Page 43 of From Asher, With Love

I grin at her gesture, but it vanishes when I see tears welling in her eyes.

“What’s wrong?”

“Nothing,” she whispers, shaking her head and looking down at her feet. “It’s stupid.”

“It’s not.” Hooking my fingers under her chin, I lift her gaze to mine.

She rolls her eyes and sighs. “You don’t even know what it is. For all you know, it could be something ridiculous.”

“If you have tears in your eyes, then I know it isn’t ridiculous.”

Her eyes close as she takes several slow and deep breaths. When she opens them again, the tears have subsided, but her eyes are still clouded with sadness. “My parents were fighting again. They were arguing the entire drive home from the company Christmas party. They were yelling in the foyer when I snuck up stairs. I’ve been hiding out here ever since.”

“I’m so sorry.” They’re the only two words I’m able to utter, knowing nothing I can say will change anything. Charleigh needs me to escape her parents. I need her to escape my mother. I’m just hoping she gets her acceptance letter soon.

I pull her toward me, placing my lips against hers again, hoping to take away the pain. Her mouth is warm. This time, she parts her lips, allowing her tongue to slide against mine. I taste her peppermint toothpaste.

My hands slide down her neck and onto her back. She’s wearing a plain T-shirt tonight, the hem hitting mid-thigh. I used to think her flowery tank top and shorts were my favorite on her, but I’m thinking I may have just changed my mind. She places her hands on my hips, gripping the fabric of my shirt. After a few minutes of kissing, I finally break my mouth away from hers. We haven’t taken our relationship further than touching each other. I know Charleigh wants to sleep with me, but I haven’t felt like it’s the right time. I’d rather wait until I know there’s zero chance of her parents finding us. As much as I want her that way, I’m not rushing it.

“I have something for you,” I whisper.

“Oh, yeah?” She immediately perks. Her face lights up and she clasps her hands in front of her.

Digging inside the pocket of my coat, I find the small piece of metal and wrap my hand aroundit.

I grab Charleigh’s hand and open it, dropping the keychain into her palm. “Merry Christmas.”

Her mouth falls open in surprise, and her eyes dart up at me before landing back on her gift.

“Asher,” she breathes shakily, running her finger along the flower charm, up to the golden metal heart clasp. “A flower.”

“It’s little, I know.” My cheeks warm. I wanted to buy her the bigger size charm from the salesman working the booth at the mall, but I could only afford the smallest one.

“It’s okay.” Charleigh sniffs. “It’s beautiful.”

“You’re my flower, Charleigh,” I tell her, warmth spreading across my entire body. “My beautiful, little flower.”

She giggles, turning over the keychain in her hand several times. When she looks up at me, tears line her eyes again. “You didn’t have to get me anything for Christmas, Asher. You’re all I need.”

I shake my head. “It didn’t cost much. My neighbor, Mr. Greer, paid me to shovel his driveway last week, so I had enough to buy it.”

Her hands wrap around the keychain, and she holds it against her chest. “I love it. Thank you.”

“And I love you.” I wrap my hand around the back of her head again and give her another kiss.

She presses her mouth to mine, then pulls away.

“I want to show you something,” she whispers. The same smile I’m used to seeing on Charleigh is back. The keychain must have taken her mind off her parents.

I follow her across her room to where she falls to her knees in front of her bed. She digs under it and pulls out a cardboard box covered in pictures of flowers, pieced and glued together like a collage. She lifts the lid, pulls out a flower, and sits back on her heels. She grabs my hand and drops it into my palm.

“What is it?” I ask, inspecting it. The petals are white withoutlines of pink. My knowledge of flowers isn’t as nearly extensive as Charleigh’s.

“A mountain laurel. Connecticut’s state flower. I picked it the first time I saw you.”

“You mean the day it was raining?”

“No, that wasn’t the first time.” She grins. “I noticed you before then.”

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