Ch. 23: The Past Explained

Asher's POV:

As we head up the stairs to my room to talk, I can feel Makayla's harsh stare on my back. She's pissed. I should have left it alone; it was stupid to pick a fight with Liam, especially when it was clear he wasn't looking for one. I just couldn't help it.

Well, okay. That's a lie.

I could've kept my mouth shut if I really tried. Just sitting there listening to Makayla pay compliments to him, it made me angry. I was jealous, and it was fucking stupid.

I open my bedroom door, and she quickly brushes past me and makes herself comfortable on my bed. Fuck. Seeing her laid back against my headboard, with those beautiful green eyes of hers staring back at me expectedly, has me kicking myself. If I hadn't let Liam get to me, I could be enjoying the fact that we have a moment to ourselves.

"Asher, are you going to sit down or are you just going to keep standing there staring at me?" My thoughts are broken up by the sound of Makayla's voice.

Wait. Crap. What did she say?

Okay, focus Asher. Forget the fact that you have been crazy about this girl for years, and have only pictured her here, laying in your bed, like, well more times than you would ever care to admit.

I catch her gaze again, as she groans, rolling her eyes, before motioning me to come over. Realizing that was what she had been asking me; I sigh and shake away all unnecessary, distracting thoughts for the time being and plop down on my bed. She moves over, turning to face me. She leaned forward, tucking her legs into a comfortable, crossed position.

God, she's so beautiful.

"Look, I never asked about what went down between you and Liam. I never felt like I had to because it hasn't been an issue, until now. Liam told me his version of events. I'm sure some of it is true and some of it isn't, but I would like to hear it from you," she speaks up before I can find the words to broach the topic.

"How are you so sure Liam isn't fully telling the truth?" I ask, before I even think. She furrowed her eyebrows; seeing her expression fall, I can tell that my response only implied the worst, so I clarify. "I mean, like, don't get me wrong. I like that you have faith and trust in me, but just why not give Liam that benefit of the doubt? After the way you were stroking his ego, I figured he could do no wrong in your eyes." I mumble the last part, immediately regretting the words.

Makayla scowls, before folding her arms in front of her, defensively.

"Okay, well, to answer the first part of your question, it's just something my dad taught me as a kid. He always used to say there were three sides to every story. Their side. Your side. And the truth. I figured Liam's version has some merit to it, but it's from his perspective. I wanted to hear your side of it. Now, in regard to the last part, I feel like I shouldn't have to explain myself with Liam." She says a sharp edge to her tone, but mostly all I hear is sadness. I go to speak, but before I can even utter an apology, she puts her hand up, forcing me to be quiet.

"I shouldn't have to explain myself, but I'm going to anyway. I wasn't stroking his ego or whatever else you want to imply. If you haven't noticed, I don't have feelings for Liam, and he doesn't have feelings for me. I mean, for god's sake Asher, he's on his way to confess his feelings to another girl!" She throws her hands up in frustration, laughing. Her laughter has a mix of anger and disbelief, like she couldn't believe she had to explain something so obvious. I sigh, hanging my head.

Well, now I feel like an idiot.

"You're right. I'm sorry. I guess, I just got hung up on the fact that you did go out with him first, and I don't know. I wasn't thinking." I apologize, trying to make her understand my point of view. Her gaze softens. A few moments pass, as we let the silence creep in. I'm lost in my own thoughts when she grabs a hold of my hand, lacing our fingers together. Her thumb rubs soft circles on the back of my palm. I'm surprised at her actions, figuring she would still be mad at how immature I was being.

"You mean the date you crashed?" She joked, trying to hold back a laugh, but failing miserably. I glance up at her, and the jealousy and doubt from earlier just doesn't seem to matter anymore.

Because God that laugh of hers. It could light up any room, no matter the audience. It's near-infectious, and no one is immune. Her laugh is one of my favorite things about her.

I try to hold back my grin, but she makes it damn impossible.

"Asher, do you want to know how that date ended?" Her question breaks through and instantly sours my mood.

What am I supposed to say? Fuck no! Nope can't say that.

I shrug, focusing on staring anywhere but her. My gaze settles onto my bed comforter, pulling at a few threads that had come loose.

"Liam and I agreed to be just friends, and he helped me realize that you and I would be a better fit." My eyes shoot up, seeing her smiling back at me.

"There's no way. Liam knew I liked you and went after you anyway. It was all payback for what happened with me and Annie. Sorry, Makayla, but I'm having a hard time believing that Liam would do anything that would have the remote off-chance of helping me." I shake my head in disbelief.

That guy wouldn't give me the shirt off his back if I needed it. I'm calling bullshit.

She just shrugged and spoke up. "Oh, I know! He made that fact abundantly clear. Despite his attitude towards you, his words really helped. So, again, I don't know the whole truth of what went down between you guys and Annie, could you fill me in please?"

I groan, not wanting to dredge it all back up, but know that she deserves to hear it.

"Okay, so what exactly did Liam tell you?" I start by saying. I at least need to know if I need to do any sort of damage control. I don't trust that he didn't spin the narrative to make himself look like the good guy.

"All he said is that you knew about his feelings for Annie but slept with her anyways. And that you claim you didn't know he liked her, which he thinks you're full of shit about." Makayla explains. I can't help but groan, pressing my palm to my forehead to ease the tension.

"You have to trust me on this. I didn't know that he had genuine feelings for her. Yes, he told me that he had a childhood crush, but then he was constantly hooking up with other girls at every party we went to! I figured the feelings weren't that serious, since he wasn't treating her as a serious option." I try to explain myself, hoping she hears the sincerity in my voice.

"Wow. Yeah, he did admit that he would hook up with other girls to make her jealous," she replies, proving my point.

"Oh, he made her jealous, but he also really fucked with her head."

I would say the guy is a complete dumbass, but I'd be a damn hypocrite. I did the same shit to try and get Makayla's attention, and that angle really didn't pan out.

Who knew direct honesty would work?

Makayla tilts her head to the side, confused by my last remark. "Wait, what do you mean?"

"I mean, if the guy had just told her from the beginning how he felt, he would have known that it was reciprocated. He made it way more complicated than it needed to be," I start, stopping when I see the judging look the girl across from me is sending in my direction.

"Yes, okay, I know. Pot meets kettle," I respond, making her laugh. "She honestly didn't think he liked her back. So, it was homecoming night sophomore year, and the team had a huge party to celebrate the win. Annie and I both had way too much to drink and ended up hooking up. It was stupid, and the next morning, we both admitted that we were just using each other to get over someone else. Well, anyways, Liam walked in on us getting dressed, and he lost his shit. Didn't give us a chance to explain and just walked up and punched me straight in the jaw. Long story short, Liam and I haven't gotten along since, and that night is the reason I don't drink during the season anymore. Any questions?" I ask, finishing the story and laying back on the bed, my arms folding nicely behind my head. I watched her process what I had told her before she shook her head.

"You guys are complete idiots, I swear!" She replies, rolling her eyes. I don't have any time to react before she whacks me across the face with one of the pillows on my bed.

"What the hell was that for?" Confused, I take it from her before she uses it as a weapon again, waiting for a reply.

"Because you two are stupid! If you both had just been honest, do you know how many problems would have just disappeared all on their own. I mean, seriously? If Liam had just told Annie how he felt, they would have been together. Then you and Annie never would have slept together, so you and Liam would still be friends!" She rants, poking me in the chest as she emphasizes each point.

"Ow, why are you so violent, woman?" I ask, laughing. She just shakes her head, grinning and mumbling that I'm an idiot.

I mean, there is evidence to support that statement.

I grab a hold of her wrist and pull her down so she can lay beside me. She rests her head on my chest, sighing as I run my fingers through her hair.

"So, what if I had been honest from the beginning too?" I ask. She glances up, confused at my question. "Freshman year. If I had just stopped playing games and asked you out, what would your answer have been?" I stare down at her, searching her face for any sort of reaction. Her lips form a thin line as she pauses, thinking it over.

"It's hard to say. I mean, we can't go back and do things over, but I would like to think I would have said yes. I did actually have a crush on you for a hot second." She answers, and I swear my heart stops beating for a second.

"Wait, are you serious?" I ask, thinking she has to be messing with me. She never once gave me any sign that she might have been interested. Shooting me that bright, beaming smile of hers, she nods. "Well, fuck. Now, I want to go back in time and slap the shit out of my younger self." I say, trying to wrap my head around it.

I wasted so much time being a complete ass. I don't know what I did to deserve a chance with this girl, after everything, but there is no way in hell I'm going to let myself mess it up.

"It's okay. We're together now, so everything happens for a reason," she reassures me.

I'm still mentally kicking myself when her hand moves to rest along my jawline. I look down at her, as she smiles before brushing her lips gently against mine. I react instantly and pull her close, afraid to let go. Her body shifts, as her legs move to either side of my own. Breaking the kiss, I inhale sharply as I take in the view of Makayla. Her cheeks are flushed, and it's hard to not react to her new position on top of me. Her hair falls in front of her face, and I quickly brush it behind her ear before pressing her lips to mine again.

The air between us feels electric that I'm not surprised the touch of her skin nearly shocks me to my core. Deepening the kiss, my hands find their way to the small of her back. Her hands move to the bottom of my shirt, tugging gently. We break apart, as I pull the shirt over my head and toss it to the other side of the room. I watch her eyes drift down, and I can't help but get lost in the feeling of her. I have wanted this; wanted her for so long, it takes all my willpower to not lose myself in her entirely.

God, how quickly she's become my favorite person.

I sit up, drawing her closer. My lips move to graze her neck as she sighs, tilting her head back. As the intensity between us heats up, the sound of my phone ringing breaks through the tension.

I can't help but groan in frustration, as Makayla moves off me. I reach for my phone to turn it off, wanting to return my attention back to her. I stop, noticing the caller's name on the screen. I quickly answer the phone; my initial annoyance replaced with concern.

"Sage?"

"Asher? Hey, hope I didn't catch you at a bad time, but those texts you wanted me to look into? I think I found something you and your girl are gonna want to see."