If anything, he appears on the verge of slamming his fist into Owen’s face and making the threat about his hand come true.
“Drop. It,” Asher growls, but his expression remains neutral, emotionless even.
I know better, though. Asher’s rage is the type that simmers under the surface. When the volcano finally erupts, it only leaves ashes in its wake.
Sebastian must feel Asher’s murderous mood, too, since he smiles in an obvious attempt to defuse the tension. “We were just leaving.”
“We were?” Owen seems oblivious, but I’m not sure if it’s genuine or just for show.
Seb grabs him by the shoulder and forces him to release me. “Yes, we were.”
Owen winks at me. “See you, Rei.”
I wave at them, trying—and failing—to ignore the presence standing in front of me.
As they pass him by, Asher stops Owen and whispers something clipped in his ear. I strain to hear what he’s saying, but I can’t catch it.
Owen’s face remains blank for a moment before he laughs. “That’s what I’m talking about.”
He winks at me again before Sebastian drags him out.
As soon as the door closes behind them, I realize it’s only Asher and me now.
My pulse picks up and I fight the urge to fidget. True, I agreed to confront him earlier, but I’m not ready so soon.
I need more time to cultivate my courage.
“What the fuck were you talking a
bout with those two?” Something ticks in his jaw, and I can’t help watching him and his face…his handsome, dreamy face.
Is it weird that I like him seething like this? It means he cares, means he’s affected. It fills me with a weird type of hope, the belief that maybe, just maybe, it’s not too late.
I lift a shoulder. “The usual.”
“Define the usual.”
“Just stuff, Ash.”
He strides toward me and towers over me, his shoulders on the verge of snapping. “What type of stuff, Rai?”
My heart skips a beat at that name. Even though he knows about it, he only ever calls me Reina. It feels both strange and liberating to be called by that name, the name of the child me.
“Why did you call me that?” I whisper.
“Every time you call me Ash, I’ll call you Rai. Don’t you hate it?”
“I don’t hate Rai. It was my name for twelve years, after all, so if you think it’s a jab against me, you have it all wrong.” I pause, watching him closely. “Do you hate Ash?”
His lips thin into a line but he says nothing.
“Or do you secretly love it and hate that?” I continue, holding my breath.
Somehow, I think that’s how Asher feels about me, or at least that’s what I’m hoping for.
He ignores my question and motions behind him. “Let’s go home.”
Home.