Chapter 9: He Is Looking at Me

ADDY

I bolt upright, the memory of what happened hitting me like a freight train.

I’m in a cozy bed, wrapped in sheets that smell really good. Panic sets in again, and I toss the sheets aside, leaping out of bed—fear gripping me once more.

But I don’t get far. I trip over something solid and tumble onto it.

“What the hell?”

A groan comes from beneath me, and I let out a scream before recognizing the voice.

“Asher?”

Hearing his name seems to wake him up. He sits up quickly, looking at me.

“Addalynn,” he says, sounding out of breath.

I push myself away from him and stand up—anger surging through me. So, it was him who scared me half to death. I wasn’t kidnapped like I’d thought.

Part of me is relieved, but another part is just plain mad.

How could he do something like that?

I don’t even take the time to look around the room I’d always wanted to see. Instead, I make a beeline for the door, desperate to get home.

I don’t get far before I’m yanked back against Asher’s firm abs. He’s shirtless, and I can feel a blush creeping up my face. But it quickly fades, replaced by the threat of fresh tears.

Asher spins me around to face him. A tear slips down my cheek, and I try to pull away, but he pulls me into his chest, his face buried in my messy hair.

I freeze, his scent filling my nostrils. In any other situation, I’d be hyperventilating by now, but I don’t know what to feel at this moment.

“I am so sorry, Buttercup. I am so, so sorry,” he whispers over and over, and I can’t hold it in anymore. I sob into his chest.

“I thought you left me. I was so scared. I kept calling your name but you never answered me and suddenly being there didn’t feel as mesmerizing as when we arrived there together. H-h-how ~could~ you?”

I shake, pounding my fist against his chest, trying to pull away again, longing for the comfort of my own bed. But he doesn’t let me go. Instead, he holds me tighter, stroking my hair.

“I just wanted to scare you, you know. You ran off before I could react and I thought the best way to get back at you would be scaring the crap out of you.

“I never thought you would react the way you did. You just blacked out in my arms the moment I got to you.

“You scared the crap out of me, Buttercup,” his voice sounds shaky too, and I pull away to look at him, realizing I’m still in his arms.

I clear my throat, and his eyes widen briefly before he lets go, sitting down on his bed. I follow him, curious about what happened next.

~Crap, didn’t I have morning breath?~

~Stupid, stupid, stupid!~ I scold myself, moving further away from him, looking up at him with sleepy eyes.

“Can you put on a shirt, please?” I ask, blushing.

Asher smirks.

“Why, is this distracting you?”

I look away. “N-no,” I stutter, not sounding convincing at all.

“I am really sorry!” he says again.

I smile to myself, feeling a little special. Asher King doesn’t apologize to anyone.

“It’s okay. I get scared when I’m alone in strange places.” I fiddle with my bracelet before looking up at him again.

He looks like he wants to ask me something but stays silent.

“How did I get here?” I finally ask.

Asher chuckles. “I carried you bridal-style all the way home.”

My eyes nearly pop out of my head.

“You did ~what~? What if someone saw?” I shriek.

Asher gives me a look.

“Do I look like I care?”

I shake my head no.

~Great, someone probably saw.~ Gossip spreads like wildfire around here.

“And why was I in your bed?”

~Like you didn’t want to be there in the first place!~

“Because I wanted you there.” He smirks, running a hand through his messy hair.

~Yummy!~

“Asher!” I shriek, but he just laughs.

~How can a human being look so fucking good in the morning?~

My eyes dart to the floor, and I spot the blanket there.

“You slept on the floor?” I ask, horrified.

He just shrugs.

“I could have slept on the floor, or—wait, why didn’t you just take me home, you idiot?”

“I didn’t really want to knock on your door and face your dad with his unconscious daughter in my arms.”

My eyes widen before I burst out laughing, actually grateful that he didn’t do that. Dad would have killed him.

“Shit! They must be worried sick! Where’s my phone?” I look around frantically.

“Don’t worry, I texted your dad that you were over at Kaylee’s.

“Huh? But how?” I stare at him, but he just smirks at me.

“Your password is my birthday. Not very creative, Addy, and not hard to guess when you have such a big crush on me.”

My jaw drops in shock.

“I don’t have a stupid crush on you—you—you delusional idiot!” I yell, and he starts laughing again.

“It’s my mom’s birthday,” I say, sulking.

~You know very well that it’s Asher’s birthday too, you sneaky, sneaky girl!~

“Sure, sure. I’ll make sure to ask her one day, then.”

My eyes widen at that, and I shake my head at him furiously. “Please don’t do that!” I beg, and he starts laughing again.

“I knew I was right?”

I give him a tight-lipped smile, nodding stiffly. Anything to keep him from asking Mom about this date.

We sit there in silence for a while when Asher’s face suddenly turns serious.

“We don’t have to jog anymore,” he mumbles, more to himself than to me, but I catch his words anyway.

“We can go.”

He glances up at me.

“Just one rule. You can’t ditch me like that again.”

Asher chuckles and nods in agreement.

“Deal, Buttercup?”

I laugh, growing fond of his pet name for me.

A few weeks ago, if someone had told me I’d be sitting on Asher’s bed, laughing and chatting about jogging, and most importantly, talking to him without stuttering, I would have probably kicked them.

I chuckle at the thought before lobbing a pillow at Asher for scaring me in the woods.

He frowns at me before tossing it right back.

I’m definitely not forgetting the past two days anytime soon.

***

I sleep through the entire day and when I wake up, I’m in my usual spot. I smile at the memories from yesterday morning before getting up.

I scramble for my phone to check if Kaylee has called, but accidentally hit the play button on a song.

Demi Lovato’s voice blasts from my speakers and I jump in surprise. ~Damn Bluetooth. Why did I crank up the volume so high?~

I intend to turn the thing off but end up dancing and swaying to the beat instead.

This is why I never get things done on time; I’m easily distracted. Way too easily.

I sing along joyfully, moving to the rhythm.

“Nice moves, Buttercup, but you couldn’t carry a tune if your life depended on it?”

I whip my head around to see Asher leaning against his window frame, watching me. I feel a wave of shyness before his words fully sink in, and I jump up.

“You, you, you—” I stammer, pointing at him and moving toward my window frame.

“Me, me, me?”

“I’m a great singer,” I declare proudly, crossing my arms over my chest.

“You sound like a cat being dragged through the city!” he laughs.

“ASHER, YOU JERK!” I shout, leaning out of the frame. “Do you even know what that sounds like?”

I shudder at the thought, remembering Grandma’s cat.

“Now that I’ve heard you sing, I can imagine it?”

His smirk doesn’t seem to be fading anytime soon, and I scowl at him in annoyance.

“Are you going to change out of that?” he suddenly asks.

“Out of what?” I ask, confused. He gestures toward me. I’m about to ask him what he means, but he speaks up before I get the chance.

“My shirt.”

I glance down and sure enough, I’m wearing his shirt. It’s burgundy and falls to my mid-thigh.

“What the hell? You changed my clothes yesterday?”

Asher’s eyes go wide.

“Wait, are you saying you didn’t realize you’ve been wearing my shirt since yesterday?”

“YES! I meant to shower earlier but ended up going straight to bed. Why didn’t you tell me, you jerk?” I hurl the nearest teddy bear at him, but he catches it through the window.

“How was I supposed to know you hadn’t noticed?” He chuckles before tossing Mr. Cuddles onto his bed.

“Give Mr. Cuddles back!” I whine, immediately regretting throwing the bear at him.

“Nope, he’s mine now.”

I gape at him before turning to walk away when another thought strikes me.

“OMG, you pervert, you changed my clothes?”

“I didn’t have a choice. I couldn’t give you a bath, so I settled for changing you into my shirt.”

My eyes widen and I instinctively cover myself as if I’m suddenly naked.

“You, you—”

~Why are you freaking out when you actually liked that he did it?~

“Hold on, Buttercup, I don’t think you get to scold me. Remember that day?”

“What?”

“When you can see straight into your neighbor’s room and she’s parading around half-naked, YOU LOOK?”

In a high-pitched voice, Asher mimics what I had chanted a few months ago in my room when he seemed to be ignoring me.

My face turns beet red.

“You saw that?” I whisper, feeling embarrassment flood over me.

He just chuckles to himself before pulling the curtain across and disappearing into his room.

“Later, Buttercup!” I hear him call out a few seconds later.

~Can the ground just open up and swallow me? How am I ever going to face him again?~