by Lyra Winters
“That’s bull—”
“Not true!” Faith finished for me.
He gave us a half-smile. “I figured as much, being as Linda is quite the trouble maker. But you do realize this is a serious claim because kids could be around.”
“Of course, Mr. Higgins!” Faith waved her hands as she talked. “We would never do that kind of thing during school hours.”
“I understand young love and that I get that public sex is more exciting but this isn't the place. I would have to fire you both on the spot had there been evidence.” He paused, stifling a smile. “Linda listening in isn’t considered evidence.”
I chuckled. “Thank fuck for that, am I right?”
“Asher!” Faith squeaked. “Mr. Higgins, I think I just about had a panic attack.” She inhaled deeply before exhaling.
He shook his head. “Don’t worry about it, dear. You two just don’t do anything to get her riled up.”
“With all due respect, why is she still an employee here?” she asked.
His tongue clicked. “I’m not supposed to say anything, but I’m not renewing her contract next year. So, the plan is we ride this out and deal with her for another few months.”
A grin spread across her lips. “Thank goodness.”
“Thank you, sir.” I shook his hand before he headed out.
Faith deflated and collapsed on my desk. “That was the most terrifying moment of my life.”
I laughed. “Higgins understands. Linda is a psycho.”
She stared up at me. “He’s a great principal. Linda is a psycho-bitch.”
“That she is, baby.” I gave her a quick kiss on the lips.
After talking a few more minutes, she decided to head back to class to prepare for the morning. With her gone, even being in the same building, I missed her immediately. I couldn’t wait to make her mine forever.
The gym door opened and Linda strode in with a big smirk on her face. “What did Higgins say? You both deserve to be punished.”
I crossed my arms. “Something is honestly wrong with you, woman. Who listens in on two people fucking? Which, we weren’t for the record.” I lied through my teeth and she jumped at the harshness of my voice. “Makes me wonder what weird shit you make up in your fantasies. Stop poking around where you are not wanted.”
“Nobody has ever spoken to me like that.” She tossed her hair over her shoulder. “This will be the last time you do, Mr. Wells.” She stomped out of the gym for the third time this morning.
She was clearly not someone who needed to be working with children.
I invited Luca over that night to catch up and Faith invited Mags and Eve over. Of course, only Mags showed up. Something was seriously wrong with Eve’s boyfriend and at this point, I think they should hold an intervention or some shit. Mags and Faith bitched about Gerald and how much they missed their friend for the first half of the night.
Luca was standoffish ever since Mags showed up. Mags was doing everything she could to ignore him back, and the tension between the two was so thick I didn’t know when it would end.
“I need a beer.” Luca stretched his legs.
I slapped my thighs. “We’re out. Let’s go get some.”
Faith placed a delicate hand on my shoulder. “Are you sure you want to go out? It’s pretty late already.”
I glanced at Luca who was pacing around like a caged animal. “Yeah, this guy needs some beer.”
She giggled. “Good point.”
I kissed Faith’s forehead. “We’ll be back soon.”
I grabbed the keys and walked out with Luca.
“Thanks, man, I had to get out of there.” Luca shook his head as we walked to my truck.
“What the hell is up with you?” We jumped in and pulled out of the drive. “It’s just Mags. Faith and her have been best friends for years.”
He blew out a whoosh of air. “Fuck if I know. Mags is… Mags.”
I watched him hit his knuckles on his knees. “Listen dude, I know about you fucking her at my house.”
His head whipped toward me. “How the—oh right, Mags told Faith and she told you.”
“I get that you have commitment issues. You’ve had them forever. But Mags is a great person.”
“Yeah, she is. That’s exactly why she doesn’t need me. I fuck everything up.” He dropped his head in his hands.
I chuckled. “You really think Mags would let you fuck anything up?”
He thought about it before laughing. “Yeah, good point.”
“I know you think you’re like your dad, but you’re not. You won’t hurt her.” I pulled into the parking lot of the liquor store.
“I’ve always fucked around with different women.”
“Let me ask you something.” I turned to face him. “Do you think of other girls when you’re around Mags?”
He scrunched his nose up. “Hell no.”
“Do you ever think about her when she’s not around?”
He went silent.
“I’ll take that as a yes. You’re not your dad. You wouldn’t let yourself stray from her. I’d say to give it a chance. You never know. She could be the one for you.”
He rolled his eyes. “When did you get soft on me?”
“Since I fell in love with your cousin.”
He shut the door in my face and walked into the store. I could see him grumbling about something. Luca’s dad cheated on his mom. Luca was a lot like his dad in every way except for that part. His parents worked it out for the best but he still resented his father for his actions. I get it, but he shouldn’t doom himself for something he didn’t, and wouldn’t, do.
A few minutes later, Luca hopped in with a pack of beer. “Got the good shit.”
My fingers tapped on the wheel as we drove home. “Can I tell you something?”
“What’s up?”
“I’m going to ask Faith to marry me.” My heart fluttered like it did every time I thought of her.
“It’s about damn time.” He smirked. “What can I do to help?”
My class and I sat in a circle on our rug Monday morning when little miss Rosie came into our classroom. She got a warm welcome and the students just about swarmed her. She was bright and excited to be back, thanked everyone for the cards they sent her and ran over to give me a tight hug. I gave them some time to welcome Rosie back before insisting we get on to our lesson. The morning flew by and it was time to take them to the gym.
Instead of a line, they walked in a blob surrounding Rosie to the gym. They rushed off into the gymnasium without waiting for Asher’s instructions. He was scanning some paperwork by the door so I went over and tapped on his clipboard. His eyes met mine and he gave me a small smile.
“Rosie’s back. The kids are so excited. It’ll probably be a rough day with them.”
He shrugged. “That’s fine. Thanks for telling me.” He glanced back down and made some marks on his papers.
A heavy silence settled over us, thicker than the strange tension that hung in the atmosphere. I shifted on my feet. “No hug? No kiss?” I tilted my head.
His gaze drifted up and he furrowed his brows. “We never do that in front of the kids.”
I rolled my eyes. “You know what I mean, Asher.”
“I love you, but I have to teach.” He turned and walked back to the kids and spewed instructions to them.
Words left me. My eyes stung with tears as I stared at his backside. My heart fell silent. It felt like he was walking away from me again. As if stuck underwater, him walking away was slow and warbled as I flashed back to that morning he left me alone.
I blinked back the tears, walked out of the gym, and paused outside to collect myself.
Linda stopped her long strides down the hall to stare at me. “Trouble in paradise?”
“Of course not. Mind your business.” I reminded myself to breathe.
“I heard your little parting in there. He practically rejected you.” She stared down at her nails.
I bit my tongue and walked away from her.
“They say distance is the first part of a breakup!” she called after me.
I kept walking away. I hated how her words affected me. Part of me wondered if she was right. Was Asher distancing himself? If so, why? Everything had been perfect as far as I was concerned.
Once I was back in my classroom I yanked my phone out and started up the group chat.
Faith: Guys. Asher’s acting distant. It feels awful. Like my heart is seriously aching. Help.
Eve: What’d he do? Are you sure he’s not just having a bad day or something?
Faith: It’s not just his attitude but something feels off with us.
Mags: You’re getting in your head, babe. Let it go. You guys are fine.
Faith: How can you be so sure?
Eve: You two are in love. Don’t stress just yet. No need to worry unless he does something serious.
I stared at their responses. I guess I didn’t have a real reason to worry, but something was off with him. Call it a gut feeling but Asher never acted so indifferent with me.
I took another deep breath before I set my feelings aside and focused on my work.
Two weeks had passed since Asher first started distancing himself from me. I knew the feeling well. My dad had started distancing himself when I began to look more like my mother. Preston started after we became engaged. Asher doing it hit differently. I couldn’t stop loving him. He was throwing away my affections and leaving my heart in a shattered disarray of pieces once again. This time it was slower.
He was still around, but not really. He wasn’t mentally present anymore. It felt like we were going through the motions. And yet, I still held out hope that he would come back around. Maybe Linda was right.
My phone rang and I dug around in my bag before I pulled it out. “Hello?”
“Can we meet up? I need some serious advice,” Luca rushed out.
I blinked and stared at the stacks of ungraded papers on my desk. My mind was so jumbled that I had slacked on grading. “I was planning on staying after for a few hours today to catch up on grading. Can’t we talk over the phone?” I asked as I shuffled through the papers to find the poetry assessments from last week.
He coughed a few times. “I’d rather talk in person.”
I sighed. I guess the grading could wait until tomorrow. I hated to go in on a Saturday but it wasn’t like Asher cared if I was home or not. “I’ll head out in a minute.”
“Actually, care if we meet at the cabin?”
“Sure, that’s fine. But in return, you need to give me some advice.”
“Like what?”
“What the hell do I do with Asher? He’s been avoiding me like the plague, Luca. It hurts.” I gathered up all of my belongings and started walking out of my classroom door.
“Asher is just a weirdo. He’ll be back to normal soon. Listen, I gotta go. See you in a few!” He hung up the phone.
I huffed, tossed it in my bag and hurried down the hall.
“Did you and Asher break up?” Linda’s voice rang throughout the empty halls.
I kept walking, not turning back to give her the satisfaction of a reply. She cackled behind me as I walked out of the front doors of the school. That woman was evil.
It took me about forty-five minutes to reach the cabin. I parked in the dirt drive and walked to the front door. A torn piece of paper was stuck on the door with duct tape. Go to the dock, was scribbled on it in red ink. It sent a chill down my spine.
I scowled, opened my bag and dug for my phone. I dialed Luca and put the phone to my ear. After a second try, he still didn’t pick up. I huffed, shoved the phone back in the bag and adjusted the strap on my shoulder. I took a deep breath before I started down the small trail behind the cabin and toward the dock on the lake. The air was pungent with the scent of jasmine.
I watched my step as I wandered down the pebble path. As I drew closer, I noticed a certain brown-haired man standing on the shore of the lake, steps away from the dock. It was worn down, with planks that fell off and the wood had visibly broken down. My brows furrowed as I tilted my head. Where was Luca?
Asher turned around and greeted me with a broad smile. “He’s not really the one you were meeting anyway.”
He was wearing black dress pants and a white button-up. He looked good, too good.
I pursed my lips and crossed my arms. “You’ve been an ass the past couple of weeks and now you have me driving all the way to the cabin to meet you? Under false pretenses, by the way! And what for?” I gasped. “If you want to break up then you need to just do it. This is torture, Asher. I… I can’t do this anymore!” I buried my face in my hands as my eyes stung from the tears welling up.
He closed the distance between us and put both hands on my shoulders. “Where did you get that stupid idea from?”
I peered at him through the cracks in my fingers. His eyebrows were bumped together in a confused scowl.
I sniffled. “You’ve been distant. We’ve been driving separately to work. Barely spend any time together.”
He licked his lips before he pressed a kiss to my forehead. He grabbed my hands away from my face and dropped to one knee. My mouth fell open as I stared at him, with tears still streaming down my cheeks.
“Seven years ago, I was a fucking idiot. I walked away from you naked in that bed thinking you’d call. My stubborn ass didn’t think anything except that you must’ve wanted nothing more to do with me.” He chuckled and reached for a little blue box in his pocket. I gasped as the moment became more of a dream. He opened it to reveal an elegant silver diamond ring. “Now that I know you love me at least half as much as I love you, I’m never walking away again. Faith, will you marry me?”
The lake was as flat as a mirror. It existed just as it had the night we connected without a ripple in the silver-green water as if time itself had been frozen. But I knew that time had passed. Asher and I had changed since that night, and yet all I could think of was how much I yearned to relive it. From the tall pines around the edge came not a sound, no movement of branches, and no bull frogs singing.
“Of course, I’ll marry you.” My knees sunk into the damp mud beside him. “I love you.”
He gently took my ring finger and slid it on. The ring fit perfectly and looked like it belonged. I wrapped my arms around him and smashed my lips to his.
Clapping sounded from behind us and I pulled away to see Mags and Luca holding champagne-filled glasses with big smiles on their faces. They were up the path, standing just outside the back door of the cabin.
“You knew? You assholes! You knew I’d been thinking he was going to leave.” I sobbed.
Asher lifted me up to my feet and enveloped me in a hug. “They were sworn to secrecy.”
“Congratulations to you both!” Luca called down.
“There is a meal on the counter for you. Also, since we all knew you’d say yes.” Mags winked. “You have an engagement party tomorrow here with our family and friends.”
I giggled and we trekked up the path and joined our friends. “You guys are so sweet. Thank you, I guess I can ignore the fact that you hid Asher’s true feelings from me.”
“Oh, hush!” Mags swatted my shoulder. “Alright, I have a date. I’ll leave you love birds to it. Wish me luck you guys!”
“Who’s the date with?” Luca asked as he leaned against the cabin.
“None of your business.” She swished her hips and strutted back toward the dirt drive. She didn’t glance back once.
He shook his head. “That woman.”
“You had your chance, Luca.” I shrugged. “Still do if you get your head out of your ass.”
He rolled his eyes before pushing off the side and rounded back up front. “Congratulations! See you two tomorrow!”
I shook my head, my face was hot and I felt silly for getting so worked up. “I really thought you were going to leave me.”
“I understand. I wasn’t around much because I was pla
nning everything. And trying to keep it a secret.” He tilted my chin up.
“I’ll forgive you for now. But never do that shit again.”
“Never again, sweet fiance.” He brought his lips down to meet mine.
“I love you, Asher,” I mumbled against his soft lips.
“I love you.”
Those three words meant the world to me. I would never tire of hearing them over and over again.
Asher held the champagne glass up. “Thank you, everyone, for coming to celebrate our engagement. I can’t wait to marry this woman!”
I held mine up beside his. “We first connected at this cabin and it’s so special to be back here with him.”
“Yeah, you really connected back then!” Luca barked out a laugh.
Asher smirked. “I’ll drink to that.”
The crowd cheered as we downed our champagne, my ears burned at Luca’s obvious comment.
My dad walked over to us and gave me an awkward side-hug. “It’s good to see you so happy. Both of you.”
Asher shook his hand. “Thank you, sir.”
He scoffed. “No need to call me sir, boy. I’m going to be your father-in-law after all.”
Asher gave him a boyish grin as my aunt and uncle joined us.
“I don’t think we want to know what Luca insinuated earlier.” Aunt Jess shivered.
Uncle Mark shook his head. “Don’t even go there.”
“Best not knowing, honestly.” Asher scratched the back of his head.
“Hey, isn’t that Eve?” I asked, pointing toward the door. She stood there with Gerald.
Asher nodded. “We should go say hi.”
Dad chuckled. “I’d try to make a clean break from this conversation too.”
We laughed and excused ourselves before we made our way to Eve.
As we approached, she gave me a big hug. “I’ve missed you,” she whispered in my ear.
“We all miss you,” I whispered before we pulled apart.
“Thanks for coming.” Asher held his hand out to Gerald who reluctantly shook it.