Changing Affection

Chapter Thirty-Nine

Aubrey sat on her bed with her knees up to her chest. She was just staring at the television, completely ignoring the yelling women on the screen. She couldn't stop thinking about Ezra. She didn't know how long he would be gone and didn't know if she would find out whether he was okay or not. She hugged her knees tighter to her chest. Tears threatened to come out of her eyes, and she forced them to stay.

She jumped when she heard a knock at the door. Athena clutched her chest to stop her beating heart. She shook her head at Asher as she started laughing. It wasn't a comical laugh, but more forced. She didn't want him to know that she was worried.

Asher stood there in the doorway clothed in his usual black clothing. He gave her a small smile as he leaned against the door. "Are you okay, Aubrey?"

Aubrey nodded her head quicker than she knew he would believe. "I'm all right."

Asher looked at her for a couple of moments before he opened his mouth. "Are you hungry?"

Right then, her stomach gave him her answer as it growled loudly. She placed her hand on her stomach. "I guess I am." She smiled remembering that she is eating for two now. Athena stood up quickly and walked over to Asher. She followed him into the kitchen. She needed to make sure that she was taking care of herself. If Ezra came back and learned that she wasn't eating because she was too worried about him, he wouldn't be happy about it.

Neither would her dad.

They both would want her to take care of herself instead of constantly worrying about Ezra.

Asher motioned over to the table, and she sat down. She noticed his iPad on the table across from her. Some kind of book was on the screen. She smirked remembering how Ezra had mentioned that he thought Asher was reading some book that he didn't want either of them to know. She had a feeling she knew what kind of book it was.

Asher's voice brought her out of her head. "Do you want a hotdog?"

"May I have two?" she asked while leaning back in her chair.

Asher laughed. "Sure thing." He placed two hotdogs in the boiling water and waited for them to cook.

"Asher?"

"Yes?"

Aubrey hesitated before asking him. "What are you reading?" She pointed to his iPad.

His head spun around to look at her and his iPad before sighing. "All right. I'll tell you, but-" he pointed his fork at her. "Don't you dare tell Ezra."

Aubrey smiled and kept a giggle down. "I won't tell him."

Asher took out her hotdogs from the water and placed them inside two buns. He brought over the plate and sat it in front of her. "Now, don't judge me, all right?" he asked of her as he went back to the fridge to get some condiments.

"Why would I?" She sat forward as the condiments were set in front of her. She started to reach for the ketchup and mustard. So far, she didn't have any foods that made her feel sick, but she was starting to have weird cravings.

Asher sat down across from her with his own hotdog. "All right," he sighed. He picked up his iPad and touched it, showing Aubrey the cover. The cover showed a man and woman in a sweet, almost passionate embrace.

Aubrey looked between him and the iPad with a sly smile on her face. "What's that book about?"

"I think you could figure it out from the cover," he said quickly.

Aubrey smiled at him. "I read books like that, Asher. Come on, tell me." She took a bite of her hotdog.

Asher sighed and placed his iPad down. "Fine." He looked down and poked at his hotdog. "It's a romance."