Chapter 31 - Asher
Ididn’t want to accept that Micah and I had likely had our last… whatever it was. Hangout? Hookup? Encounter? Sex session? I hated all those descriptions. It felt like we were breaking up, even though I knew logically we’d never been together in the first place.
I went to work the next day and slogged through, busy but unable to keep myself busy enough to stop looking for Micah at every turn, to stop thinking about him, to stop wondering what would happen next when it came to us.
I made the decision to avoid him as much as possible, which only served to keep me thinking about him all day, positioning myself around wherever I found him.
By the time the workday was over, I was exhausted, physically and mentally. As I packed up to head home, my mom texted me to confirm I was still coming for dinner. When I read the text, I sighed deeply. All I wanted was Micah.
Instead, I replied that of course I was coming, and that I’d see her in a little while.
I couldn’t imagine blowing off my parents.
We weren’t terribly close, but they’d just returned from a long trip.
I wanted to see them, to hear about their trip, especially because I couldn’t have what I really wanted.
I pulled my truck into my parents’ driveway and parked next to the little brick rancher they’d lived in since I was a kid.
Putting the truck into park, I sighed again, not sure I had the energy tonight.
I stepped out of the truck and did my best to shake off the exhaustion and frustration and headed up the front steps.
I knocked twice on the door before opening it. “It’s just me,” I called out.
“We’re in the kitchen,” my mom replied.
I followed the sound to the kitchen, where she was standing practically hip-to-hip with my dad.
They had their backs toward me and were laughing about something.
After a moment, my mom sighed softly and kissed my dad on the cheek before turning to see me standing on the other side of the breakfast bar, waiting.
“There you are, honey. How are you?” Mom wiped her hands on a towel and rushed over to wrap me in her arms.
Immediately, tears stung my eyes. I blinked them away, squeezing her tightly. “I’m okay,” I said, my voice thick and husky.
Mom pulled back and looked at me, fixing me with her chestnut brown eyes. “Asher…” Her tone was a warning.
“I’m fine, Mom. Really.”
“If you insist.” She patted my arms as she let me go. “We were just making fettuccine alfredo with chicken. And your dad’s making a salad.”
I grinned and nodded. “I do love your chicken alfredo.”
“Good. Now sit.” She pointed at a chair with her big stirring spoon.
“Let me help you,” I said, stepping around the bar and into the kitchen.
Mom swatted me with a towel. “I have enough help with your dad in here. You can set the table if you need something to do with yourself.”
“Deal.” I grabbed the plates I’d need and set them out before getting glasses, cutlery, and napkins onto the table.
I watched with an ache in my chest as my parents cooked together, laughing and smiling, having a great time together despite the fact that they’d just spent a month together on a cruise ship. I wanted that, wanted what they had. I missed Micah.
Once Mom served dinner, she took a seat across from me and gestured for me to fill my plate. As I did, she started peppering me with questions. “So, what’s new? How are you feeling? How’s your shoulder? And your head?”
“Mom. One thing at a time.”
Her smile was sheepish. “You’re right. How’s your head?”
I nodded and piled my plate with pasta and slices of chicken breast. “It’s good. No more headaches. Seems to have healed well.”
Dad spoke up then, clearing his throat to interrupt. “And that shoulder?”
“It’s great.” I rotated my shoulder a little to prove it.
He nodded and took a bite of his pasta. After a moment’s thoughtful chewing, he put his fork down. “How did it happen again?”
I laughed, embarrassed, and looked at my plate for a moment before meeting his gaze. “I fell off a ladder.”
“Oh, Asher!” Mom said.
“I know,” I muttered, already knowing what she was going to say. “I shouldn’t be going up ladders.”
Mom shook her head slowly. “You know you’re not good with heights. You haven’t been since—”
“I know, Mom.” What I knew was that I sounded like a petulant kid right then.
She held up her hands to stop me. “I’m just worried about you, that’s all.”
I gave her a softer smile and nodded again. “I know. Thank you.”
“Well, let’s talk about something else. What’s new in your world, honey?”
“Linda,” Dad said, putting a hand over hers. “Let the boy eat.”
She frowned at him and pulled her hand away. “I’m just catching up with our son.”
“Why don’t you two tell me about the trip?” I suggested.
Mom’s eyes lit up again. “Well, there was this other couple our age,” she started.
The next thing I knew, they’d launched into a story about how they’d made friends with this other couple, who were apparently the type of people who could find the best little local restaurants, away from the tourist traps.
They’d had authentic food everywhere they’d gone.
The cruise had taken them around Africa, the Mediterranean, and both southern and northern Europe, Mom explained.
She had a story for every port, and soon we were all laughing as they showed me pictures on their phones and told me how much fun they’d had.
“What else have you been up to these past few months?” Mom asked. We hadn’t had phone calls while they’d been gone. We’d exchanged short emails, but that was it.
I shifted in my seat, feeling like a spotlight was on me. “I…”
“Seeing anyone new?” Mom’s words cut through me like a knife.
My face flooded with heat and I looked down at my empty plate. “Not really.”
When I looked back at my parents, they were exchanging curious glances. “You sure?” Dad prodded, probably picking up on my blush.
I bit the inside of my cheek and took a breath, my heart racing. Was I really about to do this? Regardless of Micah, I didn’t want to hide this newly discovered part of myself. “I think… I mean, I know… I’m bisexual.”
“Oh,” Mom said quietly. “Okay.” She frowned, brow furrowing. “I thought you were straight.”
“Turns out I’m not. Is that a problem?” I glanced between them, trying to gauge their reactions. They were both quiet.
“Not at all, hon,” Mom said without a second’s hesitation.
Dad cleared his throat and spoke again. “Why would it be?”
I shrugged. “I don’t know. I didn’t know if you had, like, hangups about having a queer kid.”
They both shook their heads immediately. “No hangups here.”
“None,” Mom agreed. “But honey… why are you telling us this now? Has something changed?”
Everything has changed. I didn’t want to say that out loud, though.
“No reason,” I murmured.
“Are you seeing someone?” Dad asked.
I knew they’d ask, and I still wasn’t prepared to answer. “Not really. I just… I figured it out while you were gone, y’know? I didn’t want to lie or leave it out.”
They both nodded and Dad took Mom’s hand quietly. “Thank you for sharing with us,” he said.
I shrugged again. “Yeah. No problem.” My heart squeezed tight, knowing I wasn’t giving them the whole truth. “I mean, yes, I have been seeing someone, but it’s pretty tentative for now.”
“Is he someone we know?” Mom asked.
“Sort of. But… I don't know. He might be leaving soon. For good.”
“Micah?” Dad’s eyebrows were raised as he spoke. “Is it Micah?”
“How could you possibly know that?” I asked.
Dad nodded slowly. “That makes sense. He’s the one who took care of you while you were hurt. That’s how I fell for your mom, you know.”
I laughed, a wild lightness in my chest and stomach. “It is?”
Another nod from Dad. “I was in the hospital with a broken leg and she was a volunteer. She brought me my dinner tray every day. And one day, she brought me a get well soon card she’d found in the shop. She said she thought of me when she saw it.”
“She brought you food every day?”
Mom spoke up. “I volunteered in the evenings, after school. And once I met your dad, I picked up extra volunteer shifts on the weekends until he was discharged.”
“Then what happened?”
“Well,” Dad said. “I knew I wanted to get to know her better, so I left my number inside that get well soon card for her to find, with her name on the envelope.”
Mom laughed lightly. “I was so confused at first, but there it was, Rob crossed out and Linda written under it.”
“Wow,” I murmured. “And you called him?”
“I did,” she said. “I was so nervous.”
“How old were you both?”
“I was seventeen. Your dad was twenty.”
“Wow,” I said again. “How did I not know this story?”
“You never asked,” Mom said simply. “And since he was older than me, my dad wouldn’t let us date until I turned eighteen. Which I hated at the time, but looking back, I think he was being very reasonable.”
“And then what?”
Dad smiled and squeezed Mom’s hand. “And the rest is history.”
“So you fell in love with each other while Mom was looking after you and you immediately assumed I’d fall in love with Micah?”
“Immediately? No. But when he called us, I could hear the fear in his voice. I hung up the phone and said to your dad, ‘If he had to get hurt while we were away, I’m glad he has Micah. He must really care about Asher to take care of him like that.’ Was I right?”
I chuckled and nodded slowly. “I don't know how he feels. I really like him, but he’s not sure he’s going to stay in town after this episode of the show finishes filming.”
Mom pressed her lips together tightly. “Well, if he doesn’t, he’s a fool.”