When He Saved Me

f o u r t e e n

Everyone was asleep, and I was wide awake once again. The exhaustion weighed heavy on me, but I couldn't shake the gnawing fear of another nightmare creeping into my thoughts. It felt like the darkness inside me would never let go. So, instead of giving in to it, I slipped out of bed as quietly as I could, careful not to wake Jules and Brooke. I grabbed a bikini and my makeup, changing quickly before slipping out of the room and down the hallway.

I needed some space. Away from everything. Away from the memories.

I quietly crept down the stairs and pushed open the back door, the cool night air greeting me as I stepped outside. The last thing I wanted was to run into Asher, but I prayed he was still asleep.

I walked over to the pool and dipped my toes in, testing the water. A sense of calm washed over me, just like it always did when I slipped into the cool embrace of water. For some reason, it was the only place I could ever truly breathe. I waded in deeper, the coolness seeping into my muscles, loosening the tension I carried everywhere I went. It was like I could finally let go, if only for a moment.

But that peace was short-lived.

I heard the unmistakable sound of the back door creaking open, followed by the crunch of footsteps on the gravel. I didn't need to look up to know who it was. The familiar, stale scent of cigarette smoke hit me before I even saw him.

"You gonna acknowledge I'm here, or are you gonna ignore me?" Asher's voice rang out, dripping with that usual sarcastic edge. He was sitting on the edge of the pool now, the dim light from the house barely illuminating his features.

I took a deep breath, not ready to deal with him but knowing I couldn't exactly avoid it. I swam toward him slowly, keeping my distance, but trying to appear casual. "I'm debating. Sometimes if you ignore things, they go away," I said, shrugging nonchalantly.

He chuckled, the sound low and almost amused. "But not always," he replied, the corner of his lips tugging upward in that smug way I hated.

I wasn't going to let him get under my skin this time. Not tonight.

"You know cigarettes are bad for you," I shot back, my voice a little sharper than I intended. I couldn't help it. Something about him, sitting there all cocky, just rubbed me the wrong way.

"No, really? That's news to me," he said, the sarcasm dripping from his words, and I rolled my eyes.

We stood there for a long moment, the silence stretching between us, thick and heavy. I kept my gaze on the water, not wanting to look at him. My body was still aching with tension, but I didn't want to give him the satisfaction of seeing how much he could affect me.

Asher didn't speak again for a while, and just as I thought maybe he'd leave me in peace, he shifted his weight, moving a little closer. I could feel the space between us getting smaller.

"So, what's your deal?" he finally asked, his voice quieter now, almost like he was genuinely curious. But I knew better than to think he cared. It was just a game to him. "You always this... closed off?"

I felt my chest tighten. His words hit too close to home, and I didn't know how to respond. I wanted to snap at him, tell him to mind his own business, but instead, I just bit my lip and looked away, focusing on the ripples in the water.

"Not really," I muttered, my voice barely above a whisper. "I just don't like talking about stuff that doesn't matter."

He didn't push it this time. I thought I'd won, at least for the moment, but something in his eyes made me think he wasn't done poking at me. Still, he stayed quiet, exhaling the smoke from his cigarette in a long, slow trail.