HARPER
Maybe it's my imagination, but I think Asher might have checked his usual confidence and easy-going personality at the gate. If he keeps chewing his lower lip, it's going to be gone by the time we touch down. His palms have wiped down his shorts so many times, and it's easy to see the trail they are taking in the press of the thread into clear lanes on the fabric. I've never been this close to him, and I can't seem to stop watching his surprisingly perfect hands.
The soft exhales of breath each time Jess' voice floats up in our direction leads me to believe that this boy right here is heartsick. It's probably nothing. There are a million reasons they could be fighting. Perhaps he's mad she chose a purple bikini over red or something. Who cares? I have other relationship questions bouncing around in my head like: WHAT HAPPENED BETWEEN FINN AND MOLLY?
Finn has been away at college now for two years. He plays for the university's soccer team, and Molly conveniently goes to the smaller state college just twenty minutes from his campus. I've always been treated like his little sister, and I feel like I've spent my entire teenage life waiting to be seen as something different by him. I'd never interfere with his relationship, I'm not that kind of girl, but I guess there has always been a little dark part of my soul that hoped this day would come.
"Do you mind if I get into my bag?" Asher asks. "I know it's going to be a pain in the ass, but I'm bored out of my mind."
"No, it's cool. I can grab my book too," I answer. I unbuckle my belt and stand in the aisle.
"Thanks." Asher steps out and lifts open the bin.
Kids have been moving about the cabin for a solid twenty minutes, but I prefer to play it a little safer in my seat. I grip the back of a chair and watch as Asher fishes around in his bag for something. His muscular arms flex, but he moves the tangled bags with ease. I guess when you throw some sort of ball all day you build impressive muscles. Muscles that I have now been looking at too long. I hadn't even noticed he's pulled my bag to the front so I can get inside it.
"Sorry," I apologize and take a step towards him. The plane dips with a wave of turbulence, and I'm thrown off balance. My mother swears I'll outgrow my clumsiness, but I'm not sure. His chest is solid when I crash into it. My hands grab his biceps so I don't fall on my face at his feet. He smells amazing.
"Shit," he says. His hands warm my skin through my jeans as he lifts me by my waist back onto my feet. "Are you OK?" Maybe it's the way his eyes are slightly bloodshot that allows me to notice just how blue they are. They are almost the exact shade of the deep blue denim of my jeans.
"Yes. I'm fine." My voice is shaky, but he doesn't have much time to notice because the plane rocks again, tossing me against him with more force this time. His arm loops around my waist as he holds me up while the pilot navigates the rough patch. My knees are weak, but his arms are so comforting.
"We should probably hurry," he says when the plane finally steadies.
I nod because my throat has gone dry. I reach into my bag and grab my book. I'm excited this is the first time in four years I won't be forced to write a report on my summer reading.
He arranges our bags again and closes the bin. He's in his seat and flipping through his magazine about men's fitness when I finally get my seatbelt back on. I crack open the book I brought, but the bright block letters of his reading material catches my attention. I find myself reading over his shoulder. I hate that about people, but I think in this situation I can be given a pass seeing as we are forced to be so close together.
"Do boys ever really take those quizzes?" I ask.
Asher lifts his shoulder. "I don't know. I never have."
"But aren't you dying to know your sexual IQ?" I reply sarcastically.
"I didn't even know that was a thing," he says with a chuckle. "But what the hell? We have time to waste. Let's test yours."
I can't tell if he is just giving me a hard time or if he's serious, but either way, I'm already in. I love trivia and sex is a fun topic. I've never had it, but I've read all about it. I can't do too poorly.
"Alright. I'll do it if you will," I say.
"Fair enough."
(Who is ready for the quiz?? Don't forget to vote if you are liking the story so far.)