Everglow

Chapter Eleven: Ignorance is Bliss

'Life as short as the falling of snow
And now I'm gonna miss you, I know.'

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Rowan's POV

"God, Asher, you scared the shit out of me." My hand flew to my chest with relief.

"Why were you eavesdropping?" His squinted eyes felt like they were boring deep holes into my skin.

"I wasn't." I lied. "I just got here and was about to knock and go in but decided I didn't want to interrupt their conversation."

Asher's smirk grew wider. "Oh really?"

"Yeah, now if you'll excuse me." I tried side-stepping my brother's figure but he was quick to stand up straight and block me.

"You're lying." He lightly shoved me back so I was standing directly in front of him again.

"I'm not lying, Ash."

"And you just lied again."

"Asher.." he was irritating me now, I just wanted to get out of here before dad found out I was hanging around his office.

"Rowan." A chuckle left his lips. "I'd been standing behind you since the moment dad answered the phone call. You had a fucking front row seat. If I heard him from back here then you for sure could hear too."

My palms were starting to sweat; how do I try and talk myself out of this one now?

"Why're you making such a big deal of it? It's not like I understood anything dad was talking about anyway." I shrugged and tried leaving again but Asher stopped me once more.

"You're curious though aren't you?" He rested his arm around my shoulder.  What was he up to?

"I have questions, sure." I replied with a sceptical tone in my voice and squinted my eyes up at my big brother. "But dad made it pretty clear to me that I'm not to ask questions or snoop around."

"You failed that second one already then, huh?" He pulled the edge of the red beanie, that was on my head, over my eyes.

"Oh shut up." I pulled the hat back up over my eyebrows before backhanding Asher's chest. "I can't be assed for this right now, Ash." I hunched out from under his arm and proceeded to leave.

"Dad!"

I stopped in my tracks and darted back towards the nineteen year old who'd called out for our father and was about to enter the office. "Don't be a snitch." I hissed at him, lightly shoving him out of pure frustration.

"What's the saying again? Snitches get stitches, right?" Asher laughed, re-gaining his balance. "Nothing new to me, I can handle a couple more." He shrugged.

"Ash I swear if you say anything.." I said through gritted teeth in a hushed tone, but stopped myself from saying anything more as soon as I noticed that dad's office door was now wide open.

"Everything okay out here?" Aaron was leaning up against the doorframe, his arms crossed over his chest.

"Everything's just fine, Aaron. Asher is being his usual idiotic and annoying self-." My sentence was cut short by Asher tucking me under his arm and slapping his hand over my mouth.

"I think you'll find that I caught this one listening through the crack of the door."

I clawed at his hand but it wouldn't even budge an inch and all of my protests and profanities were muffled and useless.

"What shall we do with her?" Asher laughed, pulling me with him, passed Aaron, and into the office. "Throw her to the wolves? Feed her to the lions?"

Still trying to get Asher's hand away from my face, I looked to dad who was leant back in his chair, his feet resting atop of his desk; crossed at the ankle. He looked tired but deep in thought.