Unknown Beauty | ✔️

Chapter Eighteen: A Day-Off

[Inner beauty can't shine through makeup]
-Unknown

"Fucking of course," Asher laughed dryly, "You fucking bastard."

Fallon cowered in the corner, the feel of Sky's grimy hands all over her sickened her. She would rather strap herself to a bomb and leap off a plane than experience that disgusting feeling ever again, "Why?" Asher demanded, holding his ex-best-friend down forcefully.

Sky bared his teeth at Asher like a wild animal, angry fire dancing in his eyes as the flames licked at his irises, "Why? You fucking punched me, that's why. This Nobody is your bitch, so I'd thought I'd punish you by punishing her," he dared to throw in a wink at the end.

"This is over a fucking punch? I hope you recall why I punched you in the first place - you hurt Calbee. And no-one hurts someone close to me without feeling pain. And a lot of it," Asher retorted, climbing off of him and yanking him up by his collar, "Now get the fuck out of my sight, you sick bastard."

Sky smirked, "My pleasure," he started to walk away, shooting a suggestive glance at Fallon, "Bye, bitch."

As soon as Sky left the scene, Asher flickered his gaze to Fallon, who was still looking down at the floor like she had been stunned by a gun, "Fallon?" he softly called, pacing towards her and hesitantly stopping half a metre away from her.

"I'm sorry."

Eyes clouded over with a sandstorm of emotions, Fallon looked up at him as the words left his lips, "Why?"

"It's my fault he even got near you. He knew you weren't just a Nobody to me, so he went and attacked you in spite of me."

Fallon shook her head and snapped out of her trance, "Let's just go home."

They retraced their steps and waved a brief goodbye to Calbee, who was recovering well and was allowed to be released within the next few days. The cool, night air greeted them as they stepped outside, the merciless bite of the wind nibbling away at Fallon's cheeks. Following Asher, they started on the way back home.

~~~

The following day, Asher found himself looking down at Fallon who was fast asleep with her head against his bare chest. Her hand rested across his abdomen as her hair splayed out around her like a halo. Blowing a piece of hair away from his chin, he gazed down at her, questions flowing into his mind.

Is was Fallon's birthday in a few days and Asher wanted her to not be stressed out for once. After all she had been through, including her mother's death, and finally coming out of her shell a little, she deserved a break. And it was her eighteenth birthday as well - that was a pretty significant achievement.

Fallon stirred in her sleep, her fingers grazing his abdomen as he bit his lip and pulled the duvet higher over her shoulder to combat the chilly air lingering around them from the slightly open window. Asher didn't want to make her birthday a huge party with ten thousand people - she would probably apreciate a small gathering at home with Chinese takeaway and a good movie more.

There was also the dilemma of what to get her. He had decided that showing up with no gift was an absolute unacceptable thing, yet he still didn't know what present would be best. It had to be something she would use often and be reminded of him when she saw it. It had to be something that said 'I like you and I support you'.

Perhaps he had ought to take a quick trip down to the Magic Mall again, it had been a while and normal shopping centres with boring entrances were getting mundane.

Fallon made a noise and turned her head over to the other side, curling up to Asher comfortably and rubbing her still-closed eyes wearily. She mumbled something to herself as Asher smiled in amusement.