Page 11 of Forbidden Mischief
“No.” I shake my head.
“But… I thought you were dating Prudence!” he says forcefully. “You’re like glued at the hips, always smiling, laughing, hugging, holding hands.”
“It’s a wolf thing. We’re very affectionate. Constant touching calms our inner wolf and helps us avoid feral moments.” I give him a casual shrug.
“Are you sure?” Zayne asks, narrowing his eyes. “I could have sworn you two were all hot for one another.”
“Nope.” I look him right in the eyes. “I am one hundred percent into guys. I like dicks, not chicks.”
“Asher!” Mom scolds me.
“Sorry, Mom. But it’s true. I thought everyone knew,” I say, taking a bite of my food as I look over at her and Dexter.
“I knew, your mother told me. She wanted to make sure to let me know right away that if I had an issue with it, there was no chance for us. She loves you, and you always come first for her.” He gives my mom a smile full of love.
“He’s right,” she says, a slight blush on her cheeks. She has no idea how much that means to me. I’ll have to let her know when there are no other people around.
“I didn’t tell Zayne because it wasn’t my place to say. But I knew he would be okay with it because his best friend is also gay.”
I look at Dexter, a little slack-jawed. “Thank you,” I say. “That means a lot to me.”
“Of course.” Dexter smiles.
“So, you’re gay?” Zayne asks.
“Yes…” I raise a brow.Did he not hear me before?
“You like guys. Not girls?”
“That’s what being gay means.”Is he okay?
“Okay.” Zayne nods, looking back down at his food, and I’m not sure I like how he dismisses me.
“Is that a problem for you?” There’s a little bit of a defensive growl in my tone.
His eyes shoot back up to me. “No, of course not. As my dad said, I have a best friend who’s gay. I’m a firm believer that people should love who they want.”
I feel myself deflate as I nod, not saying anything else.
We finish eating and I excuse myself to go freshen up and text Pru that we’re done eating. Then I head outside and meet up with her.
As I slip into her car, movement out the front window has me looking out. Zayne is in his bedroom window, watching the car for a moment. We lock eyes, and he pauses for a second before closing his curtains.
I have no idea what is going on and why he was acting that way at supper, but the reality is that I really don't know much about this guy. I'm not one to judge someone without getting to know them, and part of me wants to get to know him better, but maybe that's just the part of me who is attracted to him. Hopefully, things get better from here.
CHAPTER 6
ZAYNE
I’m in the locker room with the rest of the team after school and I’m beat. I didn’t sleep well last night, and Mrs. Watts was tough on us today in PE. The sticky layer of sweat already covering my body is proof of how hard we all worked, and now I have football practice. I’m going to sleep like a fucking baby tonight.
“Yo, Zayne! Where’s your brother? I wanted to give him shit about him dating Prunes,” Mario smirks as he talks to me. Looking around the locker room, I don’t see Asher, but that’s nothing new. Since he joined the team, he’s been changing in a bathroom stall and not in the main area like the rest of us. I thought that was just all part of him being shy and, ya know, not wanting to be naked in front of people. But now I’m wondering if it has to do with what I learned at dinner last night. He’s into guys, which is cool, and no one in the school would have issues with it. Supernaturals don’t confine themselves to one sex–or hell, even one person, sometimes—when it comes to being intimate.
“Not sure, man. Maybe he went out to the field already?” I tell him. Part of me feels bad for not defending him about dating Pru, but that’s his story to tell, not mine. I may be avoiding him like the plague because that dream still has me freaking the hell out, but I’m not going to out him to the rest of the team.
Mario just shrugs and sits on the bench to lace up his cleats, while I head to the water fountain to grab a drink and take a herb capsule for this pounding headache I can feel coming on. Human medicine doesn’t work for supes so Alice made some ginger, turmeric, and white willow bark capsules to help with pain relief. I’ll tell you what, I don’t know how my dad snagged her, but while I’m having my own issues with Asher right now, his mom is a sweetheart and I already adore her.
As I stand back up after getting my drink, I see someone coming out of a bathroom stall. I turn to head to the field when my eyes lock with Asher’s. My magic instantly starts to simmer under my skin, and I feel like one false move will accidentally unleash a wave of power. It’s like I’m a brand-new warlock, just learning how to control my powers. Why does Asher make my magic act so unruly?
