37. ASHER'S LOVE

ACT SIX SCENE FIVE

ASHER'S LOVE

third person

perspective

ASHER GLANCES UP to find Solar standing in front of him awkwardly. The petite girl pulls out the chair across him, taking a seat unexpectedly causing the platinum blonde to doubt her sudden appearance. The last time they were together, he and her slept together.

Asher savors his Luwak coffee. "Talk."

Solar shifts uncomfortably in her seat. She wanted closure. She liked him for a while but it's clear that he doesn't yearn for her at all: it was foolish of her to consider that a girl like her has a slight chance. Sahar exists in the universe, she's divine, her looks are euphoric but Solar, Solar is copper beside Sahar.

"I like you." Solar whispers. Fool, she shouldn't have spoken. But she couldn't help it. Her emotions for Asher were impossible to subdue.

Asher shakes his head. "I know but before you think of liking someone like me, don't you think it's more reasonable to love yourself first? When someone fails to love themselves and gets into a relationship, they'll struggle to love their partner. And you Solar, from what I've seen, you're doubtful and severed your friendship with Sahar by stabbing her in the back — I see you as severely untrustworthy."

His words slice her heart. All the growing emotions were obliterated in a matter of seconds. Like bullets to her body, she felt like physically disappearing forever just to avoid his penetrating gaze. Solar felt nauseous, she wasn't sure if it occurred because of him rejecting her confession or the fact she deceived Sahar because of Normani's voracious desires.

He's right. She shattered such a beautiful friendship because of her jealousy. She couldn't withstand the idea of Sahar and Asher conversing with each other, hence she succumbed to all Normani's schemes and sought to ruin Sahar's chances of staying in Devon Academy. Planting Jumin's document in Sahar's bag was the only way to ruin her companionship with Asher and all the other billionaire bad boys club members.

"Do you like her?" Solar sputters.

Asherscrutinizes his Daytona watch with lethargy evident on his face. "And what does that have to do with you?"

Solar felt enraged. "Just tell me! I just want to know why? Why her and not me?"

"I never said I liked her." he frowns.

Solar could tell he was fabricating the truth. "It's either you don't like her or you're secretly in love with Luca Valdez."

Asher almost chokes on his Luwak coffee. In love with Luca? Luca is a brother, not a great one but nonetheless, Asher would never harbour feelings for someone like him. He can't like someone like Luca if Sahar exists. His standards for a significant other remains high with her existence.

"If you're done speaking, you can leave." his words were laced with ice. Solar felt like she was talking to a wall, she couldn't understand Asher. His feelings were complicated and hard to untangle. She just wished to be the person who could be there for him, she wanted to show him how love works. If there's anyone who could possibly love him, it would be her.

But he doesn't care.

"I just wanted to see if I still have a chance. It's fine, I understand why you wouldn't go for me when someone like Sahar exists. It's quite brutal, the both of you are 'friends' but I can see how much you want her, it's crazy how you're allowing her to slip into Luca's arms."

Asher clenches his jaw. It's a sensitive topic. He'd rather not dwell on it but when someone brings it up, it becomes an issue. He's struggling to manage his emotions, he's not sure at all. All he realises is that Sahar makes him happier but she also makes Luca happy. And in this world, Luca must be happy. As happiness isn't common in his life.

He picks up his Luwak coffee and walks towards the location of his polished black Bentley. Asher couldn't tolerate the idea of talking about Sahar and other guys.

Before he could get inside his car, unexpectedly, his phone goes off.

☏ —MESSAGES [01]

new message from jumin xu

[ ACCEPT | DECLINE ]

JUMIN:

helius is upset

ASHER:

what should i do?

ASHER:

i'm not his therapist

ASHER:

tell his brother

JUMIN:

i can't do that

JUMIN:

it's about his sister

JUMIN:

luca triggered his anger

JUMIN:

he's going to do

something

JUMIN:

please talk him

out of it

JUMIN:

only you know how

to help him

ASHER:

it's always me helping everyone

when will it be my turn. when

will someone help me?

MESSAGE NOT DELIVERED

ASHER;

nobody cares about me.

MESSAGE NOT DELIVERED

ASHER:

i'm coming

[ ASHER SMILES SADLY.

HE WILL ALWAYS BE USED ]

ASHER REACHES the convenience store in an instant. Just to find Helius sat alone on the bench. Jumin was pacing around back and forth with an anxious expression. Asher sighs, it would be best if Helius and him spoke alone.

Jumin glances at Asher, a brine of solace fills his face. He gives him a thumbs up before leaving the two of them alone. Asher walks towards Helius reluctantly, both of them have a love-hate friendship. Regardless of all their feuds, they invariably are there for each other through thick and thin.

Asher takes a seat beside Helius. "Golden boy looks not so golden today, is there a reason?" he attempts to lift the atmosphere but fails horribly once he realises the disgruntled expression painted on Helius' face.

"He spoke about my sister as if what happened to her was nothing," Helius clenches his jaw. "After everything that has taken place, why is Luca repeating the same mistake?"

His words cause Asher to furrow his eyebrows. Same mistake. After a few seconds, he felt all the blood leave his body, he felt numb as the realisation of the tragic death of Helius' little sister hits him like a vicious storm. "Alison." Asher drones

"You know exactly that Luca dated Alison due to his skin condition and now he's planning to do the same with Sahar. Don't you understand that this is real life Asher? Why are you letting Luca get away with everything? Just because he doesn't have a good family, just because he feels 'lonely' do you really think it's okay for him to be a bad person?" Helius' words felt like an epiphany for Asher.

"If you constantly let a person do bad things, they'll think every bad thing they do is okay, you're normalising every single wrong action Luca commits in his life. If you truly want him to be happy wouldn't it be understandable to stop him?" Helius was right again.

"You and I both know that Sahar wasn't the only girl he can touch. It used to be Alison but now that she's gone, it's now Sahar."

"He won't use Sahar like that. He likes her right?" Asher says, Luca's feelings do seem genuine. But who was Asher to class something as genuine?

"No."

"No?"

"He inquired why he couldn't use Sahar, he tried to tell me that he needed her and I didn't," Helius says, a big frown emerging on his face. "Before it was my sister and now it's Sahar, the boy will always remain socially inept and will never understand how the other party feels." Luca was indeed socially inept, he struggled to judge his interactions with other people — he'll never understand how another person could feel or react to his words.

"I don't understand how Sahar didn't hear all of this. What did she say about this whole thing?" Asher queries.

"Nothing."

Asher furrows his eyebrows. "But she was there with the both of you, how couldn't she possibly hear what was said?"

"I don't know but the moment she saw me aim a punch at Luca she immediately sided with him. I don't understand; why do girls always pick the wrong guy? After everything I've done for her, she decides to defend Luca in the end." Helius mumbles, his eyes focused on the starless sky.

Girls always choose the wrong guy. Asher couldn't understand how out of all the people in the world, Helius chose to aim for Sahar. Luca chose Sahar to use and Asher is just allowing it to happen because he can't fathom the idea of any of his billionaire bad boys club members unhappy. It's better when he's unhappy, happiness isn't a good look on him for a reason. Every time he's happy it goes wrong, it's as if it's impossible for him to be happy.

"What happened to Alison wasn't his fault Helius. You and I both know that things ended up that way because Alison chose to do so." Asher's words cause Helius to clamp his fists tightly, he could feel his blood pressure surging.

"And who are you to say that? You never knew my sister like that. You let Luca do whatever with her because you just wanted his happiness." Helius snaps, focusing his hectic glare on Asher. "Do you really think it's a mistake that my sister drove into a river that night?"

Asher looks at Helius with a bewildered expression.

"Are you trying to say Luca prompted her to do so? How on earth could he have done that?" Asher interrogates, Helius is not making any sense. It's absurd to convince a person to drive into a river.

Luca isn't capable of doing so.

"Luca was there that night." Helius murmurs. All of a sudden the air felt thick, it was impossible, Asher did not want to believe that Luca was present the night Helius' sister drove into a river.

"What." Asher was attempting to gain composure. He could feel his heart rate hasten, it didn't feel right, he felt revolted.

"That night, Luca and my sister got into an argument. Luca got into the car with his driver in anger and you guessed it... she followed after him in her car. And from there on things ended badly, a van came in the way and she turned the steering wheel the wrong direction, leading her car to fall into the river."

And that was why Helius believed Luca was an awful guy. He believes that if it wasn't for Luca storming off in anger, his sister would be alive and breathing right next to him. Helius knew that Luca has never felt anything for his sister. It was all a beautiful lie, so Luca could finally find the ability to touch somebody without feeling helpless.

And the next girl is Sahar.

Helius hates that he could see the past repeating the same way.

"I don't think Luca knows that happened Helius. You never spoke to any of us about it, from what I can see you've witnessed the road's CCTV footage. If you told him, you will realise that Luca will apologise sincerely because it was a mistake he unknowingly caused." Asher's response causes Helius to feel a little immoral.

"I couldn't tell any of you guys the real reason because Luca's reputation would fall to shreds and our club would've disbanded: leaving no possible way for us to hide the secrets of the past. Silas didn't want to talk about it either, he just kept his hatred for Luca deep down inside his heart."

"And the only way for you to move on is to tell Luca what actually happened that night instead of blaming him and hating him for what happened. If you truly like Sahar," Asher felt his heart ache as he spoke. "You would try to stop Luca from using her."

But truly Asher wanted to stop Luca. He wanted her.

Helius nods his head. "You're right."

Of course I am. Asher thought to himself. He was tired of helping others, it felt like a chore and to a certain extent he felt it was mentally and physically draining. He felt himself drowning in misery and loneliness but nobody seemed to care, as if to show care is something they fear.

"I guess I'll talk to Luca first and then speak to Sahar. I'll see you later." And with those words, Helius abandons Asher to sit alone as usual. Misery was an addictive drug, it was almost an obsession for his gloomy mind. Loneliness was beginning to reside in his heart, releasing waves of shallowness across his soul.

Asher felt a raindrop on his cheek.

"Pathetic." he whispers.

"You know I'm sick and tired of hearing you dragging yourself down. Are you really going to let this happen?" the sound of Jumin's voice causes Asher to straighten his posture.

"Let what happen?" Asher feigns confusion.

Jumin takes a seat beside him.

He spreads his arms wide, yawning in the process. "Don't act like that with me. You and I both know who I'm talking about."

Asher shrugs his shoulders. "Don't expect me to make an effort to do anything. It's whatever at this point. It's too much effort liking someone because once you like someone, suddenly everyone else likes them."

Jumin chuckles. "Just because there are other players in a game, you'll choose defeat? Aren't you supposed to make every effort to win regardless of who is playing?"

"This isn't a game though, it's real life. If I knew that liking someone took that much effort I wouldn't have made any effort liking someone in the first place." Asher says, glancing down at his phone.

"So what are you going to do now? Watch as two people you know take someone you've liked since the start of high school?"

Asher shakes his head. "You think I liked Sahar since the start of high school?"

Jumin nods his head. "And at one point she has also liked you."

Asher furrows his eyebrows. "How do you know about all this?"

"I have a keen eye."

"At first I liked her because she seemed so nice, but after I assumed she used me after sleeping with me, I began to dislike her. But deep down, I just wanted her to like me, I don't know why I never thought of making an effort to speak to her after everything happened. Her suddenly appearing in my life and becoming my friend actually made me feel happy, I just know she doesn't like me, she lost all her feelings after everything I've done and said to her." Asher says, a murky frown appearing on his pretty face.

"I highly doubt that. I just know she has always liked you and only you. I don't know about you but letting obstacles like Luca and Helius is ruining all your chances."

"Sometimes I just wonder if I want to keep her as a friend. There's no use of destroying our friendship by telling her about my feelings because I know she thinks I like her as a friend and nothing more."

"And why does she think like that?"

"Because I told her."

Jumin face palms. "Why would you tell someone that you like that you don't like them?"

"To avoid rejection. Not everyone is as bold as you Jumin."

Jumin runs a hand through his hair. "You're not understanding what I'm trying to tell you. She likes you and if you continue to avoid her feelings she'll leave you just like everyone else." he was right. Asher didn't want to be lonely anymore, he wanted a companion — no he wanted to love.

But in this world. To love is to fall.

And Asher promised himself he would never feel like an idiot ever again.

But when Sahar is around. His silver world is replenished by gold, his heartstrings twist and turn mystically and delve into the feeling of euphoria. Gold was not enough, to Asher, Sahar was palladium — rarer than rare.

When it came to love. Asher was no mastermind, he struggles to form a simple connection with anyone. That's why Sahar isn't just anyone. She's someone.

Unfortunately she is close to being someone else's.

And Asher is willing to give up for the sake of the happiness of his billionaire bad boys club members.

-

hope you enjoyed this chapter! who do you guys ship? helius and sahar? asher and sahar or luca and sahar?

thank you so so much for 119k reads! all thanks to you guys for such a huge milestone. i am so sorry for not posting since may, I suddenly picked up the motivation to end this book :) hopefully i could upload more chapters this month!

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