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A huff is all I heard before he spoke again.
“Fine. You know you’re lucky I’m calling you and not Nate.”
His words made me curious.
“Why’s that?”
There’s no way he told him about us, or this conversation would be completely different. Or at least that’s how Nate made it sound when he talked about Asher finding out.
“Let’s just say we can cross being kicked out of a grocery store off my bucket list. Hope everyone’s okay with pizza.”
“Yeah. Pizza sounds great, to be honest, I wasn’t so sure you could pull off cooking, anyway. Most I’ve seen you make is a bowl of cereal.”
I laughed, hoping to break the tension. He gave back a small chuckle before saying goodbye and calling me a smart ass. That was the Asher I knew.
Opening the door to Asher’s apartment, Nate was lounging on the couch, flipping through the channels with a bag of chips in his lap.
“You didn’t take long to get comfortable, did you?”
His eyes stayed fixed on the tv almost as if he’s afraid to look at me. Well, that’s just great. Already pissed him off and back to ignoring me. Just like old times.
Asher emerged in the doorframe. As he walked toward me, his arms opened and pulled me in for a hug. Something he had never done unless my mother is forcing us to be civil toward one another.
“I’m sorry I blew up on you like that. Nate told me and I just lost it. Why didn’t you tell me?”
I shrugged, knowing full well we didn’t have that kind of relationship. Nate only found out because he thought he turned me into a cheater. I didn’t dare say that out loud.
“Katie, I’m sorry that you felt like you had to hide something like that from me. I’m here for you, especially if some guy gives you shit. I don’t care how far away I am, you call me. No matter what time of day it is. Nate too. He's right there for you. He was probably more pissed than I was in the store when you texted him. Although, the smash of the glass jar he was holding when he slammed it to the ground was pretty freaking cool.”
“God, you two always make an impression, don’t you? Can we keep this between us?”
He nodded in agreement.
“Thanks Asher. This means a lot to me.”
I hugged him again, wondering if maybe he didn’t hate me as much as I always thought he did.
My parents accept my story that Brandon had a family emergency, which is a bit of a relief, since I didn’t feel like having to hash out what happened in front of Asher and Nate all over again. Asher lied and claimed the store didn’t have half the things he needed, and they didn’t have time to run somewhere else. Of course, my dad didn’t care. He was happy with pizza, but my mom had disappointment written all over her face. He assured her there’s still a few days left, and he’ll cook for us, which pacified her for now.
As I helped my mom clean up after dinner, I realized it was time for us to go. Nate and Asher were ready to hit the bars. A knot formed in my stomach thinking about him flirting with intoxicated girls. There wasn’t much more I could do than swallow down the realization that he wasn’t mine.
My mom hugged them goodbye and agreed on what time we would come back in the morning. Despite the sudden change from annoying little sister to one that needs protecting, it still hadn’t settled in that he cared about me as he hugged me goodbye. My mother was through the moon as she commented how nice it was to see us getting along. The pain in my eyes was unavoidable, so I ignored Nate as we said goodbye.
Three hours passed. I still wasn’t tired and spent my night tossing in the bed at the hotel I was lucky enough to get. Being that it was spring break, most places didn’t have many openings, but I was fortunate enough to snag a room from someone who never made it to their check-in.
Staring up at the ceiling tiles, I couldn’t shake the image of girls hanging all over Nate. Looking down at my phone, I debated texting Ryder about Brandon but noting the time she was probably asleep already. It could wait until morning.
Rolling to my side, I scrolled through my social media, wishing it would make me tired. When it failed miserably, I put my phone back on the nightstand. I should have packed more reading material. The book I picked up earlier was good, but it didn’t take me long to read. I would have to stop by again tomorrow to look for something new. Risking the embarrassment of the store clerk’s eyes would be worth not being stuck here with my own thoughts another few nights alone.
A gentle buzzing next to me caught my attention. It was late for someone to be texting right now. Probably Maddie checking up on me since she was bummed I wouldn’t be home for her spring break. Reaching my arm towards the table, the phone danced again.
Nate: Hey
Nate: What's your room number?
Katie: 374 why?
Nate: don’t be pissed.
