by L A Cotton
“There was a time I would have said the same thing about me and Jason,” Felicity pointed out.
“Yeah, but that’s different.”
“Is it? I know you think you come from different worlds but what’s that saying, ‘opposites attract’? Who knows? Maybe you’re exactly what each other needs.”
My eyes darted to the doorway. “I should probably get home, my aunt will be—”
“Want a piece of advice? Don’t run. These Raider boys have a way of getting what they want, and whether you want it or not, I think Asher wants you.”
I gawked at her, the air sucked clean from my lungs. He’d made no secret of the fact he felt something for me. Even made me admit I felt it too. But everything was so easy for him or, at least, I’d thought it was before tonight. But now I didn’t know what to think. I’d heard no rumors around town about his father; nothing to make me question the kind of childhood he’d had.
From the outside, Asher Bennet had it all.
Money.
Looks.
A bright future ahead of him.
Everyone knew looks could be deceiving though, and I couldn’t shake the feeling there was more to Asher than met the eye.
I knew I should walk away. Walk away and forget all about the football player with the easy smile and glint in his eye. But the fixer in me couldn’t just forget.
Mom always said I was drawn to broken things. Right since I was a little girl and used to feed the neighborhood’s stray cats. Then Jermaine came along with his crooked smile and nose for trouble and that was it, I’d never wanted to fix something as much as I’d wanted to fix him.
“Mya?” Flick’s voice pulled me from my thoughts, and I blinked over at her.
“Yeah?”
“Are you okay?”
“Just tired. I should go.”
“You could always stay here. It’s late and I don’t like the idea of you walking home alone.”
“It’s not that far.” And I’d walked through much worse neighborhoods at night.
“Let me ask Jason—”
“Ask me what?” He appeared at the door, his brows drawn tight.
“Can you give Mya a ride home?”
“It’s fine, I can walk.”
“Come on, tough girl,” he teased. “I only had one beer.”
Riding with Jason, alone, was the last place I wanted to be, but Flick gave me a nod of encouragement before gazing up at him with stars in her eyes. “Thanks, babe,” she said. “I’ll finish cleaning up. Call you tomorrow.” That was for me.
I gave her a tight smile before following Jason out of the house. His restored Dodge Charger glistened in the moonlight. “You going to stand there all night or get in?” he said.
“You didn’t have to do this.”
“You’re one of Felicity’s best friends which makes you my friend. Now get in the damn car.”
Feeling my jaw clench, I yanked open the door and slid inside.
“There,” Jason smirked, “that wasn’t so difficult, was it?”
I shot him a pointed look but he only chuckled.
Silence settled over us as Jason backed out of the Bennet’s large driveway and took the road out of town.
“I take it Felicity told you where I live?”
“There isn’t much she doesn’t tell me,” he said dryly.
“I’ll bear that in mind.”
“How was Ash when you finally left him?”
“Passed out hugging a pillow.”
“He say anything to you?”
“Just a lot of jumbled nonsense. What do you think happened?” I glanced at him sideways, wondering if Jason had his own theories, and whether or not he’d share them with me.
“He’s been acting weird for a while. At first, I thought it was just about Felicity. He likes... liked her.” Jason cleared his throat. “For a second I thought she was actually going to come between us.”
I shifted uncomfortably in the leather seat, jealousy edging into my thoughts.
“But now I’m thinking it has nothing to do with her.” His hard gaze burned into the side of my face. “He likes you, ya know?”
“So everyone keeps telling me.”
“You’re not feeling it?”
“I... it’s complicated.”
“Because of your ex?”
“Let me guess, Felicity told you—”
“Actually, she didn’t. But I’m no fool, Mya. I know you’re running from something.”
It wasn’t like I tried to hide who I was and where I came from, but it unnerved me that Jason saw through me so easily.
“Look, whatever’s going on with Ash, something tells me he’s not going to come to me or Cam with it. But maybe he’ll open up to you.”
“You want me to use his feelings for me against him?”
“That’s not...” he let out a heavy sigh. “I’m worried about him. I’ve never seen him so out of control. It’s Asher, he’s like sunshine on a rainy fucking day or something. But tonight was different. He was...”
“Dark,” I whispered.
“Yeah. I don’t know what the fuck is going on with him but whatever it is, he needs someone there for him.”
“He has people. He has you and Cameron and Felicity and the rest of the team.”
Jason grumbled, “Does he know that though?”
“I just don’t want him to get the wrong idea.” My hands curled into fists, pressing against my thigh.
“I’m not asking you to marry the guy. Just be a shoulder to lean on, an ear to listen. Things haven’t been the same between us since everything went down and I know he feels pushed out because Cam’s with Hailee and I’m with Felicity.”
When I didn’t answer, Jason’s words swirling around my head, he added, “He’s a good guy, Mya.”
That was the problem though. Asher was good. He deserved a girl who could be in the moment with him one hundred percent. I wasn’t sure I could be that for him.
I wasn’t sure I wanted to be.
“You don’t think it would only make things worse for him?” I asked.
“What the fuck does that mean?”
“It doesn’t matter,” I huffed indignantly, annoyed at myself for even bringing it up. Maybe Flick was right, maybe I was making a bigger deal out of it than it needed to be.
We rode the rest of the way in silence. It was one thing I liked about Jason; he didn’t feel the need to fill awkward silences. He also didn’t push. He’d said his piece and now the ball was in my court.
Only I didn’t know what the hell I was going to do about it.
“Well damn, girl, if you don’t look like a bird is nesting in there.” Aunt Ciara eyed my wild curls with amusement.
I smoothed a hand over my bed hair and waved her off, making a beeline for the coffeemaker. I’d had a restless night, replaying things over in my head. The drunken conversation with Asher. The friendly advice from Felicity, and the strange ride home with Jason.
“Rough night?” my aunt asked.
“Something like that.” I made myself a mug of coffee and sat down at the kitchen table.
“I was talking to Maeve yesterday and she told me the best news. Her grandson, Tyrese, is coming to stay for the holidays. Isn’t that great?”
My brows pinched, blood pounding between my ears. “Tyrese?”
“He’s a good boy. Studying business at UPenn, I think. Visits his gram whenever he can. I’m surprised he’s still single.”
“Aunt C,” I groaned, not liking where this was headed.
“Now now, don’t go getting all riled up. We know better than to meddle. But would it really hurt you to come visit them with me one day?”
Yes, yes it would. It was bad enough she had an opinion on everything but now she was trying to set me up with her friend’s grandson. It couldn’t get much worse.
“It won’t hurt for you to have another friend here, Mya,” she said when I didn’t answer.
“I have friends.”
“And I’m sure they’re great. But Tyrese is...” She hesitated.
“Black?” I questioned, disappointment dripping from my voice.
“That’s not what I was going to say. But now that you bring it up, yes, he is. He’s a good solid Afro-American man who has been raised to respect women. After Jermaine, he could be just what you need.”
“I’m sure he’s a good man.” I rose from the table slowly, letting the chair scrape across the tiles. “But I’m not interested.” Dumping my mug on the drainer, I walked out of there, not bothering to stop at the sound of my aunt’s voice.
She’d gone too far this time.
Thinking I needed her all up in my business. Jermaine wasn’t just some guy I’d foolishly fallen in love with. He’d been my best friend since forever. We had history; our lives were entwined. He was a good guy but like so many before him, he had been tempted by the easy money running for Diaz’s crew could give him. Opportunity didn’t come knocking in our neighborhood.
Drugs, gangs, and crime did.
I slammed the bedroom door behind me and made my way over to the bed, only to be interrupted by the blare of my cell. Glancing at Shona’s name, I ignored it, dropping onto my bed and clutching a pillow to my chest. Mom was right. Unless I made a clean break, I would never escape my ties to Fallowfield Heights. But it was my home. Not to mention the fact my mom would never leave there. How was I supposed to just forget them? To turn my back on my roots?
The answer was, I couldn’t.
Not yet.
Chapter Eight
Asher
“You look like shit.” Jason smirked at me as I padded into the kitchen, the smell of bacon turning my stomach.
“Fee, baby, not that I don’t usually love seeing you in my kitchen—”
“You need to eat,” she cut me off, grabbing the pan and shaking the contents onto a plate. Usually I would have been the first to dive in, but I could barely look at it without my stomach churning.
“I really don’t,” I grumbled. “I need water and Advil. Lots of Advil.”
It wasn’t unusual to see them in my kitchen on a weekend, especially after a party. But this was one morning I didn’t want company. My head was pounding, my body felt like it had gone ten rounds with our defensive line, and I had murky memories from the night before... memories I’d rather forget.
“Which one of you put me to bed?” I asked Jason, and Cam who was awfully quiet. They glanced at each other and then me.
“You don’t remember?” Cameron asked.
“I have a few black spots.”
“We didn’t put you to bed, man. Mya did.”
“What the fuck did you just say? Mya wasn’t even at the party.” I knew, I’d looked for her enough. But that was before all the tequila... and Jack... and shots.
Too. Many. Fucking. Shots.
“She turned up,” Flick added, pushing a plate of breakfast toward me. I just stared at it, trying to sort through the hangover haze clouding my mind.
“She was here?”
“Yup.” Jason bit into a piece of crispy bacon.
“Well, shit.” It was one thing for my friends to see me trashed, but Mya?
That wasn’t supposed to happen.
Fuck.
“Did she... say anything?”
“After watching you puke for an hour? The girl was traumatized.”
“I didn’t—” A hazy memory flooded my mind. Mya’s hand against my skin. It was hard to tell if it was real or just a figment of my imagination. I guess drinking half your old man’s liquor cabinet would do that to you.
“Ready to tell us what the hell happened?” Jason glared at me.
“It was nothing.” I shrugged dismissively, pushing eggs around my plate.
“Ash, man, if something is going on—”
“Nothing is going on. I’m fine, promise. It’s been a crazy few weeks, and I just felt like a blow-out.” I could barely look at them, even if I felt their hard eyes burning into the top of my skull.
“Yeah, well don’t make a habit of it. School might be out for the holidays, but we still need you fit and ready for the exhibition game.”
“I thought you were still pissed about that?” My brow rose and Jason shrugged.
“Any chance to show Rixon East who’s on top and I’m there. Besides, Felicity talked me around.” His eyes flicked to hers and she blushed.
“I take it you figured out how to—”
“Asher!”
Chuckling, I went to the faucet to get another glass of water.
“So Mya didn’t stay?” I finally asked the question I’d been wondering ever since hearing her name.
“Jason gave her a ride home after she made sure you were all tucked in.” Amusement laced Cam’s words, but I didn’t give him shit for it.
“Okay,” I grunted.
“This shit must be killing you; knowing she was here but not being able to remember what you said to her?”
“Jason,” Flick shot me an apologetic look.
“I’ll make it right with her,” I said with conviction.
Whether or not she’d give me a chance though, was another matter entirely.
“You must be Mya’s aunt. Nice to meet you. I’m Asher, Asher Bennet.” I held out the bunch of flowers, realizing I had severely underestimated Mya’s warning when the petite woman glared up at me. “I know who you are. What do you want?”
“I... uh, is Mya home?” I scratched my jaw, feeling the weight of her stare press down on me.
“She’s busy.”
“Ma’am, I mean no disrespect, but I’d really like to—”
“Asher?” Mya appeared, eyes wide with an indecipherable emotion. “I wasn’t expecting you.”
“I know. I just wanted to drop by and give your aunt these and hopefully talk to you.”
“Mya,” her aunt warned.
“You should put the flowers in water, Auntie. I’ll be right there, okay?”
I stood a little taller at Mya coming to my defense but as the two of them stared at one another, locked in some silent conversation, I knew there was far more to this than her aunt just not liking white guys.
Shit.
“Five minutes,” her aunt said before snatching the flowers out of my hand and taking off down the hall.
“What are you doing here?” Mya hissed as she slipped out onto the porch, closing the door behind her.
“I wanted to see you.”
“You could have called or texted.”
“I wanted to see you, Mya. After last night—”
“You can remember everything?”
“About that. I didn’t say or do anything inappropriate did I?”
“You were pretty out of it.” She smiled, but it didn’t reach her eyes.
“What?” I asked, sensing she was keeping something from me. But if she was about to tell me, it never came. Instead, she let out a weary sigh.
“You really shouldn’t have come here.”
“I just wanted to say thank you. The guys told me what you did.” I reached out, plucking a spiral between my fingers. “I would have preferred you hadn’t seen me like that but I’m glad it was you taking care of me.”
“Asher, what happened yesterday?”
The ground moved from under me. “What do you mean?” I choked out. “Nothing happened.”
But I saw it in her eyes.
Mya knew.
Maybe she didn’t know everything, but she knew enough.
She knew I was lying.
Glancing back at the house, Mya’s lips pulled into a flat line. “I can’t talk right now. But I could... come over later?”
“Yeah?” My chest almost burst.
“Well, your home movie theater is pretty awesome.”
“Oh it’s like that, huh?”
“How else would it be?”
Was she flirting with me? Because it felt a hella lot like she was. I fought a grin.
“Pick you up at six?”
/> “I can make my own way there.”
“Okay.” I didn’t want to push her, not yet. “Should I invite the others?” I asked.
“Won’t they be busy? It’s Saturday, the night of dates and dreams and all those other things regular couples do.”
“So it’ll just be the two of us?” I clarified because my mind was spinning in a hundred different directions.
“Asher?” she said, her silky voice grounding me.
“Yeah, Hernandez?” I couldn’t keep the smile off my face.
“I’ll see you later.”
Slowly backing away, I kept my eyes on her. Mya was beautiful. The dark wash denim overalls molded to her curves. The black tee underneath highlighting the tone of her skin. Everything about Mya drew me in. She was fierce and unapologetic and completely herself.
And I wanted to know her.
All of her.
“Don’t be late,” I mouthed and she chuckled, waiting until I was on the sidewalk.
“Oh, and Asher?” she called out.
“Yeah?”
“Don’t get any ideas about what this is.”
“You mean a movie with a friend?” I smirked. “As if I could forget.”
This time felt different though. She might have wanted to play it down as nothing more than friends hanging out but there was a sparkle in her eyes I hadn’t seen before.
A sparkle I suddenly wanted to see all the damn time.
By the time Mya arrived, I no longer felt hungover. Which was a good thing considering how many snacks I’d prepared. Everything from nachos to popcorn, pretzels to candy. I may have gone a little overboard.
“Jason, Cameron, Hailee, and Flick did a good job with the clean-up.” She pretended to run her finger along the sideboard, inspecting it for dust. “I hope you tipped them well. Although, I’m surprised you haven’t got a housekeeper.”
“We used to have one, when I was younger,” I admitted. “But as soon as I turned fourteen, she left.”
“I can’t imagine what that’s like, always having someone to do everything for you.” Mya’s eyes clouded.
“There’s just you?”
“Me and my mama, yeah.”
“What happened to your dad?”