With that, I ended the call, knowing I had to find some sort of patience.
I waited a few more minutes, trying and failing to shut off the worry. I repocketed my phone and headed back out towards the bar. Of course, my eyes went straight towards Beckett.
I did not need to get a crush on the man. Or anyone.
But there was something about him. Something I couldn’t put my finger on. Other than the fact that I already knew he’d be great at rope bondage, according to Oscar. There were a number of doms who had to be good at that. But...there was just something that was forcing me to be tugged towards him.
Back behind the counter, I double-checked that everyone had enough drinks, checking out a few of the customers. After all that, I was once again left to deal with the one I wasn’t sure I wanted to face.
Taking a deep breath, I had nothing left to do but to do my job. I forced my thoughts, my desires, and my confusion to the back of my mind. Nothing else mattered.
“You okay?” Oscar asked, cutting off whatever he was saying to his brother as he looked at me too closely.
“Yeah. Fine.” I had to be. I forced a fake smile, knowing he’d see through it anyway. “Is there anything else I can get you two?”
“Asher.” My name is a warning, one that I ignored. For more than one reason, which wasn’t going to be explained while I was at work.
“Long weekend, but I’m perfectly fine.” This time, it was mostly the truth. Kinda. It was actually too short, and I really just wanted to go home and be with Noah.
“You are a terrible liar.”
“You really are.”
“I’m fine. Geez. I don’t need your two doing....that. Not here.” I had to ignore the part of me that did want someone to care; someone to push me to admit that I wasn’t really okay. But, not here. Not at work. “Maybe tired, but it’s Monday.”
“You’re not in sub-drop, right?”
I was tempted to growl, but I was a grown adult. I had to act like it.
“No, Oscar.”
“Then what’s wrong?”
Why did he have to push? Why did he even want to know? It wasn’t like he was more than a passing person in my life.
“I have a friend who is currently wrapped up in my bed, and all I want to do is go home, cuddle with him, and forget certain aspects of the weekend that happened,” I said, somehow keeping all emotion from my voice.
I took a deep breath. “Sorry. That was more than either of you needed to know. My personal life doesn’t come here. Or I try not to.”
“You have one lucky friend,” Beckett said slowly. “I hope he knows how lucky he is to have you.”
“Noah...he’s my best friend.” I sighed. “Sorry. Do you want a refill or anything else?” I motioned toward their near-empty cups once more. Changing the topic would be best for everyone.
“Nah. We are about to head out.”
Chapter 22
The next few days went as smoothly as I would expect. Each morning, I woke up with Noah wrapped around me. Not that I minded, but it made it a bit difficult to get out of bed.
I’d get home late, and he’d be fast asleep already, tucked into bed on one side. I’d be as quiet as I could, sneaking into the bedroom and slipping under the covers of my own side so I didn’t wake him. But it didn’t seem to make a difference. Noah had a sense of when I came home, being drawn to me like always.
The times we had sleepovers, which happened more often at my house than his for a number of reasons, we’d fall asleep cuddled up together, just like the way I’d wake up. Noah would be using me as his pillow, leg placed either between my own or over both of mine. He’d all but hold me hostage.
Apparently, that hadn’t changed one bit.
Keeping my eyes closed, not wanting to face the day quite yet, I stayed where I was. The thin blanket that covered Noah, and in turn me, was almost too much with his body heat. But I wasn’t going to dare move.
I’d have to remember to turn the fan on, at the least, to keep the room a bit cooler. There was no way I’d ever push Noah away, no matter how warm at night I got. If I had to, I’d even turn on the AC unit.
