The Story of Us (Book 1 of "The Story of Us" Series) [Completed]

Chapter 25 - Endless, Helpless, Hoping

[December 2004] 

"Nick," Ashton said, dropping his bag on the floor. He stared at Nick, watching him walk down the staircase slowly. "What the hell man? What are you doing here?" 

Nick took a deep breath, not sure what to say. He didn't even know if Ashton knew Harley had passed out or had been sick. 

"I'm in Atlanta recording with the guys and I heard Harley passed out..." 

"She passed out?" Ashton asked, sounding shocked. 

"Some nurse called into a radio station to gossip about it, so I texted Harley to see if she was okay," Nick said as Ashton nodded. "Apparently it's just stress and her blood pressure. She has those migraines when she's stressed and she asked me to come over. Her Dad is gone to get her medicine right now." 

"And he left you here with her?" Ashton asked as Nick shrugged, then nodded. "Where is she now?" Nick pointed upstairs and Ashton walked past him, but Nick held his arm out, stopping him. 

"What?" 

"Don't get her upset or anything. Her head is really killing her and they said her blood pressure was really high," Nick said, moving his arm. 

He turned around, watching Ashton walk up the stairs. He walked over, picking up Ashton's bag. It was light. Really light. He hadn't packed much. 

That wasn't a good sign.

Harley held one of her throw pillows over her head, blocking the light that escaped from the window blinds and curtains in her bedroom. All she wanted was something to ease the pain and make her heart stop beating so fast. 

She had taken all of the over-the-counter pain relievers she had before passing out and she needed something strong and she needed it then. She heard her bedroom door open and she sighed. 

"Daddy, is that you?" she asked, hearing the door shut. She moved the pillow and looked up seeing Ashton walking towards the bed. "Ashton, what are you doing here? I thought you weren't coming until tomorrow." 

"I got an earlier flight," he whispered, walking over to sit down on the side of the bed. "I saw Nick downstairs. What's that about?"

 Harley sighed, knowing this wasn't going to be pretty. 

"You haven't been talking with him, have you? You said you hadn't." 

"I haven't, not since London," she said, looking down at her ring. "I needed someone to talk to and when he texted me to see if I was okay, I asked him to come over basically."

 "Why couldn't you call and talk to me?" 

"Ashton, we haven't really talked to one another since the awards last month except for here and there," she said as he looked away. "And it's stressing me out, worrying and just nervous and it's making me sick." 

"What are you worried about?" he asked as she tucked a strand of hair that had fallen out of her ponytail. 

"If I tell you, do you promise not to get upset because I don't think I can handle it right now," she said as he nodded. She sighed, looking down at her ring and looked back up at him. "I love you, but I don't think I love you as much as I'm supposed to be while wearing this," she said, holding up her hand. 

"Seriously?" he asked as she nodded. He laid back on the bed, running his hands over his face and Harley felt her heart start to break. "Are you saying you think we rushed into this?" 

"I don't know about rushing into it," she whispered. "When I say this to you, it's going to make you mad but I've had two relationships with two guys, you and Nick and you both have huge careers of your own. But with Nick, he always made time for me, whether it was just a text message. We were like that to begin with but now you're doing so many movies. Plus, lately, the more we drift apart, and the more I try to write for my album, the more I realize that I love you, but I don't love you like you should be loved."