“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?”
“I thought I was coming over to watch a movie?” She deflected and I couldn’t blame her. I didn’t like to talk about my family either.
“We can work up to that.” I led Mya toward the back of the house, pulling open the door to the basement level home movie theater.