26. Brooke
Chapter 26
Brooke
Marie and I lay on her bed, and I kept my head on her shoulder as we watched our new favorite series together.
“ Can you get off me, please?” she sighed as she asked me again for the umpteenth time to get off her, but I shook my head as I pulled a chip out of the bag and popped it in my mouth.
“ No , it’s comfortable here,” I popped another chip in my mouth, and she sighed and whispered under her breath.
“ It’s my fault for letting you leave work early today. I should’ve ignored your call,” I laughed as I pulled my head away from her shoulder.
“ It wasn’t a busy day. Are you saying you’d rather be with Matthew instead of me?” Matthew also had a half-day, but I had to practically beg him to allow me to hang out with Marie without him being there.
After my deep talk with Jax and ordering him an Uber to get him home because he got piss drunk, I went back home and found Marie in the living room. I apologized and asked for her forgiveness, and in the words of the great drunk/millionaire/firefighter Jax , we kissed and made up.
“ No , I’m just saying that you’re much clingier than he is.”
“ Are you saying you don’t like it?” I squinted my eyes, and she huffed.
“ No , I thought my body would at least get a break from being held. In case you haven’t noticed it, you’re not the most affectionate person in this friendship, I am, and here we are. You are in my personal space.”
My lips turned downward as I slowly unwrapped myself from my best friend, her words echoing in my head.
“ Ew ,” I whispered as I scooted toward the edge of the bed, and she laughed as she pulled me back. “ No , stop!” I cried.
“ You wanted to hug me, go ahead,” she laughed as she opened her arms and pulled me into a tight hug, trapping me in with her small body, and I wrestled against her.
“ Why are you so strong?” I grunted as I tried to peel her off me, and she wrapped her arms around my body, hugging me tightly as she laughed.
“ Come on, Brooke . Love me,” she whined playfully, and I shook my head.
“ Ew ! Get away from me!”
“ You were all over me just a few minutes ago.”
“ That’s because I thought you were sweet!”
“ Have you met me before?” she scoffed, and I made a sound from the back of my throat. She had a point.
“ No , but I have met Matthew .” We kept quiet for a while before we both burst out laughing.
“ Well , you’d be surprised,” she whispered as she pushed her short locks behind her ear, and I successfully pushed her away from me. I did not want to know what they got up to in private.
“ I’m not interested!” I blocked my ears, and she smiled as she motioned with her hands to show just exactly what they get up to, and I groaned as I shook my head. “ Please stop!”
“ Fine ,” she rolled her eyes playfully as she pulled a pillow onto her lap, and the silence that filled the room told me just how loud she was thinking.
“ What ?” I asked her softly, and she smiled as she tilted her head to the side.
“ Don’t you miss him?”
“ I miss them.” Asher , Anne and Brady . In the short time that I had known them, they all had found a place in my heart, and it sucked to wake up every day and not see my next-door neighbor and help him out with stuff around in his apartment.
I missed hanging out with Anne and doing absolutely anything we wanted (beside bake - we still weren’t allowed). It’s kind of funny now.
“ How long will you wait to see him?”
“ Hmm , I actually never thought of that before,” I whispered as I stared blankly at the television. I immediately got up from her bed, and she watched me, confused, as I changed out of my pajamas into a new outfit. I opted for a silk skirt and a black shirt with my black cardigan thrown over it.
“ Where are you going?” she asked cautiously as I brushed my hair and applied some quick makeup and put on my earrings.
“ I’m sorry, but I have to go out.” She picked up the bag of chips and chewed as she eyed me suspiciously. “ I’ll call Matthew and tell him to come over.”
“ Don’t worry about it. I want to take a nap anyway.” She had an excited grin on her face as she watched me pull my shoes on. “ Are your panties easily removable?”
“ Shut up,” I laughed as I left her bedroom, and she followed after me.
“ I mean, it’s obvious what you’re going to do, and it’s obvious where it’s going to end. So , I’m just preparing you,” she smiled as she raised her eyebrows, her suggestion clear in her eyes.
“ I’m not discussing that with you, and I will see you later!” I waved as I opened the door, and she scoffed as she waved.
“ Practice safe sex!”
“ I’m not going to have sex!” I said through clenched teeth, and she smirked as she gestured to my outfit.
“ Your silk skirt says otherwise.”
“ It’s fall, and I don’t want to wear jeans!”
“ Then why didn’t you just go in your pajamas?”
“ You don’t even know where I’m going,” I argued, and she crossed her arms over her chest, raising her eyebrows.
“ Yeah , you’re right. Make sure you’re back before ten tonight; if you’re not, I’ll lock your ass out.”
“ Sure thing, Mom ,” I rolled my eyes as I walked away, and she yelled behind me.
“ Make sure to say ‘hi’ to him for me!”
“ I hate you!” I yelled back, and she cackled before she closed her door. It was quite obvious where I was heading, and it wasn’t a secret, but I didn’t want it to be that obvious because there I was...going after a man.
I’m scared.
What if he rejected me, or what if he was angry that I had come to his work place unannounced? Should I turn around? It was a bit too late because I could see the fire station just a few steps away.
My heart beat a bit quicker than normal as I fought hard to calm my anxious self down. It wasn’t like I was going to die or anything; I was just going to talk to him and fix things between us because I missed him like crazy.
I loved him so much, and I also loved Anne , and I wanted to be with them again, but I knew if I had to wait for Asher to come to me, I would probably wait for a long time.
It felt like my heart was in my belly as I walked on shaky legs toward the building. I suddenly had to pee, and I was panicking out of my fucking mind!
I practiced the breathing exercises the K9 center had taught us for whenever we felt like we were about to have an attack or a pending breakdown. I was pretty sure I looked crazy to the people who passed by.
My ears felt fucking hot as I clutched my bag tightly and forced myself to enter the building. One of the red garage doors was closed, and I was immediately welcomed by the fluorescent blue lights. Some of the guys stood by their trucks as they spoke with each other, and I nervously raised my hand, greeting them.
Yeah , no, I shouldn’t be here.
I turned around on my heel, and I was about to leave the building when I heard my name.
“ Brooke !” My heart stilled as I slowly turned around and reminded myself to breathe slowly.
Through the nostrils Brooke , through the fucking nostrils!
Dammit , why was he still so fucking irresistible?
“ Brooke .” If he was as nervous as I was, it didn’t show at all. He stood tall at his six-foot something height, his grey shirt stretched over his chest, his gear pants fit around his hips incredibly well, and the red straps hanging off by the sides of his pants.
His hair had grown a bit longer from what I could see underneath his cap. His eyes took me in as if he was checking that nothing was wrong with me. His eyes looked lighter, as if he wasn’t as tortured anymore.
“ Hi ,” I said in a small voice. My mouth felt so dry, and I had to hold myself back from throwing myself at him. I wanted to hug him so badly and kiss him as if we were reunited lovers, but I knew we had ripped that label off the last time we saw each other.
“ Hi ,” I repeated nervously, and his lips lifted into a small smile as he took a step closer to me. Oh , this man has me in a chokehold!
“ What are you doing here?” he whispered, his eyes roaming my entire face. He looked like he couldn’t believe I was here; neither could I .
“ Oh , I’m here to see Anne ,” I lied, and his eyebrows shot up as he tilted his head. “ And Brady ; where are they?”
“ Well , Anne is at school, and Brady is with Elise ,” he told me, and I nodded as I nervously scratched my head.
“ Oh , okay, cool. Well , I’ll be on my way,” I quickly turned around, embarrassed that I had made this trip just to humiliate myself before Asher , forget everyone else who witnessed that horrifying exchange.
Asher grabbed my hand, and my heart immediately warmed up when I felt his thumb rub my skin. I’m so in love with him.
“ Is that all you came for?” he asked as he tugged me close to him, but there was still enough space between us to fit something like a stick. “ If so, I’d be disappointed,” he whispered, and I gulped as I got lost in his blue eyes; it felt like they were pulling me into a place where it was just us.
It sounds corny, sure, but his eyes were hypnotic.
“ I want to be happy,” I muttered, and he raised an eyebrow, his hand never letting mine go. “ And I’m pretty sure Brandon would want the same for me.”
“ As would I ,” he told me confidently, his eyes staring at my lips for a hot second before they found mine again.
“ Good , cause I’m here to tell you that you should be with me because I want to be with you.” I gulped, and his hand held mine tighter, but it didn’t feel painful; it felt like he was agreeing with me.
“ I want to apologize,” he said softly, and I raised my hand.
“ First , I think I should tell you why I’m a good fit for you. I love Anne like she’s my own; I know she isn’t, but there’s just something about your daughter that makes her incredibly lovable, you know.” He seemed amused already, and I knew I was just spewing nonsense, but I had to let him know just how much I loved him. “ You’re a terrible person.”
“ Oh ,” he seemed taken aback by that, and I gave him a non-apologetic look.
“ But you’re really nice to me and your daughter,” I spoke softly as I took ahold of his other hand. “ You protect me from creeps, and you comfort me when I get sad. You’re good to me, and you can be considerate when you’re not going crazy over baking and candles. I guess what I’m trying to say is that you may be hot, but nobody else will want to deal with you or spend the rest of their lives with you, but I do.”
I stared into his eyes, and Asher blushed. Asher blushed ! He looked around the room before he let out a hearty laugh and looked at me, happy. He looked happy.
“ So , do you like me?” I asked, and he shook his head.
“ I love you,” he corrected, and it was my turn to smile like an idiot. “ Do you want to be with me?”
“ So badly,” I whispered and took a step closer to him, closing the distance between us. “ Do you want to be with me?”
“ So fucking badly.”