Page 51 of Forgotten Prejudice

Ash

“I’m sorry about today,” I told Soren, who’d just parked my new car in his building’s parking lot.

He took off his sunglasses and turned to me. “You did nothing wrong, Ashton. So don’t apologize,” he said, his attention split between me and the envelope I still held in my hands.

Realizing I was still holding on to it, I quickly tossed it over the dashboard.

“I don’t care about this letter.”

Soren tapped the steering wheel with his fingers, his lips set together in a hard line. “As I said, I don’t care.” After lingering a few more seconds, he sighed. “It’s a good thing my parents couldn’t make it today.”

I rubbed the back of my head. “Y-Yeah. My mom is usually cooler, but I guess she was taken by surprise with the car and all.”

“To say the least.” He huffed. “And not to mention her language.”

My brows pulled into a frown, and I looked at him, confused. “What do you mean?”

“She was so vulgar, Ashton. I must admit she made me uncomfortable. Swearing and raising her voice in public?” His gray eyes studied me before he looked away and shook his head. “Not to mention her pick of clothing. Her dress was too short and see-through. Extremely inappropriate for her age.”

It was her favorite dress. The one she always wore and loved because it reminded her of my father. But I didn’t want to argue with Soren, especially if it made him uncomfortable. I didn’t like what he’d just said, but maybe she’d hurt his feelings? Either way, I wasn’t sure how to respond.

“She’s actually not that old… She had me when she was young.”

Soren’s low chuckle filled the car before he put his hand on my thigh and squeezed me tightly. “You’re precious, Ashton. Absolutely precious. Regardless of her age, she still should have behaved differently, considering the time and place. As an adult, she must know how to compose her emotions. We can’t all just lash out in an argument like juveniles.”

A lump formed in my throat, and my stomach flipped with worry.

“So you don’t like my mom?”

“My emotions for her are irrelevant. But I expected her to be more decent. At the very least, she could have been thankful you’re going to college, but instead, she spat all that emotional nonsense about chasing dreams.”

“But aren’t dreams important?” I asked while picking the skin around my nails.

“Don’t do that.” Soren placed his hand on mine, then nudged my chin so I’d look up. “Besides, I thought a future with me was your dream.” A soft smile pulled on his lips. “Our dream.”

Heat rushed to my cheeks as warmth filled my heart. For the last few weeks, all we’d been doing was planning our future. Soren had even mentioned moving to a different state at some point, and I wanted it. I wanted to be with him no matter what.

“It is.” I nodded, and his smile grew wider until it reached his sharp eyes.

“Move in with me.”

My heart stopped, and I stared at him with my mouth open.

“D-Do you really mean it?”

“Of course I do.”

I never knew this happiness existed, and unable to form actual words, I pressed my lips together and nodded eagerly. Waking up next to Soren every morning, only to go to sleep with him every night, truly was a dream. A dream I didn’t dare to hope for. I knew how important Soren’s space was for him, and even though he’d welcomed me into his home many times before, this was different. Him asking me to share his space was beyond imaginable.

Sliding his fingers to the back of my nape, Soren closed the distance between us and pressed his lips to mine—his touch, smell, and taste were like a drug. A drug I couldn’t seem to get enough of. Desperate for more, I leaned closer and deepened the kiss. As I opened my mouth, Soren pushed his hot tongue between my parted lips, and I sucked on it, moaning when he swirled it around mine. This kiss quickly turned into more as he yanked me by my shirt, and I clenched to his strong body, fisting his shirt in my palms. Out of breath, I tried to get as much of him as I could with us still sitting in the car.

Knowing there was only so much we could do here, I paused. “Let’s go home,” I panted, my fingers digging into the fabric of his shirt. But instead of pulling away, Soren unbuckled me. Surprised, I looked down at where his fingers were tracing my thigh before he forced me to look up.

“Take your pants off and move onto the back seat,” he said.

“W-What?” The shock made me mutter.

“Be a good boy, and do it.” He unbuckled himself, then glanced back at me.