Disclaimer: I own nothing. Song used 'I hope' By Gabby Barrett. A couple words in the song were changed to fit the story.
Author's Notes: I'm sorry it has taken me so long to get this chapter up. I've been busy. I will do my best to post sooner this time. I hope everyone is staying heathy and safe. Here is the next chapter. Enjoy!
World Tour
Chapter 29 - Rome
(Spencer's POV)
Ashley and I have been on tour in Europe for about a month now. I'm really getting tired of flying. Every three four days we are flying to another city. We have a lot of double shows. At least it keeps us in a city longer than when we were in the states. We have had more time to explore and no tour bus. You got to love that. I know I do. Ashley isn't fawned of it though. I swear the more we fly the worse her acrophobia gets. I talked Kyla into changing every single one of our flights to right after or shows so Ashley will sleep the whole times. It seems to help her. Anything to make her feel even more comfortable. While we are flying her hand never leaves mine even in her slumber. We are about to land in Rome. We have been together over two months. We have had the most amazing time traveling and getting to know each other even more. I hope we never leave our honeymoon stage. I love every single second of it.
"Ladies and Gentlemen…" A female voice starts to say over the intercom, I tune her out. I push my tray table back up and look over at my sleeping girlfriend.
"Baby?" I whisper lightly into the side of Ashley's head. There are no movements for her. "Ash?" I try again. She still isn't waking up. I move her head up by her chin and meet our lips together in a light kiss. Ashley quickly jumps away from me with panic filling her face. I look at her confused. This has never happened before.
"Sorry, I was having a weird dream. You kissing me went into my dream and it wasn't you kissing me so when I woke up and your lips were on mine, I panicked. I didn't want it to be kissing someone else." Ashley exclaims quietly. I smile at her cuteness. "This isn't funny love." Ashley whines.
"You're cute." I admit. I lean in and kiss her again. Ashley pecks me before pulling away.
"That was horrible. I hate having dreams that feel so real."
"At least it wasn't real. I'd kill you if it were and probably the person you were kissing." I say with a small smile.
"Hmm… I don't know if I could see you doing that. You haven't really been jealous."
"I don't have a reason to be jealous. You're already mine."
"Of course, I am." Ashley has a distant look in her eyes. I lightly grab her face and meet my eyes with hers.
"You okay?" I question lightly.
"Jealousy is a hard thing to deal with. I have it all the time. I just never say anything because I trust you and I know you'd never cheat on me. I mean I have tiny little doubts, that maybe you would then I just laugh at myself for thinking such stupid things. Ashley trails off spacing out once again. I give her a couple moments before I grab her hand and give it a light squeeze.
"I'm yours baby. Through and through." I give her a big smile and kiss her cheek.
"Oh fuck!" Ashley says as the wheels of the plane touch down. I giggle lightly.
"You're okay love. We are back on the ground again."
"I really miss the damn tour bus." Ashley mumbles. I watch her start to gather our things from the overhead compartment when the plane pulls up to the gate. We are one of the first people out the plane and are instantly met by security. I intertwine my hand with Ashley's as we make our way through the airport.
"Stay right with me. I don't see the driver." John commands while glancing around.
"How does he even know what the driver looks like?" I whisper to Ashley as we follow closely behind John.
"I think he means because there is no one holding a sign." Ashley whispers back to me with a smile on her face.
"I meet everyone before hand over video call. I interview everyone before I bring them near you two." John says still looking around. "There he is." John adds before me or Ashley could reply. We looked to the right where John pointed. There is a guy in a suit standing with a sign that says 'Parker' in it.
"Who is Parker?" I ask Ashley. The brunette attached to my hand looks at me puzzled.
"Seriously?" Ashley questions. I raise my eyebrow at her. I think I'm supposed to know who Parker is, but I don't. "It's Johns last name." Ashley adds while shakes her head at me with a small smile gracing her lips.
"That makes sense." I whisper. My face starts filling with a blush. I should've known that. I guess I don't pay enough attention to our employees. That makes me sound so horrible.
"You aren't stuck up babe. Let it go. You are incredibly busy. You can't know everything." Ashley says breaking me from my thoughts. I give her a smile before pecking her on the cheek.
"Thank you." I whisper against her cheek. She is so wonderful. I swear this woman can read my mind. I love that I don't have to fully tell her what is going on in my head, she just knows. I never even considered that I would find someone so attentive, courteous, romantic, affectionate, respectful, humorous.
"Spencer, why are you still with her after she cheated on you?" I report says breaking me from my thoughts. I look over at the man confused before looking at Ashley. Ashley shrugs her shoulders with a confused look on her face too. Another guy hands me a magazine. I look down at the cover. Ashley has a girl pinned up against a wall with her face in her neck. The girl's hands are gripping tightly to Ashley's hips. I smile at the guy and hand his magazine back.
"Are you just now finding out?" Another guys with a camera asks as he starts taking pics of us. John and the driver start to move the paparazzi back.
"Ashley, how long have you been cheating on Spencer?"
"Spencer are you going to break up with her now?"
"How is this going to effect the rest of your guys tour?" The questions just kept being thrown at us. I stopped turned around and looked one of the guys in the face. I smiled lightly before grabbing the recorder he has in his hand.
"I just have one thing to say about the situation right now." I start then pause. I look back at my girlfriend who is sporting a sad expression. She is crazy if she really thinks I believe this bullshit. It happens every couple of weeks. Hm, I wonder when I will 'start' cheating on her or if they will always just say it is her that is cheating. I see several more recorders come close to my face. "What can I say, I like to share." I give them a smirk before walking back over to Ashley.
"So, you are fine with her cheating on you?"
"You've known all along?"
"Does she ask before doing it?" More questions are yelled to me. I grab Ashley's hand and quickly pull her into a passionate kiss. I can see the multiple flashes going off through my closed eye lids. I pull back away from Ashley and walk the last couple of feet to our waiting car. Once we get into the back John starts to load our luggage into the trunk and then gets into the passenger seat.
"I've would never…" Ashley starts.
"Babe, I know." I tell her smiling. I rest my head on her shoulder. It never gets old.
"You like to share?" Ashley finally says breaking our silence. I lightly giggle.
"I would never. Especially you. It was an old picture. I realized it the second I looked down at the magazine in my hand."
"Really?" Ashley looks surprised. I pulled my head away and raise my eyebrow at her.
"Really what? That it was an old picture? Should there be a recent one?" I question concerned. Ashley just stays quiet staring at my face but never meeting my eyes. She is really starting to freak me out. What does she mean really? She must be messing with me, right? Hm… Yeah, she is. There is no way she would… When would she even find time? We are only apart when one of us is on stage. I mean yeah, I'm on stage for 2 hours but most of that time she is standing on the side of the stage watching my performance. Oh god, she has more then enough time. I move to the other side of the car.
"Spence." Ashley starts.
"Really what, Ashley?" I sternly let out. She reaches for my hand and I push it away. She smiles over at me. "I don't find this funny." I bark out. Ashley smirks at me then bites her bottom lip. Before I know what is happening, she has me pinned to the door of the car with her lips on my neck. "What the… Oh god." I gasp. I put my hands on the sides of Ashley's head and pull her out of my neck.
"There wouldn't be any recent pictures. It is old. I just meant… You looked at that picture for like 2 seconds. How'd you notice so quickly it was old?"
"The first thing I noticed in the picture is the red on top of your head. You haven't had red in your hair since I've met you." I admit. Ashley smiles and nods her head.
"I haven't seen it. I was thinking they finally gave up on me cheating. One can only hope, I guess." A sad look appears on my girlfriend's face. The sad woman hanging over me looks away quickly then looks back over at me with a small smile on her face trying to mask the hurt she is feeling. I pull her back into me and wrap my arms around her squeezing gently.
"You know I would never believe it, so why are you so affected by it?" I wonder.
"You have family Spence. What if they start believing it? What if they start saying stuff to you about it because they believe it? I don't want them to think I'm treating you badly." I reach my hands up and cup her face, wiping the tears away that are falling down her face. I've never seen her cry before. I know it bugged her that they say she cheats all the time, I never realized it affected her this bad.
"I don't think they would but if they do, I will be the first person to set them straight. I will always be the first person to have your back and to be there to stand up for you. We are in all of this together. That doesn't change because it's suddenly my family thinking these things." I tell her never breaking our eye contact. Ashley nods and lets a few more tears fall down her face. I softly wipe them away then start kissing her lightly all over her face. I end with a soft kiss to her lips. I pull back and rest our foreheads together. My eyes closed, just enjoying the closeness of her. I don't know if I could ever spend months away from her. It would be torture. I don't think I would be able to handle it. I let out a deep sigh.
"I wonder if you will ever be the cheater." Ashley says pulling me from my thoughts. I let out a giggle and pull my head away from hers. "What? I'm serious. Why do I have to be the bad one? You were "straight" before our relationship." Ashley explains with a smile on her face.
"I can see it now 'Spencer Carlin leaves Ashley Davies for a dick…"
"SPENCER!" Ashley gasps out cutting me off. I hear John giggle in the front seat. I forgot they were up there and could hear us. I start laughing. The look on her face is priceless. She didn't expect me to say that.
"What? I am like 95 percent sure that if the media ever says I am cheating on you, it would be with a guy." I admit giggling once again.
"But why'd you have to say it like that?" She looks at me with a raised eyebrow. I just shrug my shoulders. "And I can have a dick anytime." Ashley whispers the last part in my ear before taking my earlobe into her mouth, sucking lightly. I bite my lower lip to keep the moan in. She gets me every time.
"And you use it very well." I admit. Ashley drops her head slightly hiding the blush that covers her face. I place my fingers under her chin and bring her face level with mine before meeting our lips together, passionately. The brunette in my hands moved slightly back before smiling lightly at me.
"I love you." She whispers her face turning a light pink. It's cute that she still blushes when she tells me she loves me like it is the first time she has said it.
"I love you too baby." I whisper against the side of her head then place a kiss there. I wrap my arms around my girlfriend and pull her into me. I love these quiet relaxing moments. Being able to just hold her in my arms and forget about the world. It's hard sometimes to have these moments. We are always so busy. It makes me cherish them even more. I love the feeling of it being just us. It makes me feel like we are just a normal couple. It makes me feel like we don't have the whole world at one of our doors trying to barge in and take one of us away. I know she is mine and I know if she can help it, she won't leave or go anywhere. I can feel it when I hold her, or we kiss. I love that she projects my feelings back to me. The rush of happiness I feel is overpowering. I have never felt anything like it before. I never want to lose it or her. I lightly squeeze her. Ashley places a light kiss on the side of my neck where her face is pressed into.
"This is what you have all been waiting for, Spencer Carlin's new single. Her and Ashley Davies have just arrived in Rome to hold their sold out two-night concert. Here is 'I Hope'." The radio said quickly getting my attention. I forgot about my new single.
"Turn it up." Ashley tells the men in the front seat. "You didn't tell me you were releasing a new single." Ashley states quietly.
"I spaced on it. We've had it planned and picked out since our break. I forgot. It's the first single off my new album, which they are releasing next month instead of in October."
"Why?"
"Because I finished it, so they moved the release…"
"Shhh." Ashley says lightly before resting her head back onto my shoulder and starts listening to my new song. I hate listening to myself sing. I keep my mind occupied by singing along.
"I, I hope she makes you smile
The way it made me smile
On the other end of a phone
In the middle of a highway driving alone
Oh baby I" Ashley picked her head up off my shoulder and looks at me. I crinkle my nose at her then continue singing.
"I hope you hear a song
That makes you sing along and gets you thinking 'bout her
Then the last several miles turns into a blur, yeah
I hope you both feel the sparks by the end of the drive
I hope you know she's the one by the end of the night
I hope you never ever felt more free
Tell your friends that you're so happy
I hope she comes along and wrecks every one of your plans
I hope you spend your last dime to put a rock on her hand
I hope she's wilder than your wildest dreams
She's everything you're ever gonna need
And then I hope she cheats
Like you did on me
And then I hope she cheats
Like you did on me" Once the word cheats came out my mouth Ashley raises her eyebrow at me. I gave her a light smile but continue singing.
"Yeah babe, I hope she
Shows up in a 2 AM pic from her friend
Hanging on to a girl, and you just ain't her
I hope you stay up all night all alone waiting by the phone
And then she calls
And baby I" Ashley smiles at me still engrossed in my new song.
"I hope you work it out
Forgive and just about forget
And take her on a first date again
And when you lean in for a kiss
I hope you both feel the sparks by the end of the drive
I hope you know she's the one by the end of the night
I hope you never ever felt more free
Tell your friends that you're so happy
I hope she comes along and wrecks every one of your plans
I hope you spend your last dime to put a rock on her hand
I hope she's wilder than your wildest dreams
She's everything you're ever gonna need
And then I hope she cheats
Like you did on me
And then I hope she cheats
Like you did on me
I hope it goes, comes all the way around
I hope she makes you feel the same way
About her that I feel about you right now
I hope you both feel the sparks by the end of the drive
I hope you know she's the one by the end of the night
I hope you never ever felt more free
Tell your friends that you're so happy
I hope she comes along and wrecks every one of your plans
I hope you spend your last dime to put a rock on her hand
I hope she's wilder than your wildest dreams
She's everything you're ever gonna need
And then I hope she cheats
Like you did on me
And then I hope she cheats
Like you did on me
Like you did on me" I finish out. Ashley has a blank look on her face. I don't know what it could mean. Does she not like the song?
"Wow." That is all that comes out of my girlfriend's mouth.
"Is that bad?" I ask sadly in a whisper. I don't even know if she heard me. I barely heard myself. I feel very insecure in this moment and I don't really know why, but I don't like it.
"No, its not bad. I just wasn't expecting it. All the songs that I have heard from your album are happy, love songs." Ashley admits after a couple more minutes pass us by. She lifts my head up and gives me the nose crinkling smile I love so much. I return the smile. Ashley begins to giggle. I look at her questioningly.
"What's so funny?" I finally ask when she her giggle turns into a full-blown laugh. She has me lost once again. I need to sleep or something. I have been failing at life today.
"When was the song released in the U.S?" Ashley finally asks after a few seconds of trying to compose herself. I think about what today is and the time difference between here and there.
"It would have released in the U.S yesterday. Why? I don't understand why this is so funny." I whine to my girlfriend.
"Think we might have found out where the cheating accusations came from today." Ashley lets out through laughter. Okay, it's official. My girlfriend has lost her damn mind. "They found an old picture and ran with it. With your new song, it makes it more believable." Ashley adds. She is onto something.
"Hm… I didn't even consider that. I guess I didn't help by saying I like to share." I give her a yikes face causing my brunette to giggle. Ashley shrugs her shoulders.
"Eh, it was a good reply." The older brunette pulls me into her. I rest the side of my face onto her chest over her heart. I fully relax into her letting out a small sigh. Listening to her heartbeat relaxes me so much. I find peace and safety when listening to it. Especially when she has her arms wrapped tightly around me. "I love you." Ashley whispers into the top of my head before I feel her placing a kiss.
"I love you too." I whisper back. Ashley tucks her face into the side, top of mine, cuddling into me. Ashley and I stay cuddled together until we arrive at the hotel. I watch out the window as we pull up, there is paparazzi everywhere. Here we go again.
"Let's get this over with." Ashley says situating herself so she can get out of the car when John opens the door. I slid closer to her so I can get out on the same side of the car right after her. I give Ashley a small nod and smile before she stepped out of the open car door. Ashley turns around and reaches into the car to grab my hand.
"Ashley, how long have you been cheating on Spencer?"
"Spencer, is it true you don't mind sharing your girlfriend?"
"Spashley, when is the wedding?" I hear someone say. There is so many flashes that I can't see clearly. I hate this part; I always end up seeing spots for like an hour afterwards.
"Who is Spashley and married? I don't know anyone getting married." I hear Ashley faintly respond through all the noise.
"Your names meshed together. Spencer and Ashley, Spashley." Someone comments back.
"That's cute." Ashley says with a smile.
"We heard through the grapevine you two are preparing a secret wedding ceremony." Someone else says. Ashely freezes with a blank look on her face while I start laughing.
"We've been together for just over two months. We are not in the stage where we have talks of marriage yet. We are still getting to know each other. So, there will be no secret wedding or any wedding." I say then start to pull a stunned Ashley behind me. These people are crazy. Ashley is cheating on me one second then we are getting married. There is something seriously wrong with these people. Spashley. That is cute. Ashley finally comes out of her daze while we wait for our room keys.
"Are you okay?" I whisper close to her ear. Ashley jumps sideways and looks at me. I am going to go out on a limb here and say she isn't okay. I am off today or my girlfriend's reactions to things is off. I don't know what is happening. I'm going to need a nap. I hope everything is better after a nap.
"Spencer Carlin." I say answering my phone.
"Hey Spencer, this is Ethan. I was calling because we have pushed somethings around. You and Ashley or just you if Ashley doesn't want to stay, will be in Rome until the 14th. Your next show is still on time. You will arrive in Berlin 2 days before your next concert instead of four days before. Your schedule will be tighter…"
"Okay, why am I here so long?" I ask cutting him off. His babbling is annoying. I just want Ethan to get to the point. Ashely raises her eyebrow at me, wondering who I sound so irritated with. I mouth Ethan to her. The brunette nods her head and gives me a small smile.
"We want you to make your music video for 'I Hope' while you are in Rome. We have four different scenarios on how the video should be made. You will pick out of the four…"
"What if I already have something in mind for how I want the video and its not an option?" I ask cutting him off once again.
"I guess we can discuss a fifth option. We were just trying to give you less to worry about since you are on tour." Ethan admits cautiously.
"Alright. That would be good if I don't like any of the four ideas."
"Christopher Blake and his crew should be landing tonight. Chris is a music video dire…"
"I know who he is Ethan. He did my last video and several of Ashley's video's. Along with several other big-name artists."
"Right, of course. Sorry. You have a meeting with him in the morning at 9AM local time in the conference room of the hotel you are at. You guys will come up with a schedule that is going to work for you around your rehearsals and concerts. We will also need to figure out everything quickly so we can get the actors/actresses for the video, if it shall need any. I'll send you an e-mail of the four ideas we came up with, pick one. If you don't like it then discuss what you would like with Chris tomorrow. He will be more then happy to make everything work the way you need it too."
"Okay, 9AM conference room. Got it. I'll have my schedule ready tomorrow so I know when I can get this done. Anything else?" I ask. I just want to get off the phone. He really runs on way too much.
"Oh, is Ashley around? Travis is here too and would like to talk to both of you."
"Yes, shes right here."
"Are you guys somewhere private so the phone can be put on speaker?" Travis asks getting on the phone.
"Give me like 2 minutes and I'll call right back. We just got to our hotel and checking in." I tell him. He says his approval and I hang up the phone.
"What's going on?" Ashley asks as we make our way to the elevator.
"They want me to film my music video for 'I hope' while we are here. They moved our flights around. We are now here until the 14th…"
"A full week to shoot a music video?" Ashley asks me.
"We do have rehearsals and concerts to put on. Also, I still have to pick an idea for the video."
"I didn't think of all those things." Ashley admits sheepishly. "Is that all he wanted? Why do you have to call back?"
"For me yes. He asked if I was somewhere private to put it on Speaker because Travis wants to talk to both of us. I don't know what that is about. I told him I'd call him back when we got to the room." I answer her question. Ashley gives me a confused look before nodding her head. I watch my girlfriend start spacing out next to me. What is with her today? Hm… Maybe she is the one that needs sleep. She needs something. "You okay?" I ask. I get no answer. "Babe, are you okay?" I ask again. "Ashley!" I say in a high-pitched voice causing my girlfriend to jump and glare at me.
"What? Damn Spence."
"I tried nicely… twice. I was trying to ask if you were okay."
"Oh, yeah. Sorry. I'm just wondering what it could be. I really don't want to do another press conference. If we need to do one every time the media thinks we are doing something wrong, I'm going to lose my shit." Ashley declares irately.
"Baby, whatever it is. We will figure it out." I say rubbing my palm over her shoulder and down her back. Ashley lets out a deep sigh.
"I know. This shit is just irritating. You aren't beating me. I'm not fucking cheating or lying about anything. We are together. We aren't getting married. We are just…" Ashley paused with a sad look on her face. "Us." She adds quietly.
"We won't do another press conference even if they want us too. There is no point. We don't need to justify some false accusations all the time. It's pointless and we will just tell them that. No more press conferences about their lies." I reason with the older woman. I hope my words are calming her down. I have never seen her like this before. I hope I am handling it right. I hope I am helping her. I'm doing my best. I just hope it's working. Ashley slightly nodded her head. We spent the rest of the short elevator ride to the top floor in silence. Once we got to the room and our bags were brought in, Ashley and I sat on the small couch and I called Ethan's number back.
"Ethan Marks here." Ethan says answering his phone.
"Hey, Spencer Carlin and Ashley Davies here." I respond then giggle to myself lightly. Ashley smiles and shakes her head at my childish behavior. I stick my tongue out at Ashley and before I can pull it back into my mouth, Ashley has it lightly held in between her teeth. I don't know how she did that so quickly. Mmm. She is amazing. I am suddenly on my back with Ashley laying over the top of me, our tongues fighting for dominance.
"Hello, are you guys there?" I hear Ethan says. Shit, I forgot we were on the phone. Ashley giggles into my neck before moving back in her original spot. I replace myself next to her.
"Yeah, sorry. Where is Travis? Isn't that who you said needed to talk to us? Should I just call him?" I question quickly making sure he can't question us about not answering him.
"He is here. I'm placing you on Speaker now."
"Hey Spencer and Ashley. How are things?" Travis asks, happily.
"Good." Ashley and I say in unison. "You?" We ask together.
"I'm great. First, we need to start discussing your performance at the VMA's on August 19th. It is quickly approaching. Do you guys have any ideas for the show? If not think about it and we will set up a conference call next week to talk further about it."
"Okay. Sounds good. Spence and I will discuss it and get back to you." Ashley says smiling at me. I return the smile and squeeze her hand lightly.
"Second, I wanted to talk to you guys because we extended your tour by 6 shows. I just wanted to let you know. Instead of it ending on September 24th in Victoria, BC, you will finish with two shows here in L.A on October 21st and 22nd. The first show will be after the AMA's on October 6th. You are schedule to perform together during that award show. We will set up phone conferences soon to start talking about the performance. The first show will be in Juneau, Alaska on October 10th. Next you will be in Honolulu, Hawaii on October 13th. Next will be New York for two shows at Madison Square Garden on October 18th and 19th, end with L.A like I said."
"Why are we playing again in New York and L.A?" Ashley asks.
"Because they were sold out so fast before. We thought we should give another chance for people to be able to see the shows. The tickets will go on sale for all 6 shows in 2 days. There won't even be a pre-sale. It's going straight to the public."
"Alright." Ashley replies.
"Spence, any concerns?" Travis asks.
"No."
"After your show in L.A you will start getting ready for the People's Choice Awards. You two are presenting 'Favorite Group' together. Also performing together. You guys are so hot right now everyone wants you two performing together on their award shows." Travis lets out a little giggle before continuing once again. "After the People's Choice Awards, I have nothing scheduled for either of you until after the new year. After that Ashley we will need to discuss another contract and Spencer, we will meet sometimes in January to talk about your next adventures."
"I will have Glen talk with Kyla about when we are free next week so they can set-up a conference call with you to talk about the VMA's. Also, my album is due to be released next month. Has there been anymore planning on that?" I ask pulling the subject away from Ashley. I know she isn't ready to talk about resigning with them. She isn't sure of her future right now.
"Your album is going to be released on August 23rd. The release party will be on the 22nd. I will e-mail Glen with further detail once I know more. We are meeting on it in a couple days to discuss plans further. We have the covers and albums being printed as we speak. Everything is looking good for it." Travis explains excitedly.
"Good, I can't wait." I utter out, happily.
"I think that's all I have as of right now. Either of you girls have any questions or concerns about anything?" Travis asks. Ashley and I stare at each other for a moment. I shake my head.
"Not at this time." Ashley answers for us.
"Alright well, Spence don't forget about your meeting with Chris at 9AM. Let me know if you need anything or are having problems with anything. I will be more than happy to help in any way that I can."
"I will, Thank you." I respond with a smile on my face.
"Have a goodnight. Bye."
"Bye." Ashley and I say in unison. I hang up my phone and push Ashley backwards on the couch, straddling her hips.
"That wasn't very nice earlier." I whisper into her ear before taking her lobe into my mouth. Ashley lets out a small moan while gripping my hips.
