I nodded. “He’s just finishing cleaning up for the day,” I said. “We thought he’d be gone by the time you got back from your lesson.” I shrugged. “Never can rely on an oboe instructor, I always used to say.”
Ava rolled her eyes. “Whatever, Uncle Franklin.”
I was beginning to learn thatWhatever, Uncle Franklinwas actually Ava’s way of acknowledging my bad jokes without having to laugh at them, which was fair enough. She’d been sharing more with us as she got adjusted in her new school, and the family therapy sessions we’d been attending once a week to ease through the adjustment had been going well, so I wasn’t about to complain.
I went to get us some snacks while Rory tidied up some papers in his office. He had his night class, which meant I’d be making dinner with Ava that evening. Then she’d be off to study for her quiz the next day and to Skype with her friends back in Tucson, and I’d probably busy myself with tidying the house and catching up on reading.
I came back to the living room with a tray of hummus and vegetables the same moment Rory emerged from his room. Ava tossed her phone down to eat a carrot stick, then looked up to see the door to the basement open and a fully clothed Asher step out.
“Hi,” he said, waving awkwardly. “Just letting you know I’m all set.”
His clothes were still a little damp, and his shirt hung heavily against his body, but he was basically put back together.
“Asher,” I said, then gestured to the living room. “Come in. This is Ava. Ava, this is Asher, the guy who has been helping me with the big move.”
Ava’s eyes got a little wider when she looked at Asher, and I realized she was staring at his tattoos. Asher stuck a finger in the air, then pointed it toward Ava. “How’s it going?” he said. “Dope headphones.”
Ava touched the headphones hanging around her neck. “Thanks.”
I wished I could offer Asher something to eat, but I also wasn’t sure how to navigate having strangers in the house with Ava or how comfortable she felt with people she didn’t know. Before I could decide what to say, though, Asher spoke up.
“I’ll hit the road,” he said. “Let you all enjoy some family time. It will just take me a minute to clean up in the back, and then I’ll text about finding a different time to finish up.”
“Whatever’s best for you,” Rory said with a nod. “And thanks again for your work today. It was revealing.”
Asher stuck his tongue against the side of his mouth. “Huh,” he laughed after a second, then shoved his hands in his pockets.
I chuckled and went to open the door when Ava cut me off.
“Is that a speedometer?” she asked, pointing at a tattoo on Asher’s forearm.
“This?” he asked, glancing at it. “Oh, yeah. I used to drive cars for a living.”
Ava kept staring at Asher. It looked like she was going to say something, and I paused to hear what it was.
You had to grab the opportunities when she actually talked, I’d learned. Otherwise, who knew when she’d decide to open up next.
“What are you listening to on there?” Asher said, gesturing to the headphones.
“They’re called BTS,” Ava answered.
I’d listened to that one, actually. Rory and I had stayed up one night passing headphones back and forth and listening to all of her favorites. It seemed important to know what messages she was digesting, considering she had the music playing in the background for half of her life. BTS was one of my favorites. Their songs told a story about some alternative universe version of themselves, which, although confusing, I also appreciated.
It almost reminded me of a comic book.
“BTS,” Asher repeated, nodding. “What’s that?”
“K-pop.”
“Cool,” Asher said. “I’ll check it out.” He turned back to us, then nodded one more time. “See you later!”
It wasn’t until I let Marlene out after evening set in that I peeked out back and saw how good of a job Asher had done cleaning up the yard. The shed was only half-painted, but all the supplies were organized, and I noticed that he’d even resituated the boxes on the back shelving, which I had crammed in unevenly.
I walked in and circled to the basement, and Marlene followed. Asher had left my clothes folded up neatly on top of the washer, and the remote to the television was sitting squarely on the arm of the couch. I chuckled, not having expected him to be so conscientious.
With Ava comfortably studying in her room, my attention kept drifting back to Asher. There was a strange, persistent yearning that I couldn’t shake. Maybe I was just letting myself feel weirdly titillated by finding him half-naked like that, but it felt like much more.
When Rory came back from class, he greeted me in the living room with a bear hug and then a long kiss. I rubbed my cheek against his when he finally pulled away.
