Semua Bab My Cold Magazine Prince: Bab 11 - Bab 18

Xander’s POVThe sound of the blender pulled me out of sleep.It came in short bursts, like someone was holding the button down too softly. I blinked against the soft morning light creeping through the curtains, the unfamiliar ache in my chest making it hard to breathe. I turned to the side, stared at the ceiling for a long moment, then slowly sat up.The couch creaked in the living room. That meant he was awake. Again. That rat, what's his deal, really? I ran a hand through my hair and climbed out of bed. The air in the apartment was cold, the kind that clung to your skin no matter how many layers you wore. I pulled on a hoodie, stepped into my slippers, and quietly opened my bedroom door.The hallway stretched like a tunnel.At the far end, the kitchen light was on. Asher stood near the counter, pouring something into a glass. He didn’t see me at first. His head was down, his hair messy and damp from the shower, his posture tired. A laptop was open next to him, showing half-typed w

Xander’s POVI woke up to the blaring sound of my alarm clock.The shrill noise stabbed into my ears like knives. I smacked it off the nightstand and sat up, groaning. The sun was already bleeding through the curtains, too bright, too loud. My head was pounding and my chest was tight. I didn’t even check the time. I already knew—I was late.Photoshoot.Shit.I kicked off the blanket, rushed into the bathroom to freshen up. When I came out, I pulled on the nearest clothes I could find, and didn’t even bother checking if that annoying human was sprawled out on my couch like usual.In fact, I had made sure that wasn’t going to be a problem anymore.I had already asked Sophia to assign me another editor. I didn’t want to see his face. Didn’t want to hear his voice. Didn’t want to feel that tight knot in my chest every time my mind wandered back to the soft moments—the ones I didn’t remember making.The ones that felt too real to be fake.I didn’t have time for that.I drove like the stree

Asher's POVThe first thing I did when I got inside was drop my keys and stare at the little cat that had followed me all the way home. It didn’t look scared. Just calm. Like it belonged here.I knelt down and stroked its fur again. Up close, it was worse than I thought. The fur was matted with dirt, paws were rough, and I was pretty sure something was stuck in its tail.“You really went through it, huh?” I muttered.It meowed like she agreed.I grabbed an old towel and took it straight to the bathroom. It followed me in like it had always lived here.The bath wasn’t easy.It squirmed a bit at first, but once the warm water hit it, it settled down. I lathered it up with the safest soap I had, mixed in a little antiseptic to be safe. It purred and started licking the bubbles off its paw.“Hey, no, don’t eat that,” I said, gently pulling the paw away. “It’s not candy.”It blinked at me and meowed again. It was small. Almost like a sigh.I couldn’t help but laugh. “You’re trouble.”I too

Asher's POVThere are two things I never thought I’d do this week.One: take in a street cat like a lonely cartoon character.Two: call the flirty bartender whose name I didn’t even know.And yet, here I was. Sitting on my bed, Smile curled up beside my leg, and my finger hovering over the contact card he gave me at the bar.It had been sitting on my desk since the night I almost got flattened by a speeding bike. I kept looking at it and putting it down. Picking it up again. Then pretending I was too busy.But now?I had no more excuses.I had finished every single task on my laptop. Checked all the emails. Sent every file. Double-checked the layouts. Replied to Sophia even though I hated her guts. And still, I felt this weird restless feeling buzzing in my chest.Smile let out a little yawn and shifted on the blanket.I glanced at the clock. 6:47 PM.Screw it.I picked up my phone and punched in the number.He picked up on the fourth ring.“Hello?”I cleared my throat. “Hi. It’s me.