20. Brooke
Chapter 20
Brooke
Just when I thought everything was getting better or headed in some direction between Asher and I , there was suddenly a huge wall between us. It was bigger than the distance he had put between us when we first met.
I had finally moved back to my apartment, and Asher had upgraded the entire space beyond anything I had imagined. I had thought he would only change the door he broke down along with the lock because he was adamant about it, but he also changed all the doors within my apartment and added extra security measures.
I asked him why he was doing so much more than what we had agreed on, and he told me that it was necessary. I had a feeling he had done all of these extra things because of Drew ; however, I didn’t think Drew was that screwed up in his head to come to my apartment and try to break in.
Asher was just being overprotective, and besides, I hadn’t seen Drew in a few days since the last incident, and I was sure he had clearly gotten the hint from Asher to leave me alone. That whole interaction still gave me the chills.
I knew the man was weird, but I never thought he would be aggressive, too. The lesson I learned that day was that I shouldn’t be nice to everyone who helped me— I got that from Asher —and that appearances truly were deceiving.
“ So , how has it been going?” Elise asked me as she bumped her hip into mine, lifting her mojito to her lips.
Today was Anne’s birthday, and Asher had invited his closest friends and a few of Anne’s friends to join us for her birthday at Jax’s house, which could almost be passed off as a mansion because of how huge it was!
Jax offered up his house when I told him I was planning a birthday party for Anne because she had only celebrated her birthday with her father for the first four years of her life. Of course, I had to ask Asher for his permission first, and he agreed after some convincing.
It was almost too easy.
“ With what?” I played coy as I washed the glasses in the sink, and I could feel Marie’s gaze on my face.
“ Now , you know what Elise means; don’t act dumb,” she said, and I knew I should’ve never let them meet. Matthew was somewhere in the room with the guys as they laughed together at something Jax said, while I was getting grilled by Elise and Marie .
“ Well , there’s nothing to say,” I shrugged my shoulders as I patted my hands dry with the towel, and Elise scoffed.
“ I believe there is so much to say; like, ‘ Elise , you were right. Asher and I are sleeping together,’” she said, and my eyes widened as I tried to shush her.
“ Elise , there are children around!” I whispered, and she rolled her eyes.
“ Please , they’re all running around on the lawn; they can’t hear much,” Maya laughed as she sat on the island chair. Natalie , Judy , and June , along with their husbands, were here, as well.
It was a full house because Jax thought it would be mean for Asher to not invite some of his colleagues and their families. Jax was really a people person, and he could easily fit twice as many of the people who had attended the party comfortably in his house.
“ Regardless , I don’t think it’s any of your business.” I tried to walk away, and they pulled me back immediately, dragged me to the dining room, and sat me down on a chair, all surrounding me. Marie sat on the table, Maya on my left and Natalie on my right. Elise dragged a chair and sat down behind me, but I could still see her properly. Judy and June also dragged chairs to be close to me.
Why did it feel like an intervention?
I looked up at the ceiling, noting how the wood was used as the structural beams. Jax’s house gave off a modern barn house vibe, and it was clear that he was extremely loaded.
The exterior was charcoal gray wooden slats, and large aluminum windows provided ample natural lighting for his house. The stairs that led upstairs were concrete cast with a few house plants and sensor lights leading the way upstairs. His house was beautiful!
“ No , Missy , we’ve never been so invested in a story before you. We have all wondered who Asher would end up with, and who knew it would be the next-door neighbor he hated?”
“ I did,” Elise raised her hand as she sipped her drink. “ It was quite obvious when I met her; it instantly clicked in my head, which was why he hated her.”
“ What was the reason?” Marie asked, and I was just as curious. Did he hate me because I almost burnt my apartment down, or was there a different answer?
“ Let’s just say he has a type,” she shrugged, and everyone immediately snapped their fingers as if everything clicked.
Was she talking about Anne’s mother?
“ Now that we know he has a type, how has it been going between you two?” Judy asked, and I knew there was no getting out of the conversation, so I reached forward for my juice, and they all looked at me weirdly.
“ You’re ...?” Maya motioned around her belly, and I quickly shook my head. What was it with everyone thinking I was pregnant just because I didn’t want to drink alcohol?
“ No ! I’m not,” I whispered harshly, and they all hummed as they sipped their alcoholic drinks.
“ We’re just checking; the ring normally comes after that with firemen.” Natalie groaned as she rolled her eyes, and the twins agreed as they laughed.
“ You know firemen, they do things in the heat of the moment,” Maya joked as she flipped her blond hair over her shoulder, and we all laughed at her sly innuendo.
“ Mine never came,” Elise suddenly said, and we all turned to face her.
“ You dated a fireman?” I asked, shocked, and she rolled her eyes.
“ Yes , I should’ve dated the doctor instead.” We all bit our lips to stop ourselves from laughing. “ Heck , let me not lie. He was a notorious cheater!” We burst out laughing, nodding.
“ Firefighters over doctors any day,” Maya laughed as she waved her hands. “ Elise , you seem to have stories for days. Do you have any advice?”
“ After we hear all about Brooke and her neighbor.”
“ Okay , what do you guys want to know?” I asked as I placed my empty glass down, and they all gave me a knowing look. “ It’s amazing. The next question is...”
“ How amazing?” Marie asked, and I rolled my eyes.
“ Ruined possibilities for other men type of amazing,” I expressed, and they all giggled. Women .
“ Are you an item?” June asked, and I shook my head.
“ Nothing is official yet,” I admitted as I brushed imaginary dust off my lap. Natalie made a sound, and we all looked at her.
“ Trust me, it’s official in his head.”
“ Hmm -hmm, I don’t think so. Kinda feels like things are ending now,” I whispered, which was my greatest apprehension. I could feel it slowly creeping closer to us.
“ Why would you say that?” Maya reached over and held my hand; the room’s playful air had shifted to concern.
“ I don’t know; maybe I’m just being dramatic.”
“ But he allowed you to throw this birthday party for Anne . Would he have done that if he intended to end things with you?” Marie asked, and it was a valid question, but he would do anything to make Anne happy.
“ Ladies , we’re ready to cut the cake,” Jax announced as he entered the room with a bottle of beer in his hands. “ Miss Organizer , come help out your step kid.” He pulled me up from the chair, wrapped his arm around my shoulder, and kissed my hair.
Jax was overly friendly.
“ Did I save you from the intervention?” he whispered as he led me outside. I laughed and nodded.
“ Yes , thank you!” I wrapped my arm around his waist because he was such a good friend when he wasn’t being loud and trying to flirt.
“ Girl ,” he laughed when we reached the sliding door that opened to the patio. “ If you don’t remove your hand from my waist, your boyfriend is going to snap my body in half.” He quickly tapped on my shoulder and told me to look at Asher .
Asher stared at us, and we quickly separated as if we had been caught. Jax and I quickly did a bro shake, and then we walked away from each other. I approached Asher , and he wrapped his arms around my waist and stole a kiss.
“ He wasn’t bothering you, was he?” Asher asked as he motioned to Jax with his head, who called the children and other guests to the patio table and placed Anne on the middle chair.
“ No , he was actually saving me from the ladies,” I whispered as I fixed his shirt, and he pressed his lips on mine again, squeezing my ass as he kissed me possessively. “ What was that for?”
“ They were watching.” He smirked as he smacked my ass and let go of me. When I turned to face them, they all pretended not to be looking at us, and Natalie gave me a knowing look that my fears were just that. Fears . We seemed to be good; I think?
“ Come on, go help Anne cut her cake,” I nudged him toward the patio table, and he pulled me along with him. Even though he was affectionate, I couldn’t get rid of the gnawing feeling that reminded me that there was still an unspoken wall between us.
We sang the happy birthday song for Anne , and she cut the cake with her father. It was truly beautiful, and everybody laughed when she smeared some frosting on her father’s face. I helped cut up the cake and ensured that everyone got a plate; Marie softly touched my back and pushed my hair over my shoulder.
“ Are you okay?” she whispered, and I knew she had seen through my act.
“ I don’t think so,” I sniffled.
“ Do you want to take a break?” We walked back into the house, and I felt like I had been blowing the whole thing out of proportion, but I couldn’t shake off how I felt. “ What’s wrong, Brooke ?”
“ I’m being dramatic, aren’t I ?” I laughed when we sat in the kitchen, and she passed me bottled water while I sat beside her.
“ You can’t help what you’re feeling; don’t be so hard on yourself,” she spoke softly, and I sipped my water.
“ I know, but sometimes I just feel like there’s this wall between us. Yes , he can be affectionate, but that’s where it ends. We don’t talk or do anything together, and it’s confusing me.”
“ Have you spoken to him about this?” she asked. I scoffed and rolled my eyes.
“ Whenever I try to talk to him, he always has some sort of excuse for how busy he is. In the beginning, it was okay, you know... I don’t know. Maybe I’m just expecting a bit too much from him. Should I even be expecting anything?” I leaned in closer to her, and her eyes slightly widened as she looked behind me, trying to warn me with her eyes.
“ Can I borrow her from you for a while?” Asher asked as he lifted me from the chair as if I didn’t weigh much. Marie smiled as she got up from her chair.
“ She’s yours; I’ll go ahead and find mine.” That traitor! She left us in the kitchen.
Asher carried me over his shoulder, and I raised my middle finger at Marie when she turned around, smiling at how she had just left me with the man I was crazy about and yet super anxious to talk to.
“ Where are you taking me?” I asked as he walked up the stairs, and I was curious to see what was upstairs.
“ My room.”
“ Why do you have a room at Jax’s place?” I asked curiously, and I smiled mischievously when I smacked his butt.
“ Jax is attached to me.”
“ Oh , you mean after you guys have your night-long parties and hookups?”
“ I don’t party,” he grumbled, and I laughed softly.
“ But you do engage in hookups?” I asked as I took in the charcoal gray walls contrasted by the oak veneer boards. “ Did Jax inherit this house or something?”
“ He built it. Do you like it?” he asked, and I hummed as he finally put me down in his bedroom. I looked around and noticed the framed windows that led out to the balcony.
“ Yeah , it has so much character,” I smiled as I looked around the bare room. Even though it was Asher’s bedroom, you could easily see that Jax had been the one decorating it. “ It’s a good house for a big family, don’t you think?”
“ You want a big family?” he asked as he pulled me back to him and kept his arms securely wrapped around my waist, his hands resting on my ass.
“ I don’t know,” I smiled, and he pressed his lips to mine. “ But it wouldn’t be so bad,” I whispered as I slipped my hands from his chest and wrapped my arms around his neck.
“ Noted ,” he effortlessly picked me up and lay me down on his bed. His lips moved against mine in a slow, sensual kiss, and I giggled as I felt his hand moving under my dress.
“ You didn’t bring me here because you just wanted to screw me, right?” I whispered, and he continued moving his hands up my dress before he rested his palm flat on my belly, his blue eyes staring deeply into mine.
“ If I say yes, will you stop me?”
“ Yes .”
“ Then no.” He pecked my lips. “ I brought you here because I want you to screw me.” I laughed as I pushed him off.
“ Very funny, but no,” I got off the bed and pulled my dress down, and he held onto my hips, pressing his chin against my belly.
“ Why not?”
“ What if I want to talk?” I asked him, and his eyes stared deeply into mine as he squeezed my hips.
“ I’m pretty sure I know how to read your body well enough to understand what you need,” he grinned, and I forced myself to smile.
Was it just the sex with him?
“ We’re at your daughter’s birthday party, so you have to behave.” I grabbed his chin and kissed his lips.
“ Fine , but tonight, you won’t get away from me that easily,” he said. I tousled my hair as I watched him stand up and tower over me.
“ Actually , Marie asked me to sleep over at her place tonight,” I lied, and he tilted his head. He could easily see that I was lying, but he didn’t question me.
“ Okay , I’ll see you tomorrow?” he asked as he pushed my hair away from my face, his touch incredibly soft, and it almost pained me to lie to him like I was.
“ Yeah , sure,” I nodded, and he leaned forward, pressing his lips to my temple before leaving me alone in his bedroom. I dropped onto his bed with a loud sigh and gripped my hair.
Now I was the one putting the distance between us.