Page 14 of Be Your Forever
“Especially not who, Bri?” Asher interrupts my nervous rambling.
“Y-You know exactly who I’m talking about.”
“I need to hear you say it.”
“E-Especially someone like y-you.”
“You’re saying that I don’t find you attractive? That’s a complete load of bullshit, but we’ll put a pin in that for later. What do you need from me, bear? Be that confident badass I know you can be.”
“I need you to come sleep with me.” The silence on the other end is deafening. OH SHIT! I just asked my brother's best friend, my former—yes,former, because I can no longer say I hate him anymore—nemesis to sleep with me. Ground, swallow me whole, please.
I need to clarify what I meant…ASAP.
“NO! Not sleep with me as in have sex with me. I, um…I mean actually sleep. Like, in the same bed. Our clothes would be on, and we can each take a side. My bed is big enough…” Ugh, and now I’m rambling like a madwoman. Surely he thinks I’m crazy. “Okay, just ignore everything I said. Forget I called. Goodni—”
“I’m on my way,” he says before hanging up without commenting on my word-vomiting.
Great, there’s no turning back now, and the desire to text him ahaha, I was just kiddingtext threatens to take hold of my body. I remove myself from my sweat-slicked sheets and make my way downstairs. I highly doubt I’ll be getting any sleep. Especially since Asher is on his way to sleep over. In. My. Bed. If my overly anxious mind won’t let me sleep, the sheer proximity of Asher fucking Larson lying next to me with all his intoxicating masculinity will surely do it.
A buzz shakes against my palm, and I look down and notice I have my phone in a tight grip. An eerie awareness radiates down my spine, and somehow Iknowwithout looking at my phone who the message will be from. Does that stop me from looking? No.
Max: Brianna Mae. Why are you ignoring me? You leave me on read and I can’t figure out why? Please just answer my texts. Or even better, come over. I miss you.
My blood freezes, and dark black spots flicker alongside my peripheral vision.
You are the worst. Look at you. You’re a cold-hearted bitch for ignoring your brother.
My breathing turns shallow as I desperately gasp for air. But no matter how much oxygen I take in, it’s not enough to fill my lungs. I’m faintly aware of my feet guiding me to the living room, but barely. I can’t focus on anything behind the sound of blood rushing in my ears. The world begins to tilt on its axis. That, or I’m collapsing to the floor. When I wanted the ground to swallow me whole, this isn’t what I meant.
A soft beat sounds somewhere in front of me. Wait, is it in front of me? Behind me? I can’t really tell; my eyes are slammed shut in an attempt to ward off the spinning. The sound repeats followed by a deep voice saying…something.
Crash. Glass shattering. Piercing cries.
“Bri?” The sound of what Iassumeis a door opening followed by my name is somewhere in the distance.
“Shit, baby, what happened?” The ground disappears beneath me, and my first thought is I’m dead and on my way to heaven.
The smell of cinnamon and leather collides in the best kind of sensory explosion. Yes. I have died and gone to heaven. That’s the only logical explanation I can conjure up with how potent and delicious this smells.
“Breathe, bear. I got you.”
Wait, I know that voice. His deep vibrato reverberates against my cheek. It’s my own form of serotonin as I feel my breathing begin to slow.
Asher.
“H-How did you—” How I manage to form a somewhat coherent sentence is beyond me. But if I had to guess, it has everything to do with the man next to me.
“Your door was unlocked. You really need to stop doing that, bear. Now keep breathing. That’s it, Bri. Just follow the rise and fall of my chest. My arms are wrapped tightly around you. I’m here, baby. I’m not going anywhere.”
Following his direction is like second nature, and soon my breathing begins to match his slow, even breaths. I feel his arms squeeze me tighter, but not in an uncomfortable way, in aI know I’m safe and protectedkind of way. Even if the thing I need protection from is my own remorse.
Asher and I sit in comfortable silence. My heartbeat and breathing have since regulated, but I’m still cradled within his arms. His fingers brush through my hair, sending tiny pinpricks of calm that can be felt from the top of my head to the tips of my toes.
“You doing okay?”
“Mmmm.” I nuzzle against the crook of his neck as if I’m scent marking him. When my eyes pop open, reality is a cruel slap in the face.
Who would want to be with you now? Look at you. So pathetic. You just nuzzled your brother’s best friend. A friend who just saw you at one of your lower moments.
