Page 44 of Saving the Rockstar

I chuckled, bumping my shoulder against his playfully. "And leave all your adoring fans behind? I don't think they'd take too kindly to that, rock star."

He grinned. "True. But a man can dream, can't he? Besides, I'd make sure to leave a trail of cryptic clues for them to follow, keep them on their toes. It would be like a big, elaborate scavenger hunt."

"Very mysterious," I teased, my voice taking on a faux-serious tone. "The Disappearance of Asher Roth, coming soon to a conspiracy theory forum near you."

He laughed, the sound ringing out in the quiet of the night like a bell. "Okay, your turn. Tell me something the world doesn't know about the enigmatic Jared. And I want the juicy stuff, none of this 'I secretly love rom-coms' bullshit."

I raised an eyebrow, my lips twitching with amusement. "Oh, so you think you've got me all figured out, do you? Well, prepare to be shocked and amazed, because I'll have you know that I am a man of many secrets."

"Do tell," he purred. "I'm all ears."

"When I was in the Marines, there was this one mission that went sideways. We were supposed to be doing a routine patrol, but we ended up walking straight into an ambush. It was chaos, bullets flying everywhere, people screaming. And in themiddle of it all, there was this little girl, couldn't have been more than six or seven years old. She was just standing there, frozen in terror, while the world exploded around her."

I swallowed hard, my throat suddenly tight with emotion. "I didn't even think, I just reacted. I ran to her, scooped her up in my arms and started running, trying to get her to safety. And the whole time, all I could think about was my little sister, how I would have done anything to keep her safe."

Asher was silent for a moment, his eyes wide and shining in the darkness. "What happened to the girl?" he asked softly, his hand reaching out to grasp mine.

"She made it," I said, my voice rough with remembered relief. "We both did. But it was too close. And afterwards, I just couldn't shake the feeling that I had been given a second chance, a reason to keep fighting even when things seemed hopeless."

Asher nodded, his fingers tightening around mine. "I know what you mean," he murmured, his gaze distant and thoughtful.

Eventually, we found ourselves in a quiet park. Asher tugged me towards a bench, his eyes sparkling with mischief as he pulled me down beside him.

To my surprise, he curled into me, his head coming to rest on my chest as he let out a contented sigh. "I love this," he murmured, his voice soft and dreamy.

I smiled, my arm instinctively wrapping around his shoulders to pull him closer. "What?" I asked, my fingers playing idly with the soft strands of his hair.

He was quiet for a moment, his breath warm against my neck. "Everything," he said at last, his voice heavy with emotion."Just you and me and the stars. No expectations, no hiding from the paparazzi, no fear of disappointing the fans."

My arm tightened around Asher, a fierce protectiveness welling up in my chest. "You don't have to hide with me," I said softly. "I see you, Asher. The real you. And I think you're incredible."

Asher's breath hitched, his fingers curling into my shirt. "Even the broken parts? The anxious, insecure, messed-up parts?"

I pressed a kiss to his temple, my lips lingering on the soft skin. "Especially those parts. Because they're what make you human. What make you strong. You've been through so much, and you're still standing. Still creating, still inspiring people. That's a kind of bravery that most people can only dream of."

His eyes flutter closed. "You make me feel so safe, Jared. Like I don't have to be perfect, like I can just be me. God, this city, this night, being here with you. It's like a dream I never want to wake up from."

My heart swelled at his words, a rush of tenderness and longing sweeping through me. But even as I savored the sweetness of the moment, I couldn't help the flicker of doubt that crept in, the nagging fear that this was all too good to be true.

"And what about when we do wake up?" I asked softly. "Will you want to pretend like none of this ever happened?"

Asher stiffened in my arms, his body suddenly tense against mine. "I don't know," he admitted, his voice raw and honest. "But what I do know is that right now, I don't want it to end."

I closed my eyes, my heart aching with the weight of my own conflicted emotions. "Ash, you know this isn't that simple. You're my client, and you've made it clear that you're not ready for the world to know who you really are."

He pulled back slightly, his eyes searching mine. "I know," he said softly, his voice trembling with vulnerability. "But I'm so tired of hiding, of pretending to be someone I'm not."

"I understand," I said quietly, my hand reaching out to cup his cheek. "More than you know."

And so, as we walked and talked, the words began to pour out of us both, a flood of honesty and vulnerability that washed away the walls we had built around our hearts.

Asher spoke of his anxiety, of the constant fear that gnawed at him, the feeling that he was never quite enough. He talked about the pressure of living up to his public image, of the toll it took to hide such a fundamental part of himself from the world.

I listened, my heart aching for him, for the weight he carried on his shoulders. And in turn, I told him about my time in the military, about the rigid expectations of masculinity that had been drilled into me from a young age.

"But then I met you," I said softly. "And everything changed. You made me question everything I thought I knew about myself, about what I wanted and who I wanted to be."

Asher's eyes widened, his lips parting in surprise. "Jared," he breathed, his hand reaching out to grasp mine.

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