Life was getting busy again. School had started again. I was busy taking classes and volunteering. I was starting to get low on cash, so I got a job working the front desk at the dorm. Time with Nick was sparse. He was busy recording and rehearsing. We maybe talked twice a week on the phone and it was never for more than a half an hour. I missed Nick. I was so used to seeing him everyday.

I dialed Nick’s number and waited for him to answer.

“Umm…hello?”

“Hi Nicky. What’s up?”

“Oh, hey Ashton. I’m packing.” I heard Nick rummaging through some papers.

“Where you going?”

“I’m leaving for Sweden to do some recording.”

“Oh. How long will you be gone?” I asked quietly.

“I’m not sure. We leave tomorrow and have to record a bunch of songs.” He said hastily. I could tell he didn’t want to talk to me.

“Will we still be able to talk? I’m going to miss you.”

“I don’t know. Hey, I can’t talk right now. I’ll try to call you when I can.” He hung up the phone.

I was amazed by Nick’s attitude. This was not normal. Usually he would talk to me, but now he was giving me the cold shoulder. I didn’t even do anything, but ask about his stupid life. I couldn’t believe he hung up on me. What a jerk!

“Hello!”

“Why did you hang up on me?”

“Ashton, I don’t have time for this. I’m trying to pack. I’m leaving at five in the morning. I’m tired. I can’t deal with you at the moment.” He got defensive.

“I’m sorry. Is there anything I can do for you? Do you want me to come over and help you pack?’

“No. I just want to get done and go to bed. If you’re here it will just be harder.”

“Fine. I was just trying to be nice. I thought you might want to see your girlfriend. We haven’t seen each other in over a week, and I won’t see you until whenever. I don’t know what your problem is, but whatever. Don’t bother calling me.” I slammed my phone down.

If he was going to act like a jerk, I didn’t even want to deal with him. I was furious.

--------------------------------------------

I woke up the next morning feeling miserable. I was up all night tossing and turning. My mind was on Nick. I had never been so angry with him. He totally dismissed me. This was the first fight we’ve had since we got together. I didn’t like being mad at him, especially when he was going away. I was going to miss him and we weren’t even talking to one another.

“You look like hell.”

I gave Sage a dirty look and sat down on the couch.

“Nick and I are fighting.” I grumbled.

“You mean the perfect couple fights?” Sage asked incredulously.

“First off, we are not perfect. Second, yes we fight and disagree all the time.”

“Sorry. What happened?”

“I called him last night and he left for Sweden this morning. He didn’t want to talk to me or say goodbye. He could have left for Sweden and not even told me.”

“That sucks. Maybe he’s just stressed. I know that you both have been busy.”

“I know that, but don’t you think I deserve to know that my boyfriend is going halfway across the world. What if I called him and he didn’t answer for days? I would be worried sick about him.”

“That’s true. I think you need to talk about what is going on in your lives and figure out a manageable schedule for spending time together. You went from spending every waking moment together to being so busy you barely see each other. It’s all or nothing with you two. You need to meet somewhere in the middle.”

“I guess so. You know a lot about relationships.”

“I read a lot of magazines. I know it will work out, and Kevin will be yelling at you for making out.”

---------------------------------

Nick silently stared at the window. He was feeling agitated, especially after last night. He didn’t want to make Ashton mad. He was feeling stressed out and her phone call only made it worse. He felt like he was being pulled in a thousand different directions. He missed Ashton. She had become so busy with school and work that he never saw her. He didn’t like that. Nick missed holding her and making love to her. He was not handling the changes in his relationship very well.

“Frack, what’s wrong?”

“Nothing.” He continued to look out the window. Nick did not feel like talking to Brian.

“Okay. You seem frustrated.”

“Frustrated. Hell yes, I’m frustrated. I haven’t seen Ashton in like over a week. She’s always busy with school, work or volunteering. I miss her, and then I have to get on a stupid plane to Europe. Last night we got into a fight. I can’t deal with it anymore.” Nick said in one breath.

“Nick, calm down. You’re going to give yourself a heart attack before the age of seventeen. You are under a lot of stress right now.” Brian patted his friend on the back.

“I know Bri. I just feel helpless. I love her so much. We are both so busy, that we don’t have time for each other anymore. I miss not seeing her everyday. The less I see her the more angry I get.”

“Nick relationships are hard. You both have dreams you are trying to fulfill. You’re both young. Your relationship started fast. I think you need to slow it down a bit. Maybe this time away will do you both some good. They say absence makes the heart grow fonder.”

“Sure Bri. I hate that the last time I talked to her we fought. Everyone thinks we are rushing our relationship. She’s the only girl for me. I live and breathe for her. I know I might only be sixteen, but I don’t see myself with anyone else. You might not understand it. Hell, I don’t either. My feelings for her are stronger than anything I ever felt.”

“Well, Ashton is lucky to have a boyfriend like you. You truly care about her. Call her when we get to Sweden and apologize.”

Nick nodded his head and continued staring out the window.