Dominions

Chapter 5: Asher

Asher Kidd was a boy from the wrong side of the tracks. For as long as he could remember it had always just been his mom and him. They did everything together. Food might have been scarce, rent might have been uncertain, but Asher and his mother's devotion for each other couldn't be broken.

It was his mom's fairy tale when she met John. She was scanning his groceries at the local HEB, and the next thing Asher knew they were moving out of their one-bedroom apartment and into a five-bedroom house. It wasn't hard for Asher to allow his mom and his new stepdad the independence that their new marriage required. He welcomed it.

For the first time, Asher didn't have to be sneaky.

"That was fun," said the girl that Asher couldn't quite remember the name of. He opened his eyes and Asher her bright smile as the morning sun hit her face. She was prettier than Asher remembered. Her long brown hair fell in waves down her back and she smiled when she saw him looking at her.

Not the worst way to wake up on your birthday, Ash.

"Not everyone will be as they appear."

"What did you say?" Asher looked at the girl confused.

"I didn't say anything?" the girl said with a chuckle. "Still feeling the effects from last night?" she teased.

"I must be," said Asher as he looked around at the room they were in. 

The small studio apartment he woke up in wasn't much to look at. There was a small, outdated kitchen on the opposite side of the room with minimal counter space. In the opposite corner of the room was the king-sized bed that he and the girl, whom he still couldn't remember the name of, laid on. There was a small nightstand next to the bed, and on the wall opposite of the kitchen and bedroom there was a flat-screened television docked on the wall. Other than the television, the walls were bare.

Asher leaned over and kissed her on the forehead. "How are you this morning?"

"Hungry," the girl said. "Do you want something to eat?"

She sat up in the bed and stretched her back. Asher admired the curves of her body as she got up and walked into her bathroom. A few moments later she came out of the bathroom in a pink robe and Asher frowned. "Sure," he called back to her. Disappointed he was no longer looking at her nude body. "I think I liked you better the other way."

She laughed as she walked over to the stove to turn it on. Asher knew that after breakfast he was going to have to make a quick escape plan. After all, it was his seventeenth birthday today. He had to at least see his mother before he went off to school. "Do you like your eggs scrambled or sunny side up?"

"Surprise me," Asher said as he got out of the bed and put a pair of boxers on his body. He followed the girl into the kitchen and sat down on the counter. She looked at him as she pushed the eggs together, scrambling them.

"Can I be honest with you for a minute?" she said as she finished the eggs and placed them on a plate. "I have no idea what your name is."

Asher laughed. He raised his eyebrow at the girl and feigned shock. "You mean you slept with someone you don't know?!"

She slapped him on his knee and laughed. "Seriously! We were both trashed last night! What is your name?"

"Only if you remind me of yours?" Asher said with a grin.

"You mean you slept with a woman you don't know?!" she said as she faked the same shock. She stuck her hand out and smiled at him. "My name is Chantel."

"Asher," he said with a smile. He liked the way her name sounded. It wasn't common. He also liked that she was naturally pretty when she woke up in the morning. She wasn't one of those girls who completely changed once their make-up came off. "Is there anything else I should know about you, Chantel?"

She looked at him and bit her lower lip. Asher felt his stomach do a cartwheel as she turned to face him with a forkful of eggs. She shoved it into his mouth and muttered something super quiet. Asher strained his ears to hear what was said but still looked confused.

"What was that?" Asher said.

"I'm only eighteen," said Chantel again scrunching her eyes apologetically. "I know it was super uncool, but I snuck into the club for a fun time, and I mean, you started flirting, and you were really cute. Please don't be mad?" she asked him. Her eyes formed a natural pout and Asher couldn't help but smile. After all, Asher had quite literally just turned seventeen. "This is the apartment my parents rented out to me so I could commute easier to the university."

"I'm not mad," Asher said and shrugged his shoulders. "I'm a little relieved. Today is my birthday. I just turned seventeen."

Chantel's jaw dropped but instantly turned into a smile as she stood on her tiptoes and kissed him on his lips. She barely pulled away and smiled. Asher felt her lips linger close to his as she spoke."Well happy birthday, Asher. I, unfortunately, didn't get you anything."

"I can think of something you can get me," Asher said as he grabbed her by the waist and pulled her close. Chantel laughed and kissed him on his lips again before pulling back and sliding her robe off her shoulder.

"Is this what you had in mind?" she asked, allowing the robe to hit the floor.

"Happy birthday to me," said Asher as he hopped off the counter and carried her back to the bed in the small studio apartment.