The past evening had been a blur of good feelings. I was so content that I’d dozed without meaning to. When I woke, my happiness lingered, looking over at Asher. After so long, he had finally kissed me on the mouth. I still couldn’t believe it. For so long I had thought that he was withholding f
I hated it. I could grasp how the parts of the body connected and how they moved, but retaining the names of things required so much memorization. Only a few of the names were easy or familiar. I struggled to retain it all. And there didn’t seem any way to study for it besides repetition. Aimee ma
“Chase,” Asher said, turning to his brother. “This is Cynthia.” “Ah, there she is. A pleasure to finally meet you.” Chase stepped closer. Despite their similarities in appearance, Chase was far more expressive than Asher. His smile came easy, and was wide enough to show teeth. For a moment, I ju
“What happens now?” I asked, my heart in my throat. This felt like the end before we’d even begun. “Now, things get more complicated,” Chase said with a sigh. More complicated didn’t mean finished. “The article can still move forward?” “Oh, yeah. Trust me, now I’m even more curious. They defin
We moved aside my studying notes, and placed the knifed helmet on the table. Immediately, Asher retrieved his phone and began taking pictures. “For Chase and his article,” Asher said. “Should we call the police?” Asher hesitated for a moment. “No. We should let Joseph believe for now that his
My heart leapt forward in my chest. Did Asher just imply that he was my baby’s father to these girls accosting me? “You can’t mean…” the cheerleader sputtered. “Surely you’re not…” Asher shrugged like it was no big deal. “Why not?” Aimee laughed. “Yeah, why not?” I rubbed my forehead. What w
Even so, I wasn’t sure what his relationship with me would mean for our baby. I really wanted him to be the father, but… I also wanted to be a family. Mom, Dad, and child. If Asher wanted a platonic relationship, I didn’t know what that would mean for my family dream. I wasn’t ready to make my d
Asher adamantly did not want me to go to see the Vice President of the Academy, despite being summoned. I understood his concerns. Fear itself was quaking through me. But I couldn’t just ignore it and hoped it all went away. We already knew it wouldn’t. Asher gave it some thought, and then d