A/N: Originally posted on AO3.
"What happened?" Asher asks upon entering the women's restroom to find Michaela pacing along the doorways of the stalls, her head tipped down and brow lined with anxiety. She wrings the strap of her purse in both hands as her top teeth bite down on her bottom lip.
At the sound of his voice her head snaps up, eyes meeting his. "Where's Laurel?" She asks pausing in her motions as her purse slips from the grip of one hand. She's both relieved and concerned by the other woman's absence.
"She's outside keeping an eye on Mahoney. I came to check on you." Asher steps closer, the unease in the air halting his stride.
Michaela nods once before frowning and turning away. The distress is clear in her voice when she speaks, "He wants me to go home with him. I can't…I can't do it. This was a terrible idea. I can't believe I was stupid enough to agree to this—"
The reassuring weight of Asher's hands placed gently on her shoulders stop Michaela's words. She relents as they guide her to face him, and the tension in her shoulders ease with his warmth and tender expression. It's a wonder that the mere presence of someone she use to think of as nothing more than a privileged frat boy jackass can have such a positive effect on her mood.
"You don't have to." Asher kisses her forehead, drawing her closer. "Don't worry. You don't have to go anywhere with him."
Michaela presses her face into his chest, her arms circling his waist. A small smile tugs at her lips and she basks in the sense of security brought forth by his embrace as she inhales his heady aroma. After a moment her eyes lift to meet his.
"I think I love you too." She feels his deep intake of breath, her body moving along with his.
"Are you sure?"
Michaela nods, her smile widening at the wonder written across Asher's face.
"How do you suddenly know?" His hands move along her back, encouraging her to open up.
"The whole time I was out there with Mahoney, I was thinking about you... Thinking about how I'd rather be home in bed watching a movie with you, even though you'd talk through the entire thing and make corny jokes." Michaela chuckles softly, looking down to toy with a button on his shirt in embarrassment.
Asher lifts his head, feigning consideration as his arms tighten, briefly, around her. "Hmm, so you know because you'd rather be with me than be around that creep?" His upturned lips belie the sarcasm in his tone.
Michaela slaps his chest, grinning. "Shut up. You know that's not how I meant it… You make everything better. I feel safe with you, like I can be myself…" Her sentence trails off, forgotten due to the affection in Asher's gaze and the caress of his fingers on her neck. Her breathing shallows as her lips part and await the touch of his.
Before their connection can be made, they're interrupted by the chiming of Asher's cell phone.
"Shit, Laurel," Michaela exclaims, startled from their romantic moment. "We have to make sure she doesn't do anything crazy."
"Yeah, but we're coming back to this later." Asher maintains his hold around her waist, searching her face for confirmation.
"Definitely," Michaela replies, her expression momentarily brightening as she quickly presses her lips to his. "I love you, and we'll talk about that more later. For now we have to check on Laurel." With that she takes his hand and leads him out of the restroom.