Chapter 13
The silence between them lasted only a moment before reality came rushing back.People were beginning to leave the park, their voices rising as they gathered their families, piling into cars, or strolling down the sidewalks toward home.A group of people wandered in their direction—a few men and a woman, chatting as they loaded large equipment into the back of a truck. One of the men let out a sharp whistle, grinning when he caught sight of Andrea and Asher still tangled in each other’s arms.
“Jeez, get a room,” he called out, laughing.Andrea jolted, her face flaming as she quickly pushed Asher away and scrambled to her feet.Asher, on the other hand, took his time. He ran a hand through his hair, completely unbothered, while she stood there, fidgeting.Trying to distract herself, Andrea glanced toward the group’s truck.There was a tall antenna mounted on top, and though the darkness made it hard to see, she could just make out some kind of logo on the side. A TV crew, most likely. They must have come to cover the meteor shower.
Meanwhile, Asher had started gathering their things, muttering under his breath as he stumbled in the dark.Thud.A sharp inhale.Another thud.Another muffled curse.Andrea sighed, biting back a smile as she watched him wince, clearly having kicked something—twice.
Shaking her head, she pushed aside her own flustered state and moved to help him.“You okay over there?” she teased as she approached.“I’d be better if I could see where the hell I’m going,” he grumbled, rubbing his foot against the ground as if testing for any more obstacles.With a third, frustrated umph after stubbing his foot yet again, Asher had finally had enough.
He turned toward the TV crew, who were busy packing up their equipment—large camera cases, tripod stands, and an assortment of gear, their powerful flashlights cutting through the night.“Gentlemen,” Asher called out, his voice edged with irritation, “would you be kind enough to flash a little light over here?”One of the men obliged immediately, turning his large torch in Asher’s direction, bathing him in bright yellow light.Squinting against the glare, Asher quickly went back to securing their things, grabbing the tailgate to lock it up.
But Andrea, who had been folding the blankets and stuffing them into a bag, noticed something—something strange.A woman in the crew, standing slightly apart from the rest, had gone completely still.She was holding her phone, mid-text, but her attention had shifted.
To Asher.Andrea recognized her then—the TV anchor from the CBS-affiliated local channel. She had seen her on the news before.But right now, the woman wasn’t reporting.She was staring.Unblinkingly.Her eyes roamed over Asher’s face with an intensity that sent a shiver down Andrea’s spine.
Andrea’s fingers tightened around the fabric in her hands.
The woman said nothing, made no move to speak—just kept watching him, her gaze dissecting his features, like she was trying to place him, like she knew him.And then, after a moment, she moved.Subtly.She stepped away from the group, wandering around the other side of the pickup truck, pretending to fiddle with her phone—pretending to look for signal.But Andrea wasn’t fooled.Neither was Asher.
His whole body had gone rigid, his movements no longer casual.He looked uncomfortable. Very uncomfortable.His jaw was tight, his shoulders tense, and every now and then, his mouth would twitch at the corner—his telltale sign of agitation.
Andrea’s stomach churned.Her heart started to pound, loud and erratic, a terrible rhythm of dread.Did she recognize him?The thought hit like a freight train, slamming into her so hard she felt momentarily breathless.Does she know who he really is?The weight of it pressed down on her chest like a suffocating force.Andrea swallowed, trying to push back the rising panic.
Her worst nightmare had always been this—that someone would recognize Asher, that his past would come crashing back into their present, that he would be taken from her. Without thinking, she stepped down from the back of the truck, straightening her spine as she approached the woman.“Is there a problem?” Andrea asked, her voice sharper than she intended.The woman’s head snapped up, eyes widening slightly as if caught in the act.
For a fleeting second, embarrassment flickered across her face, but she still—still—let her gaze flicker back to Asher, dragging her eyes over his face like she was trying to fit the final pieces of a puzzle together.Andrea felt like screaming. Instead, she stood there, fists clenched at her sides, waiting.Waiting for Asher to realize what was happening.Waiting for the woman to say something—something that could tear their world apart.Finally, the woman let out a sheepish laugh.“I’m sorry,” she said, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. “I just… I feel like I’ve seen you somewhere before. Do you live around here?”
Andrea barely breathed.Her heart was in her throat.This was it. This was where it would all unravel.She turned to Asher, waiting for his reaction—waiting for the moment he would seize onto the opportunity to find out who he really was.But he did nothing of the sort.He didn’t ask questions.He didn’t demand answers.Instead, he looked… irritated.More than anything, he seemed like he wanted to be anywhere but here.“Yes,” he said flatly. “In Montera Springs, currently.”
That was it.He offered nothing more, his expression carefully blank, his body turned slightly away from her as he continued packing up their things.Andrea saw it then—the way he refused to engage.He wasn’t interested in this woman’s recognition.He wasn’t interested in whatever connection she thought she might have with him.And for the first time since this entire interaction started, Andrea felt the icy grip of fear loosen just a little.The woman nodded, still looking at him like she was trying to figure something out, but eventually, she let it go.“Must’ve seen you around town, then,” she said with another laugh—too high-pitched, too awkward to be real.
Then, just as quickly as she had started, she was back on her phone, typing furiously.Minutes later, the crew was packed up and gone.And Asher, without a single glance back, started their truck.Andrea exhaled slowly, feeling like she had just survived something far more dangerous than a casual conversation.
The silence in the car was suffocating, thick with all the words they weren't saying. The magic of the night had shattered into pieces, and Andrea felt like she was choking on the remnants. She clenched her hands in her lap, stealing glances at Asher from the corner of her eye. His face was set in stone, his jaw tight, his expression unreadable. But his eyes—God, his eyes were different tonight.
Cold. Distant.Not like the Asher she knew.
A hollow ache spread in her chest. That woman—she must have recognized him. Andrea was sure of it. She had seen the flicker of something in the woman’s gaze, the hesitation in her voice. So why hadn’t Asher reacted? Why hadn’t he demanded answers, questioned her, demanded to know what she meant? Why was he so calm when he should be unraveling?
Why wasn’t he trying to find out who he really was?The question burned in her throat until she couldn’t hold it back any longer.“Asher…” Her voice wavered, fragile as glass. “Do you think that news woman might have recognized you?”She saw it then—the sharp, immediate way his body tensed, the hard clench of his fingers on the steering wheel. His mouth tightened at the corners, his expression darkening into something almost unrecognizable.“You heard her.” His voice was clipped, controlled in a way that sent shivers down her spine. “She said she might have seen me around town.”
Andrea swallowed. “But you should have asked, pried if she—”“What for?” he snapped, cutting her off before she could finish. “Are you really in that much of a hurry to get rid of me?”The force of his words sent a crack through her resolve. He turned to look at her then, and for the first time since she had met him, Asher looked like he was about to break something—something physical, something tangible. But the only thing breaking in that moment was his heart.
‘Why?’
The word came out raw, torn from some deep place inside him. He turned fully to face her now, his knuckles white as they gripped the wheel. His gaze burned with emotion, fire raging beneath the ice of his earlier coldness.
“Why, Andrea? Why are you so ready to write me off?”Her breath hitched, and she closed her eyes, turning away as if that could shield her from the weight of his pain. She wished she could escape, run from this conversation, but they were trapped in this moving car, in this moment that she had no choice but to face.“Because it will happen someday,” she whispered at last, the words barely audible over the hum of the engine.
Asher stiffened beside her. “What?”
Andrea inhaled shakily, forcing herself to say it—to voice the fear that had been gnawing at her since the day she had found him. “Sooner or later, you’re going to recognize yourself. You’re going to remember. And when that day comes…” She bit her lip, her voice breaking. “I’m just—”“You’re just hurrying up the process, huh?” His voice cracked, rough with something that made her chest constrict. She had hurt him. She had shattered something in him. And she hated herself for it.
She turned to him then, tears brimming in her eyes. “I’m trying to save myself, don’t you see?”“Asher…”“I’m trying to protect myself!” she burst out, the dam of emotions finally breaking. The tears that had been threatening for so long spilled freely down her cheeks. “Don’t you see?”His grip on the wheel slackened, his voice now soft, wounded. “From me?”“Yes, you!” she sobbed, swiping at her wet cheeks. “Don’t you see how I feel? Don’t you see what will happen when you finally realize who you really are? Not Asher. Not some stupid name I gave you, but the real person you were before Montera Springs. Don’t you see how that will destroy me?”
He flinched, like the words had physically struck him. But she couldn’t stop now.
“So, yes. I’m trying to protect myself.” Her voice trembled with every word. “Maybe if you leave now, if you just go and let me go back to my life—alone—maybe I’ll have a chance to get used to the loneliness again. I was fine before you came here, Asher. I was fine. And I know I’ll be fine again. But I can’t—” Her breath hitched, and she shook her head. “I just can’t live with this fear. The fear of when it will happen. When—when one morning, you’ll wake up and remember. Or one evening while we’re making dinner, or in a moment just like this, on some random outing, you’ll suddenly know exactly who you are. And then…”
She choked back a sob, hugging her arms around herself. “Then it will be time for you to forget this.”She couldn’t look at him, didn’t dare. But she felt it. The weight of his stare. The grief, the anger, the pain all mixing together into something unspoken, something unbearable.When he finally spoke, his voice was barely more than a whisper.
“You really think I could forget you?”Her eyes squeezed shut as fresh tears spilled down.She didn’t answer.Silence was the only answer she got.Asher didn’t even glance at her as he gripped the steering wheel, his knuckles turning white. The tension in the car was thick, suffocating, and the way he drove—faster, fiercer—felt as if he was trying to outrun something. His anger. His pain. Or maybe the truth she had forced him to confront.
Before she could process it, he pulled up outside their small house, the truck jerking to a stop. Without a word, he yanked the keys from the ignition, stepped out, and stalked toward her side.
Andrea barely had a moment to react before he opened her door and scooped her into his arms.Like a bride.
But there was nothing soft about the way he carried her. His grip was unrelenting, almost desperate, as if he was afraid she might slip away. His face was carved in stone, his jaw clenched so tight she thought it might shatter.“Asher—” she started, her voice unsteady, but he didn’t stop. Didn’t look at her.“Why aren’t you looking at me?” she demanded, her heart hammering in her chest. “Are you that angry? So angry you can’t even look at me?”Still, he said nothing, not until they reached the door and he started fumbling with the lock.
“I’m not looking at you,” he said darkly, his voice low and thick, “because what’s going to happen next—I don’t want it happening out here for everyone to see.”The moment the door clicked open, they were inside. And before she could take a breath, he was on her.The door slammed shut.The lights stayed off.And then he was kissing her.Fierce. Wild. Desperate.
It wasn’t the kind of kiss she had ever imagined from him. It was raw, consuming, so deep she felt like he was imprinting himself onto her soul. His mouth was everywhere, claiming hers with reckless abandon. His hands roamed over her body, tracing fire over her pink dress, gripping her waist, pulling her closer until there wasn’t a single inch of space between them.She gasped against his lips, but he didn’t stop. He couldn’t.
His fingers tangled in her hair, his body pressing hers against the door, pinning her there as if letting her go wasn’t an option. His teeth caught her lower lip, nipping just hard enough to make her whimper, before his tongue swept in, devouring her like he was starving for her.Her knees went weak.She clung to his shoulders, feeling the hard, solid planes of his body against hers, feeling the heat radiating between them like an untamed storm. He lifted her slightly, forcing her onto his toes as he deepened the kiss, like he needed her closer, needed to feel every part of her.The streetlights outside flickered on, their soft yellow glow casting long shadows through the window, illuminating his face just enough for her to see the fire burning in his eyes.
But it wasn’t just lust.It was determination.Possession.Like he had made up his mind about something, and nothing—not time, not fate, not even the past—could take it away from him.“You were afraid,” he murmured against her lips, his breath hot and ragged, “that I was going to leave once I remembered?”
His hands tightened around her waist, his forehead resting against hers.“Then listen to me, Andrea.” His voice was rough, raw with emotion. “If I have to choose between remembering my past life or staying in this one—” His lips brushed over hers again, his words almost a whisper but filled with an unshakable certainty.“I will always choose this.”His grip on her tightened, his next kiss even more bruising, more possessive.
“I will always choose you.”