Total pages in book: 129
Estimated words: 129110 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 646(@200wpm)___ 516(@250wpm)___ 430(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 129110 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 646(@200wpm)___ 516(@250wpm)___ 430(@300wpm)
A ping of longing hits me as I enter. It's the photos everywhere. Our lives. Aside from the house I grew up in this is the only other place that has felt like home.
Tears threaten as I head upstairs, grab a suitcase, and fill it.
When it's done I bring it downstairs. Then come up and start on another one.
I bring that down too, but pause mid-step.
Asher.
He's opened the other suitcase and has taken out all my clothes. They're piled neatly on the bottom step.
He looks up.
I hesitate. “What are you doing here?”
“Aside from being bloody pissed at you?" I live here." He mocks. "And aside from that, unpacking your things.” He's indifferent. Matter of fact. Cocky. Not at all like the sad, depressed Asher I spoke to earlier today.
“What happened to the taping?”
He shrugs. "Told you I wasn't going."
I'm at a loss for words, watching as he zips the now empty luggage.
Finally I snap out of my dumbfounded state.
“Asher, this isn’t funny! I'm grabbing some stuff, saying hi to Madison, and then leaving.”
He's not listening though.
Instead he takes the second suitcase from me and starts emptying it too.
"Stop unpacking my things!”
“You’re not." He eventually responds, clearly waiting until he was good and ready.
“I’m not what?” I pinch the top of my nose.
“Leaving."
“You can’t tell me what to do!”
“That’s the smartest thing you’ve said all week,” he laughs coldly.
“Seriously?” I pretty much stomp my foot.
“You expect me to move on like nothing happened? To go to some bullshit taping when you're practically not speaking to me?"
"I-"
"I’m not doing anything or going anywhere until we solve our little problem,” he raises an eyebrow. “And neither are you.”
I pick up a pile of my clothes and put them back in the suitcase.
"Hope you're doing that to take them back upstairs," he mumbles.
"Wait, why are you mad at me?"
“Because you're doing it again," he answers a little too quickly. "You're leaving because you're mad. You're giving up. We're supposed to be important."
"Important?" I raise my eyebrows. "How do you figure? We don't take what the other says into consideration. We don't even talk about our future. Ever."
"Elle, I have!"
I give him a look.
"Whenever I do you freak out!"
"I do not!"
"I mentioned kids. One time. You said you're not ready."
"So! Asher, I mentioned marriage. I said it on national fucking television and I looked like a fool because-"
He starts laughing.
"You know what?" I stop. "It doesn't even matter! This is about-"
"You not giving me the benefit of the doubt?"
"What?"
"You didn't last night and you're still not now."
I shut my mouth.
"You don't give me a chance. You never do. You just up and go."
I furrow my eyebrows, hating that he has a point. There are times, especially now, that I’m so pissed I can’t even be in the same room as him. And in those situations my instinct is to leave.
“Maybe it takes me a bit," he lowers his voice. "But I eventually figure shit out. I eventually do the right thing. But you..." his voice trails off. "Elle, if you hate me leave the room until we can work things out, but don’t leave the house, or me."
I swallow hard.
He's right.
Totally and completely right.
"I wasn't- fine," I sigh. I can agree to that. I still need time to think about all that's happened. So I'll do what he says and leave the room. I start up the stairs.
"I fired Mona."
I stop halfway to the next step and slowly turn around.
He raises an eyebrow.
"You ready to let me explain or do you want to keep jumping to your own conclusions?"
I roll my eyes, unable to hide my intrigue.
I take the next step down.
And then another, and another, until I'm in front of him.
“I listen to everything you say, Elle. It just takes me a little bit to figure things out... And when I made that joke about kids after the whole thing with morning after pill I wasn't entirely kidding. I see our future together, kids and all. You're the one who seemed to freak out."
"All I said was I want to be married before I have kids."
"Yeah but you got this look."
"Only because I was waiting for you to elaborate. You didn't. Then I let the whole marriage thing slip on national tele-"
"And proceeded to tell me you didn't mean it."
"Because I didn't want to freak you out!"
He slowly nods.
"In Europe when you thought Mona was the one behind the break up rumors and the magazines I had Tiny look into it. Turns out you were right," he pulls at his neck. "Actually I found out she was behind a lot of things, including the Let's Go breakup all those years ago."
"Oh, Asher-"
"It's-" he shakes his head. "It doesn't matter," he looks away. "I had a theory, but I didn't know for sure until we got to the award show. It became apparent what she was doing. Then a lot happened all at once. I was shoved onto the red carpet. Sabrina appeared..." He lets out a deep sigh. "I didn't want to make a scene and ruin anything for the guys, but after it was over I approached Mona. She..." he shakes his head. "She confessed a lot of things. Started going on about how she did this for me. How all these years she was the constant by my side, not you." He looks up. "I had no idea how deep her jealousy ran and I'm sorry I didn't listen to you sooner. I think you tried to warn me and I-"