บททั้งหมดของ The Edge Of You : บทที่ 21 - บทที่ 30

Asher's pov.I opened my eyes slowly, squinting as they adjusted to the bright, sterile hospital light. I turned my head to the side. Leonard was sitting on the visitor's couch across the room, his long legs crossed, scrolling through his phone in silence.I pushed myself up against the pillows, feeling much better, though my muscles still felt a little heavy. The rustle of the sheets made Leonard look up from his screen."You're awake," he said quietly.A small smile touched my lips. "You're still here?""You asked me to stay," he replied, his tone flat, unreadable."I thought you'd be gone by the time I woke up," I mumbled, pulling the blanket down a bit. "Thank you, Leonard.""How are you feeling?""Much better" I said. "All thanks to you."I looked around the spacious room. The leather couch, the private bathroom, the large television mounted on the wall. My smile slowly faded as it finally clicked. A VIP ward. I swallowed hard, my chest tightening."Did you... ask for me to be

Asher's POVWe sat across from each other in a quiet corner of the pastry shop. I was happily munching on a chocolate chip cookie, taking long gulps of my iced tea, while Leonard simply stirred his caramel macchiato.He held the straw between two fingers, his face calm as he stared out the window at the passing cars.After a few minutes of total silence, I set my glass down and cleared my throat.“So... you said you were waiting for me outside campus, but you're being so quiet. What's up?”Leonard shifted his eyes back to me.“I thought you would be hungry after your classes. I wanted you to eat something first.”A warm smile spread across my face.“I was actually starving. Thanks.”I brushed a few cookie crumbs off my fingers before looking at him again.“So, is there something you wanted to talk to me about?”“Yes,” Leonard said softly.He turned his head slightly toward the door and gave Marcus a subtle nod.Marcus instantly turned and stepped outside.A couple of minutes later, he

Leonard's pov.I sat in the wheelchair near the edge of the quiet hospital courtyard, surrounded by low stone benches and sparse flowerbeds. The cool evening breeze brushed against my face, rustling the leaves overhead, but I barely noticed it as I stared across the open lawn. My hands rested on the armrests, my fingers loosely curled around the edges. Sitting in a wheelchair still felt so strange to me.My mind kept returning to the previous night. After returning from the club, I had walked into my bedroom. I remembered closing the door behind me and standing there for a moment, my body already feeling heavier than usual. The weakness had been getting worse. I had felt it before, but last night, it had become impossible to ignore.I walked toward the mirror and raised my hand to unbutton my shirt. My fingers suddenly felt weak again. I stopped and looked down at my hand, watching my fingers struggle with the button. The same strange weakness. Only this time, it felt stronger. I

Asher's pov.We sat side by side on the floor of Trevor’s room, heavy gaming headsets clamped over our ears. The only light came from the bright glow of the monitor mounted on the wall.“Ash, go left! Cover the flank!” Trevor yelled into his mic, his thumbs flying across the controller. “What are you doing? They’re coming from the ridge!”“I’ve got it,” I mumbled, pulling the joystick back, but my hands were barely keeping up with what was happening on the screen.My character sprinted straight into an open corridor without checking the corners. A burst of gunfire exploded through my headphones, followed by the harsh red flash of the defeat screen.“No, man! Are you serious?” Trevor groaned, yanking his headset off and tossing it onto the beanbag behind him. “We just lost the whole match!”Brady slowly lowered one side of his headset around his neck and set his controller on the carpet. I stared at the glowing red DEFEAT across the screen for a moment before pulling my headset off and

Asher's pov.The three of us sat around a round table in the crowded university cafeteria, our hands linked together in a tight circle over the smooth tabletop.“Should we check it now?” Trevor asked, his fingers twitching slightly against mine.“Wait a second.” I stared blankly at the dark screen of my laptop. “Just... give me a minute to get ready.”Brady let out a quiet breath and squeezed my left hand. “Ash, we've been sitting here getting ready for the last twenty minutes.”“I’m scared, okay?” I muttered.I looked down at our joined hands. My fingers were trembling slightly, and there was no point pretending they weren't.Trevor sighed and shifted in his chair. “Let's just pull the band-aid off. Whatever it is, it is.”“Easy for you to say.” I looked at him. “You're a genius. Your grades are going to be fine.”“Being good at school doesn't mean I don't get nervous, man.” His brow pulled together. “I still don't know what I got.”Brady released our hands and pulled his laptop clos