I stir the noodles and turn to face him, crossing my arms over my chest as I lean against the counter.
“I could, but where would the fun in that be? Maybe I like the weight I’m currently at.”
For the record, I don’t. Even I can admit I got a little too thin while I was being held by Ragged Anarchy, despite Asher’s attempts to keep me fed.
He shoots me a disbelieving look.
“Do you have therapy today?” he asks, changing the subject.
“Shouldn’t you be running off to chat up your FBI friends? Try to build a case against my brother to take down his MC?” I snap back.
“You and I both know I’m not going to take down this MC, and I’d appreciate it if you would stop saying it.”
“Once a cop, always a cop,” I sneer.
“You and I both know that’s not true,” he says calmly.
The way he says it pisses me off. Asher is the first man who has always kept his cool around me. He hardly takes the bait when I’m trying to get a rise out of him. He knows it too. He knows how much I fucking hate it.
Why does the one man who seems to be able to put up with my bullshit have to be the one who’s seen me at my worst? The one man whose life I’ve ruined.
“Aspen…”
“What? Can’t you see I don’t want you here? You need to get on your bike and fucking go!” I snap.
“Your ramen is burning,” he says, ignoring my jab.
Spinning around, I see the water is gone and the noodles are in fact sticking to the bottom of the saucepan because I’m weird and I don’t add the recommended amount of liquid.
“Fuck!” I yell as I grab it.
I toss the pan into the sink, making dishes rattle.
“What the hell is going on here?” Eagle snaps as he walks into the room.
“We’re just catching up,” Asher tells him.
“Doesn’t sound like it. Were you catching up, Aspen?”
“I was making lunch, and he distracted me.”
Eagle’s jaw clenches as he turns back to Asher.
“How about you head out to the gate for your shift?”
Asher nods and leaves without putting up a fight, even though his shift at the gate doesn’t start for another two hours.
I want to yell at him and tell him to stand up for himself. To not be such a yes man, but I know that it won’t do any good.
Asher Zimmerman knows when to keep his mouth shut, something I have yet to learn. Or should I say, learn completely.
Ragged Anarchy did their best to try to beat the disobedience out of me. I kept my mouth shut when I could, but I let my feelings be known more than I should have.
“Hey, are you okay?” Eagle asks softly, pulling me out of my head before I can spiral.
“I’m fine, Eagle.”
“Do you want me to remake whatever you burned?”
