In the kitchen, the fight night guy stands with his back to the counter, a beer bottle in hand. Suddenly it feels like I could throw up, the butterflies in my stomach wreaking havoc on my nerves. I spy my burger on the counter but don’t have any desire to consume it. At least not until I can put some space between him and I.
“So, you’re Cam’s new roommate, huh?” He asks. This is the opposite of space.
“Yeah. He knew I was looking for a place, and it was a good fit - close to college.”
“I’m Asher, by the way, me and Cam go way back. Alyssa, right?”
Asher. Nice name. I wonder vaguely if he’s a player like Lucca and Christian, or at least that’s what Cam tole me. It’s sweet how he cares enough to warn me off his friends. As if I couldn’t walk a hundred meters in any direction and find my very own douchebag.
This is L.A. after all.
“Yeah, I’m Alyssa. It’s nice to officially meet you, I’m sure I’ve heard Cameron mention you once or twice,” or a hundred times. Asher is Cam’s best - male - friend, it’s only nature that he gets brought up in conversation. I’d like to think that Cam does the same with me, but as I search for any recognition on Asher’s face, I realize… maybe not.
Asher shoots me a wicked grin. He’s hot as hell and he knows it. I imagine that grin getting him whatever he wants. “What would you say if I asked you on a date?”
“A date?” I ask, simultaneously skeptical and flattered. “But we don’t even know each other?”
“Perfect opportunity for a date, wouldn’t you say? That is what dates are for.” Asher says, his smile unwavering, his confidence clearly holding strong.
“I mean…” I hardly need to be dating and starting college at the same time. Not only does that sound like a recipe for disaster but also for heartbreak, because that is what is clearly stamped all over this boy. But I’ve never been one to back down at the sight of conflict.
I take another moment to think it over, do I want to go on a date with Asher?
Yeah, I do.
He’s handsome and charming for sure, but it may be more than that. I felt it the other night, the first time I saw him.
“Okay. Let’s go on a date.”
