Page 53 of The Rest is History

“It’s nice. I like it.”

Asher’s approval makes me want to float away on a cloud. I always loved impressing him. “You sure?” I ask, like I used to.

“I’m sure,” he answers like he used to.

The balcony is small so we have to stand close together. I smell the same cologne on him that I did on Sawyer earlier this week.

I . . . love that they smell the same.

Shaking my head, I ask, “Can I get you something to drink? And you shouldn’t have had to come all this way. I could’ve taken a cab.”

He follows me back into the apartment.

“I have soda. Is that okay?”

“Soda’s fine. And I wanted to pick you up. Don’t worry about it.”

I grab a soda from the fridge and pour it into a glass. Asher takes a sip and then holds it out to me. I look at him, confused.

“We used to share soda all the time. It was our thing,” he says.

“You remember?” My heart is a jackhammer in my chest.

Asher’s eyes soften. “Of course, I remember. I remember everything, Reece.” He steps closer, pushing the glass into my hand. “Drink,” he says.

I drink, pushing aside all my wayward thoughts and reminding myself that this is not just Asher. This is Sawyer’s husband.

Ten minutes later, we’re in his car, on our way to their place.

“How’s work?” he asks.

He must just be making small talk. “It’s good. I really enjoy it.”

I try not to look at him. If I do, I might stare, and I can’t cross any boundaries.

“You like working with Sawyer?”

“Yeah, I do. I’ve learned a lot from him. He’s a good teacher. And a good person.”

You can’t miss the pride in Asher’s face. “Yeah, he’s a great guy.”

“You chose well, Asher. You really did.”

“He’s everything to me, Reece. But I’ll never forget what we had.”

A minute ago, I did everything I could not to look at him too much. Now, I can’t keep my eyes off him.

“We would’ve still been together if your father hadn’t sent my family away.”

My eyeballs almost fall out of my face. Where did that come from?

He glances over at me. “I’ll always love you, Reece. You were my best friend.”

Somehow, I find the courage to respond truthfully. “I’ll always love you too, Ash. Not just as a best friend.”

Our eyes lock, and it’s a good thing that he’s stopped at a red light. His eyes drop to my mouth. A slew of thoughts fly into my head. I would give anything to be able to kiss him again. I would give anything to fucking kiss his husband. And I don’t know what’s going on right now at this red light, but Asher is looking at me like he wants to kiss me.

That’s fucking cheating. Asher isn’t like that. And neither am I. What the fuck am I thinking?

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