Page 39 of The Fate Of Us

“Guys! Can we all gather around, please? That announcement has arrived… early.”

Both mine and Addy’s heads whip around to face Sebastian, my words dying in mythroat when my eyes land on his announcement.

“Can someone go find Amber and Nigel, please?” Sebastian’s voice is all muffled inmy thumping ears.

As my eyes regretfully drink up the sight of an all too familiar stance, piercing blueeyes and shades of dusty blonde hair that rest annoyingly nice atop of his head, that voice in my head is trying to convince me I’m hallucinating from the lack of sleep and calories.

But I’d know that smug fucking smile anywhere. It’s haunted my thoughts and myheart from the second I first laid eyes on him when I was fifteen.

I can tell Addy knows who it is too, and that does nothing to help the fact that he’sreally here and not a figment of my imagination. Some waking nightmare that has my mind running wild.

And then his eyes land on Addy. Big blue tractor beams, cutting straight through herand burning even me.I feel her tense up again, and my heart nearly flatlines when I feel her scootbackwards slightly, the top of her ass brushing my leg. But what does she have to be scared about? She’s kissed the guy before.

Blurry versions of Amber and Nigel breach my peripheral, but I don’t budge my lineof sight.

“Oh good, everyone’s here.” Seb calls, sauntering back over to the man I once upon atime wanted to punch in the face. I still do, actually, because his eyes are trained on Addy.Holding her stare like he—

“Everyone, it’s my pleasure to introduce you all to Asher Hartford. He’s going to bejoining the cast!”

Chapter fourteen

Adaline

Whatthefuckishe doing here?I whisper internally, the lack of an answer making mybody tingle and feel tighter than it should.

I rack the shelves in my brain, perusing through mental photo albums, trying toremember the last time I saw Asher. But the shock of seeing him again is too intense to deal with, too surreal for me to thumb-tack the day he was last in front of me.

“Pleasure to meet you, Mr. Hartford. You’ve done some pretty cool projects for a boyyour age!” Nigel says as he walks over to Asher, offering a hand to shake.

“The pleasure is all mine, sir. I and my father are huge fans of you, too.” Asher sparklesas he takes Nigel’s hand, his West Coast accent looming over his words, sharper than it did when he was seventeen.

That was the last time I saw him, I remember, the reading light in my brain shining onthe stills and snapshots from the final filming day of the coming-of-age movie we shot together—ones I’d forgotten were stored up there.

Before I could so much as blink, my head was a messy montage of dusty blonde hairand pacific eyes that frightened me more than lured me in. He’s grown into them, I suppose. Looking at them now doesn’t make my heart jumpy, so I guess he’s got that going for him.

As well as the dozens of award wins and nominations and a bank balance that is undoubtedly bigger than mine.

But Asher had never been my type. I’m not quite sure I liked him as a friend, to behonest with you.

In the beginning, anyway.

The second I stepped into the chemistry reading the day I met him, there was just anounce too much arrogance and charm for my liking. It was also blatantly obvious he liked me, and my sixteen-year-old little heart wasn’t sure how to handle something like that.

I never did tell him how I felt, come to think of it. I always seemed to be able to sneakmy way out of conversations that started with a friendly smile and ended with a not-so-innocent hand on my thigh.

He was a confusing person, Asher Hartford, and his on-and-off attitude with me theday I met him was just the beginning.

Nine Years Ago

“Adaline, darling! How lovely to see you again!”The soothing English tones ofSusan’s voice welcome me into the room I desperately don’t want to be in, but I’ll take the added ease where I can get it.

Anything to get me through another day of chemistry reading hell.

“Hey, Susan,”I chirp, and my body saunters into the room, my eyes beingreacquainted with the sad beige walls and no windows that are borderline terrifying.

Another reminder that I’m yet to find a way to escape this life.

“I’m sorry to have to call you in again. It’s just… we felt the last three boys you readwith weren’t quite right for the role, you see.”

---