When the fear of isolation pulls Ashton and Ria together, nothing can prepare them for the collision. An anomaly shatters the repetitive fabric of their lives, sending them on a journey of discovering themselves and one another.
Beneath Ashton's gen...
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ASHTONSTARES at the mess scattered across his coffee table. Obscure thoughts fill his mind as murky shadows linger in his presence. He clenches his fist.
I shouldn't be doing this.
I should be with her.
He drags in a deep breath and glances away from the items that litter his table. Maybe he doesn't have to do this anymore.
The boisterous bang of Daniel barging through the front door of his loft sends Ashton nearly jolting out of his skin. With a jerk of his head, he looks back to see his best friend swinging a grocery bag in his hands.
"You're not getting started without me, are you?" Daniel throws Ashton a weary glance while unsheathing a bottle of wine. "You know the rules."
"I'm not doing anything yet." Ashton sinks back into the cushions and faces the glass doors that lead to his balcony. Sunlight glares right through, leaving a warm sensation on his face. "I'm just thinking about it."
"What's there to think about?" Daniel flops on the couch next to Ashton and pours himself a glass of wine. "We've been doing this every week for the past four years." He sips the dark liquid and gives Ashton a pointed stare. "Though as of late, you've strayed from the schedule."
"Isn't that a good thing?"
Daniel shrugs. "I would say yes, but it's only because you're wrapped up in that girl."
Ashton drops his head in his hands. Bile rises to his throat. The disgust for himself is overwhelming. "I should be with Ria right now. She's finally getting her studio and she wanted me to be there with her. This is what she worked hard for. This is what I mentored her for. Yet, I'm here missing it all."
"Ash, you realize you're not going to be with her forever, right? Eventually, you two will part ways after you get over your whole puppy love phase."
Ashton shakes his head and asks in the most tortured voice, "What if it's not a phase?"
"What are you talking about?"
Ashton bites his tongue, recognizing the sharp edge in his voice. Annoyance. Intolerance. For the first time, Ashton feels like Daniel won't be able to understand. He can't.
These emotions that suffocate him aren't that of a phase.
It's infatuation. Physical and emotional. Ria is daring him to cross a forbidden line, and he's daring her to follow him into an abyss. Without even realizing it, Ria offered Ashton something he never knew he wanted.
If you let me, I want to help you build a future you won't be afraid of.
She said those words to him and she meant it. He could see it in her eyes. Right before he made love to her, she said the most loving things to him. It's been fucking with his mind ever since.
