Chapter 17
Chapter 17:
“Hey, Isla!” Sandra squeals, hugging me at her doorway and kissing me on both cheeks. She tends to overdo the pecking sometimes, but I’ve grown almost immune to it, and it doesn’t bother me anymore. Besides, she’s a stunning Puerto Rican girl with a killer body and a badass attitude. How could I ever be offended by her?
She hugs Dominic too and opens the door wider for both of us to step in.
“Ethan, Asher, Isla, and Dominic are here already!” she yells toward the living room, closing the door behind us once we’re fully inside. Asher is already here?
I gulp as Dominic and I walk into the living room. The moment I enter, my heart skips a beat when my eyes land on Asher. He looks insanely hot in a black Nike sleeveless shirt and gray sweatpants. The shirt shows off the black wing tattoo on his left arm, and his dark hair looks damp, with messy strands falling over the sides of his flawless face.
His eyes lift to mine, catching me staring, but they don’t linger more than a second before shifting back to the TV. A bowl of brownies rests in his hand, and though mystomach twists as if I might be sick, I can’t look away as he casually tosses a brownie into his mouth with his free hand.
It seems he arrived long before me. I used to beat him to these hangouts, but a lot has changed between us recently.
“Hey, Isla p>
I turn at the sound of Ethan’s voice and see him coming from the kitchen with a bottle of wine and two glasses.
“Hey, Ethan,” I reply, giving him a quick hug. After a few seconds, he pulls away and greets Dominic with a hug too.
Dominic’s face is all goofy and cheerful, his wide smile making it clear how much he’s enjoying being here.
“Hey, Dominic p>
I freeze as Asher’s deep, deep voice comes from behind me. When I turn around, he barely spares me a glance before pulling Dominic into a hug. How did he get here so fast from the sofa?
“Isla,” he mutters, pulling me into a hug as well. I feel the strength of his arms wrapping tightly around me, their warmth and protectiveness filling my head with the ridiculous, insane notion that he doesn’t want to let me go.
God, what is wrong with me? Why can’t I get Asher out of my mind? Why do I always feel something so intense whenever he does the simplest things?
“Let’s get this party started!” Sandra’s voice cuts through my thoughts and breaks our embrace. Asher gives me a faint smile, and I suck in a silent breath, my tense muscles finally relaxing. It feels nice that Asher and I aren’t strangers. Not that we ever were, but during the past weeks of phone calls, I never had the chance to gauge his body language when I mentioned hanging out with Dominic. Yeah—hanging out. The word “dating” still feels too big right now.
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Sandra grabs my hand and drags me into the kitchen with her. My eyes nearly bulge at the sight of all the sumptuous goodies, potato chips, cans of yogurt, and pastries arranged on a massive tray on the table.
“Help me carry the tray to the living room, Isla. I’ll bring some bottles of water from the refrigerator p>
Before she finishes speaking, I grab a packet of cookies and slip it into my jeans pocket, then lift the tray to take to the living room. A little snack before the main feast won’t hurt.
Reaching the glass table in the living room, I set the tray down. Sandra follows behind, placing the bottles of water beside it.
“Isla, here’s the key to your room with Dominic. The bed will be comfy for the both of you.” She winks, dangling the room key in front of my face.
Instinctively, my eyes flick toward Asher, guilt washing over me. His face remains focused on the TV. I quickly look away.