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I wondered if I should’ve felt guilty for noticing Asher’s good looks. After all, I was sort of, but not really, dating Calax. I didn’t know what to call the two of us anyways. Was he my boyfriend? Friend? Lover? Enemies that occasionally kissed and confessed their love to one another?
Why was I so clueless about this “life” thing?
Shaking my head to clear the cobwebs, I turned my stare onto Asher.
“I thought you were a waiter?” That was how I had first met him, actually. He had been waiting on my table, much to my mother’s pleasure, and had accidentally fallen. I, being the awesome friend that I was (though I didn’t know him at the time), took the blame.
“I do a lot of things,” he replied, flashing me an official looking ID. I imagined he stole it - or at least made one on a computer. There was no way that Asher, only a year or two older than me, could be a licensed physical therapist.
“I put my ad online,” he continued, “with a picture and brief description. Your mother called me.”
Of course. For eye-candy. I would not be surprised if she was lurking somewhere nearby, waiting to pounce. Please, for the love of all that’s holy, have her be wearing clothes.
When Ryder came to the house - as the hired “electrician” - Mother had decided that it was appropriate to walk around in her birthday suit. I had never seen Ryder look more scared than he did then. He had taken to hiding in my bedroom, pretending that it was a circuit in my wall that had caused the power outage (though how he managed to turn off the power in the first place was beyond my comprehension).
“You’re allowed to walk around naked anytime,” Ryder had flirted with a wink. I elbowed him in the stomach.
“So are we actually going to do physical therapy?” I asked Asher now, planting my feet on the carpet. I wobbled slightly, but Asher immediately helped steady me. Smiling gratefully, I attempted to amble around the bed. My leg dragged uselessly behind me.
“Let’s do some exercises,” Asher suggested. He instructed me to lie face down on my bed, legs dangling over the side. He began bending my leg, instructing me to push and pull against his grip.
“How has it been?” he asked, fingers tentative on my ankles. “Push against my hand.”
I did as he said, considering how to respond.
“The usual.”
“Anymore...” he trailed off. I knew what he wanted to ask me though: anymore beatings?
“No,” I answered truthfully. “They want me to heal, and that would be kind of difficult with another broken leg.” I tried for humor, but Asher didn’t laugh.
Geez. Tough crowd.
“You’re going to be eighteen soon,” he stated, and all I could do was nod. When it became apparent that I wasn’t going tospeak, he pressed, “Why aren’t you getting out of here? Is it because of money? Do you need a place to stay? I know you might not feel comfortable staying with a bunch of guys, but Sarge would be more than happy to let you stay with us.”
I didn’t know what to say to him. How could I explain Nikolai? Until I knew he was safe, I had to remain quiet.
“It’s complicated,” I admitted with a shrug. Asher smiled sadly.
“It’s always complicated with you.”
Ignoring him because I didn’t know how to respond, I kicked my foot towards the television.
“Did you see the news?”
“About Yellowstone? Yeah, I was listening on the radio.”
“It’s absolutely awful,” I whispered. “I can’t even imagine. Did you know anyone in the area?”
“Thank God, no. But I think Fallon’s parents lived near there.”
“Are they okay?” I asked, sitting up in alarm. “Has he been in contact with them?”
Asher patted my thigh reassuringly. “They’re fine. I already asked Sarge, and he said that they called him an hour ago.”
I sagged back into the bed with relief. I may not have known Fallon that long, but he had saved my life. Calax and I would’ve been attacked by Ragers if he hadn’t warned us. He was still a grumpy bastard, but I believed he was warming up to me. After all, the last time I had seen him he gave me two full sentences and had only glared at me three times.
Progress, my friends.
