“Have you picked up philosophy?” Owen pokes my side and I squirm away.
“Those weren’t your thoughts before.” Seb narrows his eyes. “You never gave Asher the present. You had him run after you until you were both destroyed.”
“You motherfucking idiot.” Owen hits his friend’s shoulder with his. “That’s not our story to tell.”
“Well, she erased her memories, so she might as well get a wake-up call.” Seb steps closer until he’s towering over me. “You don’t get to preach about the present when you ruined someone’s life in the past. Asher was so caught up in you, he always landed himself in trouble, and do you know what you gave him as a reward? A cold shoulder.”
I gulp, my palms turning sweaty. Even though I knew that, it stings to hear it out loud. These are Asher’s closest friends. They knew him better than anyone else.
“You think that, too?” I ask Owen, my voice low.
He lifts a shoulder. “I don’t like getting involved in people’s shit, but yeah, you two were like fire and water. You just never mixed, but I guess I liked to think you had your reasons.”
“I did,” I whisper.
“Have you told him those reasons?” Seb raises an eyebrow. “Because he didn’t return to make friends with you. He’s become such a stone since high school.”
“Buuuut he’s softening now.” Owen grins. “Whatever you’re doing to that fucker, keep doing it. We really thought we lost him with Arianna that night.”
“When he went to England, it became worse,” Sebastian says. “He acted as if he were completely fine when he wasn’t.”
We thought we lost him with Arianna that night.
Those words keep bouncing in my mind no matter how much I try to keep them away.
You ruined my fucking life, monster.
It’s Arianna’s death. That’s the incident that ruined everything.
I can’t run away from the truth anymore. If I want to figure out how to take my relationship with Asher to the next level, I need to fix the past.
For that, I have to find his wound, try to heal it, and hope it’s not too late.
Lies won’t shield me anymore. The truth is my only option.
Owen pokes my shoulder. “Don’t provoke him.”
“Yeah, he’s a little fuck when provoked,” Sebastian says.
“What do you mean?” I stare between the two of them.
“Come on, Rei-Rei.” Owen snaps his fingers. “Stay away from Jason Brighton. Asher never liked him.”
“Why?”
“He thinks he was pretending to be Arianna’s friend.” Sebastian’s gaze zeroes in on me. “He’s shady and always hangs around campus even though he doesn’t study here. Never trust anyone who seems too good to be true.”
Well, Jason isn’t too good to be true. He’s Cloud003 and that guy isn’t good at all. He still calls me his slut and wants to fuck me. Besides, Owen and Sebastian hate him because he’s with the Knights—the Devils’ rivals in Blackwood.
“But Asher likes me.” Owen waggles his brows with a sly grin and wraps an arm around my shoulder. “How about that BJ?”
“Drop your hand before I fucking cut it off.”
The three of us freeze at the low voice coming from the entrance. Asher barges inside, his fists clenched by his sides as his deep green eyes throw daggers in Owen’s direction. I don’t know why I’m tempted to stand in front of the football player and protect him.
Owen, Seb, and I might not have gotten off on the right foot, but we’ve grown close over the weeks. I like having them in my life and I’m glad they’re there for Asher when he needs a friend.
Only he doesn’t seem to consider them friends right now.