~ Zoie's POV ~
Family dinner was awkward. There was no other way to say it.
While her brothers were leading the conversation talking about their latest conquests, Zoie sat quietly as she played with her peas. Occasionally, she'd steal glances at Asher sitting on the far left side of the table. Asher was quiet too, he barely said one word to anyone. And then, there was Landon sitting on the far right of the table. Landon contributed to the conversation sometimes, and he'd smile at her whenever she was looking his way.
Zoie kept trying to make eye contact with Asher the entire night, but no matter what she did, how loud she coughed, or even as she dropped her spoon loudly on the ground, he didn't bother looking at her.
Finally, Zoie couldn't take it anymore. She sneaked her phone under the table and typed a text.
Zoie: Meet me tonight at 12 in the playroom.
Zoie: We must talk.
Asher probably felt his phone buzzing in his pants, because he started shuffling uncomfortably. Not giving him a chance to say no, Zoie then got up from her seat.
"Sorry, can I be excused?" she said to her mom and dad. "I'm full,"
"Are you okay, honey?" her mom asked.
"Yeah, I just wanna lay down. Carb overload,"
"Oh, okay. We'll save you some dessert,"
Zoie gave her mom and dad a quick kiss on the cheek before turning to her heels. She noticed Asher checking his phone as she was leaving the dining room. She made eye contact with him just for a split second, and then she walked off to the second floor.
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Zoie counted down the hours that passed. She was pacing nervously in her room. She even went to her closet a few times to change her outfit, as if that would matter somehow.
Inside her closet, there was also a duffel bag that was readily packed. She and Asher were supposed to go on that road trip once he got back. They hadn't set a date yet or anything like that, but Zoie was already prepared. She was looking forward to his homecoming for weeks and it was killing her that this Landon thing drove an invisible wedge between them. She knew that once they talked, she could explain everything and things would go back to normal.
Right...?
Zoie kept waiting and waiting, until finally, the clock struck twelve. With a big smile on her face, she squirted some perfume on her neck and hands, checked her reflection one last time, and she sprinted out of her room. Zoie was being quiet and stealthy, like always, but this time, she got a bit too excited, she forgot to check if the coast was clear.
"Zoie?"
Suddenly, her mom's voice rang behind her. Zoie almost had a heart attack.
"M-mom," she stammered as she turned around, forcing out an innocent smile.
"Why aren't you in bed?" her mom asked.
"I-I'm just getting some water," she said as she slid away, heading downstairs to the kitchen.
"Okay, good night sweetie,"
"Night, mom,"
Zoie had no business going down to the kitchen, but this seemed like the best excuse. She grabbed a glass and poured some water into it. She waited until she heard the sound of a door closing, meaning that her mom had returned to bed.
Phew. That was close.
Zoie let out a sigh of relief as she put the glass of water down. Then, she looked around to make sure the coast was clear. Once she realized there were no guards around and the camera wasn't looking her way, she quickly headed upstairs. Zoie's heart was racing in excitement as she approached her dad's office door. But just as she was about to touch the door handle, her phone buzzed in her pants. Zoie fished it out and checked her screen.
Asher: Sorry, don't think I can make it tonight.
Asher: Still super tired from the flight.
Asher: Rain check?
Zoie's shoulders slumped in disappointment. But still, she forced out every last bit of positive energy in her and typed a text back.
Zoie: Ok. Let's talk tomorrow. Good night. X
Zoie also sent a kiss emoji with that text. Asher was never a big emoji guy, so she didn't expect anything back. But normally, he would text back "Good night sweet girl". Zoie waited for a few minutes until he finally responded, and it wasn't the response she was expecting either.
Asher: Good night.
That was it. That was all he said. Letting out a hopeless sigh, Zoie put the phone back in her pocket and returned to her room. Disappointed and defeated.
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Zoie was tossing and turning throughout the night, thinking about how Asher was clearly avoiding her. She thought about going to Asher's cottage, probably ambushing him in his sleep. But then again, what if he was really tired? Maybe he just needed some time to rest and some space to think?
It was about four in the morning when Zoie finally dozed off to sleep. She told herself that she'd wake up early the next day and the first thing she'd do was to go see Asher. She even rehearsed what kind of things she'd say to him. About how the kiss was a complete surprise, she didn't expect or want it, and how it didn't mean anything. And moreover, there was no one else in her heart except him.
When Zoie opened her eyes next, she was greeted by the sunlight streaming through the window curtains. She rolled over to her side to check her phone. It was 8.30 in the morning. No new texts, no nothing.
Zoie got up from her bed and quickly started on her morning routine. Just some quick face washing, tooth brushing, and combing her hair. At this time on Sunday mornings, her family would be having breakfast together. Ash was usually there too. She figured she'd see him there and they could talk after.
After putting on her favorite hoodie and sweatpants, she pulled her hair up in a messy bun and headed downstairs. Zoie's heart started racing as she neared the dining room, thinking that she'd be seeing Asher's face.
"Good morning," she chirped.
Her entire family was present at the dining table. Damon was reading the newspaper and drinking coffee, like usual. Her mom, Violet, was pouring some oat milk and cinnamon into her coffee, yes, her own special blend. And her brothers were busy on their phones, probably comparing photos of instagram models.
"Morning," her mom answered, but no one else did.
Zoie approached the table and got a better look at everyone. Upon closer look, she noticed something was off. Her brothers weren't laughing or joking around like they always did. In fact, their faces seemed serious. Zach even put down his phone at one point and sighed, muttering, "His phone's off,"
"Geez, what's in the coffee? Why is everyone so serious?" Zoie tried making a joke to lighten the mood. But none of her brothers paid attention to her.
"Zoie," her dad spoke up instead, putting the newspaper down on the table. "I need to talk to you. Let's go into my office,"
"Right now?"
Zoie was just about to sit down, grabbing a piece of toast, but Damon stood up anyway. He walked straight toward his office on the second floor. Zoie looked to her mom and brothers for help, but all their faces were just flat.
"Oooh, someone's in trouble," Zane snickered.
"Shut up," Zoie rolled her eyes at him and threw the piece of toast to his chest.
"Hey!"
Zoie quickly ran off before her brother could retaliate. She went into her dad's office, finding Damon sitting by his desk.
"Dad, what's going on?" she asked, closing the door behind her.
Damon let out a long sigh as he stared at her. It was a look she couldn't decipher. Was it disappointment? Was it anger? What was this?
"There's gonna be some changes for when you go back to Stanford," he said, pausing for a beat before continuing, "Asher has resigned from his post as your bodyguard. He left early this morning. I don't know where he went. In the meantime-"
"Wait, wait a second!" Zoie shook her head to stop her dad from talking. "What do you mean Asher left?!"
Damon kept a straight face and let out a deep breath.
"Last night, after dinner, he told me he was resigning, then in the morning, he was gone. The maids said he left early before the sun was out. No one knew where he went and we can't contact him,"
"...What...?"
"It's not the first time this happened," Damon said as he stood up straighter, pulling a coat from his chair. "Anyway, I know you're going back next week, so Landon's gonna go with you to Stanford until I find someone else to take over the job,"
Damon was putting on his coat and getting ready to leave like he had business per usual. Meanwhile, Zoie just stood there like a statue, processing everything.
How is this even possible? Did Asher really leave without saying anything to me? What does this mean???
"But, dad-" Zoie started to speak, but there were no words coming out. There were so many questions and so many emotions running through her head. A pit was forming in her stomach and her throat swelled up like she couldn't breathe. Her face turned pale like she'd seen a ghost and her eyes turned blurry.
Damon stood in front of his daughter and let out another sigh. He put a hand on her cheek and caressed it gently.
"Asher's a big boy. He's made his decision. But everything's gonna be fine," he said, pausing for a beat before leaning closer and kissing her on her forehead.
Zoie didn't know what was going on. A part of her felt like she was still dreaming. This couldn't possibly be real. Asher can't just leave without saying anything? It didn't make any sense!
"You'll be fine," Damon whispered in his daughter's ear.
And before Zoie could say anything else, Damon straightened his coat and exited the room, leaving Zoie alone with her thoughts. Her confused and disoriented thoughts.
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- - - - - - To Be Continued - - - - - -