Spring's Unexpected Love

Chapter 16 (Asher)

My brain seemed to glitch when I laid my eyes on Ximena as I entered the living room. Her hair, still damp from the rain water, had been taken out of the ponytail from earlier and fell onto her shoulders, its ends slightly wavy. She had borrowed clothes from my mother's old wardrobe, and chose a floral green dress that she paired with a cardigan. It looked perfect on her.

Ximena cleared her throat, breaking me from my daze. She fiddled with the sleeves of the cardigan, her cheeks slightly flushed, "Umm... your mother's closet was filled with so many pretty clothes... I don't think any of them really suited me but—"

"The dress you're wearing right now- it suits you," I said, feeling my face heat up, "You look... pretty."

She frowned slightly, "Yeah?"

"You always look pretty," I amended quickly, "It's just... ugh!" I tugged at my bangs, and mumbled, "Sorry, I'm not really good with words."

She smiled, "You look good too," she said softly, "I've never seen your bangs parted like that. Your eyes are such a pretty color."

"I uh—"

Thank goodness my grandmother walked in at that moment because I wasn't sure what to say. She carried a tray of tea and cookies, setting it down on the coffee table in front of the couch. "To warm you kids up," she explained.

I smiled, "Thanks, Grandma."

She smiled back and nodded before returning to the kitchen, leaving Ximena and I alone once again.

I sat on the couch, and gestured for Ximena to do the same, "Do you like tea?" I asked her.

She nodded, "Yeah, especially black tea."

I passed one of the teacups to her, "Then you're in luck."

She smiled briefly before sniffing the tea, "Smells good."

I nodded, closing my eyes as I took in the tea's slightly earthy smell, "Yeah."

We were both silent for some time, sipping our tea, and eating the cookies. Occasionally, I noticed Ximena glance at me as if she wanted to say something. Actually, I thought I had an idea of what was on her mind.

I sighed, placing my teacup back on the tray, "You can ask you know."

"W-what?" She stammered, feigning surprise.

I shrugged, "I know you're wondering; I can see it on your face. Go ahead, ask."

Her cheeks turned a slight red as she focused on the teacup still in her hands, "Uh... so... your grandparents live with you?"

I shook my head, a useless gesture since Ximena wasn't even looking in my direction. "Not really. It's more like I'm the one living with my grandparents."

"So this is their house?"

"Yeah."

There was more silence as if Ximena was collecting her thoughts. "I saw your mother's room. It looked untouched, as if it was stuck in time. Are your parents—" her voice trailed off as if she was afraid to say it.