Page 13 of A Touch of Heaven

“Doesn’t matter how I feel, Harper. I’ll never be able to tell her or do anything about it, and if you’re as clever as I think you are, then you already know one of the reasons why.”

She turns around, leaning against the pale wood, looking at me intently, and says one word.

“Nate.”

I nod, taking a seat on the same bench from last night. I run my hand through my hair, pushing it off my forehead as I look at her. She really is a smart cookie. I get the feeling she’s a little like Jax. Has a smartness she hides away, but my guess is she sees everything. Things most of us don’t see.

“So, you know how he feels? Has he told you?”

She shakes her head, laughing softly.

“No, but anyone with eyes can see how he feels about her. I knew it the second I met them. That guy worships the ground she walks on. But then the same goes for you, Chase.”

My breath hitches as she smiles at me.

“If anything, I think you feel even more deeply for her. You’re like her reflection; she moves, you move.”

I meet her gaze, understanding why Asher likes her. She’s as sharp as a knife and doesn’t mince her words.

“Maybe, doesn’t change the circumstances, though. What do I do, Harper? Tell me…because I’m trying to do the right thing by her and him, but all I’m doing is losing her completely, and that’s the last thing I want.”

She stares at me for a few seconds, and I can see the wheels turning in her head, her lips purse before she speaks.

“The only thing you can do. You already know what that is, but you won’t admit it. You would rather suffer in silence. You’re an idiot, Chase Anderson, if you don’t see how she feels about both of you. You both need to open your eyes because she made her choice years ago. In fact, I don’t even think it was a choice for her. You’re both just too dumb to realize it.”

She gives me a smirk and a knowing wink before disappearing into the house, and I feel more confused by that than ever. I only know one thing for sure. I need to apologize to both of the people I hurt last night.I get up slowly, taking one more look at the sea and a deep breath before telling myself to grow some balls and get on with it.

I find Asher in the kitchen making breakfast, his back facing me, and either he doesn’t notice me, or he’s ignoring me.

“Can we talk?” I see the veins in his arms tense, and his body twitch for a split second before it’s gone. He turns around with his mask firmly in place and a smile on his face.

“What about bro?”

I don’t know why he does this with me. He forgets I know everything. I can read him easily, yet he still pretends like I don’t.

“Kissing Harper.”

His eye twitches, and his jaw ticks, then it’s gone as quick as it comes. “Why do you want to talk about that? It was a game? I dared you, and you did it.” He shrugs at me before he continues to make his food.

“You forget I know you. You’re my brother. You may not have been born that way, Asher, but it doesn’t make it any less true. I know this has fucked you off. You have a right to be pissed at me, but listen, man, it meant nothing… I was drunk and pissed off, and Brooke was angry with me,” I sigh, exhaling deeply, “but that’s not an excuse. I shouldn’t have kissed Harper. I know she means a lot to you.”

Within half a second, he’s in my face, and I see the Asher few people see. The one full of anger and sadness at the world for the deal life has given him. “She means nothing to me, Chase. You all need to get that through your thick heads. She’s nothing, no one. She doesn’t mean shit. She has a stupid, delusional crush on me, and she needs to grow up and leave me alone,” he spits out.

I hear a gasp, and I feel my heart break for her. I turn around, and there’s Harper, who just walked in at the exact wrong moment. She looks devastated. Asher instantly softens, looking wrecked that he said that in front of her. “Harper, I didn’t mean…” she cuts Asher off quickly and sharply.

“Yes, you did, and that’s fine because, as of now, you mean nothing to me either. I’m done with this, Asher, and I’m done playing your bullshit games. If you want me to leave you alone, then that’s exactly what I’ll do. And don’t you dare fucking follow me. I’m done doing this back-and-forth thing we always do. At least this time, I have a witness, so you can’t tell me this never happened.” A lone tear runs down her cheek, and she turns on her heel and walks off.

Asher looks at me, lost, almost vulnerable.

“Fuck!” He puts his head in his hands. “I keep fucking up Chase, I keep making mistakes.”

“I’m not the guy to judge. You can only do what you think is best.” I shrug softly, and he nods silently at me.

“Best for me or for her?” I don’t respond because I say those words to myself repeatedly.

After a few seconds pass, I give him advice I could never give myself.

“Go get your girl, man,” I say before he thanks me and chases after her. I wonder if there’s more going on there than I realize. What was that about me being a witness? I turn to ask him, but he’s already gone. Guess I’ll have to worry about that later.

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