"You have no power over whom I choose to love"

☆

Pure heaven is all Luca could think of as he lay there with Ash's head resting upon his chest. He could feel the slow heavy breaths of the younger male, tickle across his skin, indicating that he was probably a moment away from sleep. Luca pulls Ash in closer, a smile of contentment rests upon his face as he feels his eyes wanting to meet the same fate, but is suddenly aware of some bright lights illuminating through the back window. He sits up, resting back on his elbows to see a vehicle stopping just short of their four by four and causing Ash to stir in the process. "Shit, shit, get up Ash, hurry." Luca says in a panic as he scrabbles to find his disused clothes which had scattered around the car. 

"W…what…what is it?" Ash sits up fully, his eyes squinting at the bright lights through the window. 

"They found us. I don't know how but they found us."

"Who?" Ash questions as he hurriedly pulls up his jeans. 

"My bosses, the company. I…I'm not supposed to…"

"To what Luca?" Ash now is panicked at what was going on. 

Luca turns to Ash and cups his face, holding it firmly in his grasp. "I don't regret this ok?...I love you…" 

The car door opens, with Ash's arm being tugged, pulling him from the vehicle. "Let go of him!" Luca shouts but the car door is slammed in his face. In the next moment, someone is getting into the driver's seat. The newly assigned driver turns to Luca, a man he recognises. One of his security team. "Where are you taking him?" 

"Just a little chat with my colleague Mr Brailsford, but you're coming with me. Your manager wants to see you." And with that, the engine starts. 

"No. Let me out, I need to get to Ash, you can't do this." But with a quick flick of a switch, he is locked in. All he can do is gaze out of the window into the pouring rain as the car slowly drives away, leaving Ash behind.

Ash gets pushed into the back seat of a black vehicle, the windows tinted, obscuring any outsider from looking in, which would have been virtually impossible as the wind howled and the rain continued to pelt down. The silence from the aftermath was felt as the door slammed behind him. His bare chest was wet from the downpour and from being given no time to pull on his clothes. He looks up, to see the back of a head in the front passenger seat.

"What is this? Where are you taking Luca? We are doing nothing wrong." The is panic in his voice as Ash feels his head spinning in confusion.

 "How much?" The question comes from a cold voice, Ash felt like they sounded as icy as the chilling wind, almost inhuman. 

"W…what?" Ash slowly takes in the question. "What do you mean how much?"

"I don't have time to play games. Name your price.  How much for you to stay quiet?" The voice elaborates, just a little.

"Are you suggesting what I think you're suggesting?" Ash cannot help emit an amused laugh. "You want to pay me, what? Stay quiet about Luca and I?"

"£20,000." 

"20…£20,000" Ash sits forwards in his seat. "Are you serious?" 

"Everybody has a price Mr Brown..." comes the reply. 

"Wait, how do you know my name?"  

"Ashley Brown, 22 years of age. Supervisor at the coffee bar, North west London, lives alone, no prospects, no future. Manages to strike up a relationship with Luca Brailsford, 24, rich, handsome, talented, famous. You find out his secret, his weakness and you exploit it…do you see where I'm going with this?" The voice which had sounded monotone, now possessed impatience. "So I ask you once again Mr Brown, what is your price to keep this out of the public eye?"

"Oh I see." Ash sits back in his seat. "You think I'm a leach, is that it? Because he is rich and famous and I'm according to you a nobody, I'm gonna bleed him dry, hold him to ransom. Sell him out?" 

"Why else?" The person in the front seat doesn't move an inch, as if they were a robot, unaffected. 

Ash puts a hand on the head rest of the seat in front. He leans forwards as close as he dares and although his entire body feels pent up with rage, he confines it to the tight grasp of his fingertips. "My answer, is fuck you." He uttered calmly through clenched teeth. 

"Mr Brown, we will pay more than a tabloid…"

It was at that moment that it became crystal clear in his mind. These people, the opinions of others, have ruled over his real thoughts and feelings. No one was going to pull him and Luca apart. 

"You don't get it do you? You think you know me? You think you're so clever? You don't know shit." Ash releases the hold as he sits back on the back seat. "I will never take your money because you are wrong. I would never do that to him, because I…I love him."

"Mr Brown…" 

"No, you will listen now. I get it ok? I get that things need to be hushed up. I understand his sexuality is supposedly shrouded in mystery, I get it ok? I am not going to talk to any press, I don't like social media, you don't have to pay me to keep quiet, but I will not stop seeing Luca unless he wants me to. Understand?"

Finally Ash gets some kind of human response from the individual sitting in front, as a heavy sigh leaves their lips. "So you want to play it the hard way. We can remove you from his life. People in the city disappear all the time. We know you have no one who would miss you." 

"Are you threatening me now?" Ash laughs in disbelief at what he was hearing. "You have no power over whom I choose to love, or Luca." 

"We will see about that. You had better watch your back because no matter how hard your life is at the moment, it's going to get far worse. Goodbye Mr Brown." And with that, the door opens and Ash finds his arm being tugged into that direction. He manages to stay on his feet as the grip is released, leaving Ash standing semi clothed, in the pouring rain. 

The car pulls away from him, leaving him alone on a cliff top, cold, wet and semi dressed, but now more determined than ever to fight for him and Luca.