“Woke up?”Hearing that familiar voice strangely filled with a hint of gentleness got Esther to sit up on the couch, and her eyes fell on Asher sitting beside her. Oddly enough, those eyes of his that were on her seemed softer than usual.It got her heart beating fast.This shouldn’t be dream, right?“What are you doing here?” Confusion showed in her gaze. Didn’t he have the Spring Dance to get ready for?“Naturally, I came here for you. You must be hungry. I will set up the table for you. Go and wash up.”He patted on her head before getting up and walking away.Unable to process the situation, Esther blinked few times. This can’t be Asher, right? She pinched on her thigh. A groan left her mouth following that. The pain seemed very much real.Looks like this is the reality.But why is Asher being so gentle to her? Could this not be him? Was someone impersonating as him?Sitting on the couch, Esther was lost in her thoughts, trying to form countless theories on his sudden change of be
Staring at the large building in front of her, she said, “An aquarium?”She looked at Asher in confusion and blurted out, “You are Asher, right?”Seeing the amusement that crossed through his eyes made her feel flustered, and she turned to look the other way. Her cheeks heated up due to her silliness.“Are you scared of aquarium?” he questioned.She shouldn’t be. Esther wasn’t that big of a scaredy cat.She shook her head.At that, he grabbed her hand, and both of them entered the building. Whatever it was, Esther decided to place it at the back of her head for the time being and enjoy these precious moments with Asher.The day went by pretty fun for Esther. Asher introduced her to all the creatures inside— his level of knowledge shocking her— and Esther watched it all with bright eyes.Although Asher didn’t show it on his face, the soft smile that graced his face occasionally showed that he was enjoying it too.“Whoa! They are so pretty!” Esther commented at the array of beautiful an
“My parents died when I wasn’t even one, and from then on, my brother and sister-in-law brought me up. My sister-in-law was like a mother figure to me. You reminded me of my sister-in-law— small and fragile.”At Asher suddenly revealing this information to her, she turned to look at him. She could easily see the agony on his features as he tightly clenched on to the steering wheel. It was as though he harshly pulled off a scab from over a wound while telling her this.“Was?” she softly mumbled.“She was killed, brutally by animals, to the point of beyond recognition. It was six years ago. It completely destroyed my brother. Made my entire family collapse. I had a terrible time with my temper.That’s why, as a last solution, I was recommended to move far for recovery because due to my brother’s unstable state, the responsibility of taking over my family fell over me.Then, there was you, and you made me think that if I let you in, the history will repeat. I didn’t want that pain or to
Probably because of how easygoing Asher appeared, it made Esther want to open up about all of her grievances. Who knows how long will it last?Although Asher gave her his word, his temper was terrible, and Esther knew he wouldn’t be able to maintain this for long. She didn’t mind as long as Asher didn’t truly mean it.“Are your feelings towards me platonic?” Esther questioned.This made the man shoot her an incredulous look, wondering what went through her head.Feeling wronged at his stare, she couldn’t help but reveal in a depressed tone: “Then, why haven’t you kissed me yet? Is it not because you aren’t attracted to me? When it comes to other girls, it’s not an issue for you to take them to bed but then, you can’t give me a small kiss.”She folded her hands over her chest, wearing a small pout.Asher was caught off guard for a second. He didn’t expect Esther to feel in this manner.Of course, it would be totally nuts to say he is not attracted to her. Although Esther is delicate an
“Your brother stays in a forest?” Esther asked as she walked through the denseness with Asher. If it wasn’t for the man beside her, entering into this greenery would have frightened her.Asher always gave her an inexplicable sense of security.“He prefers to stay away from city and enjoys the tranquility,” Asher explained.After walking a certain distance, Esther noticed the clearing, and there was a two story cabin standing there. Flowers grew around, and over all, the exterior of it seemed lovely.“Wow! Pretty!”“My sister-in-law decorated it, and after her passing, my brother maintained it,” Asher explained.The sense of distance that she once felt with Asher was all gone, and it was funny how it took a day for that disappear. The wall between them was completely cracked down, and Esther couldn’t be any more happier than this.After that, Asher knocked on the door, and as for Esther, her nerves were mess. She shifted her weight from one leg to another while her hand was sweating. A
Esther sat on the chair, focused on the man spreading the jam on the bread. She looked at him intently as if trying to read through him, and this got Asher amused.He brought the bread over to her mouth, and Esther took a bite.“What’s going through your head?”“Are you really related to Blue— I mean, Eli— by blood?”She didn’t miss the dissatisfaction in his eyes when she uttered that nickname. What a big jealous baby!“Last time I checked, yeah. Why? Am I too unruly to be related to him?”“I suppose you look similar, but…” Esther seemed troubled and didn’t know how to continue.She then sighed and shook her head.“Are you doubting your feelings for me?” Asher narrowed his eyes.“Of course not,” she stated, “you wouldn’t understand.”“How can I? I am not the one who’s treating you like a substitute,” he pointed out mockingly.“I am not.” Esther’s voice was a little too loud as she fiercely bit the bread. Her eyes glared at the annoying man who kept on repeating the same thing.“Is th
When Asher stepped into the house, he saw Esther standing in front of the oven. Inside the oven was a tray of cupcakes, and she watched the timer, waiting for the oven to turn the lights off.Just then, Asher grabbed on to her shoulders and turned her, startling the girl. She shot him a puzzled gaze.“Are you frightened of me?”What sort of absurd question was that?She stared at him in confusion. Nonetheless, she shook her head.“Even after finding out I am not human?”Esther was taken aback. She wondered how Asher figured that part out.“Shocked, yeah, but I was not scared,” Esther responded honestly.“But you have phobia of wolves,” he pointed out.“That’s there, but you are a human now, and I know you aren’t a mindless animal. I have been living with my parents, Amy, and Luke my whole life.”“You knew about them too?”Asher found it funny. They all tried to hide the truth from her, thinking that Esther would be scared only for her to know everything the entire time. She sure didn’
After spending the weekend at his brother’s place, Esther returned home. Amy and Luke pestered her with a lot of questions. The obvious concern in their eyes made her feel touched, and this made her voice out, “I want to talk to you all together. Dad and mom included.” Given how busy her parents tend to be, Esther thought that it would take time, but she was surprised to see them all gather for dinner, wearing that solemn expression. It was in a way funny. Esther looked down feeling slightly overwhelmed and played with her fingers before revealing, “I know that all of you aren’t human.” Amy was the first one to react. She jumped forward and grabbed on to Esther’s shoulder, almost shouting, “Was it that bastard who exposed it?” Esther shook her head. “I knew from the beginning.” Her mother narrowed her eyes at Esther. That gaze of hers was oppressive, and although her mother went relatively soft on her, she still managed to shake Esther up. “So, you lied about losing your memory?