Page 60 of The Backup

I glare at him, but the heat in my cheeks gives me away.

“Asher,” I whisper, glancing back toward the living room.

“What?” he murmurs, his voice dropping lower. “We’re just being friendly. Helping each other out.”

His gaze dips briefly, and I feel my pulse race as his hand brushes against my hip, so subtle it could almost be an accident. Almost.

My phone buzzes in my hand, and I glance down to see another message from him.

Asher: You’re blushing again. You look so hot when you do

I quickly tuck the chips under my arm and spin back toward the living room, ignoring the heat pooling in my stomach. If his intent in sending me a text is to rile me up in front of everyone, I hate to admit he’s succeeding.

Back at the game, I settle into my seat, avoiding Asher’s amused expression as Jacklyn resumes the questions.

“This one’s for all the marbles!” she declares dramatically. “Which planet is the hottest in our solar system?”

Ted perks up. “The sun!”

“No,” I say quickly, unable to hold back a laugh. “The sun isn’t a planet. It’s Venus. Its atmosphere traps heat, making it hotter than Mercury even though it’s farther from the sun.”

Jacklyn claps her hands. “Correct again! Sloane is on fire tonight!”

“Seriously,” Kiki says, slurring slightly. “How do you know all this?”

Before I can answer, Asher leans back in his seat, grinning. “She’s secretly a genius. Haven’t you noticed? Just look at her.”

The room erupts into laughter, and I try to ignore the way my heart skips a beat at his words.

Brian, however, seems more interested in Asher than the trivia. His drink sloshes a little as he gestures at him. “You know, I keep forgetting you and Jacklyn dated. How long was that again?”

The room falls silent for a second, everyone’s heads snapping toward Asher. Even Jacklyn groans, muttering, “Oh, my God, Brian, let it go.”

Asher blinks, then shrugs, his expression relaxed. “I don’t know, a month? Maybe two? It wasn’t serious.”

Brian’s eyes narrow slightly, like he’s trying to gauge if Asher’s being honest. “A month, huh? And you just…ended it? No drama or anything?”

“No drama,” Asher says easily, taking a sip of his drink. “Jacklyn’s a cool girl. We just weren’t a fit. I wished her well, and that was it.”

Jacklyn waves a hand dismissively. “It was freshman year, Brian. Ancient history. You seriously care about this?”

Brian hesitates, then shakes his head with a laugh. “Nah, I don’t care. Just curious, you know? You never talk about it.”

“Because there’s nothing to talk about,” Jacklyn says, rolling her eyes.

Asher grins. “Exactly. Jacklyn’s awesome. We just made better friends than anything else.”

The tension eases as Kiki and Eric start bickering over whether Venus actually counts as an easy trivia question. Jacklyn shoots Brian a look, and he holds up his hands in mock surrender, mumbling, “Just making conversation.”

Meanwhile, Asher’s gaze flicks to me, the corner of his mouth curving into a smirk. My phone buzzes, and I glance down.

Asher: That was awkward. But your genius trivia skills totally made up for it.

I shake my head, biting back a smile as I quickly type back.

Me: You liked those. Really.

Asher: You knowing the capital of Kazakhstan made me have to readjust myself I was getting so turned on

---