"Thank you for helping me. Earlier, I mean."
He arched an eyebrow in amusement. "My pleasure. Didn't think you'd remember."
I smiled at him and slowly continued my trek down the hallway towards the exit doors. Air, I needed air. Hot Guy followed alongside me, matching my pace.
"I'm Natalie," I offered, glancing over at him shyly.
"Asher," he responded.
Asher, I thought, letting the name burn into my mind. That's a good name.
"Ash is a pretty badass nickname," I said, deciding that that's what I would call him from now on. He laughed in response, and the butterflies in my stomach intensified. To my horror, they were turning into nausea, and I hugged my stomach.
Eyeing the bathroom across from us, I made a lunge for it. "I'll be right back," I barely squeezed out.
When I came back out, I somehow felt better and shittier all at once. I glanced around for my new friend but couldn't see him anywhere. He probably went home--no point in hanging out with the girl too drunk to walk. Damn.
I looked around for a few seconds, but instead of seeing Asher, I saw Ben. He was headed for me and he looked angry.
Turning on my heel, I headed for the exit again but was stopped when Ben grabbed my arm. "What do you think you're doing?" he snarled in my ear. "Whoring yourself around with any guy you see at a party?"
"I didn't do anything," I said through gritted teeth, breaking from from his grasp. "We broke up a month ago, Ben. Get over it."
I quickened my pace, anger driving each step now. I could feel the blind, drunken rage overcome me with each step. He was such a prick, I had no idea what I saw in him to begin with.
"I'm not done talking to you," Ben snapped as he caught up with me. He was a lot taller than my petite height, so it felt like ten of my steps were only two of his. I was almost at the door now, but Ben was holding it shut, towering over me.
Crossing my arms over my chest, I glared up at him. "Let me go, Ben. It's over."
"It's not."
"Well, maybe you should've thought of that before cheating on me then blaming me for it."
I turned around again and reached for the door, but Ben grabbed a fistful of my hair and yanked me back. My elbow instinctively jabbed him in the stomach as hard as it could, and I squeezed my eyes shut when I saw his palm swing up in the air, ready to strike.
Then he let go of me, followed by a loud 'thump'. Glancing down, I saw Ben on the floor with Asher on top of him. I counted three hard blows to Ben's face before Asher stood up, rolling his shoulders.
"Let's go, Natalie," he said, leading me to the exit with his hand on the small of my back.
Holy shit, I thought, only glancing back once to make sure Ben hadn't come after us.
"Thank you, Ash," I breathed, my heart still racing at what had just happened.
No one had ever stood up for me like that before, so I had to learn to stand up for myself. Unfortunately, that didn't always carry over well when I was trying to defend myself against men more than twice my size. No one until Asher. If I thought he was attractive before, he was a billion times sexier to me now for not even thinking twice before defending me. I looked at him in awe, my heart swelling and pounding for him in a way that it hadn't for any man or boyfriend in my life. I never even got this turned on at photos of Beiron Andersson, whose photos adorned my walls and who I had previously thought was the hottest guy in the world. I stole another look from Ash and realized that he actually kind of looked like Beiron Andersson, once his face matured a bit I think I would see a striking similarity. Even his hair length was the length Beiron's was in his younger years. The main visible difference were the eyes; Asher's were much bluer.
"Don't even mention it."
We wandered aimlessly for a little while, talking about everything, from our favorite food to what I even saw in Ben in the first place. It was funny, because after our four-month relationship, all I could come up with was
He arched an eyebrow in amusement. "My pleasure. Didn't think you'd remember."
I smiled at him and slowly continued my trek down the hallway towards the exit doors. Air, I needed air. Hot Guy followed alongside me, matching my pace.
"I'm Natalie," I offered, glancing over at him shyly.
"Asher," he responded.
Asher, I thought, letting the name burn into my mind. That's a good name.
"Ash is a pretty badass nickname," I said, deciding that that's what I would call him from now on. He laughed in response, and the butterflies in my stomach intensified. To my horror, they were turning into nausea, and I hugged my stomach.
Eyeing the bathroom across from us, I made a lunge for it. "I'll be right back," I barely squeezed out.
When I came back out, I somehow felt better and shittier all at once. I glanced around for my new friend but couldn't see him anywhere. He probably went home--no point in hanging out with the girl too drunk to walk. Damn.
I looked around for a few seconds, but instead of seeing Asher, I saw Ben. He was headed for me and he looked angry.
Turning on my heel, I headed for the exit again but was stopped when Ben grabbed my arm. "What do you think you're doing?" he snarled in my ear. "Whoring yourself around with any guy you see at a party?"
"I didn't do anything," I said through gritted teeth, breaking from from his grasp. "We broke up a month ago, Ben. Get over it."
I quickened my pace, anger driving each step now. I could feel the blind, drunken rage overcome me with each step. He was such a prick, I had no idea what I saw in him to begin with.
"I'm not done talking to you," Ben snapped as he caught up with me. He was a lot taller than my petite height, so it felt like ten of my steps were only two of his. I was almost at the door now, but Ben was holding it shut, towering over me.
Crossing my arms over my chest, I glared up at him. "Let me go, Ben. It's over."
"It's not."
"Well, maybe you should've thought of that before cheating on me then blaming me for it."
I turned around again and reached for the door, but Ben grabbed a fistful of my hair and yanked me back. My elbow instinctively jabbed him in the stomach as hard as it could, and I squeezed my eyes shut when I saw his palm swing up in the air, ready to strike.
Then he let go of me, followed by a loud 'thump'. Glancing down, I saw Ben on the floor with Asher on top of him. I counted three hard blows to Ben's face before Asher stood up, rolling his shoulders.
"Let's go, Natalie," he said, leading me to the exit with his hand on the small of my back.
Holy shit, I thought, only glancing back once to make sure Ben hadn't come after us.
"Thank you, Ash," I breathed, my heart still racing at what had just happened.
No one had ever stood up for me like that before, so I had to learn to stand up for myself. Unfortunately, that didn't always carry over well when I was trying to defend myself against men more than twice my size. No one until Asher. If I thought he was attractive before, he was a billion times sexier to me now for not even thinking twice before defending me. I looked at him in awe, my heart swelling and pounding for him in a way that it hadn't for any man or boyfriend in my life. I never even got this turned on at photos of Beiron Andersson, whose photos adorned my walls and who I had previously thought was the hottest guy in the world. I stole another look from Ash and realized that he actually kind of looked like Beiron Andersson, once his face matured a bit I think I would see a striking similarity. Even his hair length was the length Beiron's was in his younger years. The main visible difference were the eyes; Asher's were much bluer.
"Don't even mention it."
We wandered aimlessly for a little while, talking about everything, from our favorite food to what I even saw in Ben in the first place. It was funny, because after our four-month relationship, all I could come up with was
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