Page 42 of Taken Online

I felt like I was going to puke.

Blake…Kaleb, whoever he was, ran a hand through his hair. He looked tired. Not the neat, controlled therapist I’d first met, but a man barely holding his mask together.

“I did horrible things, Asher,” he said. “I crossed lines I never should have crossed. I broke my own rules for you. And I’ll probably never forgive myself for how I did it.”

I hated how honest he sounded.

“But I didn’t lie about how I felt,” he said. “Not once.”

A silence fell between us. I didn’t know how long it lasted.

The street outside was quiet. The wind had picked up. I could hear the rustle of trees and my own uneven breathing.

I sat down on the steps, burying my face in my hands. “I don’t know what to do with you,” I mumbled.

“You don’t have to do anything,” he said softly. “You can walk away. I’ll respect that. But I’m here. Not as your therapist. Not as Kaleb. Just as me.”

He stepped forward. Sat beside me on the step. He left space between us. Too much space.

We sat like that for a long time.

I don’t know what made me lean toward him. Maybe it was the quiet. Maybe it was the way he didn’t reach out, didn’t grab me or press his body against mine like before. Maybe it was just the fact that for the first time since everything exploded, I finally heard him breathing like I was.

Ragged. Uneven. Human.

I turned to him. He met my eyes.

“Do you remember what you said to me?” I asked.

His brow furrowed. “When?”

“In the room. When you thought I didn’t know who you were.”

He hesitated. “I said a lot of things.”

“You called me perfect,” I whispered.

His eyes softened. “Because you are.”

I should’ve hated it. Should’ve rolled my eyes or made some snide comment. But instead, I leaned in.

And he met me there.

The kiss wasn’t like the ones I’d imagined. It wasn’t hot or frenzied. It wasn’t Kaleb. It was Blake. Real. Still. And I could feel his restraint, the way he held himself back from devouring me.

It made my chest hurt.

When we finally pulled apart, I didn’t speak. Neither did he.

I just leaned into him. Let his warmth settle into me.

And for the first time in days, I let my eyes close without wanting to cry.

I don't know how much how much of what he was saying was truthful and which part was just him covering his tracks…

…but what really scared me was knowing how deep down,I didn't care.

I should care. A lot.

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