Crush

Meet

Asher

"Please, Asher. I really want to see you."

I sighed as I gripped my phone tighter against my ear. I peered around the door of the dining room, watching as everyone was busy. Dad was sitting at the head of the dining table, talking with Ben who was standing off to the side. Aaliyah was sitting to Dad's right, playing a game on her phone. Mom, sitting at the opposite end of the table, was touching up her lipstick in the handheld mirror in front of her. The photographers were standing around, checking their cameras. A couple of journalists were checking their clipboards and scribbling down notes.

No one was paying me any attention.

No one had even noticed I'd left the dining room.

I ducked back around the door and started pacing the marble floor of the hallway.

"I won't stay long, Asher. I just really need to see you." Caleb's voice was soft in my ear, his tone pleading. He wanted to see me. Again.

Last weekend, after the initial shock of seeing him in my house, I'd had to basically throw him out onto the street. Dad was watching me the whole time, his icy eyes glaring at the two of us, his stance rigid, his voice sharp.

Caleb had begged me to listen to him. Asked me to talk to him. He'd grabbed my arm, his eyes imploring, his voice gentle.

As much as I wanted to talk to him again, explain, apologise, there was no way I could do it with Dad breathing down my neck. I had to do what Dad wanted me to do. And last weekend, Dad wanted me to get rid of Caleb.

I had no choice.

And I felt as guilty as fuck.

"Can't you sneak out?" Caleb asked. I stopped pacing and thought about it. I mean, I could sneak out. Come up with some excuse. We'd already eaten our dinner, pulled fake smiles, pretended we were one big happy family. The photographers had all the pictures they needed ... What else could they want with me?

I sighed. "Okay. Okay. I guess I could sneak out," I said quietly into the phone. "Meet me at the park a couple of blocks away."

"Okay." I heard him sigh. "How long are you going to be?"

"Not long." I glanced over my shoulder at the door to the dining room. "Just go wait there."

"Okay. See you."

"Yeah. Bye." I hung up and shoved my phone into the pocket of the dress trousers that complimented the button down shirt and tie I was wearing. Dad had us all dressed up for Thanksgiving this year. I had been wearing a suit jacket during dinner, but it restricted my arms and I felt like I had to fight with it just to bring the fork up to my mouth.

Taking a deep breath, I marched determinedly into the dining room. Mom glanced up at me.

"Everything okay?" She smiled. She was wearing a bright pink dress that flattered her dark skin, with a matching scarf tied around her tight curls. She looked beautiful, honestly.

"Everything's fine, Mom." Scratching the back of my head, I gave her a sheepish look. "Is it okay if I go see Oliver?"

She raised a brow.

Quick. Think of something. "Um, I mean, it's Thanksgiving and he doesn't have his mom so ... uh, I just wanted to see if he was doing okay."

Her face softened. "That's very kind of you, Asher. Visiting your friend during the holidays to see how he's doing without his mother."

Frowning at my mom's choice of words, I noticed her glance around her, at the photographers, journalists, people in the dining room.

Ah. Okay. Now it made sense.