"Charlotte."
"What?" she says, unfazed. "You tell people this yourself."
He shifts in his seat. "That's not-"
She cuts him off. "You hate casual. You always have. It ends one way or another."
My chest feels strangely hollow.
I look at him again.
He doesn't correct her.
Doesn't deny it.
Doesn't look at me.
The silence stretches.
"Why are we talking about this?"
Charlotte shrugs. "I'm just saying. Some people can do it, and some can't and if Ivy's man-"
I cough, splutter. "I don't have a man."
Asher's chair crashes back down.
Charlotte waves me off.
"If her boy toy can't do casual then maybe she does need that surfer guys number? Options are always good to have and different strokes for different folks-"
"Are you done?" Asher says monotone.
Charlotte grins. "Why? Uncomfortable, Asher?"
"You know Leon wouldn't like her going in a date with a stranger-."
"It's not his decision." Charlotte says but I cut in.
I narrow my eyes, "Oh, I'm sure he'd like me to go out with one of his hockey mates instead, maybe Justin?"
"No." Asher grunts. "What does this fucking idiot look like anyway, if she's going to go on a date with him, he has to pass."
"Who are you, her brother?" Charlie quips, raising a brow at him. "Your . . .protectivenessis showing Asher."
His jaw clenches, "Leon is my best mate, Ivy is his sister. It's natural for me to be-"
"Brotherly?" Charlie cuts him off.
"Ivy is also your best friend, so sue me if I want to protect her like I would protect you."
"Cause I'm your sister?"
"Are you done?" Asher grunts, glaring at Charlie. "Now, where the fuck is he?"
Charlie rolls her eyes back while I keep my mouth zipped, knowing better then to get between a squabble with them. "I'm not pointing him out to you." She focuses back on me, and Asher rolls his eyes at her back, before they come to rest on me and he smirks again, leaning back and balancing on the chair like he didn't just have a little fight with his sister and stares around the library again, looking disinterested as Charlie describes this guy.
"He had blonde hair, and it was artfully styled like he'd just come out of the ocean, but he smelt like cedarwood - you know how much I like cedarwood and he wore a navy button up and dark jeans. He had the most piercing blue eyes ever - you know like Ian Somerhalder and his face was carved by angels."
