When the fear of isolation pulls Ashton and Ria together, nothing can prepare them for the collision. An anomaly shatters the repetitive fabric of their lives, sending them on a journey of discovering themselves and one another.
Beneath Ashton's gen...
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"I'M TRYING MY HARDEST not to call you fucking beautiful, but you're making it so damn hard." Ashton shakes his head as his infatuated eyes trace along her entirety. "I don't want you to think that's my catchphrase."
"I think it's a little late for that." Ria welcomes him into the apartment and shuts the door behind him. She observes him before concealing a sheepish smile. "You're beautiful as well."
As usual, Ashton teases her eyes with the most innocent hint of his chest exposed, the first three buttons of his black shirt released. Half of the button-down is tucked into his dark, blue jeans while the other half slips from the waist.
Though his eyes are what sweep her away. They're brighter than normal. Eager. A goofy smile shapes his lips. Artistic fingers breeze through his hair.
Electricity buzzes beneath her skin, hums fill her chest; all from merely witnessing his excitement.
"Thanks." He looks down at himself. "It's been a while since I've had to dress for a real date."
"Same here." She grabs the skirt of her dress and twists the soft fabric around her legs. "I actually feel kind of pretty."
This earns her an eye-roll. "You're more than pretty. You're fu-" Embarrassed flames taunt his cheeks as he withholds himself from saying it again. "Maybe it'll sound more romantic if I say it in Italian."
"Sei fottutamente bella."
He squints. "Say fototmento beya?" the words tumble from his tongue.
Ria snorts and a childish giggle bursts from her lips. "Tha-that was so adorable," she wheezes out. Her shoulders shake and she covers her mouth, trying to control her laughter.
"You're really bruising my confidence over here." The space between them vanishes. Gentle hands find her waist. "I was really trying there."
She giggles and leans into him. "I'm sorry, that was just so cute."
He shakes his head briefly before planting a soft kiss against her lips. Ria discovers the sides of his face with infatuated touches and threads her fingers through his hair. "You know," he says between kisses, "you keep calling me these unmasculine things. I'm starting to feel like less of a man."
"I didn't know your ego was so fragile," she teases.
His chuckle rumbles in his chest and drifts through her. "I know, right? Call me sweetheart and I start getting all soft."
"Well, you are a sweetheart." She runs her thumbs along his strong jaw and loses herself in the reflection of his eyes. "You try to close yourself off, but I can see your sadness. I know you're hiding something. Maybe it has to do with loneliness."
