Page 26 of Asher

He looked at her after he handed me theSnickersand asked, “Are you on your period?”

She shook her head.

“Then you don’t get one.” Then he pulled out a smaller bag of her favorite candy,Three Musketeers,and handed it to her.

After I popped the chocolate in my mouth, I ate it and then felt my breath catch again when Asher leaned over and whispered, “If I could go through it for you, I fucking would.”

I could say that so many things that this man had done that had caused me to fall in love with him.

But at his words and the sincerity in them... I fell even harder.

And I would be damned if I chased after my feelings and ruined my relationship with Stella.

But apparently, Asher hadn’t said what he did low enough.

Because someone had heard it, and they smiled.

Because it was about time.

If they had to watch the whole star-crossed lover’s thing, and nothing became of it, they were going to revolt.

Perhaps it was time to move those two along.

I didn’t get my New Year’s Eve kiss like I had been thinking about.

There was only one person I wanted it from.

And I didn’t have the courage nor the want to blow my friendship with Stella wide open and ruin anything.

***

But all of that almost became one of the biggest lies I’d ever told.

It was the week before prom. And Stella and I had agreed to be each other’s date.

We were at her house getting ready.

P!nk was in the background singing aboutBeautiful Traumawhile I did my make-up.

We both went yesterday and had our nails done.

Thankfully, I had just finished with my last swipe of mascara when Stella shouted, “That’s bullcrap.”

I turned my head to look at her, “What happened?”

“There was water damage at the event, so we are having it at the school gym.”

I frowned. “Shouldn’t they have known about this five hours before the event?”

She nodded, “I know, right? That’s sketch.”

And it was sketch.

She sat down and then said, “I don’t want our prom to be at the gym.”

Then I got an idea in my head and asked, “Do you remember years ago for your tenth birthday, and you wanted a fairy party? Do you think they still have the lights and stuff?”

Her eyes got wide, then she hit a button and put the phone on speaker.