Page 57 of Be Your Forever
“We couldn’t convince her otherwise. Brianna was obsessed with theU Can’t Touch Thisvideo, and she justhadto have a pair of the hammer pants. She even went as MC Hammer for Halloween.” My mom’s laughter is music to my ears.
“I was four. It’s your fault for showing me the music video, so don’t put it on me,” I playfully scold my parents.
“Oh, Bri, you’re so cute. I bet you wore the shit out of those pants,” Asher says to me before turning to my mom. “Please tell me you have pictures. I need to blow one up to hang over our bed.”
Our bed.
The words fall from his lips, detonating the chatter like a bomb. Silence pulls up a chair, making their presence known. Seconds feel like hours as I watch two sets of eyes blinking at me, pure astonishment written across their faces. My mom is the first to crack when I watch a smug smile tug at thecorner of her lips. Tension seeps from my dad’s shoulders as he relaxes even more, eyes crinkling with happiness.
Asher, whose jaw went slack at his own words, quickly recovers.
Our bed.Damn, I really like the sound of that. I can’t wait to explore that later.
Dinner goes on for another hour, and I’m not looking forward to my parents leaving. I make a vow to myself that I will be better when it comes to making time for my parents.
We all say our goodbyes and make plans for next month for dinner at their house. After endless hugs, I close the door and walk right into Asher’s arms.
“I love you so much and I’m so grateful for you. Thank you for being here for me, and not just tonight. Thank you for coming over that day and giving me what I needed.”
“I’m happy you let me in. You are a kaleidoscope of colors, and I love getting to witness you fall in love with yourself.” I offer him a watery chuckle before pressing my lips in a quick kiss.
Asher lets out a heavy sigh before bringing his forehead to meet mine. “I wish I didn’t have to head to the bar, but I can’t leave Gage on his own. We have a giant party scheduled for tonight and—”
“I know. I think I’m going to put on a face mask and crawl under the covers ofourbed,” I tease.
“You caught that, huh?”
“I sure did. Go handle business. I’ll probably be passed out the second you leave. Oh, wait, hold on. I have something for you.” I walk over to the designated junk drawer and pull out the house key I had made for him.
We haven’t put a label on our relationship, so I’m curious as to where we stand, but I want him to have this. I flip over his hand so his palm is facing toward the ceiling before placing the object inside.
I see Asher’s throat bob a few times before he looks up at me with pure adoration in his eyes. “A key to your place?”
“I like having you here. Now, you don’t have to keep borrowing Avery’s. This way, you can lock the door when you leave and won’t have to break a window when you leave the bar.”
“I…I…Thank you. But full confession, I returned Avery’s key weeks ago. But not before I made a copy of it. Now I have two.” His face is pure mischief, because of course he had a key made.
I playfully push his shoulders while rolling my eyes. “Get out of here. Go get people wasted. I’ll be in our bed waiting for you.” I mean to plant a quick kiss on his lips, but Asher takes it further by pulling me into him and coaxing my mouth open with his tongue.
All too soon he pulls away, leaving me dizzy and wanting. “Now I have a reason to shut the bar down sooner than later. Night, bear.”
Asher
I’m in the mood for dessert
Crazyanimalmaskssitupon our faces, the perfect end to a long day. I have Bri curled up next to me in bed, her cold feet seeking warmth in between my legs. Soft spa music filters through my phone. This right here is what pure bliss feels like. My fingers paint imaginary patterns up and down her arm as I think to myself,I could get used to this. Lazy, relaxing evenings talking about our days or just bathing in the silence, content with just being in the presence of the other. If sixteen-year-old me could see me right now, he’d have a full-on conniption, jaw on the floor, constantly pinching himself thinking it was just an illusion. I feel the mask begin to bunch and shift as a smile stretches across my face when I look at the beautiful, incredible woman nestled beside me.
“What’s a dream of yours?” I ask.
“A dream?”
“Yeah, what’s something that you’ve always wanted to do? What’s something you're passionate about?”
Bri’s silent for a moment, her face mask bunching as her face contorts with concentration. Damn, she’s sexy when she thinks.
“Well, remember when you helped me get rid of all my books?”
Howcould I forget? The torn, haunted look on her face is forever burned into my brain. I hated watching her box up her joy, her passion. Right now, said boxes are scattered throughout my tiny two-bedroom apartment above the bar collecting dust. There’s a small chance that Bri might get angry with me for keeping them, but I couldn’t bear to donate them. If I know my girl like IthinkI do, she’s going to end up regretting getting rid of them. So for now, I’ve been holding onto them in hopes that she’ll want them back.
