"WAIT! SO JUST like that he asked you to be his girlfriend and you said yes?"
"Yeah that's pretty much what happened during lunch."
For the past hour Asher had been asking questions about Nick none stop and I was growing agitated with the same questions over and over again.
"Oh woah!" he said popping an M&M into his mouth. "I knew this day would come, okay scratch that, I always thought you'd be my cute innocent Alexis until we got to College but I guess things change."
I glared at him from his bed where we were both sprawled with his laptop and a tonne of snacks. "Things change and why the hell would you thing that of all things?" I asked as I grabbed some popcorn from the bowl.
"Oh come on you know what I'm saying is the truth," he said as he turned on his side to face me. "You of all people had a plan mapped out and it didn't include any boyfriend whatsoever."
I rolled my eyes, "I know but I've got to start living considering I don't have that much time left since I stopped the major treatments," I said with a sigh.
Asher lied back on the bed facing the ceiling as we were engulfed by a silence that held too much emotion for the both of us.
"Are you ever going to tell him about you know......?" he asked in a whisper.
"No!"
"Why not? He deserves to know the truth at least."
"It's not worth it," I replied, "why ruin a new good something when we can both just bask in it and enjoy ourselves?"
Ash abruptly stood up and stared me down, "no, no, no! You have to tell him," he said. "Do you know how crushed he'll be to find out you've being keeping such a huge secret from him because I sure as hell know I would be pissed off and heartbroken all together."
I sat up on the bed and stared at him as I removed my glasses and rubbed my temples, "You have got no idea how it feels to find out you have SCD and the only way to cure it is through a transplant which we both damn well know isn't going to happen. I've got no donor and my only options are blood transfusions, chemo and droxia to relieve the pain," I said all in one breathe, "You want to know why I stopped the chemo and transfusions?" I asked but didn't let him answer, "because the chemo was slowly killing me and it was just by luck that my hair didn't fall off while I was on it."
"So please promise me you'll not tell him."
"Fine! I promise. But I didn't know that's how you felt," he sighed and sat next to me. "But I seriously need to have the best friend talk with him and then we could all hang out."
"By we, you mean with Steph?" I asked, "she practically hates me."
"No she doesn't hate you," Ash defended.
"I'm a 100 percent sure she hates me especially after what happened on Sunday," I said. "I swear if looks could kill then I'd be dead by now."
Asher started laughing, "okay I agree that she looked like she could murder someone preferably you but she's really nice once you get to know her. Though she may be a bit clingy."
"Fine, for you I'll try to think she doesn't want to have my head on a stake and consider the whole double date."
-----☆-----
After Asher dropped me off at my house, I took a warm shower before throwing on a pair of grey sweatpants and a hoodie and then headed downstairs.
A sweet aroma engulfed me as made my way into the kitchen. "Mum what smells so good?" I asked as I entered the kitchen and rummaged through the fridge for a water bottle.
"Just making my famous spaghetti sauce for dinner," she responded. "How was school? Did anything exciting happen?" she asked.
I froze with the water bottle at my lips. Crap I hope she doesn't know about the whole boyfriend thing.
"School was okay and nothing happened," I lied.
"What a shame but can you help save the table and put four plates instead," she said.
"Why? James isn't even here," I asked a bit surprised.
"Why yes James is here," James said from the kitchen doorway.
I stared at him as drops of water fell from his chestnut brown hair and wet his blue shirt in the process.
"What are you doing here? Shouldn't you be in school?" I asked not moving from my spot by the fridge.
"Is that any way to greet your only brother whose been gone for months. I am disappointed in you Alexis," he tsked with a slight shake of the head. "I taught you better than that."
I rolled my eyes and went over to hug him, "eww you're wet," I said pulling away from him only to have him pull me back and squeeze me.
"When did you start talking dirty?" he laughed. "Now give James some love," he said as I struggled to get out of his hold.
"Let go you creep," I said trying to wiggle out of his arms but he only continued laughing.
"Let go of your sister James and help set the table," dad said walking into the kitchen and going straight to mum and pecked her on the lips.
"Get a room guys," James said cringing and pulled away from me.
Dad chuckled and gave mum another peck as she giggled making James and I nearly gag.
James dashed to get the plates while I got the utensils and we both practically ran out of the kitchen to set the table.
"That will probably scar me for life," James said once we were in the dinning room.
"As if you're any better," I rolled my eyes, "at least they are married unlike you Mr. One-night stand."
"Hey!" James exclaimed.
"Truth hurts buddy, get over it," I patted his back.
Both our parents came into the dinning room with food dishes and we all sat down at the table before digging in to the food.
"Why are you home?" I asked James.
He shoved his fork in his mouth before replying, "the dorms got infested with red ants and they're fumigating so they sent us home for the week. Gee Lexi I thought you of all people would be happy about that."
"I am happy, I just wanted to know that's all."
James gave me a knowing look but didn't say anything and continued eating.
"Any way son how is school going?" dad asked.
"It's fine, just wish I didn't have so many science classes and lab reports to write. Junior year sucks," James replied with a sigh. "Honestly the whole studying to go to med school is stressful."
Dad chuckled, "I felt the same way when I was studying for law school, sucks like hell to have so much work to do and not enough time to party."
"Agreed," James said, "Lexi when do I get to meet the boyfriend?" he asked with an evil smirk.
"What?" mum and dad both exclaimed though mum sounded happier than dad was.
"Umm...," I swallowed the lump that had formed in my throat and took a large gulp of water before turning to glare at my so called brother. "Who the hell told you?"
"Asher."
"But you guys practically hate each," I stated through clenched teeth.
"Nope! It's just a mutual dislike," he replied with a cheeky grin. "So when should I expect to meet him?"
"Never," I seethed, "I'm going to get you and Asher for this," I whispered to him so our parents couldn't hear anything.
"And when did you plan to tell us you have a boyfriend young lady?" dad asked. "Who is he? Do I know him?"
I looked at my dad and he had a blank expression on his face. "I-I was going to tell you but it just happened today and I-I didn't know how to tell you," I admitted sheepishly. "You have already met him, it's Nick."
"I'm going to kill that boy," dad said standing up only to have mum pull him back down.
"Stop overreacting Kevin, I thought you said you liked him," mum said, "she's a growing young woman and she needs to live her life a little."
"That was before I found out he had dirty thoughts about my daughter," dad said defensively.
James was smiling none stop while I remained quiet and glared holes at the side of his head hoping it would actually burn holes in his stupid head.
"Give him a chance will you?" mum asked, "after all you were in his position once," she tried to reason.
"Not a chance," dad replied, "invite him over for dinner this weekend, I want to have a talk with him."
"Okay," I replied nervously chewing on my bottom lip.
Mum rolled her eyes and held my hands in hers, "I knew it when I met him especially when he saw you in that black dress at the mall," she said. "It was so obvious you both liked each other."
"How?" I asked.
"I saw it in your eyes and his, call it a mother's intuition," she replied. "And James when are we going to meet your girlfriend?"
James choked on his steak and I quickly handed him a glass of water and rubbed his back while the more trying to hold in my laughter.
"What? How did you know?" he asked once he had regained his composure.
Mum smiled her all too knowing smile, "I'm your mother, it's my job to know such things," she replied with a casual shrug, "I work with too many people to know when someone's in love and happy."
"I, but......what? I'm not in love with her," he squeaked.
"Keep telling yourself that and by the time you realise, it's too late to do anything," she said.
I couldn't hold it in anymore as I burst out into hysterics while dad sat there shaking his head at his weird family, his overenthusiastic wife and his two weird children before joining in on the laughter and soon enough the whole table was rolling with laughter.
This is why our family dinners are the best, though sometimes-just once I wish we were a normal family.
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