Caught In Between

XX. The Warehouse

"So... a secret relationship?" I giggle when I pull away from Asher, but keep my arms locked around his neck. I fucking giggled, woah.

"Yeah, I guess we're in a secret relationship now, baby." He tucks another misbehaving strand of hair behind my ear and places his hands on my hips.

"Baby? Did you finally ditch cupcake?" Pet names have normally been really cringey to me, but the way 'baby' rolled off his tongue definitely sits right with me right now.

"Nah, it just depends on the mood."

"And what's the mood right now, Ashy?"

"Whatever the mood just was, you sure as hell ruined it with whatever that was. You know, the last time you called me that you were drunk off your ass at Natalie's party?"

I laugh as I remember the events, but then quickly sober up when I remember what he realized that night. My lies to him. He must've picked up on where my thoughts went, because he gently brought his hand up to my cheek and grazed his thumb along my cheekbone.

"I'm sorry for not believing you when I should have. I shouldn't have left you like that. I-"

"No." I cut him off. "If I were in your situation, I would have done the exact same thing, Asher. I wish I could say I'm sorry for hiding stuff from you, but I'm really not. I had to do that in order to keep my family safe. I just wish I didn't have to keep that from you. But hey, I'm glad things worked out for us now. Right?"

He sighs and pecks my lips before backing up, creating a small distance between us. Enough of a distance to be able to think clearer. "Things are working right now. As in this very moment, we're okay. I don't know about tomorrow or the day after that, though. This shit is bad for all of us. There's a war going on between your family and my gang. If anyone even found out about us, your father would track me down and make my death slow instead of making it quick."

"Ash, no one is dying. We can make sure of it." His beautiful, grey eyes soften at 'Ash,' and I assume he likes me calling him that. I don't think he believes me, but he nods in response. "I just wish my dad would believe what I know. I wish he would see you as I see you." I pause. "Well, I wish he would see you as a good person. If he saw you the way I saw you, then that would be an issue."

"I wish he'd realize the truth too." He looks over my shoulder, focusing on something, so I turn to look, but I see nothing. He's simply staring off into the distance, thinking. I grab his hand in my own and softly squeeze them. He looks back at me and meets my eyes. "But how exactly do you see me?" Now he has a stupid smirk on his face.

"Well for some unknown reason I actually really, really like you. And I don't like anyone the way that I like you." Fuck I'm bad at expressing my feelings. I'm falling in love with you is what I'm saying.

"I really, really like you too." There's a moment of silence that passes between us while we just stare into each other's eyes. This is hands down the most vulnerable, intimate moment that has ever passed between us. I understand him now more than ever and our horrible declaration of our feelings for one another only makes my already-growing feelings for him increase tenfold. I don't think I'll ever get over the pure emotions I see floating within his usually blank, grey eyes. Right now, I realize just how much he cares about me, and I definitely reciprocate the feelings. I'm fucked.

"We should go over the details of how we'll get this whole secret relationship thing to work." I finally break the silence. The intense moment between us was too much. The moment dissolves just as quickly as it arose, and we go back to our casual demeanor.

"Yeah, well I thought about it and I need to get you a burner phone. With everything going on right now, I'm sure your father is watching every interaction on your phone right now. That's why I had the note put in your bedroom in the first place. We can't let anyone from the bloodhounds find out about this, or else..." He trails off, but I know exactly what he's thinking. Or else he'll be killed on the spot, and I could be killed for being a traitor. Even by my father's own gang. "I don't want anything to happen to you." He finishes and grabs my hands between his larger hands and I feel the cool metal of his rings brush against my palms.