~ Asher's POV ~
"They're really cute together, aren't they?" Karlie chirped happily, sitting on the passenger seat in Asher's car. Meanwhile, Asher just stared out the window and continued driving. Dreading every mile that passed.
"I think Zoie's really happy. But what do you think of them together?" Karlie continued.
Asher let out a sigh. Karlie hadn't stopped talking about Zoie and Miles the moment she sat down in his car. He didn't say much except a simple yes or no, but Karlie didn't take the hint. For some reason, she was so fascinated about them two.
"What do you think about Miles?" Karlie asked again.
"I don't know him that well," Asher said as he kicked the gas pedal harder. Anything to get to their destination faster so Karlie would leave him alone.
"Well, if you ask me, he's an alright guy, but... he's a bit... ah, I don't know," Karlie said rather cryptically.
Asher slowed down the car and turned his eyes to her.
"You got something to tell me?" he asked.
Karlie seemed pleased with herself that she finally got his attention. She leaned back in her seat and twirled her hair with her finger. Asher waited on her response, but she seemed to be dragging it on purpose.
"What is it?" he pressed.
Karlie let out a smile. A victorious smile.
"Aww, I'm so jealous of Zoie," she said. "I wish I have an overprotective older brother too. To be honest with you, it's kind of hot,"
Karlie's hand reached over and landed on Asher's lap. Asher responded by shooting her a deadly glare.
"Answer the question. What do you know about Miles that I don't?"
"A lot," she said. "I used to date him after all,"
"What?!"
Asher hit the brake pretty abruptly. The car halted to a stop in front of Karlie's apartment building.
"I'm not surprised that he didn't tell Zoie or anyone. It was kind of our little secret," she said, pulling her hand back and crossing her arm.
Asher narrowed his eyes and Karlie just smiled. Karlie knew exactly what she was doing. She was giving breadcrumb information on purpose so Asher would wanna know more.
"...But if you ask me nicely, maybe I'll tell you about it," she said with her head cocked to the side. Her tongue darted out to lick her lips.
"Karlie," Asher said in a warning tone. He was in no mood for games.
"Wow, even the way you say my name is just so hot," she laughed.
Karlie's hand reached out again, and this time, it landed right on Asher's groin. Asher had no patience for this. He grabbed her hand rather forcefully and pulled her close. With his dark hazel eyes blazing in anger, he growled, "Tell me what you wanna tell me and get the fúck out,"
Karlie looked taken aback. Asher was mean and scary, but yet, it didn't seem to faze her.
"You know, that's not very nice, Asher," she smirked.
Asher's eyes were narrowed further. In one swift move, his hand grabbed Karlie by the neck and he pushed her hard until her back hit the car door.
"You think I'm playing with you?!" he roared.
"...He's... a serial dater...!" Karlie said as her face turned red. Asher was cutting off her air passage. Her voice came out in whispers. "...That's what he does... to all the girls..."
Asher loosened his grip instantly, allowing Karlie to speak further. As soon as she could breathe again, Karlie was coughing for air. Asher moved back and saw the marks on Karlie's neck.
Shit. I needa to control myself.
"He's a weird guy... Bipolar maybe? He's got this thing called the Three Week Rule or something. Basically, he doesn't date the same girl after three weeks," Karlie continued, her hand was rubbing her neck. "He's a nice guy. A good fun. But he gets bored pretty quickly. Just watch. He'll probably lose interest in her pretty soon. It's about that time,"
Asher took a deep breath and exhaled. He didn't even realize his body was so tense. His hands had curled into fists. He looked over at Karlie again and at the mark on her neck. He felt a little bad about that. All that pent up anger and frustration made him lash out at her.
"You okay?" he asked, his voice was low and husky.
"I'll be fine," she said, pausing for a beat before adding, "You know I like it rough,"
Asher scoffed and rolled his eyes.
"Anyway, you wanna come up?" she said, taking off her seatbelt. "I can tell you more about-"
"Get out," Asher cut her off before she could say anything else. He reached across and opened the car door, a gentler way of kicking her out.
Karlie was the one who scoffed this time.
"Good night, Asher," she said as she stepped out. "Until next time,"
Karlie closed the door and sashayed her way into her apartment building. Asher stayed for a moment and watched her hips move.
Damn. She does have a great body...
As if she knew what he was thinking, Karlie stopped her tracks and turned back slightly. Her eyes were inviting him, letting him know the offer still stands. Shaking the thought off quickly, Asher responded by putting the car in gear and speeding away as fast as humanely possible.
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~ Zoie's POV ~
"Thanks for tonight, Miles. I had a really good time,"
Zoie stood in front of her door with Miles in front of her. She was fidgeting with the keys, a little nervous and a little too excited. Tonight had been such a fun night. After the double date dinner, Zoie rode with Miles and he took her to a special place. It was called the Peak-- an area up the hill where you could pretty much see all of Stanford and the surrounding towns. At night, the view was amazing with all the stars and the city lights. They stayed up there for a good thirty minutes, just listening to music and... making out.
"Me too," Miles said as he stepped closer. "I wish it didn't have to end,"
Zoie looked up to see Miles's eyes turning dark. A smile curved up his lips and Zoie swallowed hard. He was standing so close to her now. She could smell his musky, manly scent. Zoie kept her face upward and stood still. Miles leaned down slowly and his hand reached for the back of her neck. Zoie's eyes fluttered closed and the next thing she knew, his lips landed on top of hers again.
A hot moan escaped his lips as he kissed her long and hungrily. Zoie's body melted into him as Miles deepened the kiss. Miles's breathing got more ragged as his other hand traveled to her back. Zoie could feel how hungry he was, how much he wanted her. And that felt... kind of hot.
"Do you... want me to come in?" he asked as he pulled away slightly.
Zoie was out of breath. It took a moment for her to muster up a response.
"...Maybe another time? I'm pretty beat right now..." Zoie said with a sorry smile.
It wasn't like Zoie didn't want him to come in, but she knew where that would lead and she wasn't ready for that. Plus, it didn't help that Asher might be right behind this very door.
"Yeah, it's gotten pretty late," Miles agreed and sighed. Even though he was smiling back, he looked pretty disappointed about it.
"I'll see you tomorrow?" she said expectantly.
"I'll see you tomorrow," he said as he planted a kiss on her forehead. "Good night, Zoie,"
"Good night Miles,"
Zoie watched as Miles waved his hand and turned around. He was walking to the elevator and Zoie turned to her door. Her keys were already in and she just had to turn them. But before doing so, she suddenly turned and ran over to him. Miles had just stepped into the elevator. Zoie forced the elevator door to open again and Miles looked up at her in shock. A big smile spread across Zoie's face as she stepped in, stood on her tippy toes, and planted a quick kiss on his lips.
"Sweet dreams," she whispered as she pulled away.
Miles was taken aback. Pleasantly surprised, his mouth fell into a big smile.
"I have a feeling that I will," he said.
Zoie stood back and let the elevator doors close. They were smiling at each other as the doors closed shut. Zoie kept her smile as she walked back to her door. After turning her keys, she creaked the front door open slowly and closed it.
Inside the house, the living room was dark and empty. Asher was probably not home yet. Or maybe he was already asleep. Letting out a relieved sigh, Zoie tiptoed across the floor, making her way to her bedroom door. She was almost there, just a few steps more, when suddenly---
"Where have you been all night?"
Zoie's smile instantly turned into a gasp. She turned around and saw Asher sitting at the kitchen counter. It was dark in there, but his hazel eyes were shining bright.
"Geez, Asher, you scared me!" she huffed.
Asher got down from the kitchen counter and strode over to her. He was still wearing the clothes he wore from dinner, meaning he hadn't gone inside to change.
Was he just standing there, waiting for me to come home?
"Answer the question, Zoie," Asher pressed as he stood right in front of her.
Zoie stepped back in response. He was too demanding for her liking. Too scary.
"We stopped by the Peak," she answered. "We just listened to music and hung out for a bit. Nothing happened, alright?"
Zoie looked up to see Asher's fiery hazel eyes. He was staring at her like he was mad about something. He stepped closer again as if to inspect her. Zoie felt self-conscious now. She took another step back in response. Meanwhile, Asher's gaze never left her. He zeroed in on her lips, then to her neck, and back to her eyes.
What's he so mad about? I didn't do anything wrong!
Letting out a frustrated sigh, Zoie rolled her eyes and turned around.
"You know what, I'm tired, Ash. I'm going to bed-"
"Did you know that Miles and Karlie used to date?"
Asher's words stopped her dead in her tracks.
"What?" she turned around again.
"The Three Week Rule," he said simply. "Ask him about it,"
And with that, Asher walked past her and headed straight into his room. Zoie's mouth fell to the floor and she could only watch him in complete bewilderment.
...What the hell was that?
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Asher's words haunted Zoie throughout the night. She couldn't get a wink of sleep. Just a minute ago, she was making out with Miles in the elevator. Everything was beautiful and perfect, but all of a sudden, Asher dropped this crazy bomb on her.
Is that even true? Is Asher lying to me?
Zoie thought of all the possibilities. Asher had no reason to lie, especially about something so outrageous. He said all this right after he took Karlie home, so she probably told him about it. No wonder she was always so cryptic and weirdly interested in her relationship with Miles. Maybe they did have a history together.
But hey, so what if it's true? Miles's past has nothing to do with the present.
Zoie tossed and turned in her bed. She looked out at the window and saw the sky slowly turning from black to darker blue. The sun was about to rise soon and her head was still filled with all this doubt. Just when she thought she finally got something good in her life... something bad always happens.
Zoie tossed her head again and she stared at the ceiling. She waited for another minute before reaching to get her phone. It was about 6.30 in the morning. Early enough, she thought. With shaky hands, she dialed Miles's number and the phone started to ring.
"Hey, good morning, babe..." she heard his groggy voice as he picked up the call.
"Hey, I need to talk to you. It's important,"
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- - - - - - To Be Continued - - - - - -