When He Saved Me

t w e n t y - f i v e

It's been a month now since the incident. It's hard to know how to act after everything that has gone down. Everyone walks on eggshells around me and I hate it, but I guess I would too if I were in the same situation as them.

I walk out of my room to hear the usual Taylor Swift music blaring through the house while Nicky cooks dinner.

"Hey love, how are you feeling?" Nicky asks, smiling. I look around and see everyone staring at me.

"God, can y'all just act normal? Let it go, I almost fucking died, so what." The words blurts out of my mouth. Fuck. I freeze; I did not mean to let that slip. "I'm so sorry, Nicky. I didn't mean that."

Nicky just stands there, jaw dropped. Everyone is completely silent, just staring at me. You could hear a pin drop until the silence is broken by Jules. She breaks down hysterically laughing, almost falling out of her chair while poor Ethan, sitting next to her, is taking the brunt of her fist.Everyone soon joins in the laughter. 

"Y'all are all nuts. I live in a house with a bunch of crazies." I shake my head, turning to walk away.

"Wait, Mads... it's just... we've never... seen... you... that angry..." Jules breathes out, still dying laughing, wiping tears from her eyes. "Did you see Nicky's face? Oh my god, man, I needed that."

I keep walking until I close my bedroom door behind me. The truth is I say they don't know how to act around me, but I don't know how to act around them either.

My brother's been gone every day since that accident, probably avoiding me.I'm lost in my thoughts when I hear a knock on the door and Asher's head peeks in.

"Hey, we're getting out of the house tonight. Be ready to go by 7." His head disappears and the door closes before I can say no or ask him where we're going.

I sit on my bed and just stare at the wall ahead of me.

When 7 hits, I still haven't moved from my spot on the bed. Nicky tried to get me to come down for dinner, but I told her I wasn't hungry.

I hear a knock on the door and prepare an excuse in my mind on why I shouldn't go out with Asher tonight.

I honestly have no idea how to act around Asher. He's hot and then he's cold, he's sweet but then he's an ass, and now he knows everything about me, and that leaves me vulnerable, and I hate that feeling.

Asher pops his head in. "Come on."

"Asher I don't feel up to it tonight."

"I don't give a shit. You've been sitting in this room for weeks now, so get the fuck out of bed and come on."

I sigh but drag myself out of bed and follow him out the door. He leads me to his truck and opens my door for me, waiting for me to get in before he closes it behind me.

He gets in and starts driving, and we both stay silent.

I just stare out the window and watch as the sun slowly starts to set and the darkness succumbs the sky.

I don't realize how long we had been driving until I glance down at my phone and see that 30 minutes have passed.

I look up. "Where are we going?"

"You'll see."

I don't push him and turn my attention back toward the window.

I must've dozed off because when I open my eyes, we're parked in the middle of a field. I look around to see the driver's seat empty; Asher's not in the truck.

I panic and hurriedly climb out.

"Good morning, sunshine." Asher laughs as I reach the back of the truck to see the truck bed full of pillows and blankets.

"Come here." He reaches his hand out to help me up.

"Why are we here?" I ask, getting settled next to him but still keeping myself at a distance.

"Look up."

I turn my attention to the sky and am greeted by a million stars. "This is amazing, but why did you bring me here?"

He stays silent, just staring at me. I shift uncomfortably. "What?"

He shrugs it off. "Nothing." He lays back and I follow suit.

We stay like this for hours, just laying there in silence. I never knew that sitting in silence with someone could be comfortable.

"What's your story, Asher?" I ask, still staring at the sky.

"You don't need to have that burden on your shoulders right now," he says.

"Please? I need a distraction," I say hesitantly.

Asher sighs, staring at the stars. "Fine. But don't say I didn't warn you. My mom had cancer when I was younger. She fought it for years, but it changed everything. My dad, he couldn't handle it. Instead of being there for us, he had affairs. He left us when we needed him most. Then, when my mom finally passed, he remarried just a few days later. I couldn't stand to be around him after that, so I left."

I take in his words, the raw pain in his voice cutting through the stillness of the night. "I'm so sorry, Asher. I had no idea."

He shrugs, his face hardening. "It's life. You deal with the hand you're dealt."

I can sense his walls going back up, the vulnerability he showed me slipping away. I don't push him any further, understanding all too well the need to protect oneself.

We lay there in silence, the weight of his story hanging in the air. Eventually, the cold seeps in, and I shiver slightly.

"Cold?" he asks, looking over at me.

"A little," I admit, pulling the blanket tighter around me.

He shifts closer, draping his part of the blanket over me as well. "Better?"

"Yeah, thanks," I whisper, feeling the warmth of his body next to mine.

The silence between us becomes more comfortable as the minutes pass, the stars above us a silent witness to our shared pain and unspoken bond.

Authors Note

Hey y'all I am so sorry this chapter has taken forever to come out I just recently took on a full time job on top of my other job and so I've been exhausted and in a writers block an haven't been able to figure out how I want this story to develop from here. I know this chapter isn't my best but I wanted to get something out for you guys. If you guys have anything you want to see in the next few chapters, any constructive criticism, etc, please please let me know I so appreciate y'all and want to hear from you! I love seeing y'alls comments and thoughts!

Thank you guys so much for all your support and for being so patient!