“You don’t remember?” he murmured.
I should’ve stepped back.
I didn’t.
His mouth brushed mine first—barely there, a warning more than a kiss.
Then he kissed me for real.
And just like that, every rational thought I had disappeared.
He deepened the kiss, one hand threading through my hair, the other tightening at my waist as he pulled me flush against him.
I melted into it before I could stop myself, my hands gripping his jacket as his lips moved against mine like he had all the time in the world.
He broke away just enough to look at me.
“You still don’t remember?” he whispered again.
Then he kissed me harder.
This time, there was no hesitation—no space left between us, no room for logic or restraint.
When he finally pulled away, my breathing was uneven, my thoughts scrambled beyond repair.
“Try not to forget that one,” he said quietly.
Then he stepped back, looked me up and down one last time, and walked away—leaving me completely undone and mad at myself for wanting him to come back.
Ten
PRESENT DAY
KATIE
The following morning
Asher’s kiss lingered on my lips long after my morning shower, and I couldn’t stop fantasizing about the way his touch rendered me completely useless.
How the mere thought of it made me slide my fingers deep until I came with his name on my tongue.
I’d most definitely remembered our first hate-kiss from long ago, but we’d both agreed to drown it. To let it wash away with our other ‘almosts,’ with the things that were far outweighed by our hatred of each other.
“Two blueberry scones and a flat white for Katie!” The Sweet Seasons barista’s voice snapped me out of my thoughts.
I pushed my way through the small crowd to grab it. Then I settled into an empty booth near the windows.
Taking a long sip, I tried to brush away any remnants of Asher and mentally brace myself for the next hour.
Today was the third Thursday of the month, i.e., “relationship check-in day” with Brad. Unlike usual, I wasn’thoping for him to list all the ways why we were finally in the right position to turn “us” on again.
Every time we revisited this chapter, the words never seemed to change.
Our story didn’t seem to have any place new to go, and I couldn’t think of a single good reason why I continued to put myself through this.
Alas, since we’d both asked for rain checks on the last two meetups, skipping a third was something we both agreed couldn’t happen.
Where the hell is he?
