Briar’s POV
I refuse to overthink this.
If I let my mind wander, I’ll find every reason to turn around and go ho.
I throw on the first clothes I find, snatch my jacket, and head out into the night.
Asher’s apartnt building stands quiet against the darkness when I arrive. The lobby feels hushed, like the kind of space that understands secrets. I take the elevator up, my heart hamring against my ribs. At his door, I knock once, then twice when impatience starts crawling under my skin.
The door swings open, and surprise flashes across his features before his expression shifts into sothing more guarded.
"Briar," he says, voice careful. "What’s wrong?"
I push past him without explanation.
The soft click of the door closing echoes behind .
I don’t offer reasons. I don’t make excuses. I don’t apologize for showing up unannounced.
Instead, I turn and reach for him.
He’s perched on the edge of his bed, shirt sleeves rolled up to his elbows, his usual rigid posture relaxed in a way I rarely see. For a heartbeat, he simply stares at , like he’s trying to figure out if this mont is actually happening.
I don’t give him the chance to question it.
I cross the room until I’m standing directly in front of him, close enough that my legs brush against his knees. He slls like ho. Clean cotton, soap that doesn’t try too hard, and sothing underneath that makes my chest loosen in ways I hadn’t realized I needed.
"I can’t explain why I’m here," I tell him.
He gives a single nod. "That’s fine."
No interrogation. No demands for clarity. Just acceptance offered without conditions.
I draw in a shaky breath, and that’s when he lifts his hand. Not rushed. Not demanding. He cradles my face like I’m sothing precious, his thumb ghosting across my lower lip with careful precision.
"Stay with ," he murmurs. Not an order. An invitation.
Sothing inside my chest cracks open at those words.
I lean forward until our foreheads touch, sharing the sa air. My palms find his shoulders, solid and reassuring under my touch. When his mouth ets mine, it’s gentle, patient, like he’s giving every opportunity to change my mind.
I don’t want to.
The kiss grows deeper because I allow it. Because this is what I want. Because I’m exhausted from treating desire like sothing dangerous.
His hands settle on my back, thumbs creating small circles that feel like reverence. Careful. Like he knows exactly how fragile this balance is and refuses to tip it carelessly.
I pull back just enough to catch my breath. "This doesn’t make weak."
He rests his forehead against mine again. "I never thought it did."
That certainty lands like a punch I wasn’t expecting.
I reach for the hem of his shirt, not desperate. Just honest about what I need. He follows my lead, stopping the instant I pause, waiting for my decision instead of assuming he knows what cos next.
When I draw him down beside , it feels like making a choice rather than surrendering to sothing beyond my control.
We move together without needing words. Every touch carries aning. Each brush of skin feels intentional, like we’re both saying the sa thing without speaking. He traces kisses along my jaw, my temple, the curve of my neck, finding the places where I carry stress and smoothing them away with his mouth.
I feel secure.
Not sheltered.
Understood.
Everything else fades until there’s only warmth and breath and the quiet sounds we can’t contain. Minutes stretch like honey.
There’s no rush. No need to perform or prove anything.
Just connection building slowly until thinking becos impossible and all that’s left is trust.
When the wave finally breaks, it doesn’t crash or consu.
It grounds .
Afterwards, I make the choice that changes everything.
I stay.
I don’t pull away when the heat fades. I don’t reach for emotional distance like it’s protection. Instead, I remain there, my chest rising and falling in rhythm with his, my fingertips drawing aningless shapes against his skin.
Asher shifts slightly, like he’s bracing for the mont I typically retreat.
I don’t move.
I press closer instead, settling my head into the curve of his shoulder. His arm cos around slowly, not possessive, just present.
We don’t need to fill the silence with words.
The quiet feels like sothing we’ve earned.
In the stillness, understanding arrives with startling clarity.
Wanting soone didn’t steal my power.
It didn’t make less than what I was before.
It showed that strength isn’t about denying what you need.
It’s about choosing it without losing yourself in the process.
I let my eyes drift closed, matching my breathing to his, allowing this mont to exist without defenses.
For the first ti in weeks, I feel like I’m the one making the decisions.
The control belongs to again.
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