The Space Between Us(24)

Nope. I had never loved him any more than right now.

She nodded at him. "Thank you," she whispered. His hand came to her  cheek for just a moment and then he stood again and headed towards the  door.

"Where are you going?" I asked. All of a sudden, panic was coursing through me.

"Well, Charlie, I'm going to go and kick Caleb's ass."

"Well, Asher," I emphasized his name, making it evident that I didn't  appreciate his tone, or the fact that he used my full name. "It kind of  sounds like she already did that."

"No, she defended herself. I'm going to beat his ass so hard that  tomorrow he won't even remember his name." I stood up and went after  him.

"Asher, no, don't. Please." I made it to him and grabbed him by the  hand. He stopped and turned towards me but I saw his eyes rolling.

"Bit, I don't have time for this. Someone has to kill him." I took his face in my hands.

"Not you, Ash, please. Let's just call the police."

"We can't call the police! This whole frat house is full of underage  college kids drinking! If I call the police so many people will get in  trouble. He's the only one that needs to be punished."

"Ok, so, we take Reeve home  –  both of us  –  and tomorrow we go to the  campus police. We'll report it. Let the school deal with him, Asher.  Please don't go to his room. I need you with me right now." I knew I was  playing dirty. I knew I used his inability to walk away from me when I  needed him against him, but I didn't care. I cared that if he went down  to Caleb's room he could possibly get hurt. "Please," I begged softly. I  saw the moment he made the right decision. His eyes softened and his  shoulders lost some of their tension. He bent down so that his forehead  leaned against mine.                       
       
           



       

"Fine," was all he said.

We gathered up Reeve and all three of us walked back to our dorm. I took  her into the bathroom and helped her get ready for bed. She had grown  quiet on the walk home and now she seemed very distant and far away. Her  eyes were glazed over and she wasn't responding to me normally.

"Reeve? Are you ok?" She nodded her head, but didn't say anything. "Hey,  Reeve, everything is going to be ok. We'll go to campus police tomorrow  and tell them everything. He'll never mess with you again." She nodded a  second time and I couldn't help but worry. I didn't want to push her. I  had no idea what was going through her head, but I would give anything  for her to just look me in the eye or say one word. She was breaking my  heart.

I walked with her back to our room and watched as she slid into her bed  and hid under the covers. Asher sat on the edge of my bed looking at me  expectantly. I quickly changed into my pajamas and walked over to where  Asher sat and leaned down to kiss his forehead. The care and gentleness  he showed Reeve in the last hour had blown me away. I knew he was  constantly irritated by her interruptions and her boy-crazy ways, but  she was also his friend. We'd grown up together. Granted they were  probably only friends because of me, but they were friends, nonetheless.  As I leaned up from the kiss he wrapped his arms around my waist and  pressed his cheek into my stomach. I slowly moved my hands through his  soft hair, letting him take the comfort from me he was obviously  seeking. When he finally pulled away and looked up at me, I saw a new  worry in his eyes and I knew what he was thinking.

He was glad it wasn't me who was assaulted at the party and felt guilty  for thinking it at all. I wrapped my hands around the back of his neck  and sat on his lap straddling him, bringing my face close to his.

"Hey," I whispered quietly, hoping to not let Reeve hear me. "I'm ok. Everything is ok."

"Everything is not ok, Charlie." I could feel his hands on my back,  pulling me into him as if he needed to crawl inside of me. "I never  thought anything like that would really happen. At least not to someone I  know. What if Caleb had tried that on you? There's nothing you could  have said to keep me from killing him, Bit. You're lucky I didn't kick  the shit out of him as it is."

"Asher, nothing like that is going to happen to me. Does this suck? Yes.  Did Reeve deserve this? No. We are going to tell the authorities and  they'll take care of him."

"I don't know what I'd do if anything ever happened to you," he said, looking into my eyes.

"You won't ever have to find out."

He brushed his lips against mine and the kiss was tender, controlled,  and loving. Passion was always under the surface of our kissing. I could  always tell how he felt about me in his kiss, but this one almost felt  like he appreciated the fact I was even there; I was his and I was ok. I  felt the same way and tried to convey that to him. His hands still  roamed over the skin of my back under my nightshirt and when I felt his  loving kiss turn into something more carnal I pulled away. Bringing my  hands up to his face I whispered to him, "I think I'm going to sleep  with Reeve. I don't want her to be alone."

He nodded his head in understanding.

"Will you stay? I would feel safer knowing you were here."

"Of course. Always."





Chapter Three



The following weeks were hellish. The campus police partnered with the  local police and charges were filed against Caleb. He was arrested by  the police and the Greek Council at the university banned him from the  Greek system. We all had to attend a hearing at the school for the  university to decide if he was guilty and to sentence him. Reeve, Asher,  some of the brothers from the fraternity, and I all had to testify.

The school found him guilty of attempted rape, which was a violation of  the student code of conduct, and he was expelled. We were all so glad  when the trial was over and done with, hoping once we could move past  everything Reeve's mood would improve. The whole ordeal, from that  terrible night at the frat house until the day of the sentencing, took  about two months. The entire time Reeve was a shell of her former self.  It was terrible watching her live as a hermit, only going to class, just  scraping by with her studies, sleeping all day long sometimes. She  didn't want to go anywhere or do anything. She never said more than a  few words to me, even though I tried daily to break her out of her  trance.

Two weeks after Caleb was expelled, I was beginning to worry she was  never going to come back to me. It angered me to think that one very  stupid guy took my best friend away from me. He had impacted her in such  a way that she wasn't even the same person anymore. It wasn't fair  –   not to me and, most importantly, not to her. This was college and she  should be having the time of her life. As I was walked to class with  Asher, I tried to explain my frustration.                       
       
           



       

"I just want my best friend back. I feel like if she doesn't get better  soon, there's really nothing stopping her from dropping out and going  home at semester break. I know she's unhappy." Asher squeezed my hand  and smiled sweetly at me.

"Everything will work out. Just give her time. I'm sure it's hard for her to just go back to the way things were before."

"I know. I'm not expecting her to just forget what she went through, or  to flip some sort of switch and snap out of it, but something needs to  give. I'm afraid I'll lose her if this goes on much longer."

"I think I have an idea," he said excitedly, out of nowhere.

"You do?"

"Yeah. Be in your dorm room at seven tonight and make sure she's there with you."

"Ok... I'm a little confused. What are you going to do?"

"It's a surprise. I don't know if it will work, but it's worth a shot,  right?" He kissed me quickly on the forehead, let go of my hand, and  started walking quickly in the opposite direction.

"What about class?" I yelled at his retreating back. He turned back towards me, but continued walking backwards.

"This is more important," he said with a smile. I couldn't argue with  him, so I just waved. He winked and turned back around, continuing on  his way.

Later that night I sat nervously in my dorm room, pretending to study,  but really just staring at my psychology textbook. At seven on the dot,  the dorm phone rang. I didn't know if I was supposed to answer it or  not, so I pretended to be so wrapped up in my homework that it forced  her to get out of bed and answer it.

"Hello?" Her voice sounded strained. I knew it was because she didn't  use the phone very much anymore. I watched her face as she listened to  the person on the other line who I assumed was Asher. I saw her eyes  dart at me and I quickly looked back down at my book. I had no idea what  was going on, but I didn't want to ruin it. She was out of bed and had  said a word  –  vast improvements over yesterday already.