Page 224 of Phobia
Right. Lovely.
***
Later that night, I’m feeling much less angsty.
I don’t need to rush to tell my mom anything. It’ll happen when it happens, and I definitely can’t blame her for asking me about girls whengirlsare the only types of people I’ve ever dated openly.
She’s not psychic, man. Stop trippin.
Darkness has fallen over Theriot Trailer Park. Mom is in bed. The only sounds to be heard are the low volume on the TV I’m barely watching, the buzz of cicadas, and the guy up the road playingBorn On The Bayouon his acoustic guitar for the fiftieth time since I moved in here.
It’s cooled off quite a bit from earlier.A nice night for a walk.
Trotting down the steps of my trailer, I find my eyes instantly fixed on the one next door. I smile at the little group of lawn flamingos, remembering my conversation with Asa from earlier.
His lights are on…
I tug my lip ring between my teeth.
Maybe he wants to walk with me.
Nervous excitement tightens my stomach as I wander over to his place. Reminding myself to chill, I knock on the door. I hear movement inside. Sounds like a lot of shuffling.
The curtains of the window by the door shift, and I see him peeking out at me. I offer a kind smile and a little wave.
Only a second later, the door creeps open, and Asa stands, or ratherfidgets, in place, wearing only those gray joggers he was wearing the first time I saw him; the day we moved in. I can’t even stop my eyes from giving his chest and abs a quick scan, taking in his pale skin and scattered ink, decorating lines of slim muscle.
The kid iscut, in a way that definitely looks unintentional. He looks like a rockstar, peering out from inside his tour bus, pinning me with wide eyes.
“Um… hi,” he says softly, like I’m the last person he expected to knock on his door.
“Jules.” I tease, cocking my head.
“I remember,” his grungy voice assaults my ears, and I shiver. “What’s up…?”
“Remember that thing I said earlier, about hanging out?” I smirk, coyly. “Maybe we could start now.”
Asa’s lashes flutter, eyes somehow even rounder now, like a deer in headlights. I find it totally adorable. And Ilovethe color of is irises… This deep, stormy gray that somehow just works with his whole aesthetic.
“You wanna hang out… now?” He croaks, eyes briefly darting behind him.
My brows furrow, stomach sinking fast. “Unless it’s a bad time… If you have company or whatever…”
Dumbass, he has a girlfriend in there with him. What were you even thinking just dropping by like this on someone you just met??
“I don’t have company,” he rushes out the words, and my dread retreats. “Totally free.”
“That’s a steal.” I wink at him, and he bites his lip, breaking our eye contact. I have to chuckle at how shy he is. Totally not my normal typeat all, but with him, it’s cute as hell and highly alluring. “Come on.” I nod. “Let’s go for a walk.”
“‘Kay. Just a sec,” Asa chirps and flings himself back inside, returning seconds later with a shirt on, much to my chagrin.
But he looksdamn good, in a band t-shirt with the sleeves cut off and his sweats. Like a sexy emo boy who just came from the gym.
I shoot him a small smile, which he returns. And it occurs to me that this might be the first time I’ve actually seen him smile.
I’mwayinto it.
We walk in silence for a few steps, both of our sneakers crunching on the dirt and rock, to the soundtrack of the best of Creedence Clearwater Revival, coming from up the way.
