Page 64 of All That She Needs

Asha just stood there, tensed, staring at me. Then, as if by some miracle, she walked slowly toward me. "Asha," I breathed her name, feeling like I was about to cry.

"Aiden," God, to hear my name on her lips. "Go home."

I gazed down at her, longing twisting in my chest. "You're coming with me."

Asha shook her head.

"You're coming with me, Asha." I repeated. She was still standing too far away, and when I took a step closer, Jake's brother stepped forward, as if he was afraid that I would hurt her. I glared at him. My entire body vibrated with anger, my fists clenching at my sides.

"No, Aiden. I'm going to stay here and enjoy the night with Liam. You're drunk, and you're making a scene. Go home."

"Come on, Aiden." Jake pulled my arm, but I shook it away. "Asha, you have Roy's number? Call him."

"I'm not that drunk!" I shouted, completely losing my sanity. The words echoed around the bar, and I could feel the eyes of the patrons on me. But I didn't care about anyone elsebut Asha. Desperation clawed at my throat as I shook off Jake's deathly grip and grabbed her arms before anyone could stop me. From the corner of my eye, I saw Liam ready to jump forward, but Asha shook her head to stop him.

"Please, Asha, I need you to understand," I pleaded, my voice frantic. "I know what I'm saying. I want you to come with me. Please, baby. I love you. Come home with me."

"Aiden, you're scaring me." She whispered, looking at me with fear like I was a monster.

I faintly heard Jake barking orders to someone, telling them to find Roy outside, but my mind was still solely on Asha. Everything else blurred into the background—the bar, the voices, even Jake's attempts to calm me down. All I saw was her, standing there with that man, and it made my blood boil.

"Asha,"

"Aiden, stop." Asha's voice was quiet, but the tone was as hard as steel. "Please, just go home. You're not thinking straight."

I shook my head, refusing to accept what was happening, even though in the back of my fuzzy mind, I knew I was spiraling out of control. Asha pulled away, struggling against my grip as she pushed me away, panic in her expression. But I held on tighter, desperation overriding everything else. "Asha, don't."

"That's enough," Jake's brother growled, stepping in swiftly. He grabbed my wrist, yanking it away from Asha with a roughness that snapped me out of my haze for a split second. I swung my arm, instinctively trying to free myself from his grip.

And then hell broke loose.

Frustration surged through me, and before I could stop myself, my other arm swung around, landing a punch square onhis jaw. Gasps echoed around the bar; the lively chatter stopped dead as every pair of eyes locked onto us.

Before I had time to process what I'd just done, Liam's fist flew toward me. His knuckles crashed into my nose with brutal force. Pain exploded across my face. The room spun wildly, my vision blurring as I staggered backward, disoriented and barely able to stay on my feet.

Then everything went dark.

*** *** ***

I woke up to a pounding headache, pain stabbing through my skull. My mouth was dry, and my limbs felt heavy, like I'd been hit by a truck. Groaning, I squinted against the harsh light filtering through the blinds, struggling to piece together what had happened last night.

Memories started to come back in flashes—Asha, Liam, Jake's bar. My stomach twisted as I recalled the chaos, the shouting, the punch.Fuck me. I had completely lost it.

I forced myself to sit on the bed, wincing as the movement made the pain worse. I glanced around, realizing I was back in my apartment. Roy must have dragged me home again.

Great.

Feeling disappointed with myself, I sighed dejectedly.

"You're awake." I heard a familiar voice and looked up to find Jake and Roy standing at my bedroom door.

"Yeah," I whispered, barely able to muster the energy to speak louder. Roy walked over, holding a glass of water in one hand and a couple of pills in the other.

"Ibuprofen," he said, offering the pills. "We called Dr. Mendez to check on you last night."

My brows furrowed in confusion—I couldn't remember that.

"He said you'll be fine," Roy added, noticing my expression. "Just ice your nose for fifteen minutes every hour and keep your head elevated to reduce the swelling."

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