Under My Body

chapter sixteen

        My entire body froze, the sound of my name, his voice, pulling me back to reality with a cold, hard jolt. I turned slowly, my breath catching in my throat as my eyes locked on Asher standing, tall and broad, his expression unreadable except for the slight tick in his jaw. His usual brooding intensity was heightened, the sharp lines of his face shadowed under the dim light of the club, making him look more menacing than usual.

My heart started racing, and not in the good way I'd felt earlier. No, this was something different, something I couldn't quite name, but it made my pulse pound and my palms sweat.

He was pissed. Really pissed. I could see it in the way his fists were clenched tight at his sides, in the tense set of his shoulders. Asher didn't need to say anything for me to know what was going through his mind. Is he jealous? Why?

His lips were pressed into a thin line, and the way his dark eyes burned into me made my stomach churn with a mixture of fear, confusion, and... something else.

My mouth felt dry, and I suddenly couldn't think of a single thing to say. "W-what are you doing here?" I stuttered, the words tumbling out before I could stop them. My heart was pounding so loudly in my chest I was sure he could hear it.

Asher didn't respond right away. He just stared at me, his gaze cutting through me like a blade, making me feel both exposed and small under his scrutiny. Finally, he spoke, his voice low and controlled, but there was an edge to it. "Brie called. She couldn't find you. She was sick outside, so Thali took her home. Dellana is with her guy."

Dellana has a guy?

I groaned internally, my head spinning as I processed his words. So much for a girls' night.

I'd completely forgotten about my girls in the chaos of tonight. Guilt gnawed at the edges of my mind, but it was hard to focus on anything other than Asher, standing there like some dark storm, ready to explode at any moment.

Before I could make sense of anything, Asher stepped closer, his presence engulfing me, and he lifted my chin with the tip of his finger, forcing my eyes up to meet his. The contact sent a bolt of heat through me, my face warming under his touch. My heart hammered against my ribs as I blinked up at him, his dark eyes searching mine.

My chest tightened, and I took a step back, suddenly feeling suffocated by his presence. "I—I'm fine," I stammered, grabbing the drink Jaseo had handed me earlier and taking a large gulp. It burned going down, but I needed something, anything, to dull the overwhelming tension that was building between us.

Asher's gaze flicked to Jaseo, and the way his eyes narrowed sent a shiver down my spine. He turned back to me, his jaw clenched even tighter. "Who the hell is this?" His voice was dangerously low, almost a growl.

I blinked, the alcohol clouding my thoughts, making it hard to think straight. "He's... Jaseo." My voice wavered, and I winced at how uncertain I sounded. "He's... my good friend."

The word felt foreign on my tongue, like I didn't even know if it was the right label. What was Jaseo to me? I barely knew him. Oh, I meet in the streets yesterday. Yeah, no.