Perched on the rooftop of a warehouse as the moon chased the long gone sun was not how I expected to spend tonight. Beside me stoop the man that could ruin my life or make it in a matter of seconds.
I thought I would be nervous to stand next to him and know what had happened between us, but I had come to the realization I was too apathetic to everything in my life to feel any emotion besides the utter need Ashton caused to stir within me. There was no end for either of us so there was nothing for me to look forward to. I didn't have a purpose in life other than to live in the moment and fulfil other's sins. We were destruction and fear and we would never be anything more.
"Whores," he muttered under his breath while looking out into the distance, leaning his leather jacket-clad forearms on an old rusted railing. "You once asked me what's left when you take away the money and power and I told you survival. Do you know what I've realized? There is nothing without money and power. Every single person in this fucking world is a whore, they just sell a different part of their body to others and cooperations; their brains, their bodies, their muscles, their heartlessness. We sold it all and we've got nothing fucking left. I was wrong; survival is irrelevant. You and I, we were born to be slaves and that's how we will die; slaves to a world we desperately tried to escape only to find ourselves in the middle of it all."
I'd never heard Ashton so...nihilistic. He was always the one to see the positives in our most likely dreary end. He was the one with the morals to have to forget after we committed terrorism and mass murder, not me. Little had I known, Ashton was the one realizing we had nothing left. Now we had everything we wanted and we were realizing it wasn't what we wanted at all.
The deafening silence filled my ears in an odd way, making it seem like there was nothing but darkness and the warmth of Ashton's body near mine. This is what it felt like the night I got shot."We're going to be executed one day and then nothing will matter. That's the one thing certain in our lives. When I die, my last thought will be of you because I don't have anything else to give a shit about. But you? I realized I'd give my life for you without question. That's why I followed you, Athena. I love you and I can't bear to live without you."
"The man with everything but the one thing he wants," I murmured thoughtlessly, fiddling with my pinky mindlessly. "I was going to kill you. At least I thought I was. How can you sleep at night knowing that?"
"Because I've done wrong and if you were going to bring me to repent, then I accept that. When you truly love someone, they can do no wrong."
I hummed in agreement. "That's why I can love you despite what you've done and not myself. I want you, Ashton, but you left me twice. My love is not the problem, it's yours."
Ashton shifted his gaze to me, his deep blue eyes sending a burning whole into my jaw."I left to protect you and it hurts me every day, Athena. Give me a chance. Give us a chance."
"We don't deserve happiness."
"We don't deserve anything but we have it. This is all meaningless without you. Be with me, Athena. Forget about the past; let's live together while we can."
My attention turned to Ashton, my emotions taking over my sensual brain. My longing and eager eyes searched his, finding the love they were hunting for easily. "Let me love you, Athena."
And so I did.
I crashed my lips into his before letting Ashton's dominant yet tender nature take over as he kissed me under the stars with the sound of the city droaning behind us in the background. His large, warm hands cupped my jaw like I was going to pull away and he wanted to believe I would stay, but we both knew I wouldn't leave. I had almost died for him and he, for me. The world was burning around us but right now nothing else mattered. The flames would whip at our back's but they wouldn't reach us. Ashton and I were untouchable.
Ashton kissed me until my body was weak and his strength was supporting me, the cold wind sipping against my cheeks. My breath escaped my parted lips, my pupils still locked on Ashton's.
"Nothing in my life was ever worth the commitment but you are. I love you, Ashton Naifeh."
"I love you too, Athena Zelin. Together, we'll make this life worth something."
It was quite literally Ashton and I or nothing.
