I couldn’t wait for college and real independence. Still, a small part of me had hoped Asher would stay. It would’ve been nice to have someone to talk to at home.
“I wasn’t worried about my privacy.” I tried to sound indifferent. “Just thought you’d want to be closer to your mother after five years away.”
Asher let out an annoyed huff. “And see the two lovebirds daily? No, thanks.”
At first, his relaxed attitude had fooled me. I thought he’d gotten over our parents being together, but clearly, he hadn’t. If I was honest, neither had I. I tolerated it, but seeing Sharon in Mom’s place had only gotten a little easier.
“Okay,” I said. “I can call my father and ask when he’ll be here if you’re tired.”
The engine of Dad’s car rumbled outside the gates. Asher bent to snatch his backpack off the grass. “No need, I guess.”
I followed him to the driveway.
Sharon stepped out of the SUV and gaped at him before walking forward slowly, as if unsure what to do. They couldn’t look more different—Asher with his dark hair and tanned skin, his mother with blond hair and blue eyes.
She hugged him awkwardly, patting his back.
“When did Asher get here?” Dad asked. “He told us tomorrow.”
“He changed his mind.” I tightened my hold on the diary and Asher’s gift. “How was shopping?”
“It was all right.” Dad sighed. “Hope you studied and didn’t just waste time chatting with your friend.”
Studies. Right. Who cared that I’d just turned eighteen?
I swallowed past the familiar tightness in my throat. “I did.”
God, he still treated me like a child. I glanced at Asher, praying he hadn’t heard.
Our gazes clashed, and he looked away. Great. He’d heard.
“You better not be lying.” Dad’s jaw flexed. “Let me say hello, and then we’ll have dinner. Hope what we brought is enough for four.”
He caught up to Sharon and Asher, shaking Asher’s hand. The gesture looked painfully awkward, but at least no one looked angry. Yet.
Sharon hauled shopping bags from the trunk and headed inside with Dad, leaving Asher and me lingering behind.
“I need to drop these books in my room,” I said. “Tell my father I’ll be down in a few.”
“Sure.”
I crossed the foyer and rushed upstairs, where I brushed my hair and washed my overheated face. I needed to stop acting like a flustered kid around Asher. I wasn’t thirteen anymore. He was just a guy. Insanely good-looking and unlike anyone I knew—but still, just a guy.
When I returned to the dining room, everyone was already seated. Dad and Sharon had brought sushi. I sat, grabbed my chopsticks, and picked up a tuna roll.
“I wish you’d told me you were coming today, Asher,” Sharon said as I dipped it in soy sauce. “I would’ve prepared your room.”
Asher finished chewing and dabbed his mouth with a napkin. “I won’t be staying here. I’ll crash with Ale and then look for my own place.”
Sharon pressed her lips into a thin line and reached for her wine. “You were away so long. I thought you’d stay with us—your family—at least for now. You’ve just arrived.”
Asher’s eyes met mine. I dropped my gaze to my plate and swallowed fast, stuffing another roll into my mouth to hide the nerves.
Dad took a sip from his glass. “Sharon’s right.”
Wow. He was really making an effort for Sharon—he hadn’t liked Asher’s attitude five years ago. “Having you here will make your motherhappy,” he added. “At least while you’re getting used to Stetbourg and the team.”
Asher set his chopsticks on an empty plate, though he’d barely eaten. He looked too tense, not even a little excited at the idea of living with us—but maybe I was wrong. I hoped I was.
