Rainbows after Hurricane

9. |p a s t|

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Song of the chapter/ Holding on and Letting go by Ross Copperman

Dianna struggled to make sense of what was unfolding around her, but no matter how hard she tried, nothing made sense. She wished this was all just a bad dream—but the hard glare Zach was aiming at Asher made it impossible to believe that.

Her gaze darted between Zach and Asher, bouncing back and forth like a tennis ball between two adversaries, before she finally cleared her dry throat and croaked, "Zach!"

At the sound of her voice, Zach turned his attention to her, his eyes softening slightly. "Come here, Dianna. We're going home," he said, his voice firm but gentler now.

Confusion clouded her mind as she glanced at Asher, standing silently to her side, his head bowed low as though he couldn't bear to meet her gaze. His demeanor only deepened her sense of unease.

Just when Dianna thought there were no more secrets between them, she realized how wrong she was. Again.

                "Are you guys going to tell me what's going on?" Dianna asked, her voice rising as she looked between the two men. Her heart thundered in her chest, each beat feeling like a hammer against a nail.

"I said we're going home, Dianna," Zach replied sharply, his tone clipped, as though he was barely holding himself together.

Dianna threw her hands up in exasperation. "I thought we were past this—keeping secrets from each other. It's obvious something's happening. Just tell me!"

"Go home, Dianna. You're overthinking things," Asher muttered, his head lowered, avoiding her gaze altogether.

"Asher—" she started, but her words were cut off when Zach grabbed her arm, pulling her back abruptly. She turned to face him, her eyes blazing. "Zach! What the hell are you doing?"

"I'm taking you home. How many times do I have to repeat myself, Dianna?" Zach barked, his sudden outburst leaving her stunned.

                "I can walk by myself! And I'm not leaving until you tell me what's going on between you and Asher," Dianna said, her voice firm as she dug her heels into the ground, refusing to be pulled any farther.

"There's nothing going on, alright?" Zach shot back, though his tone was more defensive than convincing.

"Don't even try to feed me that crap!" Dianna snapped, tugging her arm against his grip. "You two won't even look at each other, and you expect me to believe everything's fine?"

"Not now, Dianna," Zach growled through clenched teeth. "I'm not in the mood. Just... stay away from Asher. That's all."

"What? Why? And for the love of God, stop dragging me and let go of my hand! It's hurting!" Dianna exclaimed, her voice rising with frustration.

As soon as the words left her mouth, a hand clamped down on Zach's wrist, stopping him in his tracks. Dianna turned her head sharply and saw Asher standing there, his expression unreadable but his eyes sharp and focused on Zach.

"Let her go," Asher said, his voice calm but with an unmistakable edge.

             "Leave her, Zach. You're hurting her," Asher said calmly, his voice steady as he placed a hand on Zach's arm.

Zach's eyes snapped to where Asher's hand rested. With a swift jerk, he pulled away, his expression twisting in anger. "Who the hell are you to tell me what to do, huh? Stay out of it," he snarled, his jaw tightening as he leveled a glare at Asher.