Lennon:When and where?
Lennon
Asher never messaged me back, and it pissed me off. I had come in hot, so I figured I’d really gotten under his skin. There was something about him that set me off, though. I was up and down, mean and cruel, and then, somehow, it all felt too…easy. I couldn’t wrap my head around how he made me feel, and it drove me crazy.
Maybe I should apologize for what I said…
I tossed and turned in bed. It was only around 8:00 p.m., but I was more than ready to kill this day off. I’d already messaged him back, asking when and where he wanted to do our task. But then I realized he didn’t really have any obligations to this group, or so it seemed. Except I needed this. I needed to complete it. So whether or not I wanted to see him, I had to. He was the key to all of it. He was my way out.
I let out a heavy sigh just as a loud banging rattled my door, startling me enough to yank the blankets up to my chest. I wasn’t naked, but I wasn’t wearing a bra under my white tank top and I only had my full coverage underwear on.Who the fuck was here?
I racked my brain, trying to figure out who it could be, or why anyone would show up unannounced. Before I could land on an answer, the banging began again. Frustrated, I shook my headand tossed the blankets aside. I swung my legs over the edge of the bed and marched down the hallway toward the door.
“Who the fuck is it?” I yelled, met only with silence.
“It’s me, Lennon,” the voice on the other side said. I didn’t recognize it right away—not until I pressed my face up against the door and caught sight of the infuriatingly beautiful man framed in the peephole. Exasperation washed over me as I exhaled, unlocked the deadbolt, and swung the door open.
If I hadn’t been so annoyed with him for ghosting me all day, I might have offered a smile at the sight of him.
“What in the actual fuck are you doing here?” I demanded.
He looked at me with a kind of admiration—of what, I wasn’t sure. He sucked in a quick breath, his kind eyes meeting mine. We stood there for what felt like an eternity, though it was only mere seconds. Then he waltzed past me, nudging my arm out of his way.
“Just figured I’d pop by. Communicating with you through text was annoying. I’d rather see you face-to-face, you know?” he said, smirking as he looked around my apartment. He was scanning my living situation, and I immediately was on the defensive.
I drew in a deep, irritated breath, closed my eyes, and turned in his direction, “I’m sorry, did I give you the impression that I was inviting you in? Because I absolutely wasn’t.”
He ignored me. He walked straight into my living room, grabbed some of the takeout containers and carried them into the open-concept kitchen before tossing them in the trash. As he looked around, I caught the judgment in his eyes.
“Wow. You’ve got to take care of this mess, Lennon,” he said. “No wonder you’re miserable. You have a beautiful apartment, but are treating it like you live in squalor.”
It was as if I burst into flames. My vision turned red, and every impulsive thought screamed for me to punch him right inthe throat. “I didn’t fucking invite you in, so you can see yourself the FUCK out!” I yelled, panting as anger surged through me.
I couldn’t believe he’d said that. It wasn’t any of his goddamn business how I lived, where I lived, or where I left my fucking garbage. Who the hell did he think he was?
He continued organizing my dirty dishes, shoving them in my dishwasher as if nothing I said mattered. Confusion tangled in my chest—I couldn’t even process what was happening. I charged toward him, needing him to stop whateverthiswas.
“Stop, Asher. Leave me the fuck alone. Leave my apartment alone. I need you to get the fuck out!” I screamed, my voice elevated, my awareness of everything else slipping away.
I grabbed his hand to stop him from loading another dish. Something snapped inside of him as he turned toward me. I couldn’t make sense of the look in his eyes—vicious and feral—yet when his gaze locked with mine, I knew I was safe.
We stared at one another, both of us panting, the tension between us heated and volatile. Rage simmered in the air, nearly palpable.
“Stop,” I seethed through clenched teeth, never breaking eye contact.
He began walking me backward, never breaking eye contact until I bumped into the island and he pressed closer, crossing every boundary—yet, somehow none at all.
He leaned his head toward my ear, and I allowed his closeness as he whispered, “I know you’ve had worse days than I have, but I’m having a real shit day, okay? And do you know what was the only thing keeping me from not losing it altogether?”
My heart raced. The moment was tense, sensual, and frightening all at once. Every nerve in my body urged me to allow the closeness, to pull him near, and to let him in. But a very deeply rooted part of me warned me this was dangerous.
“What?” I whispered.
“You,” he said quietly. “Seeing you tonight, Lennon.”
Asher pulled his face back ever so slightly—I didn’t even notice until his lips hovered mere inches from mine. His perfect lips parted, and he whispered against me. “Making you angry…no, causing you to becomefuriouswith me—I’ve been craving that lately. The way that your brows furrow with rage stirring in those beautiful green eyes…I can’t help it. I can’t help crossing this imaginary line you’ve created. I love not knowing where the lines are.”
Those perfect ocean-blues meet mine, and a distinct charge hung in the air neither of us could deny. Before I could say or do anything, his mouth crashed against mine. I was lost in a blurry haze that didn’t tell me to stop. In fact, my hands found the back of his shirt, gripping onto the material, and pulled him closer to me. His tongue invaded my mouth the moment I allowed my lips to part, and I couldn’t deny that I allowed my own to explore his just the same.
