*Ophelia*I keep pushing Jake down the street until we’re out of Asher’s sight. Sighing, I bend over to catch my breath, my heart screaming inside my chest from the close call we just encountered.“What the fuck was all that?” Jake asks, breaking the silence between us. “Why did you just lie to the dude?”I look up. “The ‘dude’ in question is a person in the spotlight, Jake. He doesn’t need to know my personal business.”“But you could tell me,” he challenges. “You just stood there and sang in front of me, and then all of a sudden, you shut down and start lying about your voice? Like, what’s to lie about?”I feel myself cracking, but I try to stand my ground. “You wouldn’t understand, Jake. It’s no big deal.”He turns and looks back to where we came from. “Is he harassing you?” He returns his gaze to me. “Did he touch you?”“What?” I nearly shout. “How the hell did you jump to that as a conclusion?”“Because you just ran away from him and lied about singing, when none of that a
*Asher*I pull into Country Corner just after nine at night. I’m exhausted, but I knew I couldn’t pass this up. A few days ago after returning home, I got a text from Camila. She invited me to come to the honky-tonk, and she had a special surprise for me.She told me to come back today after practice. I’ve got a game in a few days, so I can’t stay long this time, but I can’t miss out on hearing her sing. Something about Camila hasn’t sat right with me in days, and I haven’t been honest with anyone about it, including Mark. I know it’s got something to do with her not wanting to sing on our date, but that’s all I’ve got.I step out of my truck and wipe my forehead. I haven’t stopped sweating, even when practice ended hours ago. But I had no time to do more than rinse off in the showers after practice, before changing and jumping on the highway. Mark had teased me the past few days, asking me how things had been with Camila. I changed the subject, asking how the rest of his mini vac
*Ophelia*When I walk into Touchdown Tavern the next day, my best friend tackles me. Her face is red, and she’s talking so fast I’m afraid she’ll run out of air.“Sky, slow down, I can’t understand you when you’re like this!”Skylar bends down, her hands on her thighs, as she seemingly catches her breath. It takes a minute, but then she stands straight again. She whips out her phone to show me whatever it is she’s trying to get across to me.“Camila! Someone filmed her the other night with an older guy!”Shock overcoming me, my eyes widening, I look down at Skylar’s phone. It’s clear that it’s Camila, and she’s leaning over at a bar with a much older man. The woman is talking to him, running her fingers up his arm and batting her eyelashes. It’s impossible to hear what she’s saying, but it certainly looks like flirting to me.It’s a shaky video, but it’s clear who the main subject is. After all, her red hair and signature red lips are the most prominent of features on display. An
*Ophelia*“Are you FUCKING serious, Camila?!” I screech, banging open the door to her dressing room, phone in hand, on the verge of exploding. If flames could logistically come shooting out of my ears, I know that there’d be a fire in no time. “Did you think I wouldn’t find out about your little hospital visit?”Camila sits in her chair, her makeup brush in hand as she stares at herself in the mirror. She doesn’t even bother turning to face me; instead, she makes eye contact with me through the damn glass. “Whatever do you mean, Ophelia?”Her fake innocent act adds to the fire in me, my blood beginning to boil. I grab the bitch’s chair and spin her around to face me, not giving her a chance to go ANYWHERE. “First, you start spreading these horrid lies about me, making it look like I’m trying to take you down a notch? Then I have to find out from the hospital you’ve been trying to make my mother worse?”She shakes her head, but the smile doesn’t break. “And what makes you so sure th
*Ophelia*I can hardly believe what’s happening right now. The entire plaza is watching ME. I don’t even care if the music isn’t blasting along with the track. My heels glide across the stage to take me to where Camila stands front and center. It’s terrifying and invigorating at the same time.Asher grins at me from the side of the stage, his smile plastered across his whole face. He’s here, and I know he’s cheering me on. Camila opens her mouth and a screech unlike any other I’ve heard before starts. Is this what Camila thinks singing is? Does she think she’s a singer?Asher and I cover our ears, followed by a couple of crowd members. It sounds like a dying animal shouting into the microphone. God, I didn’t think someone could be THIS bad at finding a note. “Nope, no, you need to stop,” Asher says, reaching out and taking the microphone. “You’re going to make us all deaf before you get to the chorus!”“I wasn’t finished!” Camila demands.He shakes his head, and the platinum
*Asher*Ophelia texts me a few days later. She wanted to handle our plans for the date. “I’m not letting you wine and dine me; that’s not who I am,” she had said to me on the phone. “If we’re going on a date, I’m making the plans.”I have no issue with this. The fact she’s giving me a chance is all I’d wanted. Our game against the Chefs was a beatdown. We were on our game. Mark and I couldn’t help but scream in celebration after the fourth quarter ended. 35-3 was our final score. So, two games down, and the rest of the season to go.As I’m traveling back to Nashville from Arkansas, I talk on the phone to AJ, whose team also won this week. “How is it you end up in a situation in which ghost-singing is involved?” he inquires. I turn on my blinker, almost to Ophelia’s place. “You ask the question, but I still don’t have an answer. But I’ve got to record her voice sometime, and you have to hear her.”“All I’m hearing is you just landed yourself in a Cinderella story,” my brother te
*Ophelia*“What the hell are you doing here?” I ask, closing my front door. “You don’t have anything better to do than scare the shit out of me?”My little sister, Carolanne, stands next to Skylar, both of them with confused and surprised expressions on their faces. “What?” I ask, not understanding the silence.“I’m sorry, are you supposed to be my sister?” Carolanne asks.“What?” I repeat.“Cause my sister wouldn’t be caught talking to the quarterback of the freaking Ozarks!” She sasses back. “I cannot believe you didn’t tell me you were hanging out with Asher!” Skylar squeals. “Wait, why were you hanging out with him?”I shrug. “He asked me out.”“He WHAT?” Skylar screams. Carolanne’s mouth just falls open. The two women look like they’re going to cry or explode.I wave an arm in front of them. “Hello? Breathe!”Fanning her face, Skylar talks first. “Oh my God, oh my God! Please, tell me everything. All the details. Like, how did you guys end up going on a date when he j
*Asher*I know the text I’ve just sent sounds incredibly cheesy, but I wait for her response to appear under my message bubble. Ophelia has been so open to getting to know who I am, not who the media says I am. I want her to trust me.Then, the beep comes, and her message appears. “Round 2 it is. Though I don’t know how you’ll ever top Betty’s Banging BBQ!”“I’ll think of something.”I send the text before lying back on the bed.I chuckle as I look back at the few texts we’ve sent since I asked her out and got her number. We’ve mostly stuck to what our first date would be and when it would happen. But now, with an indeterminable amount of time between tonight and our next outing, I’m unsure what to say.I want to tell her that I haven’t dated a “normal” woman in a long time. I want to open up about more than just the family legacy and my desire to be the best at what I do.But most importantly, I want to show her anything and everything her heart dreams of.Excited by my revela
*Ophelia*The screaming patrons of the concert hall cause the backstage area to rumble under my feet. That, mixed with my nerves, has me quivering. All my work has brought me to this moment. But I can’t help the ache in my heart not having Asher here but know there’s no time to wallow. Tomorrow is the championship game, and the team can’t go anywhere, even if they want to.I take in a deep breath, shuddering as it exits my lungs. I shake out my hands next and start pacing back and forth.“You okay, Ophelia?” Daphne appears by my side, her phone in hand as always. She’s dressed in a t-shirt with my name printed across it and a pair of jeans, with a blazer thrown on over the ensemble.She reminds me of Carolanne, and I’ve dubbed her my older sister. She’s been so attentive, helpful, and even kind to me. I’ve cherished her advice and compassion, so I know I can share my anxieties.“I’m nervous as hell, Daph. I don’t need to be. I’ve been rehearsing for months and know nothing impedes
*Asher*“Oh, that’s nothing.” Ophelia declares this so nonchalantly that I hesitate a moment. My phone is blowing up with notifications that have tagged us both. But these aren’t standard messages people are sending. There are threats, violent thoughts, and desires. I don’t normally interact with my social media accounts. This, though, is much different.“No,” I slowly start. “Nothing is someone just saying they don’t like you. These messages aren’t nothing, Ophelia.”“It’s been happening for months, Asher. I’ve just turned off all my social media notifications.”I rear back like I’ve been stabbed. “MONTHS?!”She nods, shrugging like she’s just misremembered something that isn’t important. “Yeah, I just figure people hate me because I’m dragging your image down or something? I didn’t tell anyone, though. You have enough stress on your plate; I didn’t want to add this, too.”I can’t help but laugh at her wanting to protect me. Hasn’t she realized I’d do anything for her? “My love,
*Ophelia*“Ophelia! ‘Lose It All’ is number three on the charts this week!” My new manager, Daphne McKenna, calls through the studio, excitedly running up to me. She shows me her phone, and I pull the headphones from my head to around my neck.“Holy shit!” I squeal, jumping up and down in my seat. “This is insane!”“They love you, Ophelia!” David says, coming in with a bottle of champagne. “And we’re immensely proud of you.”The interns and other workers enter the studio, handing David a towel to open the bottle without risking the equipment.“Thank you, guys, really. David, I wouldn’t have been able to do any of this without your support. Daphne, thank you for taking on my baggage load in such a short time. I’m so happy to have you here with us. And thank you to everyone else for all your hard work and dedication. But thank you for believing in me.”The bottle goes POP! as everyone cheers, pouring alcohol into paper cups and cheering about the room.It finally feels like I’ve e
*Asher*November comes and goes, and we’re staring down the barrel of Christmas and the New Year. Celebrating Thanksgiving with Ophelia in attendance was some of the most fun I’ve had in years. Per tradition, the Slater family plays football out in the yard while the turkey cooks. It’s nothing more than a friendly, silly time where no score is kept, and no one plays by the official rules.Ophelia initially wasn’t interested. “I like to watch sports, not play them,” she’d teased. But then, Payton and Renee asked to join in, and her entire attitude changed. “Alright, fine! If your nieces are gonna play, then count me in.” It had been a few months since she met the girls, and neither remembered my girlfriend. But it soon didn’t matter because they were busy trying to run the ball down the yard.AJ even came in to pick up Renee, carrying her past everyone so that she could score. Adorably, she tried to spike the ball with both hands, but the ball just flopped to the ground.The entire
*Ophelia*I can feel Asher’s body tense, his muscles becoming predominant at the initial glance of the stocky man. As usual, his suit is too tight around his body, and as an added bonus, he’s sweating his ass off, wiping at his forehead with a handkerchief like it’s still the 1950s.“Well, well, well. Look who’s come crawling back.” Peters's voice comes out like a slithering snake. It fits perfectly with his conniving ways, and I cringe at the sound. What a bastard.“Alvin?” I inquire, taking a step forward.“Miss Lane. Have you come to your senses? Finally realized that I’ve been right all along?” It’s like he believes he is invincible in this setting, but I’m about to drop the bomb on him. I can’t wait to see his expression. I look up at Asher, who returns the glance. He raises a single eyebrow but doesn’t release the tension. I think he’s even clenching his jaw.I turn back to the pathetic excuse for a man. “You’re fired. You’re no longer my manager. If you want to address an
*Ophelia*“Please, tell me what happened, and don’t leave anything out.”Maria connected us with a friend who specializes in contract law. She just so happens to have a location in Los Angeles, so a few days after his game, we fly out to meet with her. Asher and I sit in her office now, staring across her desk as she asks me to recount everything that’s happened with Alvin Peters since the moment I met him at the restaurant in Nashville.Emily Faith, the lawyer, has her hair wrapped in a bun on top of her head. She could be mistaken for my mother; the color is identical. She wears a grey pantsuit with a pink-collar shirt and has a steaming cup of hot coffee on her desk. She’d offered some to the two of us, but I’ve been too jittery this morning to accept anything. Instead, we were brought two cups of water. I hold mine tight in my grasp as I force myself to breathe. Emily’s hands are folded on the table, and she looks from Asher to me. I do as she asks.“I felt…funny after taki
*Ophelia*Asher’s parents take us all to dinner to celebrate the win of another game. It’s significantly more fun than any of the time I spent in L.A., and I think their son telling his girlfriend he’s in love with her put everyone in a much better mood after Courtney. We go to an upscale Italian place, but we are not properly dressed. Usually, this would make me nervous because I feel as though I’d stick out. But in truth, I don’t notice if people watch over us. I’m bursting with love and happiness for my person; being with his family is like a dream come true.Frank orders a bottle of champagne for the four of us, holding his glass up once we’ve all been given ours. “To my family and Asher's big win.”We clink glasses, taking sips together. I watch Asher’s face, wondering if he picked up on his father’s words and their meaning. I don’t think he was referring to football, at least.We order pizza and pasta, and the restaurant's vibe is inviting. The Slaters know the owner well,
*Ophelia*I can hear Asher before I see him. Courtney’s standing before him all done up, but her face is scrunched up in rage, red blotches on her cheeks and down her neck. “How dare you talk to me this way! Who the hell do you think you are?”“I don’t care who you think I am. I’m in love with Ophelia, and nothing you can say will change how I feel!”I stop in my tracks, Asher’s parents both running into me. I can’t help it. Did he just say that? Did I hear him right?“You…” I stammer out, my hand shooting up to my mouth in disbelief. Asher Slater, the quarterback, is in love? With me?My heart picks up speed, the thumping going through every inch of my body as I process the words. Asher and Courtney both jump at my single word, the two making eye contact with the three of us mere feet away. The reactions each have are vastly different. While Courtney continues to blow steam from her ears, Asher’s face relaxes, and his brown eyes tell me the truth.He loves me. In Love. With me.
*Asher*My teammates hoist me into the air as they begin to celebrate in the endzone. Holy shit, thank God we won. I almost blacked out while running that last thirty yards. All my brain could say to me was, “Don’t fuck this up.”“That’s our fucking quarterback!” Mark cheers, lifting his helmet in the air and spinning his arm around. “Asher Slater is a force to be RECKONED with!”My best friend seems to be drunk on the win, but I won’t spoil this for him. The guys all worked their asses off to get this win today. I’m still shocked by our win, but I scan the crowd before us, made up of teammates, reporters, coaches, and other football personnel. I look up at the family box that I know Ophelia’s in with my parents. I’d noticed when sitting on the bench in between my time on the field that the cameras continued showing off the three of them, enjoying the game and laughing together. Ophelia looked mortified a few times she appeared on screen, and all I wanted to do was tell her it w