Dump and Chase (Nashville Assassins Next Generation 1)

“What?” I snap, and he must think I’m hilarious by the way he laughs.

“You’re still mad at me?”

“Yup.”

He doesn’t care. “That’s fine. I need to say something to you before we go in there,” he says just as we pull into my parents’ driveway.

“Okay…?” I say as I put the car in park and shut it off. I finally look over at him. “What?”

“You do realize you are head over heels over ass in love with Shelli, right?”

My face twists up in disbelief as my heart stops. “What the hell are—”

“Fucking hell. You don’t. Wonderful,” he says, and then he gets out of the car.

I fumble over myself to get out also. “Why would you say that?”

“Because it’s true,” he says as we make our way up the driveway.

“No, it’s not. We’re together. There is no love.”

Asher scoffs. “Aiden, you love her, and she’s completely in love with you.”

Shit, my mouth is dry. I can’t breathe. “No. That’s bullshit.”

Asher sets me with a look, his weird-colored eyes burning into mine. “It’s bullshit to be loved by someone? Do you know how many people beg for that daily? Crave it? You’ve got it, but I should have known you weren’t ready for it. Which is going to make this awesome.”

“Wait, what?”

He doesn’t answer me. He just walks into the house as if he didn’t just make my heart stop and my balls retract up into my body. What the hell does he mean? Do I feel something for Shelli? Totally. She’s an awesome girl, and I really enjoy her—but love? I’ve never been in love. How would he know if I don’t even know? Why can I still not breathe?

I walk into the house almost robotically. My limbs are stiff, and I feel like I’m about to pass out. Do I love her? Shit, wait, does she love me? She has had a crush on me since she was a kid. Did she fall in love with me? Wait, none of this matters. I can’t let this ruin what I’ve got, and I’ve got it good with Shelli. I can’t overthink this. I hate Asher. I hate him so much.

I fall down into a chair in the living room, a bit frantic and needing to breathe. I lean forward, dropping my phone and keys to the table before falling back and kicking up my feet. I close my eyes as I listen to my family in the kitchen. I need them to stay in there for a minute because my head is all over the place right now. If she does love me, what does that mean? Does she assume I love her? Why hasn’t she told me? What would I say? Fuck. The ringing in my head is giving me a massive headache.

“Is this Shelli?”

My eyes fly open to find Stella with my phone in her hand, her eyes wide and her mouth hanging open. “It is! Why is Shelli—” Before she can finish, I’m up and out of my chair with my hand over her mouth and holding her to me.

Her eyes are like saucers, and my heart is in my throat as I stare down into her gaze. “Shut up.” She mumbles something against my hand, but I refuse to move it. “I will give you all the money in my wallet—ow! Fuck! Stop hitting me!”

I look over my shoulder to see Emery beating me in the back. “Let go of her!”

When she kicks me in the back of the knee, I hit the floor with my hands up. “What the hell is wrong with you? You tried to kill her last week!”

Emery shrugs as Stella goes to stand beside her. “I can hurt her, not you. What’s your issue?”

Stella holds out my phone. I try to reach for it, but she keeps it out of my grasp. “It’s Shelli.”

Emery’s eyes widen, and I cover my face. “Give me my phone.”

“She has, like, no pants on,” Emery whispers, her eyes about to come out of her damn head. “Why doesn’t she have pants on? Are you sleeping with her?”

“You know about sex?” I ask incredulously, and then both of them just stare at me.

Stella whisper-yells, “She’s fourteen,” just as Emery says, “I’m fourteen!”

“Touché,” I say, and then I snatch my phone, much to their dismay. “Stay out of my shit.”

“Are you?” Stella asks, and then a smile spreads over her face. “Wouldn’t that be so sweet? She’s been in love with you for, like, ever!”

That damn L-word!

“Shut up,” I say, moving my hands frantically in front of my face. “Stop. Like, for real, stop.”

Obviously, these two don’t know what stop means.

“Does Mom know?” Emery asks, and her eyes go wider, much to my surprise. “There is no way because we’d all know.”

“Oh my God, are y’all like hiding it? Like Romeo and Juliet?”