AllFreeNovel
Share Us
From the foursome of friends we’d started with, it really was down to just us two.
When I looked up at Asher again, I noticed how much lower his eyelids had gotten, no doubt from theMauvehe’d drained from his now-empty glass. But there was something else… a gloss of sadness in his eyes that made me feel so bad for him. My relationship with Kel had severely deteriorated over the last years, but his hadn’t. Ash was mourning the loss of a dear friend.
“We’re gonna be okay,” I told him, covering his hand with both of mine before I moved to get close enough to pull him into a hug. “I know you miss him. And I’m sorry foryourloss,” I said, wrapping my arms around his shoulders.
“Thank you, Mon.” His voice was thick with emotion as he rested his head in the curve of my neck and shoulder, returning the hug and squeezing me a little. “That means a lot.”
I pulled back to see his face. “Like you said… this is what friends do for each other, right?”
“Yeah… right.”
For several seconds, Ash stared at me with those half-closed eyes, and then suddenly his face was coming closer –tooclose – to mine. It only took a moment for me to register his intent, but by that time, his lips were already on mine.
“Asher, what thehell?!” I asked, jumping up from my seat as soon as I pushed him away.
For a moment, he looked dazed, and then his eyes went wide and he stood too, holding up his hands. “Monica…shit. I… I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to…shit!” he exclaimed, swiping a hand over his head. “I didn’t… I wasn’t… I’m so sorry, you have to believe—”
“Ash,chill,” I told him, attempting a soothing tone, even though my heart was racing with the shock of what had just happened. “It’s… it’s not a big deal, okay? You’ve been drinking, and we’re both emotionally raw right now, and… I know you didn’t mean anything by it.”
“Monica, I amsorry.”
I nodded. “I know, okay? You didn’t drive, did you?”
“No. Not tonight. I uh… I used a car service.”
“Perfect. So, call your service, so you can get back to… where are you staying?”
“I’m at the Drake. A regular five-star property – everybody can’t afford this big-money shit like you,” he teased as he pulled his phone from his pocket – something I was glad for, because it broke the heavy, awkward tension in the room.
“I’m only here because the privacy was necessary,” I assured him. “Otherwise, my behind would be somewhere else too.”
“Yeah, yeah. I uh… I got the car ordered, so, I’m gonna go ahead and bid you goodnight before I go wait down in the lobby.”
I sucked my teeth. “Boy if you don’t stop. Waiting down in the lobby for what? Like you can’t keep your hands off me or something?Please.”
“I just think it’s probably for the best, after that,” he said. “And you weren’t expecting company anyway, so I should probably let you have your room to yourself again.”
“If you say so, Ash. I just feel like ten years from now, this story is going to turn into, “do you remember that time you kicked me out of your hotel room”, and I’m telling you now, me and you are gonna box.”
He laughed. “You aren’t gonna fight anybody Monica, you’re too pretty for all that.”
Immediately, my thoughts went to earlier in the day, when I’d tried to snatch Tika bald, and I shook my head. “You know, you’re right.”
“Conceited ass,” he chuckled. “I’ll see you at the funeral, right?”
“Since it’s probably poor form to plan it all and then not show up… yes. You will.”
“Good. Good night Monica.”
“Good night, Ash,” I called after him, rolling my eyes at the fact that he threw up his hand to wave, instead of giving me a hug. Once he was gone, I let out a heavy sigh, trying to push out all the conflicting feelings about Kellen that his visit had stirred up.
In two days, we’d be committing his body to the ground.
With any luck, I’d bury these feelings with him.
