Chapter 11: Carnival Trips

ADDY

Asher’s gaze locks onto mine, then flicks to Xander’s hand in my hair. His fists ball up and I can see his jaw working.

We hold each other’s gaze until Blake nudges him, breaking the spell. Asher looks away.

Gabe, Asher’s lifelong best friend, stifles a laugh before he places his hands on Asher’s shoulders, guiding him back to their table.

I’m about to look away when Asher’s eyes meet mine again. His expression is unreadable. I shrug it off and turn back to Kaylee and Xander.

“He’s been watching you since they walked in,” Kay whispers in my ear. I nod.

“Do you know him?”

I glance up at Xander, who’s watching me, and shrug.

“Neighbors.”

He raises an eyebrow.

“Just neighbors?”

~What’s he getting at?~

My heart tightens and I nod. “Just neighbors.”

Kaylee senses my mood shift and quickly changes the subject.

“Guys, there’s a carnival today! It just opened yesterday, not far from here. I really want to go.” She giggles.

My mood lifts instantly. “When have I ever said no to a carnival?” I exclaim. We both turn to Xander.

“Do I have a say in this?” He groans, and we both shake our heads.

“Carnival it is, then.”

I cheer, aware of a pair of eyes boring into the back of my head.

***

“So, why’d you move here?” I ask Xander as we trail behind an excited Kaylee, who’s engrossed in a phone call.

“Reasons,” he mutters, looking off into the distance. I nod, not wanting to pry.

“Do you know anyone else around here?” I ask after a moment.

“Nope.” He grins, clearly relieved by the change of subject. “Just Jalina, Trevor, Kaylee, Ash—uh, and you.”

I frown.

~Was he about to say Asher?~

They must know each other. They both looked anything but pleased when they saw each other in the cafeteria today.

I push the thought aside, walking in silence next to Xander. He seems lost in thought, and I use the quiet to wonder about Asher.

He still knows my secrets, but he’s being stubborn for no reason. I just don’t understand. We’ve become good friends over the past few weeks.

Aside from the fact that he’s my crush, he’s a good person. Or at least he was good to me before he freaked out.

And to think he’d noticed me after all.

My cheeks heat up at the memory of the silly things I did to get his attention.

But now I just feel let down. Asher gave me a glimpse of what life could be like with him in it. He gave me hope, then crushed it.

The more I think about it, the more frustrated I get.

At first, all I wanted was for him to notice me. Then he did. I was over the moon, but what did he do next? Push me away! And for a reason I still don’t understand.

~So what if I knew.~

“Addalynn?” Xander’s voice pulls me from my thoughts. “We’re here!”

I look up and gasp.

“This is so freaking cool!” I laugh, grabbing the phone from Kaylee and ending her call. I shove the phone into her pocket.

“Hey!” Kaylee protests, but I just laugh and pull her inside, Xander following. He insists on buying our tickets, despite our protests.

“What do you guys want to do first?” Xander asks, flashing me a brilliant smile.

~It’s nothing compared to Asher’s smile.~

I shake my head, trying to clear my thoughts, and look around for something to do. That’s when I spot someone I never expected to see at the carnival.

Asher freaking King.

And he’s not alone. Jalina is glued to his side, whispering something in his ear. A few feet behind them, Blake and Gabe are deep in conversation.

I grit my teeth in annoyance.

~Why does she have to stick to him like that? What are they even doing here?~

~Calm down, Addy. They’re allowed to go to the carnival. The world doesn’t revolve around you.~

He’s definitely not here because of me. Who could have told him I’d be here?

I glance at Kaylee and Xander. They haven’t noticed them yet—they’re too busy arguing about where to go first.

Quickly, I grab Kaylee’s hand and pull her in the opposite direction. Anything to get away from them.

Today, I’m going to have fun without thinking about Asher King.

***

“I want to go to the haunted house!” Kaylee announces, and I give her a death glare.

~No way in hell.~

“Not happening! I’m not going in there.” I shake my head at her disappointed face, and she turns to Xander, but he’s already shaking his head.

“Sorry, Kayls. I don’t think I want to go in there right now.”

Kaylee huffs. “You guys are such wimps. It’s just a haunted house. I’m going. You guys find something to do, and we can meet up after I’m done?”

Before I can protest, she’s off.

I turn to Xander.

“She’s stubborn,” he chuckles.

“That she is,” I agree.

“What do you want to do while we wait? Any rides you like?” Xander asks.

“I love rides, but let’s wait for Kaylee. She loves them too and she’ll be pissed if we go without her.” I give him a pointed look.

“Got it,” he says with a chuckle, glancing around.

“I want to win something at the booths!” I exclaim, bouncing with excitement. He laughs and leads me through the crowd. We finally find the booths, and my eyes immediately land on the biggest teddy bear I’ve ever seen.

“Xander, that one! I’m going to win that one!” I declare, smirking as I stride over. I hand over my money and listen intently to the instructions for winning the grand prize.

I’ve never used a bow and arrow before, but how hard can it be? I’ve seen it done in movies.

The girl hands me the bow and three arrows, and I can’t help but grin.

“You know you have to hit the yellow spot right in the middle to win the big teddy, right?” Xander asks.

“Yeah, I know,” I reply, positioning the first arrow on my bow.

I try to do as I’ve been instructed, but my first two attempts miss the mark.

“Don’t give up, princess. Try again,” Xander encourages, and I give him a grateful smile.

I pick up the last arrow and position it on my bow, trying to angle it correctly. Suddenly, two arms wrap around my waist, pulling me close.

I gasp at the unexpected contact, about to question Xander, when a familiar scent fills my nostrils.

“That’s not how you do it, Buttercup,” a voice whispers in my ear, and I freeze.

~Asher.~

He adjusts my stance and guides my movements, but I can hardly focus on what he’s teaching me. All I can think about is the feel of Asher’s arms around me.

Butterflies erupt in my stomach, and I glance back to see his eyes focused intently on our task.

I swallow hard, my heart pounding faster with each passing second.

I can feel the hard planes of his muscles against my back, and it’s all I can do not to lean into him.

~Is it wrong that I want this moment to last forever?~

My gaze returns to the target, and suddenly the arrow is lodged right in the center of the yellow circle.

“Congrats, you just won the mega teddy.” The girl behind the booth gives me a tight smile and thrusts the teddy bear into my arms. I stare at her, dumbfounded.

~What just happened?~