beverly hills - asher adams

03

"Straight up now tell me are you really gonna love me forever..."

"Oh, oh, oh!" Allie sang along with the classic song that was plugged to her bedroom speakers.

She was supposed to be doing that load of homework she and the rest of the class were assigned. Somehow, she'd gotten to an '80s hits Spotify playlist instead.

Her phone buzzed, with Layla's name and a heart emoji beside it.

Allie picked up the call, putting Layla on speaker with a groan. "You interrupted Paula Abdul and I. You better have a good reason."

"Oh, want me to call back?" Layla offered.

Allie rolled her eyes and flopped on her rose gold canopy. "Nah, it's not the same. What'd you want?"

"I want you to informally invite Spencer and Olivia to my party this weekend."

Allie smirked. "Wow, I'm your personal assistant now?"

"Oh, you didn't know?" A laugh came from the phone. "But I have to decorate the banner for homecoming during lunch so I can't let them know. So pleeease invite them."

"Layla. You're the nice one. Not me." Allie replied with a smug smile. "They'll think I'm joking."

"Please? You can't see me but I'm doing my puppy dog eyes." Layla whined. "I'll be your best friend."

Allie chuckled. "That shit only worked on me in 3rd grade. Fine. You're lucky I love you."

"Love you too, Allie, see you tomorrow?"

"Bye!" Allie responded and pressed the red end call button. She heaved a heavy sigh while leaving a lingering look at her phone. Layla was really lucky she had her as a friend. Otherwise, nothing would get done.

A sound of a door slamming closed echoed throughout Allie's huge and normally empty house. Allie raised her eyebrows. No one was supposed to be home for days.

Her mother is in Milan for a business meeting and her father was in South Korea for 2 months as he was meeting with fellow app creators to get 'inspiration'.

So who the hell was in her house?

Allie crept out of her room and down the well-decorated hall. She picked up the first thing that she could hit the intruder with.

Unfortunately for her, it was an unlit candle. So unless she could magic up a flame, this candle had no use to her. However, she still kept the candle gripped in her right hand.

Allie walked step by agonizing step of the modern spiral staircase and into the main foyer.

A rumbling sound came from down the hall and into...her fathers office?

What?

Allie poked her head into the office door and saw the burly back of a man. She just couldn't see the face. The man wore what looked like a suit and was rummaging at the desk which was connected to the wall on the right.

Almost as if the man had felt Allie staring at him, he turned around quickly. The sight of the man caused a surprised Allie to drop the candle immediately.

She pushed open the door in a rush and ran into the mans' outstretched arms.

"Dad! You're back!"

Allie felt like she was actually at home when in her fathers' arms. He and her mother were always gone and Allie often felt that she was getting raised by the maid more than her own parents.

"How's my girl?" Charles Hastings greeted his daughter when he finally let go of her.

Allie couldn't contain her excitement. Her father was home two weeks early. He rarely came home early from business meetings. Allie had given up on that possibility years ago. Maybe she was too quick to assume.

"Great now that you're home!" Allie responded with a bright smile. "Which is crazy because you never come home early. It's that good news?"

Charles nodded and gestured to his desk. "Well, I was going to show you and your mother at dinner tonight, but you're here now so why not?"

Allie nodded and went over to his desk to check out the mess of papers and an iPad in the middle of the chaotic piles.

But suddenly she stopped and swiveled over to her father with an inquiring look. "Wait. Mom and I over dinner? Mom's home too?"

Charles didn't answer. He just gave Allie a smirk.

"Surprise!" A bubbly voice came from the entrance of her father's office. Amelia Hastings stood beside the door with her bright pink luggage standing beside her long model-like legs.

"Mom!" Allie gasped.

Both of her parents were home, which was hella rare for her household. And when both of them were home together, there was constant fighting and arguments. The tension that was usually between her parents seemed to be non-existent, though, which made Allie even happier.

Amelia strutted into the office like she was at another modeling shoot. Then, daintily, she pulled her only daughter into a tight embrace.

"We were hoping that you'd still be at school. But both of our flights were delayed. This works, Right, Charles?"

Amelia sent her father a look as if she were challenging him. Or maybe that was just her face. In the fashion world, pouty is the new chic.

That intense look Allie's mother was sending her father made Allie think that maybe that feud between them wasn't over. Maybe this was just another attempt to push the family together that will inevitably backfire in all of their faces.

"Of course it works, Amelia." Allie's father replied while brushing off the look her mother sent him.

Charles then turned to Allie. "I guess you just have to wait for the surprise since your mother is here now. You two should catch up."

"Actually, the reservation is in an hour. Allie go get changed into something that dosen't look like hot trash." Ameila said as she gave Allie a once-over with a disgusted look.

Allie looked at her $120 dollar dress in confusion. "Mom, this is one of your designs."

Amelia took a good look at Allie's blood red dress and gasped. "Oh goodness. My early creations were god awful."

Allie assumed her mother was expecting her to laugh. So she did.

"Take that trash off immediately and get changed. Asher will be here in 20."

"Ash? You invited my boyfriend to dinner?" Allie was in disbelief. Her mother forgets about when Allie's school projects were due but remembered Asher's number and invites him to a welcome home dinner?

That was astounding.

"Of course," Amelia said with a shrug like stalking her daughter's boyfriend wasn't a weird thing. Anything's normal to you when you're rich and famous. "He's our favorite. Well, after Jordan Baker. Now he was a keeper."

Allie rolled her eyes at her over-dramatic mother. "Jordan and I never dated, Mom. We were just friends."

"Whatever you say, sweetheart."