"I..I was worried..You were looking.." "Like I was going to die? Is that why you called him? If that's what you were thinking then you should have called him after I was dead," Asher fumed, grinding out the words. "He is your guardian. It wa.." "He is not my guardian. He is no one to me. And you know very well how much I resent that person. Still.....Every time I feel bad about lashing out at you, you do something that makes me lose my temper all over again," he seethed, his eyes cold and unwavering as they stared her down with indignation. His hostility caused her to hate herself too. She knew very well his dad gave no fuck about him. He would rather have him dead. She knew how badly his dad treats him. Even now he came all the way here only to ridicule him, to tell him how he was going to be a failure in the future. Her eyes prickled with tears. She doesn't cry easily. All these years of being disregarded and belittled, she had grown a thick skin but every time he lashed out at
"Can we meet today?" Serena asked, crossing her fingers. It was 8 in the morning and calling him was the first thing she did after waking up. Honestly, she hadn't slept the whole night so it wasn't technically "waking up." How could she sleep when he was so mad at her? "What for?" Came his "just woken up" voice. So husky and deep that she felt her cheeks turning hot. It must sound even more sexy in person. She wondered when she would get the opportunity to hear it in person."Serena?" he called, breaking her away from her trance. "Umm...Yeah..," she cleared her throat, "Actually I was...I wanted to see you," she replied."Only if it's fine with you," she added as an afterthought. The line went silent for a moment. "Time?" he asked at last. "At 11. Stream park?" she suggested hesitantly. "Alright," he concurred, causing her heart to swell with joy. A beaming smile stretched across her face from ear to ear. "Okay..see y." before she could finish, the line went dead. Her smile fal
"So am I forgiven now?" she asked as she handed him his coffee. Currently, they were inside her living room, having coffee. After spending a little time at the park Serena had insisted for him to come to her place for lunch. She knew very well that the pie was just a drop in the ocean for his large appetite. She hadn't made anything fancy, just the regular stuff but enough to sate his appetite. The look of satisfaction that appeared on his face after he was finished eating had brought unparalleled joy to her. "Whose idea was it?" he asked referring to the double date. Serena settled down beside him. "Shanice. She thought it would be fun to have double dates. But I should have asked you first," she replied. Asher gave a stiff nod in response. "Ask her how much it cost her. I will pay her back," he remarked, his voice suddenly adopting a stern tone. Serena straightened up. "I already asked her but she dismissed it saying we shouldn't worry about it," Serena told him. Asher clenched
Hot fury surged through Asher. He pushed forward to teach these scums of gutter a hard lesson but only to be stopped in his track by a gentle force bound around him. Upon glancing down, he found her hiding in his shirt. Her frail arms were wrapped around him and her face was buried into his chest. All he could see was her hair which was coiled into a top-knot. She had tightened her grip around him after sensing he was about to draw away. She needed him close to feel safe. Somehow her fear weakened his impulse and he stayed put. Asher looked around. It was only them on the street. They shouldn't have wandered about mindlessly at such hour. "Let us go," Asher negotiated, looking around and memorizing each face to the groove of his brain. The man with the knife came closer. "Give us everything you have," he demanded. Asher ground his jaw but complied. He reached into his pocket and took out his wallet. Keeping Serena close with his one arm, he threw it towards him with his other
Serena waited but Asher didn't come to the class today as well. She scowled internally thinking back to yesterday when he made her study continuously for three hours. Now he was skipping classes without a care. He doesn't seem serious for someone who keeps telling her to study as exams are approaching. As she was headed towards her next class, someone gripped her wrist and pulled her inside the room. Her back hit a hard surface. Before she could scream, a hand clamped down on her mouth. She bit down hard into the palm. "Ouch," Asher hissed, immediately removing his hand from her mouth. Serena recognized his voice and swiftly turned to see his face screwed in pain. "Asher? Why did you do that?" she scolded him. She clutched her chest, beneath which her heart was racing miles per second. "And where were you? You didn't even attend the class?" she demanded, sounding annoyed. "I went somewhere," he offered a vague reply. She furrowed her brows at him."Where?" she asked. Asher frow
Tom's palm met Asher's cheek in a resounding slap. A small pool of blood oozed from the cut on his cheek caused by his ring. Asher balled his hands into tight fists in an attempt to keep himself from returning the gesture. Initially, when his dad used to beat him, he would wrap around his legs and beg for mercy. He would apologize even when he wasn't wrong. The little boy just wanted his dad's affection. He wanted him to love him like he loved Ashton. But his dad never showed him mercy, much less love. He would beat him until he fainted. Sometimes Asher felt that his dad wanted him to die. Too bad, death didn't want him either. "I will not have you ruin my reputation," Mr. Carter asserted with another striking slap causing his face to whip the other side. His brows knitted as he heard a ringing in his ear. He wasn't allowed to dwell much on it as Tom seized his chin and jerked his face towards him. "Why did you mangle Clark's car?" Tom demanded in a venom-laced tone. Tom's
The moon above bore witness as the girl selflessly gave all her warmth to the boy and took in all his despair. She soaked up every drop of melancholy he oozed and glowed from within- brighter than the moon itself. She let him as he pulled her closer and closer- nearly suffocating her- greedy for more of her warmth. She possessed a healing aura. A soothing, calming aura like that of rain. She had the ability to calm the most frantic of hearts with her presence alone. And only she owned it in this whole world. Maybe that's why he came to her of all the places, craving her soothing aura. He could already feel the chaos inside him slowly receding. He felt all those demonic thoughts retreating to the obscured pit of his mind. He didn't wish to kill anyone anymore. He was basking in peace. She calmed his chaos- like rain to the wildfire. After a long while, he decided to release her. He appeared calmer now but embarrassed too for displaying his vulnerable side to her. When he finally li
"I showed your gift to my friends and they liked it too," Serena revealed to Asher as they walked together towards their class. "Really? What did they say?" Asher pried. "Mendy and Kim couldn't stop awing at it and Shanice...well, she was totally stunned. Her eyes nearly bugged out as though she had seen some ghost," Serena giggled as she recalled Shanice's expression. The girl had looked so comical. Asher smirked. So she recognized it. "Did she say anything?" Asher asked a perk in his tone now. "Yes. She said it's pretty," the guileless girl revealed. Asher nodded, smirking in triumph. .............It's staggering how quickly time flies. It felt like only yesterday when she had met Shanice for the first time and now she was helping her pack her bags. Shanice was leaving their small town for LA with Reed tomorrow. She was flying out to live her dreams. And while Serena was happy for her, she was a little sad too. She hated goodbyes. "I am going to miss you," Serena felt te