Page 43 of Obsession on Repeat
"You don’t get it. I didn’t choose him over you. I needed someone who understood, and he was there."
"Why didn’t you pick up the phone and talk to me?"
"Because I’m afraid!" My voice rose, cracking painfully. "Because every time we talk, we fight. I’m drowning, and you keep asking me for more! You show up here and start some macho confrontation, claiming Asher’s the problem, when the real problem is us."
He stared at me, breathing heavily, his expression breaking slowly. "So that’s it?" He studied me, his expression unreadable. "It’s us?"
"I don’t know, but it’s not him. Whatever issues we have aren’t because of him."
"Tell me how to fix it, because I don’t know how."
"Stop making everything a test. Stop treating me like something you might lose instead of someone you have."
Sullivan froze, something shifting in his eyes. He reached out slowly, carefully touching my cheek, thumb brushing the tears that spilled over. "I’m terrified of losing you."
"I’m terrified too," I admitted, leaning into his hand. "But if we keep acting this way, we’ll lose each other anyway."
He stepped closer, his forehead touching mine gently. "I came here to fight for us, not against you."
"Trust me enough to let me breathe. I need you, not your jealousy, not your fear. You."
He closed his eyes briefly, taking a deep, shaky breath. "Okay. No more ultimatums, no more confrontations. Whatever happens, we face it together."
I nodded, finally relaxing into him, feeling him breathe deeply, his body softening as the tension slowly faded between us.
Later that night, after he had fallen asleep, I lay awake, staring at the ceiling. My thoughts refused to settle, replaying the conversations from earlier. Sullivan’s hurt, Asher’s honesty. Everything was blurred, knotted, impossible to untangle.
I rolled quietly out of bed, slipping into the living room. The city lights outside our window glowed softly, distant and indifferent. I sank onto the couch, pulling a blanket tightly around myself as though it might keep my conflicted feelings at bay.
His words kept echoing in my head, unsettling and too honest.You deserve more.
The problem was, I didn’t know what ‘more’ meant. Was it attention? Stability? The absence of pressure, the freedom from his complicated, spotlight-driven life? Or was it the possibility that someone else could understand parts of me Sullivan couldn’t? The thought felt wrong,dangerous, unfair. But I couldn’t stop seeing Asher’s eyes; calm, sincere, filled with something deeper than flirtation. He hadn’t been stirring trouble. He’d been genuine.
The worst part was, some tiny, traitorous part of me wondered what if. What if things had been different? What if he had never walked into Venom?
My phone buzzed quietly, pulling me from my thoughts. I picked it up, heart skipping painfully when I saw Asher’s name.
I’m sorry for today. I meant every word I said, but I never wanted to hurt you.
I stared at the message, thumb hovering over the screen, unsure how to reply—or if I should reply at all.
I know, but we can’t do this.
I understand.
I put my phone down, sinking deeper into the couch. I knew understanding something and accepting it were two different things. Right now, my heart had no idea how to tell them apart.
I spent the next few days at Euphoria deliberately avoiding Asher. I arrived early, stayed behind the booth, and made sure I never ended up alone with him. Each time our eyes met across the crowded club, I quickly looked away, pretending the steady burn of guilt wasn’t eating at me.
Gina noticed immediately. "You’re avoiding Mr. Hollywood," she teased gently after my set one night, nudging my shoulder. "Something happen?"
"It’s complicated," I mumbled, eyes glued to my equipment as I packed up.
She sighed. "It always is."
The club was closed, almost deserted except for employees, and I finished cleaning my area, sweeping the turntables free of any dust that had managed to cling to it. Satisfied, I made my way from the booth, nodding at the few people I passed that said good night.
Vanessa wasn’t in my office. I bit my lip as I debated on what to do. As I came rushing out of her office, I ran smack-dab into Asher, and he had to reach out to steady me else I would have landed flat on my ass.
