update i put that other story i was talking about on hold bc i'm too invested in this now LMAOO
"see ya, pip! i'm glad you could come, hang with us again soon!!" juliet calls out through the window as pip is walking to her sorority house from the car.
she mentioned that she doesn't really participate in sorority events, and that she pretty much just got dragged into living there by amelie and evelyn. don't get me wrong, they're both lovely girls. pip just isn't in that kind of crowd.
pip gives us one last wave before opening up her front door and stepping inside, then we take off back to my house for the night.
"i always knew you had feelings for asher deep down" juliet smirks as she comes to a stop at a red light.
"what do you mean by that?" i perk, genuinely curious.
she pulls down her sun visor and looks into the mirror to reapply her chapstick as she answers. "well you agreed to the bet, right? you wouldn't have agreed to making him fall in love with you if you didn't have any preexisting feelings for him. i know you, and you wouldn't do him like that. sure, maybe you'd lead some other guy on... but not asher."
i'm honestly at a loss for words, because she's partially right. i've always seen asher as a best friend, maybe even a brother figure at times, but being so close with him might be dooming me to catch feelings eventually. and ever since we started living together, we've been forced to be around each other all the time, every single day. even if i never had feelings for him before, this whole bet thing might just cause me to fall for him back in the end.
but there's still problems with that, which is why i've never even considered having feelings for him.
first and most obvious, jack. he would be furious if we dated. not only is asher jack's best friend, but he just isn't the kind of guy to do relationships. which i guess is where the bet comes in. i make him fall for me, he changes for me, we live happily ever after. but it's not just that easy.
another reason would be breaking our bond. what if things were to go wrong? what if we break up and things are never the same again? i swear juliet doesn't think these things through.
"i think you're right... but it's still risky" i admit.
once the light turns green, juliet flips her sun visor back up and throws her chapstick in the back seat without looking before taking off again.
"that's the point of a bet. you could win, or you could lose. you have to look at all the factors that would predict your odds. and you," she pokes my shoulder, "you bet on the odds of it not working out. i still whole heartedly believe i'll win this with no problems."
i sigh and rest my elbow on the center console, holding my head in my hand.
"the thing is, jules, i don't think i want to be right. if i'm looking at this realistically, i will be right, which is why i betted on it. but considering what could be if you win, it's a happy outcome."
she smiles, "and that's why i made that bet. i don't care THAT much about winning, i want you to be happy. and if this goes according to plan, the both of us will be happy."
"do you think you might not win?" i ask hesitantly.
"oh of course i still think i'm going to win" she boasts, "but that's just my reasoning behind my choice."
i nod, and the rest of the car ride is contently quiet from there.
***
"wow, look at you two actually coming home when i asked you to" jack greets as we walk in the door.
"of course, mom" i tease. we walk further into the living room where jack and asher are both sat on the couch, probably waiting for us to get home safely. juliet skips over to the couch and bundles up in a fluffy blanket with jack while i sit on the floor and lean against the couch.
"so what are we watching?" juliet asks, voice muffled by the blanket covering half her face.
jack squints at the tv for a couple seconds before answering, "some movie ash put on to pass time. i wasn't really paying attention."
"i already watched it like five times so i wasn't paying attention either" asher adds, setting his phone down beside him.
i decide to pull out my phone and scroll through social media before winding down for the night. i open up snap to see multiple chats, all of which are most likely replying to the picture on my story.
piper🪐
sexy ass mf‼️
love her. i respond with a couple heart emojis and move onto the next chat. this one is from a name i don't really recognize, also sliding up on my story.
Max🤙
Yo ur fine as hell
How old are u?
not worth my time. i swipe out of the conversation and just leave him on opened, then i see yet another snap from someone i don't know. however, it's not a chat. it's a picture. i wonder if he's hot?
without thinking, i open the snap and i'm met with a fucking dick pic. what the fuck.
i hear asher snort from behind me as i quickly close the snap and block the weirdo.
"you sending nudes, chica?"
"not funny" i deadpan, glaring up at him.
he throws his hands in the air in defense. "hey, i'm not judging. you're 18, if you wanna whore around you can whore around."
"no she can't" jack retaliates.
"i'm not sending nudes!" i stress, throwing my phone at asher. why did i throw my phone at him? i don't know, i'm just angry.
he tosses my phone back at me after laughing to himself, apparently thinking this is hilarious.
"take your phone back, i don't wanna be seeing all the dick pics you have on there" he snickers with humor in his voice.
i've had enough of him. i snatch up my phone and stomp upstairs to give myself a break.
he thinks he's sooo funny. he won't be laughing when i'm teasing the fuck out of him in any way i see fit. he'll be too busy drooling to laugh.
i think juliet and pip are getting in my head.
but it doesn't matter. i'm winning this bet, and i'll do anything i need to in order to prove i'm right.
after pacing around my room for a few minutes until i calm down, i decide i should just change into my pajamas and wind down for the night. i deserve the rest.
i slide off my air forces and set them down on my shoe rack, then take my hair out of my bun to finally let it loose and shake it around.
now the dress.
just when i thought my anger was all gone, the zipper on the back of my dress refuses to cooperate with me. this is just like having a bad morning and then my hair brush not being able to get through the knots in my hair. literally my final straw.
i sigh and decide to just go downstairs and call juliet up to unzip it for me. no need to get myself even more worked up trying to do it myself for god knows how long it would take.
upon walking into the living room, my eyes go right to juliet who's... asleep. and so is jack. asher is slouched back into the couch playing some game on his phone, which leaves me one choice.
my first move for my mission.
"asher?" i ask quietly as i walk towards him. he looks up from his phone and turns it off to set to his side without breaking eye contact.
"what's up?"
i bite my lip 'nervously' and fidget with my fingers a little before asking him.
"well i was going to ask juliet, but evidently she's asleep... could you come unzip my dress for me?"
asher shrugs and stands up, taking his mountain dew can with him up to my room. once we get to my room, he sits down on the edge of my bed and motions me over.
i know any normal person would just unzip it standing up, but our height difference is so massive that it's easier for him to be sitting on the bed. otherwise he would literally be bending down to unzip it all the way.
i walk over and stand in between his legs, scanning his face as long as i can before he lightly places his hands on my hips to turn me around.
"you just want me to unzip it?" he says, and i can feel his breath on my bare skin.
i nod, and breathe out a soft "yeah..."
with no other hesitations, i feel his cold fingers on my skin before they catch onto my zipper, smoothly pulling it down- but not completely.
"um... do you want me to unzip it all the way? or is a little past halfway like this fine?" he asks, and i'm too confused to respond. "it just- it goes down really far and i don't want to expose too much of you if you feel uncomfortable with that."
he has a point. the zipper goes down to the lowest part of my back. it would be very revealing, especially since i didn't wear a bra with the dress.
but i need to stay committed.
"it's not a big deal" i start, leaning back towards him a little and placing a hand on his left knee for stability, "we live together, don't make it weird."
and with that, i feel my zipper slowly being drawn down the rest of my back. it's so intimate, yet so innocent at the same time. he's undressing me, but just as a friendly favor.
completely. innocent.
once i feel his hands retract and cool air swarms my back side, i hold onto the top of the dress to keep it up and turn around to give him a smile. he smiles back, then softly pulls me to the side and stands up to make leave.
"can you bring me a water from downstairs?" i request, still standing at my bed side.
he tilts his head down slightly and squints playfully.
"as long as you're dressed by the time i come back" he chimes.
"thanks" i smile, "oh, and maybe a granola bar, too? please?"
"mhm. anything else, princess? perhaps a bubble bath, or a shoe shining?" he jokes charmingly.
i chuckle and head towards my closet. "that's everything."
once i hear my door close shut, i drop my dress to the floor and choose quickly what i want to change into.
i'm really not sure why, but asher and i just have our moments. when we're around other people, we bicker like kids half the time. when it's just us, it's like we're two souls dancing on this earth alone together. those moments are sweet, wholesome. the exact kind of close bond we've always had. i guess it really just depends on mr. bipolar's mood.
today was a bad day for him i think. he was clearly stressed all day, and i can't blame him for that when he's dedicating his saturday to a school essay.
asher is the kind of person that you have to know well enough to understand his feelings and why he acts the way he does. some days he'll be throwing me over his shoulder and running around the house while terrorizing juliet (long story), while other days we can barely stand being around each other.
we don't truly hate each other in those moments. he just has a difficult time handling his emotions and thoughts. jack and i are some of the only people who understand him and know to just be patient with him sometimes.
but don't get me wrong, that still doesn't prevent me from calling him out when i'm fed up.
but take today in the kitchen for example. he wasn't being pissy with me because he was actually tired of me, he was too stressed with his work. i took note of that, and simply just gave him peace and quiet while still going about my own business. he told me to leave, i settled on just being quiet, and it was fine like that with no further argument. you just have to know how to deal with him. after knowing asher for almost my whole life, i can usually read him like a book.
once i'm changed into a baggy t-shirt and nike shorts, i open my door so asher knows he can safely come in when he returns.
i plug my phone in and roll into bed to go back to my online shopping on my laptop. juliet and i mainly looked at jeans today, which i personally think i have plenty of, but she's the one with style between the two of us.
she's like a fashion designer and i'm her model. or maybe even more like she's a loving mother dressing up her daughter. i'm fine with either as long as she's having fun.
"i didn't know what kind of granola bar you wanted so i got the chocolate chip one since you're such a whore for chocolate" asher announces as he walks over and tosses my food and drink on my bed.
"why thank you kind sir" i respond, tipping an imaginary fedora.
"one more thing" he adds.
"go ahead."
asher sits on the edge of my bed and pulls his phone out from his pocket.
"did you get my text about pip? can i still get her number?" he asks obliviously.
i smirk and slightly shut my laptop screen to get a better view of him.
"depends. what are your intentions with my daughter?" i say in a stern dad voice.
asher reaches out and shuts my laptop the rest of the way with a smile. "what is this, an interrogation?"
"potentially" i answer, crossing my arms and raising my eye brows. "you tryna fuck her?"
"and what if i was?" he smirks, leaning over my lap and squinting his eyes.
"then you're out of luck, big man. she's gay."
with that, all of his fired up ego burnt out of his eyes and he backs away from my face.
"it's always the lesbians that have me whipped" he mutters in defeat, throwing his head back.
"i know, pip is pretty hot. maybe i'll just hook up with her to take your place" i tease with a wink.
asher glares at me before running his fingers through his hair and falling to his back to contain his annoyance.
"i'd rather it be her that you're fucking instead of some random dirty mother fucker" he responds, staring at the ceiling. "dudes are nasty nowadays."
i sit up and lean forward to get a better look at him while we talk.
"including you?" i ask with a head tilt.
he scoffs, "fuck no."
"so then you're the only guy i'm allowed to fuck?"
and that's all it took to be able to watch his soul leave his body, do a couple back flips, then come back for him to answer.
"no" he starts while clearing his throat, "you're not allowed to have sex with me either."
so i decide to push it.
"why not?"
asher's breath hitches and he trails his eyes to anywhere accept my face, and i can't tell if he's getting fed up or if he's flustered.
"you should know why. you're jack's sister, i don't see you like that, and i don't fuck virgins" he replies, hastily on that last part.
"well i wouldn't have to be a virgin if you and jack stopped cock blocking me all the time" i spit. "and how would you know i haven't been sneaky linking without telling you guys? i could have like 5 bodies by now and you wouldn't even know it."
his jaw ticks, but i still can't tell if he's pissed or flustered. both? i'm kinda aiming for pissed at this point anyways because it's funny.
"we live together chica, you can't hide shit from me anymore. plus i would have found out from either jack or juliet eventually."
laughing my fucking ass off. 'you can't hide shit from me anymore'... yeah, almost like how you have no idea about this bet. you can try to wait to find out from someone else, but it won't happen.
idiot.
"juliet wouldn't snitch" i claim, laying back again.
"really? because i heard from jack who heard from juliet that you smoked weed for the first time not too long ago" he smirks, turning his head to face me.
i'm gonna beat her ass for that one.
"...are you mad?" i ask quietly, popping my head up.
"of course not" he laughs. "jack is the one that doesn't let you have fun. i just observe until you're seriously about to get yourself hurt."
i mean, he's not entirely wrong there. just a couple nights ago at the party jack was telling me to limit my drinking and asher just laughed about it and minded his own business. he did end up mentioning it once later on, but i can tell he just didn't want to have to witness jack getting mad at me again.
which is probably also why he dragged me to the car like a rag doll. although i don't see the point in that seeing as jack was blacked out in the passenger seat.
maybe he was jealous of that dude i was with?
but i doubt it. it's probably just what my imagination would like to think because of this bet. i think it's gonna drive me insane.
"so you're saying you'll get high with me sometime?" i grin.
he shakes his head with a breathy chuckle, "i never said that. i'd rather you not do that at all, but it isn't my decision to make for you."
"but who i have sex with is your decision?"
"yep" he replies, popping the p.
i sigh and open my laptop back up to continue my clothes shopping while asher starts throwing a stuffed animal in the air and catching it repeatedly.
i'm definitely done shopping for jeans, and now i wanna explore some more dresses. after tonight, i convinced myself i was made to wear them.
"you know i care about you, chica. i don't want you getting an std, or worse, pregnant. i couldn't stand having two of you running around this house" he teases, poking my ankle with his pinky.
"so what? i'm just not allowed to have sex?"
"do what you want. i'm just telling you how it is" he shrugs before throwing the stuffie in the air again.
he's being unreasonable. but if he wants to spit out some bullshit like that, two can play that game.
"is that really it?" i start, sitting up again. "or do you just not want me having sex with anyone because you'd be jealous?"
asher instantly shoots up, staring at me in complete disbelief.
"gross, aria! no!" he exclaims. "what the fuck?"
i chuckle and kick him in the thigh while he continues to look the most offended i've ever seen him.
"i'm just fucking with you. but if that is the case, it's your problem. you're the one that's so incredibly against hooking up with me."
"yeah, i am" he snaps, "how horny can you possibly be right now to be saying shit like that?"
i simply shrug and look at him like what i was saying is completely normal. he runs his fingers through his soft curls and reaches over to steal my water bottle, almost spilling it on me on the way.
"stress drinking? shame on you" i laugh.
"i don't know where all of this came from," he begins, a water droplet about to escape from the corner of his lips as he takes another sip, "but it's weird."
"oh come on, i'm just joking. obviously i'm aware you won't fuck me. but if you change your mind-"
"aria!"
i snort, "okay, okay, i'm done. i'll find a frat boy to rail me next weekend."
"god, i need to go to bed before you give me a headache" he groans as he stands up.
"goodnight big man" i giggle as i watch him head for the door.
"night, chica."
i think i did good tonight. got his opinion on having sex with me and had him flustered. all while making the whole thing 'just jokes'.
although when he said how he cares about me out of the blue, it seemed like a soft spot showing. not good for my side of the bet. but technically, juliet said 'non-platonic soft spot', which means if he just cares about me in a best friend way, it isn't a problem. plus, i'd be mad if he didn't care about me either way, so i won't overdramatize it. i am his best friend's sister, after all.
his best friend's sister who's gonna make him fall in love with her.
LMAOOO I AINT MEAN TO MAKE ALMOST THE ENTIRE CHAPTER JUST ARIA AND ASHER BUT OH WELL
what's their ship name? ashia? arisher?
you know what does have a ring to it? the more important ship, paria. pip and aria content coming soon >:) maybe