When my phone rang, I expected the worst. Another belittlement by my parents. A notice from the investigators. A threat from Joseph. Asher moved with me, never leaving my side as I approached my purse and removed my phone. It wasn’t a text, but an email. The email was from the Academy, a reminder
He had left a pair of pajamas draped across the dresser. I changed into them now, blushing the entire time. I could feel his eyes on me. We’d been naked in front of each other, but this still felt new. I pulled my clothes on quickly. When I had finished dressing, he called out, “Come over here.”
My nervousness returned tenfold and no amount of Asher’s shoulder massages, good as they were, were able to calm me down. “Cynthia?” said the woman at the desk. I nearly jumped out of my skin. Asher hugged me at once. “You can do this. There’s no reason to be afraid.” I nodded against him. I
Yet as I placed my pen to paper, I struggled. I just couldn’t bring myself to lie in such a way. The truth was, I valued my friends, my family, and my love just as much as I did my dreams and my desire to achieve them. In fact, I would place the needs of my baby first above all else. The Acade
“Do you regret writing it?” Asher asked me, after a moment. “No,” I said, “Because it’s the truth. Though I can’t help but worry now that I botched the whole thing. Maybe I should have just lied to them. What if this one answer costs me more than I’m willing to lose?” “There’s no shame in stayin
“Thank you, ma’am.” Sometime later, Nancy asked Asher to step out into the hallway so that she and I could talk alone. Asher looked to me for confirmation. When I nodded, he moved toward the door. “If you need me, I will be just outside.” Then he stepped outside. “Thank you, Asher,” Nancy sa
They released me from the hospital the next day, and Asher brought me home around noon. I slept for a while before my nervous energy began to spike again. “If you are feeling up to it, why don’t we go out tonight?” Asher asked. “Nowhere far. I’ve heard that the cheerleaders are having a competitio
“If you don’t watch your weight,” my ex-coach said, hitching a thumb in Asher’s direction, “then even your boy toy here might get disinterested. I’m sure even he wouldn’t want you to get too much fatter.” “I couldn’t give a shit about her weight,” Asher growled. His fingers curled around my should