5

CHAPTER FIVE

I KISSED THE WRONG BEST FRIEND.

ISLA

“Asher.”

I whispered under my breath, feeling the excitement vanish from my bones. What the hell is he doing here? Did he see who dropped me off?

Before my thoughts could run further, his voice cut through the quiet hallway before I even reached the door.

“Where the hell have you been?”

I stopped short.

Asher stood a few steps away, arms crossed, his jaw tight—not in a furious way, but wound too tight to pretend he wasn’t scared. His hair was damp, like he’d just come from the gym, hoodie half-zipped, eyes scanning me like I had appeared out of nowhere.

“I—” I swallowed. “I went out.”

“That’s by the way,” he snapped, then exhaled sharply and dragged a hand over his face. “Your roommate called me. She said you disappeared and weren't answering your phone.”

This time, my guilt hit harder than my fear.

“I didn’t hear it,” I said softly. “My phone was on silent.”

He stared at me for a long second, then looked away like he didn’t trust his tone. “Since when did you start going to parties? And what happened to your curfew, Isla? It's past midnight!”

“I’m sorry.”

That took some of the edge off him, and he let out a breath.

His gaze dropped briefly, then flicked back up. “Who dropped you off?”

My heart skipped a beat. He can't know it was Noah.

“A… friend,” I said quickly, then I forced myself to steady my voice. “Someone from campus.”

He narrowed his eyes just a bit. “A guy?”

I hesitated for half a second too long, and he took that as an answer.

“Isla, you can't be—”

“Asher,” I called, cutting him off gently. “I’m okay. I promise.”

He studied me again, searching for something I didn't know. But whatever he saw must've satisfied him because his shoulders finally relaxed.

“Next time,” he said, “you tell me. Or you answer your phone.”

“I will.”

He nodded, then stepped aside so I could unlock the door. “Eat something before you shower and sleep.”

I smiled faintly. “Yes, Dad.”

He huffed despite himself. “Goodnight, Isla.”

“Goodnight.”

He waited until I was inside before walking away.

Sonia was sitting cross-legged on her bed when I walked in, phone in hand with her headphones over her head.

“Oh,” she said slowly, pulling the headphones away. “So you’re alive.”

I dropped my bag. “Hi to you too, and thank you for abandoning me at a party you invited me to.”

“Don’t ‘hi’ me,” she snapped. “Do you know how insane I looked calling your brother at midnight?”

“I’m sorry,” I said again, quieter this time.

She softened just a bit. “I tried reaching you. Like—a lot. And I was worried.”

“I know. I didn’t hear it.”

She eyed me before a smirk curved on her lips. “So… was that a guy who dropped you off?”

I froze with my eyes wide. “You saw that?”

“Girl,” she laughed, “I have eyes.”

“It was nothing.”

“That’s what they all say.” She leaned back. “You abandoned me at a frat party and came home glowing. I deserve details.”

“There are no details.”

She didn’t believe me. But she let it go.

Days passed too slowly for my liking.

Rowan avoided me like I’d imagined the kiss, Ellis watched me like he was trying to solve a puzzle, and Noah smiled like he knew something I didn’t.

I reduced going to the ice rink and stayed in my room, and it was like that today until a knock came on my door.

I frowned, glancing at the time before opening the door and concluding it was Sonia. But Sonia doesn't knock.

I threw my weight off my bed and moved my feet towards the door and pulled it back.

I froze.

Ellis Grant stood there, hands shoved into his jacket pockets, his expression just as startled as mine.

“Oh,” he said. “You stay here.”

“You—” I blinked. “What are you doing here?”

He chuckled softly. “Visiting my sister.”

My confusion must’ve shown because he tilted his head. “Sonia?”

The confirmation on his face was all I needed, and the room spun.

“Sonia is your sister?”

“Unfortunately,” he said with a grin. “She steals your snacks too?”

I laughed before I could stop myself. “She steals anything.”

“That tracks.”

“She’s not here,” I said, stepping aside. “But you can… wait? If you want.”

He hesitated only for a second before nodding. “Sure.”

He walked in, his cologne invading the whole space.

God! He smells like cedarwood.

He sat on the edge of her bed while I perched on mine, awkward silence settling. I was trying to concentrate on the movie I was watching while trying to pretend I could not feel him staring at me. At least until his voice pulled my attention back to him.

“What are you watching?”

“Some stupid movie.”

“Mind if I join?”

I shrugged. “It’s terrible; you'd hate it.”

“Perfect.”

He got off Sonia's bed before I could protest further and then plumped in beside me. We sat closer than necessary, our shoulders brushing as his knee bumped mine.

At some point, his laugh softened, and his arm rested behind me. He wasn't touching me, but it was just enough to make me aware that his hands were draping behind me.

And that destabilized me in a funny way. I became acutely aware of him and the way his attention felt different. His eyes met mine again for the fifth time, and unlike other times, he didn't look away. His ocean blue eyes bored into mine, and I wanted to drown in them.

“Isla,” he said quietly.

“Yes?”

“I’ve wanted to do this for a while.”

Before I could ask what, his hand brushed my jaw gently, and instinctively I leaned into his touch, just as his lips leaned into mine. Warmth filled my chest, and my thoughts immediately blanked out.

The kiss was soft and careful, nothing like Rowan’s fire, but it lingered. I don't know how or when, but our kiss progressed into something more, and our clothes were going off.

Ellis made you forget like that, and I was not ready to get pulled back from the pit I was falling into.