“Why should I?” I asked.
“You’re right. You owe me nothing.” He raked a hand through his messy hair, and ink peeked from beneath the sleeve of his jacket.
I caught his wrist. “What is this, Ash?”
He gave a sheepish smile. One word marked his skin. Nunca. Almost identical to mine.
“A reminder,” he whispered. “Of what we mean to each other. What this word means to us.”
So now he remembered? “I got mine as a promise never to forgive you.”
Asher shook his head. “You’ve never lied to me. Don’t start now.”
“Maybe I want to.” My voice quivered. “Maybe I learned from the best. You said never, then left anyway. Why should I listen? To torture myself?”
“No.” His hand lifted toward my face, then dropped when I shook my head. “I just want a chance to explain.”
I swallowed the lump in my throat, shivering as I hugged myself. “I’m not ready, Ash.”
“Fuck.” His breath fogged in the air. “You must be freezing. Come on, I’ll take you home.”
I trailed him to the car, my mind spinning. Once inside, I buckled up as he cranked the heat. Tension radiated off him, like he was holding back words because I’d asked him to.
Silence wrapped around us. Even now, I preferred silence with him over conversation with anyone else—annoying as that was.
“Where do you want me to take you?” Asher asked.
“Somerset Road.” I clicked the belt into place. “In front of the home goods store.”
He nodded. As he leaned forward to start the car, the scent of his cologne drifted over. I closed my eyes, letting it fill my lungs. I’d missed him. So damn much.
Fifteen minutes later, he pulled up beside my apartment complex.
His throat bobbed with a swallow. Then his warm gaze swept my face, sending tingles across my skin. “Take all the time you need,” he said quietly. “But I’m not going anywhere. My number’s still the same. Call me when you’re ready to listen.”
***
When I got home, Alba was painting her nails on the couch.
I dropped beside her in silence.
“How was the date?” She glanced at me, then returned to the neat swipe of pink across her nail.
“A mess. Asher showed up out of nowhere. Said it was a family emergency, then admitted he just wanted me to listen.”
Alba set the bottle aside. “Did you?”
I waved a hand in front of her face. “Hello? Did you hear me? Asher showed up at a coffee shop in Emerport after two years of nothing.”
She blew across her nails. “But you knew he lives here.”
I sagged against the couch. “I knew Vortex is based here. I didn’t know he lived here. Maybe he doesn’t. The question is, how did he know where I was?”
Alba shrugged. “He must’ve stalked you.”
I snorted. “He’d need to care for that.” Or be as desperate as he seemed. But why desperate now? How had he even found me? My father and Sharon didn’t know my address. They wouldn’t tell him anything anyway. After I said I’d cover college myself, my father washed his hands of both parental and financial duty. He told me not to come crawling when I couldn’t pay off the loans. Since South America, I’d only seen him three times.
Alba reached for the top coat. “Do you think Asher doesn’t care?”
