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“Get dressed and go eat, Cherry Bomb,” he says with a bop to my nose. “We have a long flight ahead of us.”
SAYING GOODBYE TO DELANEY isn’t any easier the second time than it is the first. We hug for what feels like hours, until they call her flight and I have no choice but to let her go. Once she and Knox are out of sight, I retreat to the car where Asher is waiting. He would have gone inside, but the whole city knows he’s here, and getting mobbed with me probably wouldn’t be good for anyone.
“All good?” he asks.
I nod, trying to use my sunglasses to hide the fact that I’ve been crying. “Mm-hm.”
As if he knows I don’t want to talk about it, he says nothing but reaches over to grab my hand. I rest my head against his shoulder, and the chauffeur pulls out of the parking lot to bring us straight onto the tarmac. The benefits of flying private are very, very nice.
It’s sad that this weekend came to an end as fast as it did. I could’ve spent forever in this place—a secret oasis where Asher and I seemed to connect on another level. It’s something I’ve always been uncomfortable with—intimacy. Letting someone get that close to me usually causes more bad feelings than good. With him, though, it’s different. I can’t explain it.
Asher grabs our suitcase and hands it to the guy loading the baggage, then the two of us climb onto the plane. The energy is totally different going home than when we departed. I can understand why. Most of them are hungover, and the ones who aren’t probably didn’t go to sle
ep until after three in the morning.
We take our seats, and I immediately cuddle into Asher’s side. He wraps his arm around me, pressing a kiss into the top of my hair as I stare out the window.
“Not happy to go back?”
I shake my head. “More like wondering what I’m going back to.”
The two of us haven’t even broached the topic of what happened last night, other than my failed, half-assed attempt at seducing him this morning. When we had sex a week ago, I knew exactly what it was. I needed a distraction to get through the pain of everything, and he was there to provide one. Cut and dried. Simple. Last night, however, was different. There was no reasoning for it other than the undeniable need for each other.
He lightly takes my chin between his knuckle and his thumb and turns my head toward him. “If you’re worried it was a one-time thing, don’t be.”
“It wasn’t?”
“No.” He smirks. “I’m done denying myself of you, Tessa. I can’t do it anymore. I want you too much.”
Pulling me in, he kisses me slowly, like we have all the time in the world, and I meant what I said this morning—I could get used to this.
THE NEXT FEW WEEKS fly by quickly. My dad finally stops texting me, after a strongly worded voicemail about the condition of my Lamborghini. Kellan seems to finally be looking at Lennon the way he should, because let’s be honest, the girl is a serious catch. He would be crazy not to notice her beauty. Asher and I spend our days in the penthouse, unable to keep our hands off each other. We’ve christened almost every inch of the place, including all four of his cars, and still, I crave him every second of the day.
My nightmares haven’t stopped, but over time, they’ve become shorter and a little less traumatizing. Delaney and Lennon have been trying to convince me to see a therapist. They’re the only ones who know about them. I know I should probably trust in Asher again, but I refuse to let one of the few good things I have left be tarnished by someone else’s actions.
I’m sitting in class with my feet up on Oakley’s desk. Asher is teaching some lesson I don’t care about while Tanner and Kellan swipe through Micah’s phone, insistent on finding him a girl. According to them, he’s too uptight and needs to get laid. If you ask me, the only thing they’re going to find him on that app is a one-way ticket to an STD.
“Look, Tess. It’s your best friend.” Kellan turns the phone to show me who it is, and Hailey’s picture is on the screen.
Hailey is Knox’s ex-girlfriend, and the girl I very publicly beat the shit out of last year. She had gotten ahold of a rather racy photo of my sister from Knox’s phone and thought it was a good idea to send it to just about everyone. The day I got her within my grasp, I made an example of her, and everyone knew—you don’t mess with Delaney or you’ll have to answer to me.
“Ugh,” I groan. “I hate that bitch.”
“Tessa,” Asher warns. “Language.”
I chuckle and turn my head to look at him. “Oh, please. Like you haven’t said worse. Don’t be such a buzzkill, As—”
Alarm fills his eyes and I realize at the last second what’s about to come out of my mouth. The only thing I can think to do is change direction to cover it up.
“—sshole.”
Oakley chokes on air, and everyone snickers at the fact that I just called our teacher an asshole. However, it’s much better than the alternative. If they had heard me call him by his first name, with the level of comfort it would’ve come out with, it wouldn’t take long before everyone figured it out. Asher looks relieved yet unamused as he pinches the bridge of his nose.
“See me after class, Miss Callahan.”
I sigh and glance back at Lennon. She laughs quietly while shaking her head at me. It’s no surprise that I’ve gotten myself in trouble, again. I just hope he’s not too mad. Since we got back from Miami, my mind has been wandering to places I never thought it would. The idea of what could end up happening after I graduate both excites me and scares the hell out of me all at the same time—and yet, the thought of not having him in my life is unbearably painful.
The bell rings, and I stay at my desk while everyone leaves. When we’re finally alone, I stand up and walk toward Asher’s desk.
