When lonely artists Ashton and Ria come together, nothing can prepare them for the collision. They're drawn to each other like day and night, but with more in common than they could ever know. After being burned by past lovers, they're hesitant to g...
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LEAVING HIS FRIENDS allows a tremendous weight to be lifted from Ashton's shoulders. Heading to Ria's apartment is an escape, a release from his demons and daily gloom. With darkness easing across the sky and moisture teasing the air, he inhales the scent of rain with delight. Half an hour later, he arrives at her apartment and ducks inside before the rain can fall. When he reaches her floor, someone is already at the door, lingering with their fist in the air. His steps slow as he approaches the lanky man.
"Hey, you lost?" He sends the stranger a friendly smile and slips his thumbs through his belt loops.
The man turns around with wide, inky eyes and shakes his head. "N-no. I just don't know if I'd be bothering her or not."
"Ria?" A scowl draws along his face. Who is this guy?
"Yeah." The man straightens his back at the sound of her name and narrows his beady eyes. "How do you know her?"
"She's a friend."
"I've never seen you before."
"I'm a new friend..."
The man sticks a hand through the mass of darkness atop his head and examines Ashton in a way that makes his skin crawl. "Are you guys hanging out tonight or something?"
"Yeah. We have plans." He scratches his arm. Acid bubbles in the pit of his stomach. Is she seeing other guys? It's not like we're dating. She's allowed to.
"Can you tell her that I was here?" He moves forward with desperation saturating his words. "She's kind of been holding out on a date with me."
"Sure."
The man gives Ashton a stiff nod before he steps around him and down the stairs. Not even a second later, Ria swings the door open with rosy cheeks and tousled hair. Her favorite white, oversized sweater teases down her mid-thighs. He can just about imagine what she's wearing beneath it. A smirk snakes across his lips. "Hey there."
"Hey," she breathes. She glances over his shoulder before ushering him inside. "Sorry, you had to run into Brandon. He's been trying to get me on a date for weeks now even though I keep telling him I'm not interested."
"Oh, really?" Ashton wraps his fingers around her waist and aligns her body flawlessly against his. "Why not?"
Soft hands find his chest; a flirty smile traces the delicacy of her lips. "Because I am emotionally unavailable."
"Then what are we doing right now?"
"I'm your muse. You're my mentor. We happen to sleep together from time to time. There's no emotion in that."
He cringes. "So you still consider me a fling, huh?"
"Not a fling. A question mark." She taps his nose with a slight lift in her voice. "I don't want to label us when I still don't know what we are. We haven't even been on a proper date yet."
