Dreams & Other Lost Things {Sequel to B&TBR}

Chapter 3: New York Changes a Person.

When my eyes slowly began to open, there was a small bright light coming from the corner of the dark room I was in. I was resting on something, maybe a couch or something like that. My head hurt – specifically the back of it. It throbbed with every pulse of my heart.

I finally opened my eyes to see the world again, but all I saw was a pair of brown eyes staring down at me. I recognized those eyes almost instantly. I was very aware of the heat from his palm on my thigh. I didn't need to look at it to know it was his; the fire of his touch made me want to move so badly. But I couldn't move a muscle. I was paralyzed. How could he be so close to me, yet so far away?

I didn't believe a thing I was seeing. It wasn't the fact that I had Asher had me lying on his lap or that I could feel his breath barely tickle my face. It was the fact that he was here. And that I was here. We were both here, but we really weren't.

My arm felt like it weighed a ton as I lifted it up to touch his hair. It was soft and crazy-looking, like he'd just got out of bed and went with what he saw in the mirror. My hand fell down to his eyes. They closed when I touched them but he never flinched. I rested the palm of my hand on his cheek then, feeling the scruffiness of his five o'clock shadow under my touch. I couldn't but smile at the weird dream it had to have been. Who would sit there and let me touch their face? Even if it was lovingly?

"Having fun there?" Asher asked in a quiet, calm voice. I felt his other hand rest against the top of my head, pinning my hair to my skull. My eyes widened and I dropped my hand from his, my smile fading into what must've been a look of fear. I attempted to push myself up, but Asher placed his hand firmly on my stomach to keep me from doing so. "Don't sit up so fast. You hit your head pretty hard."

I laid my head back down in his lap, still staring into those beautiful eyes of his. He didn't smile or say anything. He just gazed right back at me.

"What are you doing here?" I croaked out. "Where'd Ellie go? Why does it feel like I just got hit over the head with a bag of bricks?" He smiled at that one, the corners of his eyes crinkling.

"If Ellie is the blonde girl and the cowboy boots, she and Grayson left a while ago. She wanted to stay with you, but I told her you'd be fine." He gave me a small smile and helped me sit up, sliding down on the black leather couch beside him. My head spun as I sat up. "And you passed out."

The way he said it made me think it upset him. And his next response confirmed that.

"Are you still having panic attacks, Bea?"

I felt my face heat up with some kind of mix of embarrassment and anger. My mind became flustered and I found myself trying to practice my sentence before I said it aloud.

"I don't think it's any of your business," I said quietly. I hated sounding so harsh, but he infuriated me. Our relationship ended the moment we were out of touch. I'd call him and he'd answer, but he would really talk to me. The longer he was away, the worse it got, until finally, he stopped answering my calls. And my texts. And then we never talked.

"Damn, New York changes a person." He chuckled as he ran a hand through his hair. No matter how hard I tried to push them back and build up my own barricade to block my tears from ever falling again, they still developed. I pushed myself off of the couch and had to let my head come back down to earth before I could walk and not fall over. Asher stood up right behind me and grabbed my wrist, twisting me back around to face.

"I'm sorry, Bea, okay?" He genuinely said. The anger that had built up just a few seconds ago slowly diminished when he apologized. "I just... I didn't know you still dealt with those. I'm sorry."

It took me a second to finally give in. "I don't have them very often. Just when I'm stressed," I said, heaving out a sigh. Asher nodded his head and looked around at the now empty bar. People were cleaning, putting chairs on top of tables so they could sweep, and I caught a glimpse of Landon wiping the counter off.