Cody spoke again, “Though neither of you responded when I messaged you both sixty times, so I’m assuming you’ve turned off your phones.”
“Yeah, my sisters commandeered themfor our own emotional well-being. Though, apparently, the number of notifications alone was giving my sister, Reggie, an anxiety attack, so I can’t begin to imagine what the actual messages will do to my sanity once I turn that fucker back on.”
I looked over at Asher and asked, “Hey, Cody and Rafael are inviting us to their Aunt’s cabin for a week. Wanna go?”
“Where is it?” Asher asked, then quickly added. “You know what? I don’t care. Yes, I’d love to do that. Let’s get the hell away from all of this for a week, shall we?”
My thoughts exactly.“We’d love to,” I said to Cody and Rafael. “You guys are awesome. Thank you.”
“We’re coming to get you in two hours. I need to fuck Cody first, or I’ll never make it the whole drive upstate.”
“Jesus, you’re an animal!” Cody replied, and Rafael literally growled in response.
Maybe the cabin isn’t such a good idea?“Is this gonna be the whole trip?” I asked them. “Because, if it is…”
“We’ll behave,” Cody assured me. “We’ll see you both in a couple of hours. Bye!”
“Later. Thank you,” I said, and then hung up. The damn thing fell to the floor, and I scrambled to put it back.I don’t even remember how to use this thing! I turned to Asher, who was very visibly trying not to laugh, and suggested that we start packing.
“They’re so sweet,” Asher mused as we walked up the stairs. “It’s kind of nice having another same sex couple in our lives, right?”
It really was, actually. Hearing Cody and Rafael on the phone gave me the boost I needed. It would be fun to get away for a minute. What was even better was that we could be honest around them. We wouldn’t need to tiptoe around or sneakkisses in the darkness of night.
“It is nice. They’re great guys,” I agreed. “And I’m lucky to have you.”
Asher stopped me in the hall and said, “Theo…” His voice cracked as he looked into my eyes. He cleared his throat and said, “I love you so much it makes my chest hurt.”
A warm, tingly feeling traveled throughout my body. Butterflies fluttered in my stomach, and my heart rate accelerated. “Asher, you’re so beautiful, you know that. In every way possible.”
He closed the distance between us and gave me a sweet kiss before adding, “You’ve been so wonderful—so calm and reassuring. I’m sorry if I haven’t matched that. I promise I will moving forward.”
“Baby, you have nothing to apologize for.”
Asher put his finger to my lips and said, “You’re being really strong for both of us, but this is a lot. It’s too much for anyone. I want you to know that you can lean on me, and I won’t fall. I want you to feel as safe with me as I feel with you, and that requires knowing that I will be strong when shit hits the fan.”
I honestly thought Asher was being really strong. Let’s be honest, the whole ordeal would have sent some people into a nervous breakdown. He was handling himself incredibly well from my standpoint. “I think you’re underestimating your strength, babe. Strength comes in many forms. Just because I’m stoic doesn’t mean I’m stronger than you. It takes a lot of courage and strength to be in touch with one’s emotions. Believe me, you’re strong.”
Asher smiled, then added, “Just know that you’re allowed to be mad around me. It’s okay to feel things. If you need to let it out, you don’t have to go into the bathroom and doit alone. I can be there with you. Being angry is normal. I’m angry. I’m a lot of things right now, and you’ve been wonderful throughout my emotional rollercoaster. You’re allowed to do that too, okay?”
His arms wrapped around my shoulder, and mine wrapped around his waist. “Thank you, baby.”
“I love you, Big Boy.”
I wanted to kiss him. No, I wanted to toss him onto the bed and rip his clothes off with my teeth, then make sweet love to him.
Cody and Rafael couldn’t come soon enough.
Asher
As I walked down the stairs with my duffel, Reggie was waiting for me at the foot of the steps.
“Okay, so, you should not look at your phoneat all, but I did want to mention that there was a Quincy who texted you almost as much as Cody. From what I could tell, he’s really worried about you.”
Quincy. I wanted to reach out, but I couldn’t think of a way without looking at my phone. I thought for a minute, trying to figure out if there was a way I could contact him without—
“The roster!”
Reggie cocked her head to the side in a questioning manner. “Huh?”
