Page 95 of All That She Needs

"Asha."

Time stood still. For me. For her.

When I found those posts on X, my days were spent just trying to stand on my feet, clinging to what little lucidity I had left, forcing myself to move forward without looking back. But deep down, I knew I'd always come back to her. Always. No matter how hard I tried not to—even if she didn't want me anymore. I would keep waiting, too lost in love to walk away.

This was what Asha did to me. She consumed my thoughts, my breath, everything. I was defeated by my feelings for her, with no chance of escape or recovery. She had complete control over me. My love for her was already rooted deep in my heart, embedded in my very marrow. There was no way to tear it out, no way to let it go.

I was a goner, and there was no coming back.

Without Asha, I'd be nothing but a shadow of the man I once was, hollow and aimless, drifting through life without purpose, without feeling. And I knew it all too well—I'd been living it for weeks.

Waiting for her, until she was ready, was a no-brainer. I would do it in a heartbeat, no matter how long it took. But my heart shattered when I found out she had lied to me. Never hadI felt so insignificant. So, disposable. And it left me questioning everything I'd believed about us.

It was true when I told her she had the power to hurt me.

Then she told me that I had the power to hurt her, too.

When I lunged forward to stop the door from closing, I didn't even realize what I was doing. Driven by instinct, by emotions I couldn't control, I couldn't bear to watch her leave—even though I still didn't know what I was going to say.

Our eyes locked as I held the door open with both hands. Asha stood inside, alone, looking at me with what I dared to believe was hope in her eyes.

I resigned myself right then and there to the fact that my love and devotion to this beautiful woman were unbreakable—that there wouldn't be any other woman but her. It was dangerous to feel this vulnerable, to let myself be this exposed, but I couldn't stop it. She had become an inseparable part of me, and no amount of pain or uncertainty could change that.

I was at her mercy. Every word she spoke, every decision she made, had the power to either heal me or break me further. And yet, despite the risk, I couldn't stop loving her, even if it destroyed me. I had become a hopeless romantic, clinging to the hope and belief that the stars would grant my wish—that Asha would become mine entirely.

My eyes shifted to the distance still between us. Two breaths, three breaths away. She was still too damn far.

I reached out my right hand to her, and she took it. We stepped back, her out of the elevator, until we stood face to face.

"Honestly," I swallowed, my gaze locked with hers, the worry in her eyes clear. "I don't know if I can trust that you won't leave me again."

"I had a lot of time to think," she said softly. "And no matter what, my thoughts always came back to you. I think my heart had been trying to tell me for a while, but I needed to be sure."

My gaze, my heart, softened at her words; I could feel it. "I know you never promised you'd come back to me; I know that. But still, I had hope, Asha. And the way it was crushed... it really hurt. I would've rather you told me straight to my face that you never wanted me."

"I do want you. More than you know," she murmured, as she touched my cheek gently, so lovingly, and a tear spilled free, running down her cheek.

Without thinking, my face leaned into her hand. "I miss you," I sighed heavily. "I miss you so damn much it hurts."

Her smile was heartbreakingly sweet. "I miss you too." her hand gently caressing my cheek again, touching the spot where my dimple would appear.

"I don't know if I could survive if you change your mind again, Asha. My heart, my life—they're entirely in your hands. I'm completely defenseless when it comes to you."

She didn't respond; she only closed her eyes and erased the distance between us, her arms wrapped around my waist as she pressed her face into the crook of my neck.

"So please, just tell me now if you're not really sure."

"I'm sure," She replied softly. "I'm very sure."

"If you still need time and space, I will wait until–"

"I don't need it anymore." She cut me off, and I could feel her smile against my skin. "I need you."

"Asha," I whispered, needing to be certain, to truly know. "You might still need time."

She kissed my jaw softly, her arms tightening as if she never wanted to let go. A single exhale left her before she spoke, "Have faith in me, Liam. I'm ready to start my life with you. I won't hurt you like that again. I love you."

My entire body shuddered at her words. It took a moment for my mind to catch up, to be certain that I wasn't imagining this, that I was hearing her right. I needed to be certain, to know this was real and not just a dream I had been clinging to.

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