Page 7 of Chasing Sophia

Heat rushes at the back of my neck, and I drop my gaze. I drag my feet back and forth over the thin sheen of ice. “Are you sure you’re not some rich guy who has an ongoing bet with his friends that he can get the girl spotted sitting alone in the fancy bar with a classic romance book?”

A muscle tics in his jaw, but before I can flinch back, he gathers my cold hands between his palms. “I don’t lie, Sophia. Please never forget that.”

Only when I nod does he continue.

“I’m here right now, not because of any bet but simply because I cannot stop thinking about a fiery girl with deep blue eyes. I can’t help but imagine how the night would have ended if she were with me and not with that coward, loser Jeremy.” His jaw pulses for a second. “I’d have probably received a kiss instead of a slap.”

“I’m sorry about that.”

“I’ll accept your apology if you tell me what you were doing there.”

With my hands still in his, I end up telling this stranger why I was desperate enough to have a fake date.

“I’ll accompany you,” Asher states once I tell him how I’ll miss a chance of a lifetime.

“No!”

“Why not? You might have guessed by now that I like you enough to track your place of work. We can get to know each other some more, and if I’m correct about us, by the end of the night, you’ll give me a real kiss.”

I push away the butterflies who are eager to take flight in my stomach, and say with a regal tilt of my chin, “You are one cocky guy.”

“Say yes, Sophia.” Asher squeezes my hand. Behind him, I spot the headlights of the bus skating through the snow. “Worst case, you won’t lose your chance of performing at the New Year’s Gala.”

I tug the end of my scarf, which is still held in the metal of his watch, and get up to take the bus. But before the door closes, taking me away from Asher, I holler, “14 Mulberry Street. Dress to impress, Ash… Asher.”

The giant smile that lights his face has me wondering if tomorrow night will save me or be my biggest fall.

5

SOPHIA

“Willwe be seeing your boyfriend today, Soph?” Nicoleta asks as she takes a seat next to me. I don’t know if she and Leonardo have once again matched their colors deliberately or if it’s by chance that her pink blouse matches perfectly to his blazer.

This is a new height of desperation.

Look who’s speaking.My inner voice won’t let me have a day of peace.

But watching Leonardo with Miss Tess, all my hopes deflate. Anxiety balloons inside me. I should have prepared Asher. At least we should have straightened out our dating story.

“Yes, you told me so much about him. It feels like we already know him.” Miss Tee throws kerosene onto the burning fire of my anxiety. I don’t even remember what all I blurted out last week about my fictional boyfriend.

The door to the grand hall opens, and my pulse skyrockets as Asher walks inside. There’s a thin sheen of snow over his black hair, which is perfectly styled back. The contrast of the red tie against his black suit is delicious.

“Seems Nicoleta and Leonardo aren’t the only couple who decided to match.” Miss Tee’s head jerks to the red scarf around my neck.

Electricity sizzles inside me, burning me from the inside out as Asher saunters toward us. My cheeks heat when he dips his head. I wait in anticipation for the feel of his lips over mine like that night in the bar, but he kisses my cheek instead. Those butterflies who were asleep this morning flutter in my stomach, making me aware of their presence.

The back of Asher’s hand skims over my cheek, and for a second, I start to believe in the lie. He’s madly in love with me. I can’t tear my gaze away from his whiskey eyes, until there’s a clearing of a throat.

“Um, oh, I…” I fumble before finding my voice. “This is Asher.”

The smile on Asher’s face doesn’t slip as he turns to Miss Tee. Something akin to jealousy hits my chest when he kisses her proffered hand. But pride douses every other emotion when my gaze lands on Nicoleta’s fuming face and the way she throws daggers at Leonardo.

I curl my hand around Asher’s arm, smiling like a perfectly doting girlfriend. He looks down at me with a raised eyebrow before going back to listening to Miss Tee’s eloquent reply to his simple question of how she’s doing.

“This is Nicoleta and her boyfriend, Leonardo.” Miss Tee does the introductions before I get a chance.

Asher shifts, and my hand on his arm slips, but soon he pulls me closer. My pulse skyrockets when his hand tightens around my waist. The contrast of his hand, his black suit, and the steel of his watch over my olive dress feels like we’ve planned it all with great precision. I jerk my head up to notice Nicoleta’s and Leonardo’s gazes pinned on the same spot.

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