CHAPTER TEN

ASHER

Even though I had been having a good day so far, with two of my classes cancelled, I still couldn’t help feeling that something was going to go down.

It was just the law of nature. If something seemed too good to be true, then it most likely was.

And that was proven to be true when the very last person I wanted to see appeared in front of me as I was eating lunch in the cafeteria.

Sofia slammed her purse down on the table and folded her arms. She had a look of determination on her face like she’d gone through great lengths to find me.

And knowing her, she definitely did.

I had been trying my very best not to run into her at school. Every joint I knew she visited, I avoided. I stopped buying coffee from the shop we frequented together. I also stopped interacting with her friends.

I was just grateful we shared no classes. I probably would’ve been tempted to skip them.

But I should have known Sofia wouldn’t give up so easily.

I looked down at my food. Today was pasta day in the cafeteria. My favourite day. 

I mourned the loss silently. I had been looking forward to trying it but now it seemed I wouldn’t get the opportunity to.

Especially not after this awkward conversation.

I sighed and pushed the tray away. Beside me, Sebastian also did the same and placed his elbows on the table, resting his chin on his steepled hands. Knowing him, he was probably just looking forward to the drama that was about to unfold.

“What do you want, Sofia?” I asked exasperatedly. I was tired and she hadn’t even opened her mouth to speak.

“You’ve been avoiding me,” she stated, her arms still crossed.

“Well, for good reason. Duh,” Sebastian muttered.

Sofia’s gaze snapped to him, irritation clear in her eyes. “You stay out of this. This is none of your business.”

Her look of irritation faded away as she turned her attention back to me. “You’ve not been taking my calls. My texts have gone unanswered. I don’t even see you at our coffee shop anymore. Have you stopped drinking coffee because of me?”

I rolled my eyes. “You’re not that important.”

“Look,” she started. “I think we can still fix this. It’s just a small bump in our relationship. That night was a mistake anyway.”

A small bump? Was she being serious?

Before I could say something to that, she went on, “What happened with Elliot was—”

“Wait, wait, wait,” Sebastian interrupted. “Elliot?! Sofia cheated on you with Elliot?” His eyes went wide with shock.

Yeah, I didn’t tell him that part of the story. 

Why? I didn’t know. It hadn’t seemed that important at the time. But looking at Sebastian now, it seemed that was probably the most important part.

“Why didn’t you tell me?” he asked.

“Because that wasn’t the point,” I gritted out.

“What do you mean that’s not the point? That’s the juiciest part of the story. Who cares if Sofia cheated? That’s not unexpected.”

“Hey,” Sofia began in protest.

Sebastian ignored her. “But Sofia cheating on you with the same stepbrother you’re obsessed with? Now, that’s newsworthy.”

Sofia narrowed her eyes. “Wait, what do you mean obsessed?”

I rubbed a hand down my face. This conversation had gone so off track it wasn’t even funny.

“That’s not the point. Let’s get back to what’s at hand,” I said, trying to take back control of the conversation. “The point is you cheated, Sofia. I told you I never want to see you again and I meant it. I don’t want anything to do with you anymore. I’m done.”

“Are you serious, babe?” she said, her voice rising.

“Don’t call me babe–”

“This is as much your fault as it is mine. If you didn’t ignore me, if you didn’t act like I was nothing but an accessory to you, then it wouldn’t have happened.”

“Hey–” Sebastian started.

“I said stay out of this,” she hissed.

“Are you seriously pinning your cheating on me?” I asked, incredulous.

“All I’m saying is I’m not the only one to blame. So, stop making it out to be like I’m the bad person here. You treated me like I’m an object just hanging on your arm. Sometimes, I don’t even think you remember I exist.”

I stood from my seat. “Whatever you felt about how I treated you, you should’ve spoken to me about it,” I said slowly. “I’m sorry you felt like you didn’t matter to me. That’s definitely not the case. You did matter. A lot.”

Hope filled her eyes. “So does this mean–”

“No,” I interrupted coldly. “We’re not getting back together. However you felt does not justify you cheating on me, with my stepbrother no less. I can’t overlook it even if I tried.”

“But–”

“But nothing. It’s over, Sofia. I would appreciate it if you’d stop texting me. Or calling.”

Murmurs rose around us. It was only then that I realized that this conversation had become a public spectacle. It wasn’t only Sebastian enjoying the drama, everybody was too.

Sofia’s face flushed and she bit her lip. I could tell she was embarrassed.

Then, she let out a dry laugh. “You’re such an asshole, Asher.”

I scoffed. “I’m the asshole? I’m not the one who–”

I didn’t get to complete my sentence because suddenly something wet hit my face as Sofia grabbed the glass of water sitting on the table and threw it on my face.

Sebastian gasped and stood up.

I could feel the stares of people around us as more people turned to see what was happening.

I wiped a hand down my face, stunned. Sebastian handed me a bunch of napkins and I used them to wipe the water off my face.

“Fuck you, Asher,” Sofia spat. “You were never worth it anyway.”

She picked her purse off the table and slung it over her shoulder. I thought she was done and was going to storm off but of course, she couldn’t resist a parting shot, “Oh, and for the record, I don’t regret sleeping with Elliot. It was the best sex I’ve had in a while. Guess you could take some pointers from your stepbrother.”

And with that, she turned on her heel and left.

My face felt hot. Whether it was from embarrassment or from anger or from the weight of people’s stares, I couldn’t tell.

All I knew was that it felt like I was going to explode.

Take pointers from Elliot? Seriously?

It was a good thing Elliot wasn’t here right now. He sure would have loved hearing that.

Although I wasn’t sure word wouldn’t get back to him by the end of the day.

Gossip spread fast in this school and we had a lot of witnesses.

“Just saying, if you ever decide to take up that lesson, I think one-on-one would be preferable. I’m sure you’d love that, wouldn’t you?”

I shot a grinning Sebastian a look. “Not funny,” I growled.

“It’s funny, alright.” He grinned even wider if it was possible. When he saw my unamused look, he finally relented, “Fine, fine, fine, I’m sorry. Are you alright?”

Was I alright? Apart from the embarrassment of having an argument with your ex in public and having water thrown on your face like I was in a cheesy telenovela, yes, I was fine.

“Don’t let her words get to you. She was just trying to mess with your head,” Sebastian said.

Of course, she was. And I had to admit, she would have succeeded if I cared about her opinion. I didn’t need a glowing recommendation about sex from a cheater.

Besides, the same Elliot she was praising fell apart in my hands just a few days ago, so who really won?

The thought brought a smile to my face.

Sebastian’s eyes narrowed. “What the hell are you thinking about?”

“Nothing,” I replied, a smile still on my face.

Despite everything that just happened, I was suddenly in a good mood. Not even seeing my pasta covered in water could spoil it.

I grabbed my bag from the seat and slung it over my shoulder. “Let’s go,” I said to Sebastian who was still watching me suspiciously.

He refused to move so I sidestepped him and started walking away from the cafeteria, ignoring the curious looks thrown at me and the whispers.

“You can’t hide anything from me, Asher Brooks. I’ll find out everything and you know it too.” Sebastian’s voice came behind me as he walked faster to catch up to me.

I had no doubt he would. Sebastian was nothing if not persistent and he was very perceptive too.

Someday, I would tell him everything.

But not today. Not now.

For now, I wanted to keep my illicit affairs with my stepbrother private.

Because despite Elliot saying otherwise, despite knowing logically that the events of the previous night should not repeat itself, it would happen again. And again. 

Until I’ve had my fill of Elliot Rourke.

And I had a feeling that might take a while.