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“It was great. I mean, we talked all night, which, yes, I know makes me a total bitch that I didn’t get anywhere with her, but she’s amazing. Even more than I thought she was before. I told her we can all go out tonight. Hope that’s okay.”
Smiling to myself, I tried to not give away that I knew this relationship was a long time coming, but didn’t want to say I told you so to both of them.
“That’s really great. Glad to hear that man. I know you’ve had a thing for her for a while.”
He hadn’t stopped smiling since he had gotten home, and it honestly shocked me he hadn’t gotten laid last night. Not that I thought Bridget would do that on a first date, if that’s even what it was, but it surprised me Asher hadn’t even tried.
“Enough about me. You got laid, didn’t you?”
Asher’s eyes narrowed on me. Keeping myself focused on the road ahead of us, I tried my best to not let my guilt and betrayal show.
“You totally fucking did. Who the hell is she? Was it that brunette? You have a thing for brunettes.”
I shook my head, praying he would stop asking questions.
“No, it was just some girl. You didn’t see her before you left. One time deal.”
I lied through my teeth, knowing she wasn’t just some girl. It might never happen again. It could never happen again. Not with her, at least. It was the most mind-blowing sex I had ever had in my life, but it shouldn’t happen again. Hell, I wasn’t even sure how it happened in the first place. One minute we were fighting on our trip down and the next we were confessing our true feelings.
I felt guilty lying to him when we did it the first time. The fact that it kept happening just made me fall further into the hole I was digging. A hole that was filled with the most beautiful and sexual person I could ever experience. The confession I needed to make would come with him beating the shit out of me and never talking to me again. The right thing to do was to come clean and try to get it put behind us. My mouth opened and closed quickly. Driving in a car going eighty down the highway probably wasn’t the right time. I didn’t need to see him turn red while I was behind the wheel.
The reaction that he had yesterday when I told him about Brandon was the opposite of what I had expected. I knew he loved his sister, but he had never openly expressed how much he would hurt someone for doing anything to her. We used to joke around about intimidating the guy she dared to bring home and run him off, but I didn’t realize how serious he was about making sure she never got hurt. Deep down, I should have known he would be like that. It was his little sister, after all. His feelings towards her were always full of agitation that it didn’t dawn on me how much he wanted to protect her.
The next two days were a blur of reminiscing over our childhoods and the Hanover’s discussing what our futures will look like now. Asher joked that he was going to get me to move down here with him and left out pamphlets for some graduate programs I could transfer to. I laughed, knowing I was stuck in my lease for a while still and wasn’t planning to go anywhere.
There was no way I could move that far from my mom. She was alone. I tried my best to go visit her as often as I could. Work and school consumed most of her time, but the thought of her being alone with no one around broke my heart. Part of me wished she had dated again. She deserved to find someone to keep her company. Stubborn as she was, she refused and said she already found the love of her life and there was no use wasting someone else’s time dating when her heart would always belong to my dad. I let it go, knowing there was no changing her mind once she had made it up.
The kitchen in Asher’s place was barely big enough for one person, let alone two. Katie stood at the sink, rinsing out her coffee mug when I walked in. She was taking forever. I needed a drink. Brushing past her, the smell of her wafting into my nostrils as I inhaled deeply. Her head turned ever so slightly over her shoulder. Our bodies hovered within an inch of each other as I reached for a glass in the cabinet next to her.
“You couldn’t wait two minutes for me to finish?”
She snapped at me as I flashed her a smile.
“Not my fault you take forever to rinse a dish. I don’t have all day.”
Throwing the towel down on the counter, she stormed back to the couch. Today was the last day of this torture, having to pretend in front of everyone that things were still shit between the two of us. We would leave in the morning, and I was counting down the hours.
Not that I hadn’t been enjoying the time with Asher. It had been weird the last eight months. This was the first time in our lives we didn’t see one another every day after twenty years together. He was the brother I had never had. I knew I could count on him for anything, day or night. Moving to a new city, starting a new school, having an apartment that I didn’t share with him, were all a shock to my system having him so far away. I hated to admit how much I had leaned on him throughout my life.
When my father died, I shut everyone out. Everyone except Asher. He had no one idea what I was going through, but he had told me he felt like he lost his own father that day too. My dad spent so much time helping us perfect our three-point shots and how to throw a perfect spiral. Mr. Hanover was right there by his side and took over where my dad left off. He did his best to fill his shoes when he was gone.
“Katie, you realize you have to drive home with him, right? At this rate, I wouldn’t surprise me if he leaves you at a gas station along the way.”
Asher sat down next to her on the couch.
“It’s not my fault he doesn’t know what personal space is.”
Scooping one of the new books she had bought since we got here, she curled her feet under herself. Pulling a chair from the kitchen table to the side of the couch, knowing damn well I didn’t want to squeeze between the two of them, I sat down. Asher shrugged.
“Sorry man. I tried. If you leave her on the side of the road, at least make sure her phone is charged. I mean, I’m sure the quiet on the way home would be nice.”
Without even looking up, she continued in the conversation.
“You realize I’m right here. I can hear everything you say.”
Asher and I couldn’t help but laugh and continue poking fun. It was just like how we acted when we were all younger.
“Do I have to leave her bags with her, or should the books still get a ride? I mean, they did nothing to me.”
