His eyes fluttered open, his pupils dilating and contracting rapidly before settling on a normal size. Haille was still frozen on her side of the bed, staring at him, waiting for him to speak. His eyes locked onto hers for what seemed like hours before he finally tore them away and glanced at the digital clock behind her head.
"Sorry, I didn't mean to sleep in so late." He started as he sat up running a hand through his hair, "Have you been awake long?"
She shook her head, still not sure if she could trust her voice.
"Good," he caught her gaze in his own again. "Are you okay?"
"Yeah," she nodded and cleared her throat when her voice came out roughly, "yeah."
"You're not having second thoughts about tonight right?" His face remained passive but there was a strange expression in his eyes. Haille shook her head, "Good, we have a reservation at eight-thirty."
She slid off the bed and into the bathroom without another word. A few minutes later, he heard the shower run. Once he was sure she wasn't going to come back out into the room he settled his head in his hands and let out an agonizing groan. He was perfectly still for almost ten minutes before allowing himself to stand up slowly and walk out of the room.
Haille emerged from the bathroom in a cloud of steam, surprised to see Asher gone, but decided to shrug it off as she got dressed. She wasn't sure what had made her agree to this date, her feelings were still very conflicted where he was concerned. On the one hand, he was still Ash and her heart was still broken. But on the other, it was getting very easy to pretend that he was a different person altogether. She snapped out of her thoughts and took a hard look at the contents of her closet. Hanger after hanger of uniform pieces took up the most space, and then a couple of casual tees and jeans. She hadn't packed a single item of clothing suitable for a date. Sighing in annoyance, she slipped on the first thing she saw and grabbed her purse, praying an outfit would be easy to find.
At eight-twenty, Haille rushed through the lobby and out the front doors of the skyscraper that made up Team Rocket's headquarters. She and Asher had agreed to meet out front twenty minutes ago but Haille had become sidetracked while she was getting ready.
"I'm so sorry I'm late, I'm not usually like this," she stopped short when she caught his expression. He was staring at her, his mouth slightly open and his eyes brighter than normal, "What?" she asked suddenly worried she had chosen incorrectly.
After hours of searching, Haille had finally stumbled across a navy blue dress that hugged her figure but she could comfortably move in. It was a simple cut, strapless with just a hint of flare from her waist, giving the illusion of an hourglass figure. She paired it with a simple diamond pendant and matching earrings, a black clutch and dark strappy heels. Though she never showed it, when she became "dating age" her sisters had instilled in her what makes a great outfit and Haille was very good at following their rules.
"I've never seen you look so pretty," he answered softly. She flushed as he continued to stare at her, making a tingle run through her entire body.
"We should probably get going, we don't want them to give our table away." She smiled breaking his trance. He nodded and held his arm out to her as they walked down the street. "Where are we going that's within walking distance?"
"Just a little restaurant, Vincini's. Great Italian food, usually packed but still feels private," he responded.
"And you were able to get a reservation on such short notice?" she smirked, "Now you're just showing off."
"The way to a woman's heart is either connections or food, this way I'm covering both bases." They laughed as he stopped in front of a small brick building buried between two larger metal ones.
It was the sort of place you would miss if you weren't looking hard enough, but also Haille's idea of perfect. He opened the door for her and she fell just as in love with the inside. Round bistro style tables with partitions staggered around the small room and fairy lights strung from the low ceilings. Asher had been right, it was packed but still somehow intimate. He gave his name to the maitre'd and they were led to a table in the back.
"Do you come here often?" she asked conversationally as she scanned the menu.
"I used to, but I haven't been able to make it lately, I've been a bit tied up." He grinned.
"It's adorable, like we're all alone in a charming little town. The fairy lights feel like stars." Haille whispered taking in their tiny corner.
"I thought you'd like it, I was glad we were able to get a table. Otherwise I would have cancelled the whole thing." He winked at her then smiled up at the waiter that came to the table, "Hello, I think we'll just have whatever the special is tonight and a bottle of merlot."
Haille raised an eyebrow as the waiter retreated with a slight bow of his head. "Trust me," Asher chuckled.
He opened the door for her just before they both stumbled into the room, laughing. He pulled his jacket off, tossing it to the side and loosened the tie around his neck before half falling and half sitting on the end of the bed.
"Thanks for going out with me, it was a lot of fun." He smiled at her. Haille had ripped off her shoes the second they got in the elevator and she set them next to the door now. Her cheeks were flushed due to the 2 bottles of wine they had split with dinner, her hair had started to fall out of the loose updo leaving tendrils framing her face.
She laughed taking a step toward him, "It was. I'm glad we did it," she broke off, catching him staring at her again. The whole course of the night she would look up and he would be watching her. It sent a shiver through her body as his eyes burned into hers. She hadn't felt this way in a long time, this level of desire. She took another step so that she was standing above him, their eyes never leaving each other.
The conflicting feelings were starting to get to her, she was aware enough to know how badly she wanted him, and even that he felt the same way. But the voice in the back of her head kept reminding her that this was Ash and she hated him. Truthfully, she didn't, and that was the real problem. If she hated him, the line would be much more defined and she wouldn't have to worry about anything. But she loved and wanted him as Ash almost as much as she did as Asher.
His eyes flickered briefly, displaying another emotion, one that she couldn't place. But the slight break in eye contact forced her to make a decision. In an instant, Haille had closed the gap between them, pressing her lips against his.
He was surprised at first but very quickly reciprocated, parting her lips and deepening the kiss. Afraid that the second she let go it would all be over, she slid her hands to his shoulders for bearing and moved her legs onto the bed on either side of his. His hands moved to her waist, making her position more secure but neither one broke contact.
Haille felt suddenly cold, she needed to be closer to him. Her fingers slid against the fabric of his shirt until they found the buttons. She fumbled a little then groaned against his mouth, pulling the two sides of his shirt until it tore open. He shrugged out of it and she rested one of her hands over his heart, feeling it pound beneath her palm. She didn't notice the tears rolling down her face until he pulled away.
"H-hey," he struggled to catch his breath, "We don't have to do this."
She smiled at him, rubbing the wetness off her cheeks before leaning forward and kissing him gently. "I know, but if we don't, I'll be really disappointed."
She pulled back again, standing at the edge of the bed she reached to her side and unzipped her dress letting it fall to the floor. He stood up to meet her but she pushed him back a little roughly, causing him to fall back onto his elbows. Haille kicked her dress to the side and reached back pulling the bobby pins out of her hair, glancing at Asher she saw his eyes on her and his breathing quicken. She slowly crawled over him, their bodies pressed against each other as she kissed him hungrily.
He shifted his body underneath her, trying to undo his pants without giving up the activity at hand. She giggled, breaking apart just long enough to push herself up on her hands and knees. Her hand slid beneath them, finishing the task he had started while pressing her lips against his neck and shoulders. A few short kicks later and they were in the same state of undress. Haille sat up so that her weight rested on his thighs. She looked at him with concern, his expression was so serious.
"Asher?" she asked, he didn't respond right away so she called to him again.
"This..." he started but changed his mind, deciding to go with a different approach, "There's something here, right? More than just physical?"
She grabbed his hands and pulled him up to meet her, sliding his arms around her back in the process. "I think that I could fall in love with you," she whispered.
Haille woke up slowly, registering first that she wasn't wearing anything. Next, she turned onto her back and felt something draped across her. She followed it lightly with her fingers until she connected with Asher's shoulder. She smiled as the night before flooded her mind. She hadn't felt this good in a long time, warm and comfortable and wrapped in the arms of someone who cared about her. Asher began to stir next to her, pulling her tightly against him before opening his eyes.
"Good morning," he smiled, kissing her forehead.
"Good morning, do you have a meeting today?" she asked.
"Not until later," as he answered her, he kissed her on the lips this time and she turned slightly so that they were facing each other.
"Again?" she murmured against his mouth.
"It's a new day," he sighed, pushing her onto her back. The foreplay didn't last as long, neither did the act itself and when they were done they clung to each other, struggling to catch their breath.
Haille sighed, laying on top of him with her head against his chest. She wanted this to last forever. She wanted Asher forever. It was the most certain she'd been about anything during this whole stupid mission. She wanted to wake up every morning in his arms, she wanted to kiss him every time the mood struck her. As if proving her point, she lifted her head up and pressed her lips against his. She knew, that she couldn't have him. It was impossible and unfair, to get what she wanted she'd have to disappoint a lot of people. She had to let him turn back into Ash and let him out of her life again.
"Hey," he whispered, stroking his hand lightly down her back, "I gotta get up and start getting ready."
She rolled over to his side and watched him sit up and rub the sleep out of his face with the palms of his hands.
"Asher?" He turned to look at her and she lost her nerve, but continued in a softer voice, "Don't forget about your pills. After all the wine we drank last night you definitely don't want to risk a migraine."
He inhaled sharply and gave her a look that chilled Haille to the bone, his eyes darkened, just long enough that she caught his change in demeanor. "You're right," he smiled sadly leaning down to kiss her one last time before walking into the bathroom shutting the door tightly behind him.
And she hated herself for what she had done.
A/N: This is what happens when you have a day off and nothing to do. Add in some insomnia and you get two updates in as many days. Hopefully you're still enjoying where this story is going. Only a few more chapters left.
I did something a bit different in this chapter, anyone notice?
