Rainbows after Hurricane

6. |p r e s e n t|

>>c h a  p t e r  s i x<<

|p r e s e n t|

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The first time Asher had a crush, he was fourteen. He was always the shy one around girls and had never really dated anyone, unlike Zach, who had already gone on a few dates. Zach wasn't afraid to speak his mind, which was why Asher never told him about his crush.

Her name was Belle. She was beautiful, with long, wavy blonde hair that reached her waist, and two sweet dimples that appeared whenever she smiled or spoke, making Asher's heart skip a beat. 

It wasn't that Asher hadn't tried to gather the courage to confess his feelings for her. Each time he attempted, his heart would race uncontrollably, making it impossible to think clearly, let alone speak without stumbling over his words. After several failed attempts, he gave up.

But that didn't stop him from watching her from a distance.

                  "Dude, if you keep staring at her like that, your eyes are going to fall out."

The voice came from right behind his ear, and Asher was so startled that he jumped, almost spilling his coffee all over himself.

                 "What the hell, Zach? You nearly gave me a heart attack," Asher grumbled, wiping the coffee from the corner of his mouth.

Zach shrugged, a cheeky grin spreading across his face. "Don't you think that's bound to happen sooner or later?"

               "What do you mean?"

               "I heard some guy from the football team asked Belle out. What was his name again? Oh, yeah, Dean," Zach said, biting into his tuna sandwich while keeping his eyes locked on Asher.

Asher felt like he'd been punched in the stomach, the air knocked out of him. The words replayed in his mind, each repetition stinging like a slap. . He was too late—way too late. What surprised him even more, though, was why Zach was telling him this.

As far as Asher knew, Zach never cared about gossip. So why now?

Asher fought to keep his composure, turning his gaze back to Zach and asking, "Why are you telling me this?"

Zach paused for a moment, staring at him with a serious look. The tuna sandwich in his hand hovered mid-air, and the silence between them grew heavy. Finally, Zach scoffed, placed the sandwich on his tray, and shot him an accusing glare.

                 "You really think I don't know about you crushing on Belle? What do you take me for?"

This time, Asher couldn't stop the coffee from spilling, staining his white shirt. "How do you know about that?"

Zach just gave him a knowing look.

Realizing his mistake, Asher quickly corrected himself. "I mean—that's not true—I don't—"

                  "Asher!" Zach interrupted, his voice firm like a parent scolding their child. "No point in denying it. I know."

Asher wanted to deny it, to tell him that he was wrong. Not only did he feel ashamed for lacking the courage to confess to a girl, but he also felt guilty for hiding the truth from his best friend and brother. Despite knowing that Zach was smart enough to figure it out himself, Asher couldn't muster the strength to come clean.

With a grudging look, he let out a disgruntled sigh and stared down at his half-empty lunch tray, feeling defeated. "Sorry, man."

Zach shook his head and leaned forward, propping his elbow on the table. "Do you know when you'll truly be sorry?"