All the Lies (Lies & Truths 1)

He’s hugging me. Asher is hugging me.

He pulls me into him and lets me sleep in the curve of his body, my neck hidden in his neck and my legs nestled between his.

“Just sleep,” he murmurs against my head, planting a chaste kiss on top.

As I close my eyes, I know I’ll sleep the best I have in ages.

Because I finally feel like I belong.

“We’ll be together forever?”

Her hand lies on my chest, where my heart beats loud, tears welling in her eyes. “Even if I’m not here in person, I’ll always be here, Rai.”

I nod several times and hold on to her hand like it’s the only line I have in life. “You’ll be okay, Rei.”

She smiles, her nose twitching a little. “No. We will be okay.”

When I speak, my voice is barely a whisper, “I love you, Reina.”

“Love you, too, Rai.”

My eyes shoot open to be greeted by the darkness.

Deep, uncontrollable darkness.

I open my mouth to shriek, but no sound comes out. A heavy weight settles on my chest, shifting as if about to burst through.

That’s when I realize I’m not breathing. Nothing is suffocating my air, so why the hell am I not breathing?

Breathe.

Breathe.

“Reina!”

My lungs kick into gear at that voice. That low, firm voice with the slight huskiness.

A light illuminates the room and with it, my lungs regain their functions. I gasp for air as if I were drowning and now I’m finally seeing the surface.

Strong arms hold me in a steel-like cage as I breathe in and out.

Inhale. Exhale.

Sandalwood and citrus.

Asher.

My nails dig into the thin material of his T-shirt as I stare up at him. Blurriness still clouds my vision from the tears in the dream—or memory.

He watches me with an indecipherable expression. His thick brows furrow downward as his thumb strokes the skin of my belly where my top meets my shorts.

Up and down. Up and down.

The friction his touch creates is like a soothing lullaby. A reason to breathe. To remain here.

Asher must’ve showered because his hair is half damp, falling over his forehead in a perfect mess. With the bedside lamp on, the green of his eyes flickers to a darker color like the night or… the unknown.

Why do I keep gravitating toward the unknown? Is it the thrill? The feeling of having my will taken away?