Total pages in book: 36
Estimated words: 33691 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 168(@200wpm)___ 135(@250wpm)___ 112(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 33691 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 168(@200wpm)___ 135(@250wpm)___ 112(@300wpm)
“I’m fine.” She shrugs one of her shoulders.
“Fine? Doesn't that mean that you're really not okay?” I push.
Emily has been off since her father’s birthday party, which was over a week ago. She’s so involved in school I thought unlike most she might be upset about it coming to an end. But I think it’s something else.
“I have a lot on my mind is all.”
“You can talk to me about it if you want,” I offer, hating seeing her this way. Emily is always so chipper and full of life. It’s like a switch flipped or something, and she’s become quiet and keeps to herself a lot more.
“How about what’s going on with you and my brother?” She tosses a smirk my way, changing the subject. My face warms. “When are you two going to stop sneaking around?”
“I’ve been waiting.” I wring my fingers together. I’m really not sure how everyone is going to take to the idea of Asher and me being a thing. We’ve been living more in the moment. There hasn’t been a ton of talk about what’s next. I keep thinking any day now he’s going to tell me that he’s heading back to Japan, but he hasn’t.
He’s turned into a freaking sweetheart for the most part. There is still a very bossy side to him. One I love. All the air leaves my lungs as the one word lingers in my mind. Love. No, that can’t be possible. It’s only been a little over a week since all of this started. It all happened so quickly. I’d melted right into the man's hands.
“Waiting for what?”
“I don’t know. I guess I’m scared,” I admit, opening up to her.
“You think your mom will be upset?”
“I don’t know.” I bite my bottom lip. Asher has been sweet to me, but there’s something off when it comes to the way he treats my mom. He’s not mean, but there is a stiffness that I pick up on when he talks to her. I’m not sure if it’s because of what’s going on between him and me or something else. He’s been nice, just as he promised, but it’s off. Mom can sense it too.
I know how to read her body language. She is trying to win Asher over, but honestly, he should be trying to win her over at this point. He and I will need to talk about this before we tell our parents what’s going on. It’s only a matter of time before we’re busted. There is only so much sneaking around you can do before you get caught. We always end up in each other's bed at night.
“I’ve never seen your mom ever be upset with you. She’s so sweet.” I don’t miss the longing in Emily’s words.
“I just don’t want to worry her or rock the boat. She’s so happy and in love.”
“I get it.” I glance over at her. It suddenly hits me.
Is that why Emily is always going above and beyond? She is always keeping herself so busy and excelling at everything. Asher had told me a bit about their mother and how cruel she could be. That he’d noticed when Emily started to get older, her own mother was jealous of her. I wonder if deep down she believes she is the reason her mother left.
Emily really does get it. We both go out of our way to try and not cause waves. We’re more alike than I ever realized; we just have different ways we go about how we handle it.
Emily’s phone goes off as we pull into the driveway. She puts the car into park, her face scrunching at whatever the text says.
“I’ve got to take care of something.”
“Okay. I’ll see you later. Thanks for the ride,” I tell her before I head into the house. I spot Grant in the kitchen when I take the side door inside.
“Hey,” I say. He gives me a warm smile.
“You’re home early.”
“Half day. Do you know where my mom is?”
“She’s in the library.”
“Thanks.”
“Would you like some lunch?” Grant calls after me.
“Not right now, but thank you.” I’m on a mission. Emily is right. I need to come clean with my mom. Asher might hide it well, but I can see the irritation in his eyes when he can’t touch me whenever he wants or let people know we’re together.
It’s so crazy to think how Asher and I started to where we are now. I’d gotten him so wrong. He’s protective of his family, and I understand that now after he told me all he had to go through with his mother.
“How much?” I pause at the doorway to the library when I hear Asher’s voice.
“Ash, I swear I have no idea what you are talking about. I barely use the cards your father gave me, let alone take out more or pull money from accounts.” My stomach tightens at the sound of my mother’s voice and the topic of conversation between them.