasn't there; He gets upset that I didn't say anything earlier like I have to have his permission to be with you without him! I don't know why he'd ever tell you he didn't like you because that kid is so in love with you, it actually hurts the rest of us seeing you and knowing you're not together!"

"Y-You're lying..." you choked out, your chest visibly rising and falling as you shook your head, "He... He doesn't... H-He would have told me himself..."

"Why would I lie about something like that, Y/N?" he asked almost desperately, "I would never do that to you – especially not like this."

"Bec-cause... He wouldn't... You wouldn't lie if you...if you found out someone felt the same..."

"Y/N, please," Calum sighed, "I swear I'm not bullshitting you on this. I have no idea why he lied, but... But Ashton is in love with you too."

~

One week later

It took you a week to do it, but you finally worked up the courage to confront Ashton with what Calum had told you. You'd been considering the possibility that maybe Calum could be fucking with you, but then again... Why would he? Calum was just as much your best friend as Ashton was – all the boys in their frat were – so what would he have to gain from coming up with a lie like that? What did he have to gain from giving you such false hope?

You finally caught Ashton outside of one of the lecture halls – morning classes were ending and this was usually the time everyone headed off-campus for lunch – but, to be honest, you were starting to psych yourself out. He was standing around and talking with a couple of his frat brothers, and you didn't really want to call him out in front of them, but you knew you'd chicken out of confronting him if you didn't do it right now and you didn't know how long it would take to get the courage back.

So you sucked in a deep breath and went for it.

"Ashton..." you murmured as you stopped beside him, "We need to talk..."

"Can't it wait a minute?" he furrowed his eyebrows at you, "I'm in the middle of something right now."

"No, it can't..."

"Seems really important, Ash," one of his friends shrugged, "We can pick this up later back at the house."

"But we're already talking about it now," Ashton shook his head, "I don't want to resche-" And that was when you finally had enough of him avoiding you.

"Are you in love with me?" you cut him off, making everyone go silent. The other boys stared at you in shock while Ashton's breathing visibly hitched.

"We've had this discussion already, Y/N..." he trailed off.

"I know we did," you replied, "But I don't want you to bullshit me this time; I want the truth."

"That was the-"

"Calum told me how you get when you find out I was with him," you stated, "He said you get upset with him for not telling you as if anyone has to have your permission to hang out with me." Ashton was silent for a moment before swallowing thickly.

"Well... I don't know why he said that, but it's not true," he shook his head.

"Why would Calum lie to me about that?!" you shouted.

"I don't know!" he didn't bother holding back either, "Maybe he's jealous you don't want him because you're still hung up on someone who doesn't want you!"

Your chest tightened up and you desperately wanted to cry, but you held it in. None of you – you or his friends – could believe Ashton had actually said that. You knew he didn't want to pursue a relationship with you, but you didn't think he'd ever just come out and say he didn't want you.

"Get rid of my number, Ashton," you grumbled lowly, trying to mask the shakiness of your voice. Ashton's heart sank while his brothers just stood there uncomfortably.

"Y/N, don't-"

"Delete all the photos of us, and burn everything I ever gave you because I don't want it back," you replied with the most stoic expression on your face, "Whatever this-" You motioned between him and yourself. "-became after you found out I love you is over."

"Y/N!" he called after you as you walked away.

But you didn't listen.

For the first time since you met him, you weren't going to let him coax you back into whatever relationship you had with him.