LOGINAsher's pov.Trevor paced back and forth across the hardwood floor of my room, his sneakers squeaking every time he turned sharply. He ran both hands through his messy blonde hair, breathing heavily.“I am so pissed right now,” Trevor muttered, stopping to look at me. “Leonard has completely lost his mind! I told you, Ash. I literally told you not to mess around with him. Why? Because these insanely rich people are all full of shit! He probably never even considered you a friend in the first place.”I sat on the edge of my bed, staring at the floor between my feet. Leonard’s voice from the café was still stuck in my head.Brady had been sitting quietly in the corner chair, scrolling through his phone. Suddenly, he stopped.“Guys...” he said.Trevor glanced at him. “What?”Brady stared at his screen for a moment before looking up at me.“It looks like that girl wasn't just some random date.” He hesitated. “She's his fiancée.”Trevor let out a short, disbelieving laugh.“A fiancée? Not
Leonard's pov.I lay back on my bed, staring up at the white ceiling as the silence of my bedroom settled around me. After nearly two weeks trapped in a hospital room, the quiet felt suffocating. I rolled onto my side and unlocked my phone, my thumb hovering over Asher’s name. The screen glowed with unread messages sent days ago, questions asking where I was, if I was okay.My chest tightened. How was I even supposed to respond now? Sending a casual reply to a message from two weeks ago felt completely absurd, but leaving him with nothing felt worse.A sharp, double knock at the door broke the quiet.I sat up on the edge of the mattress and cleared my throat. "Come in."The brass knob turned, and the heavy door swung open. Liam stepped into the room.My hands instinctively gathered the fabric of the duvet, my knuckles turning white as I squeezed it tightly. I kept my face blank, forcing myself to sit upright. I couldn't let him catch even a trace of my nervousness."It's been two we
Asher's pov.The three of us sat around a round table in the crowded university cafeteria, our hands linked together in a tight circle over the smooth tabletop.“Should we check it now?” Trevor asked, his fingers twitching slightly against mine.“Wait a second.” I stared blankly at the dark screen of my laptop. “Just... give me a minute to get ready.”Brady let out a quiet breath and squeezed my left hand. “Ash, we've been sitting here getting ready for the last twenty minutes.”“I’m scared, okay?” I muttered.I looked down at our joined hands. My fingers were trembling slightly, and there was no point pretending they weren't.Trevor sighed and shifted in his chair. “Let's just pull the band-aid off. Whatever it is, it is.”“Easy for you to say.” I looked at him. “You're a genius. Your grades are going to be fine.”“Being good at school doesn't mean I don't get nervous, man.” His brow pulled together. “I still don't know what I got.”Brady released our hands and pulled his laptop clos
Asher's pov.I walked down the sidewalk, the morning air brisk against my face as I held my phone against my ear.Trevor’s voice came through the speaker, loud and energetic. "Hey, since you're heading over anyway, can you get me a caramel macchiato and cake on your way?""Get it yourself," I said, shifting my backpack straps."Come on, man. You're literally passing by there. Be nice."I let out a breath. "Fine. I'll get it."I heard Trevor call away from the phone, "Hey, Brady! You want anything from the cafe?" A moment later, he came back on the line. "Brady says he's good. Thanks, Ash. You're the best!"The line went dead before I could even reply.I shook my head and slipped my phone into my pocket.A few minutes later, I stopped in front of the usual cafe and pushed the heavy glass door open. The familiar scent of roasted coffee beans drifted through the room as I walked up to the counter and glanced at the board."Hi. I'd like one caramel macchiato, one iced Americano, and a sli
Asher's pov.We sat side by side on the floor of Trevor’s room, heavy gaming headsets clamped over our ears. The only light came from the bright glow of the monitor mounted on the wall.“Ash, go left! Cover the flank!” Trevor yelled into his mic, his thumbs flying across the controller. “What are you doing? They’re coming from the ridge!”“I’ve got it,” I mumbled, pulling the joystick back, but my hands were barely keeping up with what was happening on the screen.My character sprinted straight into an open corridor without checking the corners. A burst of gunfire exploded through my headphones, followed by the harsh red flash of the defeat screen.“No, man! Are you serious?” Trevor groaned, yanking his headset off and tossing it onto the beanbag behind him. “We just lost the whole match!”Brady slowly lowered one side of his headset around his neck and set his controller on the carpet. I stared at the glowing red DEFEAT across the screen for a moment before pulling my headset off and
Asher's pov.It had been a full week. A whole seven days, and I hadn't heard a single word from Leonard.He hadn't replied to any of my texts.He hadn't set foot inside the cafe.He hadn't shown up on campus for any board meetings and no matter how hard I tried to shove him out of my head, I couldn't. How could someone just vanish into thin air for an entire week without a word?I pulled open my desk drawer, my fingers reaching past a mess of pens until they brushed against the cool metal of his silver bracelet. I lifted it out, holding it under the light. If I knew where he lived, I would have walked straight up to his front door just to drop it off and get it over with.I pulled out my desk chair, sat down, and flipped open my sketchbook. I set the bracelet on the blank page in front of me, picked up a charcoal pencil, and began tracing the sharp, refined curves of the metal.I was almost finished, just reaching out to shade in the final highlight on the clasp, when the bedroom do
Asher's pov.I stepped out of the cab right in front of my house, paying the driver before rushing through the front door. Leonard's heavy suit jacket was clutched tightly in my hands, still smelling faintly of his cologne. I let out a quiet breath of relief when I saw the living room was empty.
Asher's POVThe gallery was a cathedral of hushed whispers and polished concrete. Cool, sterile air brushed against my skin, carrying the faint, sharp scent of floor wax and expensive perfume. People moved in slow, deliberate patterns, their gazes glued to the canvases as if searching for a secret
Asher's POVI should’ve walked back home. It wasn’t far. But my legs wouldn’t cooperate, they were heavy, weakened by the adrenaline crash. I ended up in a cab instead, frozen in the backseat as the city passed in blurred streaks of light. Even now, the weight of the stranger’s wrist felt like a br
CONTENT WARNINGThis story contains themes of mental health struggles, suicidal ideation, emotional abuse, and trauma. Reader discretion is advised.Asher's pov.I slammed my door shut and twisted the lock, the metallic click echoing in the silence of my room. My hands were shaking so hard I could
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