19. Brooke
Chapter 19
Brooke
Life was rosy. Everything suddenly made sense in my life, and I felt so much peace. It had been a week since I moved in with Asher because he broke down my door again, and he said he wanted to fix some other stuff in my apartment.
I had no idea what he was doing in there because he wanted to keep it a surprise for me, so I only ever saw my apartment when I passed the door.
Asher and Anne weren’t home; the first night was a bit uncomfortable for me because I was all alone in Asher’s bedroom, and unfortunately, he had to go to work because he had an evening shift. But when he came back the next morning, he gently kissed my face, telling me to wake up so that I could eat.
I had always spent my brother’s birthday week alone for the past five years, but Asher quickly tore through the barrier of self-pity that I had created for myself and actually cared for me. Each and every waking moment I spent at his place, I never felt truly alone because I was always surrounded by warmth; Asher , Anne and Brady had welcomed me into their space openly, and I loved every moment with them.
I made it to the restaurant I was supposed to meet Marie and Matthew at, and I knew I was in for some scolding. As soon as I arrived, Marie lunged at me and wrapped her arms around my neck, pulling me close to her as if I was her child.
“ I was so worried about you,” she spoke softly as she stroked my hair before she let me go and took in my form, checking whether or not I was still a whole person.
“ I missed you, Marie ,” I smiled as I kissed her cheek. “ So , what did I miss?”
“ Don’t you dare try to pretend as if what you did was okay. We’re going to talk about it because I have enabled you to disappear without a word, but not anymore!”
“ Okay , Mom ,” I groaned as I followed her to our table. Matthew smiled as he got up to hug me, and I greeted him back. “ So , I guess you’re my dad for the day?”
“ Whatever your mom asks, make sure you answer her honestly,” he tried in a stern voice, and we laughed as we both sat down.
“ First , let’s order some drinks,” Marie said as she flagged down the waiter, and he came almost immediately. “ A beer for the gentleman, and two Long Islands for the girls.”
“ Oh , can I get a passion fruit instead of a Long Island ?” I asked the waiter, and he nodded as he confirmed our drinks with us.
“ Why aren’t you drinking?” Marie asked me suspiciously, and I rolled my eyes as I leaned into my chair.
“ I don’t always feel like drinking, Mom .”
“ Since when? You’re not pregnant, are you?” she whispered as she leaned in close, and Matthew looked at us, confused. Oh , yeah, he didn’t know that I was sleeping with Asher because I had practically begged Marie to keep this between us for now.
It was just a casual fling, and I didn’t think that everyone deserved to know or should know.
“ No , I’m not pregnant,” I told her, and she breathed out, relieved.
“ Whew , thank God !”
“ Amen to that, sister,” I laughed, and Matthew looked at his girlfriend, wanting either one of us to elaborate. “ When will you bless me with a nephew?”
Matthew blushed hard, and Marie shook her head, laughing.
“ Not anytime soon, because you would be mean to my child.”
“ Never ! Have you seen the way I take care of Anne ?” I asked her, and she rolled her eyes as she moved forward.
“ That’s because you’re—hmm, never mind. Now tell us why you went radio silent last week.”
“ Yeah , are you alright now?” Matthew asked me, concern laced his tone, and I nodded.
“ I’m so much better. First , I am sorry that I ignored you guys for a week, but I needed my own space, and I thank you for allowing me to go off the grid for a while.”
“ You’re welcome,” Marie gave me a stern smile as our drinks arrived, and we all thanked our waiter. We ordered our food, and he was gone. “ So , what happened?”
“ Well , Marie , you already know that my brother passed away on his birthday, but I never told you what happened. He committed suicide, and I’ve basically been punishing myself for a while because I didn’t know any other way to mourn for him properly.”
Our food came as I explained the story to them from the beginning right until the end, and I hoped that this was the last time I would ever have to tell the story; as long as I didn’t act out, I wouldn’t have to tell it ever again.
“ So , yeah, that’s what happened,” I smiled as I sipped my drink, and they both took a huge gulp of their drinks.
“ Woah ,” Matthew whispered, and Marie looked just as traumatized by the story. Her eyes quickly teared up, and she sniffled as she got up from her seat and came to sit next to me in the booth.
“ I am so sorry that you’ve been dealing with all of that alone, bestie!” she cried, and I laughed lightly as I gently rubbed her shoulders. It didn’t hurt as much as it used to, and I felt like I had finally taken a step in the right direction toward healing.
That was why even if Marie was a sobbing mess right now, I didn’t feel annoyed or anything; I actually felt glad that I had a friend that would cry for me.
“ You’ve been through a lot, and it doesn’t show,” Matthew complimented me, and I smiled as I comforted his weeping girlfriend.
“ I think that’s why I chose to work at the center, because then I would be able to understand the vets’ pain and hopefully help them want to continue living.” Marie wrapped her arms around me and wiped her face on my boobs as she squeezed me hard.
“ You are such an amazing person, Brooke . So amazing!”
“ Yeah , she’s actually so much cooler now,” Matthew said, and we all laughed. “ Who would’ve known that the famous Agent Brooke had such a deep story?”
“ I should’ve been an agent; I am so good at hiding things.” I shrugged a shoulder, and they laughed.
“ Now , can we just eat and have fun as friends?” I told Marie as I wiped away her tears, and she nodded, giving us a little pout.
“ Sure , but you owe me a sleepover for disappearing on me for a whole week.”
“ Yeah , yeah, I’ll come over soon.”
After we agreed on our plans, we all decided to go watch a movie after lunch because we had nothing better to do. When I arrived back home, I bumped into Drew .
Oh , God .
“ Brooke !” he greeted as he approached me, and as much as I wanted to pretend that I didn’t hear him, the bit of human in me couldn’t ignore him.
“ Hey , Drew , how are you?” I smiled as I pulled my bag up my tense shoulders. Something about this man made me anxious.
“ I’m alright; I haven’t seen you in a while. Are you okay?”
“ Yeah ,” I nodded, not feeling the need to expand further than that.
“ I came to visit you one day, but your rude neighbor was there.” He rolled his eyes. “ Does he come by often?”
I don’t see how that’s any of your business.
“ He helps out from time to time,” I told him, and his smile creeped me out because there was something dark in his eyes.
“ Well , I’m also here if you ever need help.”
“ I’ll remember that,” I smiled briefly and took a step away from him, but he moved before me, blocking my path.
“ No , I really mean it. You should take my number so that you can get ahold of me whenever you need. I’m always available.”
“ Oh , I don’t think that’s necessary. But thank you for the offer.”
He grabbed my arm painfully, and when he saw me wince, he loosened his hold.
“ Don’t touch me!” I snapped as I pushed his hands off me.
“ Sorry ; I’m sorry! He raised his hands in a sign of surrender. “ It’s just that I really want to help you because I know your neighbor is only being nice to you because he wants to get you kicked out.”
“ I think I can handle Asher on my own,” I bit out.
“ So I’ve heard,” he muttered under his breath, and I looked at him, confused. “ Can’t you see he’s just using you?”
“ Is there a problem here?” His voice sent chills down my spine and terror into Drew’s eyes. Asher stood behind me, towering over both Drew and me.
I smiled at Anne , trying to distract her from the tense air around us, and she grinned as she let go of her father’s hand and grabbed mine. Oh , I loved her so much.
“ No problem here, was just offering Brooke some help,” Drew motioned his hand toward me, and Asher took a step before us, hiding us from Drew’s view.
“ Regarding what?” There was something about his tone that had an edge of danger in it, and I could tell that Asher was angry, and yet he was calm.
“ I think that’s between Brooke and me.”
“ Brooke , do you need his help with anything?” Asher asked me, not once looking away from Drew , and I bet Asher could tell just how creeped out I was by this guy.
“ No . I already thanked him for bringing back my keys.”
“ Hmm ,” Asher growled. “ Looks like she doesn’t need help.” I moved from behind Asher’s back and saw the deadly glare he gave Drew . If looks could kill, Drew wouldn’t have a life anymore.
“ Well , I’ll see you around, Brooke ,” Drew waved as he walked out of the building, and I released a breath I hadn’t realized I was holding.
“ Are you alright?” Asher asked me as he gently took hold of my arm, checking for marks where Drew had grabbed me. “ Don’t talk to that creep ever again.”
“ I was just being nice,” I whispered, and Asher pulled me into his arms, hugging me tightly, while I kept my hold on Anne , who squealed at her father’s actions.
It was no secret that Anne had some sort of an idea of what was happening between her father and me, and that was why she always called me her family, but little did she know that nothing was official yet.
“ You don’t have to be nice to everybody that helps you once in a while, Brooke . If you ever get some weird vibe from anyone, make sure to withdraw, okay?” He spoke softly, and I agreed as I stepped away from his very public hug.
Oh , no, what if the other neighbors had seen us? Were rumors going to spread around the building?
“ Let me know if he bothers you again.”
“ Okay ,” I breathed out, and he rubbed my shoulders so lovingly, my heart couldn’t help but leap out of my chest. My stomach felt funny as I looked up at Asher , staring into his blue eyes.
They no longer seemed so against me, but instead they held the same appreciation they did when he was around his friends.
“ What are you doing tonight? Anne wants us to have pizza,” he said as he picked Anne up, and I nodded.
“ I would love that,” I whispered, my cheeks feeling warmer the longer I stayed around him. How was I going to handle being in his room tonight? He carried Anne in one arm and slipped his hand in mine, squeezing gently as we walked to our apartments together.
His thumb gently stroked my wrist, and I bit my lip as I felt the signals pass through my body.
Oh , fuck, I wanted him so badly right now.
“ I have a morning shift tomorrow; do you mind taking care of Anne ?”
“ Yeah , sure. Chris gave me the rest of this week off as well; he told me to come in when I was feeling better.”
I went to visit Chris yesterday and explained my sudden leave without request, and he understood, telling me that they still had things sorted so I could come back next week when I was feeling better. Of course, my pay would be cut for missing a week without notice, but I didn’t mind.
I was just glad he didn’t fire me.
“ Oh , that’s nice of him.” He raised our interlaced fingers to his lips and pressed a soft kiss on our knuckles.
Oh . My . God .
“ And I’m glad you’re feeling all better now.” His soft voice met my ears, and damn it, I wanted him to kiss me. When we arrived in his apartment, I immediately went to his bedroom so that I could get changed, and so that I could calm myself down.
But it didn’t help; the entire room was filled with his scent, and it made it so hard for me to concentrate on taking my clothes off. His door swung open, and he entered, closing it as he started taking his shirt off, as well.
Wait , did he want to do it now?
“ I’m gonna take a quick shower; the pizza will be here in half an hour,” he told me, and I breathed out, relieved but disappointed, as well.
I did want something to happen.
He approached me with a smirk on his face. He placed his finger under my chin and tilted my head up, pressing a kiss on lips, teasing me with his tongue as he lazily kissed me. Oh , fuck.
“ Don’t worry, I’ll show you all the attention you want tonight,” he said in a whisper against my lips, and I let out an embarrassing moan as I licked my lips. He walked away, seeming satisfied with the fact that he left me hot and bothered for him.
I lay on his bed as I stared up at the ceiling, recalling the way he got rid of Drew , the way he hugged me right after and held my hand as if I was his. All of these things caused my heart to beat faster and sent a million thoughts running through my head.
I was developing feelings for Asher .