Page 52 of Exactly What I Needed
I swallowed stiffly but said nothing. Did nothing. He’d flipped so quickly, who’s to say that it wouldn’t happen again? Who’s to say that he wouldn’t do something just as manipulative as he’d just done? How was he any better than Danny if he was just going to use me like that?
His eyes continued to search mine, begging me to silently let him off the hook. But not this time. I deserved better. Looking away from him, I stared over at the wall of the elevator. That was my answer.
What he’d said hurt.
My shoulders sagged, and he took one step backward out of the elevator.
Though maybe I was just as much in the wrong as he was.
Because my words had hurt him.
The doors began to close as my bottom lip started trembling.I’m a human being, too, you know,he’d said. There it was. Slappinga hand over my mouth, the tears of anger shifted to shock as I realized why he’d become so angry.
I’d practically told him that I’d used him. No wonder he was hurt. No wonder he’d gotten angry. Wait, how wasIany better than Danny? The only times I was actually with him were when he asked or I needed something from him. No wonder there had been so much pain in his gaze. No wonder he’d reacted the way he had.
And he’d given me plenty of time to change my answer.
At what point did I merely put effort into being with him just to spend time with him? To hell with my reservations because of Sydney. All he’d been asking for was reassurance that he meant more to me than some adrenaline-fueled game.
Snapping my gaze to the elevator doors in desperation, my eyes caught a final glimpse of Asher’s agonizing stare as the doors closed me off to him entirely. I ran forward, smashing my finger against the open button, but I was too late. The elevator was already descending.
“No,” I cried out, slamming my hand against them.
“No.” I rammed my finger against the button again.
“Asher…” I choked out. But the elevator didn’t stop.
Sniffing, I wiped the back of my hands against my cheeks, covering my mouth.
“What have I done?” I whispered in grief.
Wait, the room key. I could just go back up to his room. Shoving my hands into my pockets, I felt for the plastic card that I knew I’d put in there. But there wasn’t anything except for my phone in one pocket and car keys in the other. No, this couldn’t be happening.
Desperately, I scanned the elevator floor, hoping that it had fallen out. But it wasn’t there. Maybe I could press a number and stop the elevator on a different floor? Or go back to the tenth floor since I was still on the elevator?
Ramming my finger into the number ten, a red circle appeared around the button. So, I pressed the number three, which was the next floor, but again, it was red, and the elevator kept descending.
Please no.
I pressed every button, but nothing. It kept going down.
My fault. I closed my eyes in defeat as it hit the ground floor and stopped moving. The elevator dinged, and the doors slid open.
Opening to an entirely different world of chaos.
Chapter 18
I’d forgotten all about the crowd of fans that had been waiting in the lobby, and the moment the doors slid open, I was met with screams of excitement and then disappointment. And I could only imagine the mess I looked like.
I wasn’t reading into things as I tried to slip out of the elevator, past the glares of several girls. They wouldn’t know that I’d just been with Asher, would they? And now I had no way of getting back up there to see him. To talk to him. To figure things out.
But I did have my phone. Which had his number.
Shoving my way through the crowd, I hustled out into the parking lot and pulled my phone from my pocket. Clicking on his contact, I ignored the fact that it was nearly two in the morning. I dialed his number and waited as it rang.
And rang.
And rang.
