Page 22 of All That She Needs

"Yes, he did."

"Dennis, I don't want to talk about this anymore." I scowled at him.

"But we need to." He insisted.

"No." Then I waved my hand at him. "I need to work. Go away."

With a sigh, he gave up. He stomped away to the door, but before he opened it, he turned around and said, "Did I mention about his ass? His–"

"Out, Dennis!"

Part 10: Asha

At almost five p.m., I finally surrendered to my temporary inability to concentrate on anything. I hadn't accomplished a single thing—not even finishing an email, which was strange for me. Work had always been my refuge, the place I could escape to, where I could lose myself in tasks and complicated numbers, denying the existence of the world outside this office. But today, even that safe haven failed me.

But I didn't want to go home yet. I wasn't ready to face Aiden. I knew he'd want to talk about this morning, but I was determined not to give him the time of day. I wanted to punish him, to make him feel the hurt that I was feeling. It was the only way for him to notice me, to pay attention to me, to Kayden, to Chloe. I wanted him to understand the depth of the pain he'd caused, to bear the weight of it, just as I did.

I had no doubt that Aiden would wait for me at home. Then he would shower me with attention, apologizing, and ensuring I felt loved. He'd try harder to mask the brokenhearted look on his face, putting on a more cheerful and loving front. But I would see right through it. And I knew it wouldn't last. Once he felt I was subdued and back to normal, he would slip back into his old ways, and he would mourn her or love her all over again.

I also knew that it might backfire—I knew that. There was a real possibility that ignoring him, hurting him, would only make him believe that his place was no longer with us and that nothing tied him to this family anymore. In the past, that fear had kept me in a state of denial, and I avoided any confrontation.I didn't want to give him a reason to leave. But now, I realized that by staying silent, I was only prolonging the inevitable. Because he went away anyway. His mind and his heart were no longer with his family.

The knock on my door startled me. It would be Dennis. He always knocked when he thought I might be mad at him instead of just barging in. Despite everything, I couldn't stay angry with him for long. He was one of my true friends—one of only three I had, including Liam—and I intended to keep them forever.

"Come in, Dennis," I yelled from my desk. "No need to knock. I'm not mad at you."

Then the door swung open, and a head—belonging to a very tall body—appeared. "Last I checked, my name is Liam," he said with a grin as he stepped fully into the room. "Although I must say, I'm flattered to be mistaken for Dennis, especially considering my sense of fashion is basically, well, shit."

I stared at him in complete shock, unable to mask my surprise. I hadn't expected him to show up, especially after I had bailed on our usual lunch date. He must have been up early this morning, working tirelessly to prepare a special meal just for us, and I selflessly let it go to waste.

As he approached my desk, his turquoise eyes seemed to drink me in, capturing my full attention. "I came bringing a gift. Ben & Jerry's." Liam extended his hand, presenting an ice cream with a sheepish smile. His other hand was holding two silver spoons. No bowls. He wanted us to share the ice cream, and I wasn't sure how I felt about that. It'll be too intimate, right? No? Should I care? But then I remembered we had already done that. On our first dinner together, with that chocolate cheesecake. Why was it so easy with this guy?

"It's PB Over the Top," he added cheerfully. "It's peanut butter cup on top of peanut butter cup. What's fucking better than that?"

Then, I found myself smiling at him, unable to suppress the warmth that spread across my face. The unexpected sight of him made me realize how much I had missed him. Why didn't I spend time with him today? His mere presence seemed to hold the power to dissolve the gloom that had been hanging over me. He had a way of making everything seem a little brighter for me.

Liam stood across from my desk and didn't take a seat immediately, as if he was waiting for some kind of permission or signal from me. Probably because I was still gaping in silence at him, or because he came unannounced. He wasn't sure how I would react. I raised my brows in question, a hint of a smile playing at my lips despite myself. "What are you waiting for? Sit down and open it now."

His face relaxed into a grin. He quickly lowered himself into the chair, placing the pint of ice cream and the spoons on the desk between us. With a playful glint in his eyes, he opened the container. "This is the best ice cream in the world." He informed me with conviction.

"I tried it before," I said. "But I prefer Chocolatey Love A-Fair better."

He froze, his hand hovering over the ice cream as he processed my words. His expression shifted to one of stunned silence, his turquoise eyes locked onto mine.

Then it dawned on me. The realization of what I'd just said hit me a moment too late. Heat rushed to my cheeks as I blushed furiously, and I started sputtering a bunch of nonsense. "Not that I'm suggesting anything..." I stammered, feeling the flush deepen. "There's really a flavor with that name. I'm notmaking it up. I bought it all the time. It's chocolate with caramel and salt. Salted caramel–"

"Asha," Liam whispered, though his voice came out a bit too loud.

"Yes?" I croaked, swallowing hard. I felt stupid. I was never this stupid. Liam made me happy, but he also made me act stupid. And blushing all the damn time.

His gaze softened, and a small smile tugged at the corners of his lips. "I like that too," he said gently. "Next time, I'll ensure we get that one."

Liam was looking at me with... I honestly didn't know how to describe how he was looking at me right now. There was something intense, something charged in his gaze, and I felt that the conversation had shifted, and we were no longer just talking about ice cream. His eyes held mine with a brazenness that made my pulse quicken, and suddenly, Dennis's teasing words echoed in my mind—how Liam looked at me like he wanted to eat me alive. I believed this was it.

Liam handed me a spoon and dug in. I followed suit, concentrating on the ice cream as if it were the most important thing in the world, while I felt Liam's gaze concentrating on me. The silence stretched between us, growing heavier with each passing second, until I couldn't bear it any longer. I broke the stillness. "How did Dennis get you to come here?" I asked, my voice a little more strained than I intended.

Liam chuckled as he licked his spoon, and the gesture hypnotized me. I couldn't look away, completely captivated by the slow, deliberate motion as he savored the taste. "He made me swear not to tell you he asked me to come here."

"Yeah, too late for that. The cat is out of the bag. What did he say?"

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