They're gonna get him.

One thing that was consistent in Summer's life existed in her mind. For years on end, voices plagued her. From sweet nothings to cold comments, they filled her ears with their words. She doesn't know when it started, she only knew that they existed, and it didn't make any sense.

Her parents were supportive of her, she had a wonderful best friend, her academic prowess and talents were exceptional. Summer embodied perfection.

And yet, it was that perfection and talent that became the voices' fuel for their fire. While the outside world saw her as beautiful, smart, and wonderful, her mind on the inside twisted the words into ugly, stupid, and unlovable.

The last thing Summer ever wanted to be was unlovable, so she searched for love. She searched for the love was unconditional, passionate, and intimate, where she knew that someone deeply cared for her and accepted all the darkness she had trapped within.

She searched for the love in Freddy Huerta, but it left her with more heartbreak than she could ever expect. The monsters inside of her would shriek and scream whenever he was around, as if he was their idol.

However, they were dead silent whenever Asher was around.

They're gonna get him.

Asher was the first person to silence her demons with his presence. It was power Summer couldn't believe he had, but when he was around her, she felt normal, she felt at peace, she felt happy. It was inexplicable. With the sound of silence in her mind, she was able to pull the wool off of her eyes and focus on the enigma before her.

Asher was a very sweet boy, one of the kindest souls Summer has come to know. He was beautiful in his own right, and she loved that about him. He made her world a bit better each day because he was around.

And she told him so.

The brightness of Asher's brown eyes made Summer's heart skip a beat, and she felt her heart racing when she saw him smile. It was a cheeky grin, but Summer loved it anyway. And she loved that he thought of her the same way.

Since then, they grew much closer. They spent nights under the stars, sharing stories of when they were younger and less worried about what lied beyond. While Summer believed the stories she told were par for the course, she was captivated by Asher's. She laughed at all the times he would be up late with his father, enjoying cheesy comedy movies because it made them happy (it was something they did often). Her heart would ache when he talked about his mother, as she knew that he never got to meet her. The sorrow and joy in his words made Summer feel like she was real, like she was a human being and not some carefully crafted character. He made her feel safe enough to shed the perfect persona she wore for so long.

And with each night they spent together, telling stories and enjoying each other's company, the demons stayed silent. It was as if they died because there was nothing to latch onto, there was nothing they could use to hurt Summer anymore. There were so many nights where there was nothing but peace for Summer, and she had Asher to thank for it.

Tonight seemed to be different.

They're gonna get him. You know they will, and you won't be able to save him.

It was late into the night, an hour until midnight, and Summer found herself still awake, sitting up in her parents' bed. Asher's sleeping form was next to her, nearly covered in a blanket of darkness. He didn't make a sound, as Summer could barely hear him breathe. She turned her attention away from him to look around her room. The stillness of it all was calming at first, until the silence was broken.

Mine.

Summer felt her blood run cold. The voice was sickeningly familiar. The voice she thought was dead wasn't dead at all. It was waiting for its moment...they were waiting for their moment. As Summer looked down at Asher, she heard the voice again. It was louder and clearer.

Mine.

Trying her best to ignore it, Summer gently pushed her knuckles against Asher's cheek. He stirred a bit before opening his eyes slowly. He looked up at Summer and gave her a tired smile, "Hi, Sum."

"Hey," Summer smiled as he sat up. The gentle tone of his voice made her feel a bit at ease.

"Everything okay?"

"Yeah...I just wanted to see you awake."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes, Ash, I'm sure," Summer smiled at him, but it felt forced. The voices grew louder and began to mesh together. She couldn't understand what they were yelling to her anymore, and the chaos in her mind was showing on her features.

"Summer?" Asher asked, concerned. He placed a hand on Summer's shoulder, "Are you okay?"

"I'm...I'm fine," Summer tried to smile as her eyes slowly began to burn, "Never better."

"It doesn't look like it."

"Trust me, Asher, I'm okay. Don't worry...!" the hurricane inside of Summer's mind was only getting stronger. She felt tears rush down her cheeks as she coughed out. It was only a matter of time before it all came to a head, And when Asher moved to wipe away her tears, the time arrived, "Don't touch me!"

Asher pulled away from her quickly as his eyes glistened with worry. Summer wiped her tears away and looked at him, her lips quivering, "Summer..."

"I'm sorry."

"What's going on?"

"I..." Summer moved closer to Asher, her hand only a fingertip length away from his, "I've been haunted by something for my entire life. It's...it's sinister."

"What is it?"

"I've been haunting myself," Summer replied, seeing the surprise in his eyes, "I've had these demons, these monsters, lurking in my mind. Whenever I got a compliment, they would turn it into an insult. They spat words at me for years and nothing could stop them...but then you came along."

"What...?" Asher asked slowly, unable to comprehend what she was telling him.

"You silenced them, Asher," Summer smiled at him, her cheeks beginning to burn when her eyes stopped, "Just by being around, by being you, they were quiet. No one I know has that power but you."

"Oh..." Asher whispered before Summer spoke up again.

"I wanna say that they're gone for good, but they're not, and I'm scared. I'm scared them and I'm scared of the darkness inside of me. And through all this, after all this time, there's something I'm scared of the most."

"What is it?" Asher asked, "What are you scared of the most?"

"Ash...it's not gonna be what you want to hear," Summer sighed.

"Tell me."

"Asher-"

"I care about you, Summer. You can tell me anything, and you can tell me this."

"I can't-"

"Yes, you can. Tell me, Summer."

"Please-"

"Summer."

"No..."

"Yes."

Summer tried to fight off Asher's pleas, as she knew that she would lose him if she told him. It soon became too much to handle for her.

"It's you!"

Summer's shout took Asher aback. She gazed into his eyes and a mix of shock and hurt decorated them. It shot a jolt of pain through Summer's heart. After a moment of silence, Summer broke the ice, "I'm scared of you."

"Why...?" Asher spoke gently.

"I'm scared of you...I'm scared of you because I love you."

In that moment, Summer felt a weight lift off of her shoulders. She and Asher locked eyes with each other and there were no words between them. She watched as his eyes lit up and his cheeks were a bright pink when moonlight cascaded over their bodies. Summer's words echoed through the room of silence.

I'm scared of you because I love you.

"Summer," Asher cut into the deafening silence, "You...love me...?"

"Yes," Summer sighed as more weight was ripped away from her. Asher didn't respond, merely looking at Summer with the same bright eyes she fell in love with. While Summer read his face as mellowed surprise, his eyes were screaming happiness. When it was clear that Asher was speechless, Summer moved to fill the space between them.

The kiss was her first.

The feeling was euphoric, it was the feeling of freedom Summer longed for. Her arms wrapped around Asher's torso, pulling him closer to her and deepening the kiss between them. In the mess of passion and intimacy the kiss provided, Summer told him everything she felt through her lips.

You are my everything, Asher. The one person I truly can't live without. By being who you are, you make things brighter in my world. You let me feel real, like I really exist in the world because you are nothing but yourself around me. It's all I ever needed. No one can save me from my monsters like you can. You mean everything to me and I'm never going to let you go. I love you.

When they pulled away for air, Summer leaned in and pressed her forehead against Asher's, brushing her nose past his. They gazed into each other's eyes and Summer felt her cheeks in an inferno. She felt Asher kiss her cheek and she wrapped her arms around his neck.

"I love you too," Asher whispered in her ear, and his gentle tone made Summer feel at peace. The words were music to her ears, and she knew that he was everything she could ever need. Summer pulled away from him and brushed her nose against his slowly. Time was passing them by and Summer wanted to stay there with Asher until the day the world ended.

"Mine," she whispered with a smile, feeling on top of the world.

She watched Asher's brown eyes dance before cupping his cheeks and pulling him into another kiss. She dragged her thumb across his cheek before pressing her lips against the pulse point on his neck. He let out a giggle before they both fell back against Summer's bed, giggling and smiling out of pure joy. Summer instantly felt Asher's arms around her as he kissed her forehead. She relaxed herself in his hug, resting her head on his shoulder. It was a perfect moment for Summer, and although it had to end, she still had the morning, where she would wake up to Asher's smile and know that everything would be okay.

They won't get him because he's mine, and that's all I need.

A/N: WOW, this one took awhile to write because I wanted to make it deep and emotional and in Summer's point of view. And this was the best I got.

This, along with "There's Nothing Subtle Here", is part of a SoR one-shot series called "Wishes, Love", so check that out if you haven't already. I hope you liked it and stay tuned for the next one! :3