Unexpected

“Hey.” My cheeks burn, releasing the heat down my neck and to my core. “How was your day?”

He chuckles and brushes his nose against my cheek until his lips reach my ear. I know this is for show, for everyone who may or may not be watching, but I love it. My chest tightens; need wraps a lasso around my heart. I toy with the idea of gripping Asher's shirt and pulling his lips against mine, parting his mouth with my tongue but we haven’t kissed like that in weeks. Not since that party when we first started this mess.

“Better now that you’re here.” Asher pulls away and leans against the hood beside me. The breath I didn’t realize I was holding burns my lungs. He looks at me funny when I exhale and asks, “Are you okay?”

“I’m fine!” I say, a little too loudly. I smirk and hope he can’t see through my pathetic excuse for armor. “Are you working tonight?”

He chuckles, apparently used to my weirdness. “Nope. I’m off until Sunday.”

“Really?” I rack my brain, trying to figure out what he could need this Thursday and Saturday for. I’ve got nothing. Prom is this weekend, but we haven’t talked about going, so I don’t think that’s it.

“Yup. Why? Were you trying to get out of hanging tonight?”

For a fraction of a second, I think I see a glimmer of worry flash across Asher's face, but then he smiles. I must have imagined it.

I keep my gaze trained on the school and everyone who hasn’t left yet. There aren't many people still on campus, most people bolted the moment the bell rang but there are still a few familiar faces lingering.

Liam shuffles down the steps and we lock eyes. He frowns and shakes his head. He hasn't made any effort to talk to me since crawling out my window last weekend. So much for proving things can be different. I look away and to the parking lot. I won’t let him ruin this moment. “Actually, I thought I’d take you on a date.”

Asher chuckles again and steps in front of me. I’m sure he noticed Liam and is putting on a show again. The thought hurts my heart. I want so badly for this to be real. I look up into his amethyst eyes. They’re darker today, rich in color. “Isn’t it supposed to be the other way around? Aren’t I supposed to take you out?

“Yes.” I wiggle out from underneath Asher. Being this close to him is too hard. Especially since there’s a chance everything could end tonight. I need to get used to being without his touch, just in case things don’t go as planned. “You’ve been so great the past few weeks, I wanted to do something nice.”

Asher smiles and looks at me in a way I’ve only dreamed about. His eyes could be spilling the secrets of his soul, telling me how much he cares and how happy he is with me. Or, I could be over-analyzing things and setting myself up for heartbreak.

“Sounds like fun. What time should I pick you up?”

“Nuh-uh,” I smirk and look over my shoulder at him. I lean against the driver’s side door and cross my arms. “This is my date. Be at my house by seven, but then I’m driving.”

Asher steps in front of me again. He dips his head, pressing those lips to mine for a tender, two-second kiss. “Whatever you say, beautiful.”

“This place is nice,” Asher states, staring out the window out our beach view from the table I reserved. The Ocean Side Cafe isn’t the fanciest place in town, but the food is decent and the view is gorgeous. If you can snag one of the six window tables. Lucky for us, Alandra owed Maggie a favor and she cashed it in for me.

“It’s alright.” I hide behind my menu, pretending to decide what I want to eat. My head spins from nervousness. At some point tonight, we need to have the talk before Asher hears on Monday that Liam and Corah broke up. It needs to come from me, so I can control the conversation.

“El?” Asher asks. There’s no denying the worry in his tone this time. He’s onto me, and that makes my pulse race faster.

“Yeah?” I squeak, then clear my throat and ask again.

“What’s wrong?”

&nbs

p; Our waitress chooses that moment to reappear, giving me a few more minutes to get my bearings and figure out what I’m going to say. “Have you folks figured out what you want?”

She looks to Asher, batting her mascara covered lashes. I’m sure she’s wondering what a guy like him is doing with a girl like me. Even in my best dress tonight, I feel too plain and boring to be his girlfriend. That’s why the fake thing worked, I didn’t have to worry about things like this. Asher looks at me and says, “Ladies first.”

We order our entrees and, all too soon, the waitress is gone. Asher sets his hand on the table, palm up. I lace my fingers with his and force a smile. My lungs feel like they’re trapped in a vice and I am freaking out inside. Maybe it’s better to see how the cards fall on Monday. Maybe Asher will make the first move and ask me to be his forever. That could happen. Right?

“What’s wrong, beautiful? You’ve been acting weird since lunch today.”

“Liam and Corah broke up,” I blurt.

Asher leans back into his chair, his hand sliding from mine. He looks out the window, at the waves crashing along the shore. The sun has just begun to set, painting the sky in wisps of red and orange. It's beautiful. Too beautiful for heartbreak. “I guess that means we’re breaking up too then, huh?”

“Actually, I was thinking…” My leg bounces under the table with such fierceness I’m shaking. My stomach turns, bile climbing my throat. I grab a roll from the basket between us. I don’t bother with the cinnamon butter. Just tear off a piece and shove it in my mouth. I need to soak up the acid boiling over inside me before it makes an embarrassing appearance. I swallow then ask my question in one rushed breath. “Would you want to do this for real?”

I shove another torn piece of bread into my mouth. I’m trying like hell to keep my composure but each passing millisecond feels like a lifetime in itself. I don’t know how long it takes for Asher to turn his gaze to me.