Page 66 of Asher

To prove that point, I hit theEnd Callbutton, put my phone on silent, set it down, and allowed myself a few minutes to deep breath.

Because if I didn’t, I would be crying a-freaking-gain.

Jesus, but just how many tears could one person produce?

Apparently, the world wasn’t through with playing with Chloe for the week.

Pagan didn’t stop following me.

I stubbed my toe when I got home that evening and managed to somehow break the skin when I did so.

Which caused blood to drop on my white carpet.

Oh, and let’s not forget to mention that I forgot to get tampons.

Freaking great.

Good thing I had pads.

So, there was that, I figured.

And I meant it by the world wasn’t through playing with me.

After I used the bathroom, fixed my toe, and spot-treated the blood spots, there was a knock on the front door.

Since my parents were out for a date night, I knew the visitor could only be here to see me.

I sighed, moved to it, and when I saw it was Stella, I dropped my head against the door and sighed again.

She called out, “I know you're in there, Co. Pagan said so. Please let me in. We’ve never gone this long without seeing each other since the second grade.”

And she... blast it all, was right.

Furthermore, I knew she wouldn’t leave until she saw me.

And I was tired.

I wanted to get in my comfortable clothes, grab a pint of ice cream, curl up in my bed, eat my fill, and then pass out.

That was the only reason I unlocked the door, opened it, and moved to the side.

She moved in, smiled at me, with sorrow and regret emanating from her, and then she moved to the couch.

She opened her mouth when she sat down, but I held out my hand for her not to, then moved to sit on the chair opposite the couch.

“We’ve been friends since second grade, Stell. And not once. Not freaking once did you ever tell me that your dad and your mother were married.”

Stella winced, “It was only a formality because she got pregnant with me, Co. I swear to you.”

“It doesn’t matter. Legally, he’s still hers. And when they signed that paper, that also meant vows were exchanged. It didn’t matter if they were voiced or not. Marriage is a big deal.” I told her. And she knew how I felt.

Which was why I still don’t understand how she could know that, know everything about me, and ever think I would be okay with being with someone who was someone else’s.

Stella nodded, “I know that. But in Dad’s heart, where it matters, he’s yours. He’s been yours since our seventeenth birthday.”

I narrowed my eyes, “What are you talking about?”

She nodded, “Dad and I talked. And I mean, we had a long talk, Co. Dad told me that he started noticing things about you at our sixteenth birthday party. And by the time you were seventeen, he felt as though someone had reached inside and pulled every organ in his body out. And that happened every single time he fucked someone else because he felt like he was cheating on you. Cheating on his heart.”

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