“My mom taught me,” he explains. “My dad and I had football in common, and I guess she got jealous. So, one day she woke me up in the middle of the night, and we started cooking. After that it became our thing. Every Saturday night, my dad would find us in the kitchen at two in the morning—cooking whatever we had the ingredients for.”
Hearing him talk about his childhood is adorable, and I couldn’t keep the smile from my face if I tried.
“She sounds like a great mom.”
He nods. “She is. I got really lucky in the parental department. What about your parents?”
I shrug. “My mom is all right. Doesn’t have much of a backbone though.”
“And your dad?”
“He’s a straight-up dick.”
Nearly choking on his water, he laughs. “Well, damn, Tess. Don’t hold back.”
I give him a sweet smile that makes me look so much more innocent than we both know I am. “I never do.”
“Is he really that bad though, or is it just that you’re a teenage girl in her you can’t control me phase?”
My thoughts instantly flash through all the times I’ve wished he would disappear and never be seen again. When he told me I’m a failure and that I’ll never amount to half of what my sisters are. The morning he pulled me out of bed by my hair because I left the window unlocked when I snuck back in. The night he slapped me across the face when I told him I wouldn’t stop seeing Easton.
“Hey.” Asher brings my attention back to him with a soft hand on my face. “I was just making conversation. Don’t get lost in that pretty little head of yours.”
As if he didn’t realize he was doing it, he quickly pulls his hand back and focuses back on his food. I grin lightheartedly in an attempt to defuse the situation. Things go quiet again while the two of us finish our lunch, but his words play in my mind repeatedly. For a second, I didn’t think about our age difference or the fact that he’s my teacher. I don’t think he did either. It was just him and I, sharing a moment.
I’m putting my plate in the sink after finishing when he leans against the counter and sighs.
“Can I ask you something?”
It doesn’t seem good, but I nod anyway.
“Last night, when I came in to check on you, you whispered something about the day he took you. Who took you? What happened?”
My heart drops inside my chest, and I can instantly feel myself starting to shut down. “I was delirious and on drugs. Who knows what I was rambling on about.”
He frowns. “See, I might have believed that, if it wasn’t for the look on your face when I asked you about it.”
“Drop it, Asher.”
I go to walk away, but he grabs my wrist. “Come on, talk to me.”
“There’s nothing to talk about!”
“That’s bullshit and you know it!”
A dry laugh leaves my mouth, and I roll my eyes. “What the fuck does it matter? Why do you even care?”
He narrows his gaze on me. “I’m just trying to figure out if saving you is going to become a regular task for me.”
“Oh, I’m sorry,” I coo, acid leaching from my words. “I didn’t realize me being drugged was such an inconvenience for you.”
“Don’t be like that. You know that’s not what I meant.”
“Isn’t it, though? How long have you been dying to say I told you so? Go ahead. Get it out of your system.”
Running his fingers through his hair, he grunts. “You want me to tell you I was right? Fine. I was! I told you to stay away from that goddamn party, but no. You just had to go, and look where that got you!”
I scoff and cross my arms over my chest. “It was one party, Asher. I had too much to drink and got too comfortable. But that’s not going to stop me from going to more.”