Page 60 of The Ruse

“He invited Ava and me to move in with him and Mack after winter break…” I said, biting my lip.

“But you’re not sure you want to,” Asher guessed, probably from the hesitant look on my face.

I thought about it for a second, trying to get a good gauge on my feelings. Then with a sigh, I said, “It’s just a lot so soon.” I grabbed the salsa, deciding to add some to my plate to dip my burrito in. “We just met a few weeks ago. And he and Mack are dealing with their own grief right now.” I looked back at Asher. “It’s just kind of fast for me.”

I liked to take things slow. Dip my toes in the water before I jumped in. Try things out before I fully committed to them.

Which was the opposite of how Ava did things. She preferred running at things full speed, and then thinking about them later.

Which was why she was all gung-ho about moving in and I was the one holding us back.

“Do you not get along with him?” Asher took the salsa from me, his fingers gently grazing against mine in the exchange and warming my skin.

“No, he’s great,” I said, tucking my fingers into the pocket of my jeans. “Really great. I guess I just…I’m not sure.”

“It will make you next-door neighbors with Nash, though,” Asher said with a teasing glint in his eyes. “Have you considered that?”

“That’s actually one of the first things Ava pointed out to me when we started talking about it, if you can imagine.” I chuckled. “You know, since she’s all for living next door to Carter.”

“Sounds about right from what I know about your sister.” Asher grinned.

“Yeah, so it’s basically a no-brainer for Ava.”

“Naturally,” Asher said. “Though, as someone who lived just down the street from them for a long time, I will say that itispossible to see too much of Nash.”

“Because you two can barely stand to be in the same room for more than a few minutes at a time.” I laughed, knowing I should have expected him to say something like that.

He shrugged and started carrying his plate to the other side of the counter. “I’m just saying that you’d probably prefer staying at the school. If only to have more opportunities to hang out in the common room with me.”

“Since we’re best buddies now, huh?” I raised an eyebrow.

He lifted a shoulder. “I mean, you have spent the last six hours with me and don’t seem to be too sick of me yet.” He pulled out a stool and sat on it.

Had I been scared to death about staying here with him half an hour ago? Definitely.

But now that I was out of panic mode, I had to admit that he was right. I wasn’t sick of him. I wasn’t in a hurry to chow down on my dinner and disappear into a faraway corner of the cabin.

As an introvert who usually needed time alone to recharge, it was kind of amazing that I was still having as good of a time with him tonight as I was.

“I guess I better tell Brendon that I can’t move in with him because I have a new best bud who I’m in a musical with, and who I have several classes with, but also need to spend every other free moment of time with as well.”

“Sounds like a good plan to me.” He winked, and I didn’t think he’d been trying to flirt with me right then, but my stomach did a little swoop anyway.

Which was dumb because I didn’t even like Asher in that way. Sure he was super cute—okay,drop dead gorgeouswas probably a better description—especially right now in his fitted black shirt that showed off how toned his upper body was. And his hair was tousled in just the way I liked after being in a beanie all afternoon.

But just because you thought someone was crazy hot didn’t mean the attraction went any deeper than that.

It was more that my stomach was having weird reactions because I hadn’t eaten anything since lunch and trekking around in the snow for three hours burned a ton of calories.

I definitely wasn’t getting a crush on this beautiful, brown-haired, brown-eyed boy in front of me. And I definitely wasn’t going to even think for a second about how much I’d enjoyed kissing him for those few stupid minutes last night.

I blinked my eyes shut and shook my head.

What’s happening to me?

I was not supposed to be thinking any of these thoughts right now.

Hadn’t I just been terrified of him a little while ago?

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