Page 9 of Asphyxia
To be enveloped and loved by the man who made me feel as if I were floating.
This was Adrian, always after my heart and soul.
This was my Adrian, always so hot before turning ice cold—he gave me hypothermia.
Chapter 5
Dean
TheAnathemacasewasa welcome distraction from the shit week I had been having. Even though I was glad to be rid of Amber, a void had been left in the wake of our breakup, and I found myself growing more depressed by the day.
It shouldn’t have bothered me this badly that we were no longer together. I should be happy to finally be rid of the most toxic person in my life. Yet here I was, struggling to stay away from her.
Why are we always so tempted to run back into the arms of those who hurt us so badly?
Marcus, being the best friend he was, had attempted several times to lift my mood, but nothing seemed to help shake me from this downward spiral that I had entered.
Maybe he was right; I needed a no strings attached fuck to get Amber out of my system for good. Someone to help me forget she ever existed.
But, instead of finding someone to get under, I buried myself in research, spending endless days and countless hours in the office sourcing leads and information for Derek regarding Anathema and where they could be hiding within the city.
After spending all of my time using work as an escape, I managed to get a name for someone we could use as a potential third-party informant. However, I needed to vet their background to ensure they would be valuable to us and our time—and apparently, shitty moods were catching in this office, seeing as Derek had been unusually irritable today.
I don’t know what crawled up his ass to make him so on edge this morning, but not wanting to create more drama, I avoided crossing paths with him and kept to myself while Marcus sat across from me dicking around on his phone in ignorant bliss.
I envied Marcus. I would have given anything to be like him right now, content and carefree with life, instead of wishing I was anywhere but fucking here.
Marcus had the biggest shit-eating grin on his face, typing away as if I wasn’t even in the room anymore. I arched my brow as I peered up from behind my laptop, curious about what could have had him in such a good mood when Conrad had him on a wild goose chase of an assignment.
“Having a good time over there?” I interrupted, and realizing that I had caught him in whatever he was doing, Marcus dropped his phone face down onto the desk before casually crossing his arms and slouching back in his seat. “Who were you talking to?”
“Nobody important. What’s up?” He casually shrugged.Sure. I call bullshit.
I shook my head, going back to my research on the history of Minneapolis—specifically, looking for any subterranean system that Anathema could use as a hideout these days.
If they had established themselves in the city, it would most likely have been in the one place no one would think to look—underground.
“Nothing… you just seem… overly happy?” I wasn’t jealous of him, was I? I couldn’t see myself being that petty, but considering my current situation and the fact that I knew when he was flirting with someone— “Whoever you’re sleeping with now isn’t just a fuck buddy, is she?”
I decided to call him out on it, generally curious as to what kind of woman could sway a man like Marcus into wanting more thanjust sex. I swear that was all he ever wanted with the women he brought home, and if they were good, he kept them around a little longer than expected.
Marcus and I have known each other long enough that there wasn’t anything we could hide from each other. I knew all of his tells, and he knew mine.
“Alright, fine, you caught me…” He sighed, dragging a hand down his face as he stared over my shoulder and out the window as if looking straight through me. “I think I’m catching feelings, and she doesn’t want anything more than to simply fuck around.”
“Not like you to care if a woman wanted you for longer than a week,” I bluntly stated while shutting my laptop and giving himmy full attention. This conversation was too good to pass up, especially given his current track record.
“Maybe I found someone that makes me want to grow up for once?” His tone was unsure, questioning his thoughts about the situation.
“So she’s either our age and into older men, or she’s older, and you want to prove that you’re not as immature as she thinks...” I guessed for fun. “Or she’s that good at fu—”
“I’m pleading the fifth on this one.” Marcus rushed out with a laugh before I could finish, standing and shrugging on his denim jacket. “She’s just… different.” He added before picking up his phone and stuffing it into his back pocket. “Dinner?”
“Can’t. I’m working on a case with Derek and need to do more research tonight before the weekend.”
“Lame, you’ve had your head in that laptop all week, it seems.” He gestured to the computer before giving me a solemn look. “How are you holding up?”
I could hear the concern in his voice. He knew I was still processing the break-up and was barely hanging on.
