Read The Long Fall of Night: The Long Fall of Night Book 1 for Free Online Page B

deserved it for running in panic from a perfectly functioning car.
    “I’m sorry.”
    “What’s going on?”
    Elliot looked over; Ash was more shadow in the moonlight than an actual person. Suddenly, Elliot felt very alone. He sat up, drawing his legs to his chest and wrapping his arms around them, pressing his forehead to his jeans-clad knees. When he spoke, his voice was muffled.
    “Sometimes things get to be too much. Walls closing in. I just needed to breathe.”
    “What do you mean, too much?” Ash plucked a blade of grass and began to shred it.
    “I don’t expect you to get it,” Elliot said resentfully. “You don’t need anyone, and you always have a dickhead answer when someone comes at you. Some of us aren’t that quick on our feet.”
    Ash was quiet for a long moment, but when he did speak, his voice was soft. “What makes you think I don’t need anyone?”
    Because you’ve made it clear you don’t need me. “Because you don’t seem to need friends, and when someone tries to be one to you—me, for instance—you’re suspicious.”
    Ash sighed. “Well, we all need our armor, don’t we?”
    Elliot looked up, surprised. He didn’t know what to say to that.
    “What did you mean, too much?” Ash repeated.
    “My parents have money,” he started.
    “I’m aware, Mr. Steven Davenport, Jr.,” Ash replied drolly.
    Elliot looked at him with sharp surprise. “So you know who I am.”
    Ash shrugged. “Have for a while. You don’t throw your name around, though, so I figured you don’t really want people figuring it out. Safer to keep my mouth shut.”
    Elliot flushed with warmth at the implied attention with that single admittance.
    “With money comes certain responsibilities. I’m expected to get my engineering degree, work for my father, and eventually take over his company. I’m to drive a nice car. Meet the perfect girl. Everything I do is scrutinized in order to keep me on the path, make sure I’m worthy. To keep me from screwing up.”
    “Oh,” was Ash’s only response.
    “So when something spontaneous comes up, I usually either avoid it so I don’t have to explain why I did something I didn’t think through, or I think it to death, killing the spontaneity.”
    “Yeah, I can see that.”
    “But you were in such a big hurry, so convinced this is some kind of crisis, I didn’t have time to think until we got in the car, and now I realize I screwed up by coming along. What if something happens? Something I can’t explain my way out of? I can’t tell my dad I came with you because—” I’m in love with you. He cleared his throat. “Because I trust you, or particularly why I trust you. This is going to get me in so much trouble, and I don’t have… much of a safety net if that happens.” He hedged that last bit, not interested in flaying himself wide open for Ash to see his innards. His feelings for the guy already had him at a massive disadvantage in their relationship. “And you act like me asking questions is a burden, like you would rather I had stayed in chem lab, left you to steal a car and disappear. Because you don’t need anyone.”
    “Why didn’t you?”
    That stopped him. “What?”
    “If you know I don’t need anyone, and you shouldn’t be spontaneous, why did you come?”
    I want you so much my soul aches. “Because watching you walk away was worse.”
    Ash searched his face for something. Either it was too dark to see, or he didn’t want to look too closely, because he was quick to look away. Elliot wished he’d kept his mouth shut.
    “Well, your parents aren’t here, baby boy,” Ash all but whispered. Elliot closed his eyes against his bluntness. “You’ve made a decision. Man up and stand by your actions, even if they turn out to be mistakes. Maybe your dad will see that a decision, even the wrong one, is better than being one of the herd.”
    Elliot stared, trying to decide if what Ash said was really profound or the musings of an impatient