Take Me Beyond Your Heart (sequel) boyxboy

*21*

The week whizzed by quicker than I'd had liked it to.

If I had known that Asher's little modeling gig would take him two hours away from me for two days, I would've made the most of that week.

I was caught unawares and for goodness' sake! Why hadn't he told me about this?

"I'm not ready, Ash!" I practically whined when I was over his house the day before he'd leave. I knew whining was annoying, but could I help it? What was I going to do for two days?

"I'm sorry I didn't tell you, Nolan. Really, I am." He gave me a contrite stare and I obviously couldn't hold a grudge for more than ten seconds, so I sighed and forgave him.

"What will I do while you're away?" I asked, then I gasped when I thought about Zion. "What will Zion do while you're away?" I reworded my question.

"Zion's staying with Kalani. She won't be working, so she can look after him. She helped me babysit when he was an infant, so I trust her. Please try to see him? He likes friendly faces."

I nodded. "Of course."

"Good. Thank you." He gave me his dimpled smile.

I sighed. "I guess I'm a little guilty of a secret, too. I'm going to see my kidnapper tomorrow.
Anderson Prose is his name."

Asher gaped at me. "You're serious about this?"

"Yes, Ash."

"It's spider-pig." He smirked then shook his head. "Don't go, Nolan. He kidnapped you."

"I get that, but... I really need to meet him not just to satisfy my curiosity but for a number of
reasons. Justin thinks my disappearance was his fault and he needs to know that it wasn't. I
also want to forgive him."

"Why? He might not even regret it."

"If he does, I'll forgive him and it'll relieve his guilt even a little bit. If he's not remorseful, at least he'll know that he has no power over me anymore."

Asher stared at me with his wonderful eyes and slowly nodded. "You feel strongly about it, so I'm gonna support you." He placed his hand on mine. "Just be careful. Let him know if he lays a finger on you, I'll find out and hunt him down."

"Justin's coming with me. And I can always tackle him."

"Good. Use those muscles."

I chuckled and pulled him closer. He planted a sweet kiss on my lips and I breathed contentedly.

"I wish I could forgive as easily as you do," Asher told me.

"It isn't easy, but it's right. You haven't really had the best of relationships, have you? Not just
people you dated, but close friends?"

He shook his head. "No, I haven't. Family, too, and myself."

"If you ever wanna talk about it, you can. I know someone who managed to forgive a dead
person. It would seem crazy because he's not alive, right? But that isn't the case. Forgiving
people who hurt you gives you a peace of mind and relief."

He rubbed circles on my hand with his thumb and gazed at me. "You're right." He kissed my
cheek. "I admire you, Nolan."

My heart beat sped up a tad bit at his compliment.

"It's panda-fish," I whispered. "Is it alright to sleep a bit?" I asked randomly.

"Of course."

"Sorry. I just don't get enough sleep. Would you... I know you're busy right now, but could you,
um..."