{Asher's Pov}
I was on my way to the swimming pool after I had parked my cycle, I seriously needed to repaint it I thought as I entered the changing room. When I came out, Armond greeted me with a warm smile.
"Hey Asher, how are you?"
"The same, we met yesterday..." the last part I said in a whisper, rolling my eyes.
I quickly jumped into the pool and rushed to the other side, heaving and panting as I stopped after a while, I had crossed half the pool's width in one breath, one more half to go I thought to myself. Armond was already reaching the other side of the pool, waiting for me to join him.
"Hey, you know you should keep you're head up while swimming..." he said giving a hearty laugh.
"Yeah, I know but I don't know how..." I said sheepishly. I still swimmed in the shallower regions of the pool because I couldn't keep my head up while I swimmed, hence I'd have to take breaks when I did a lap.
The next hour went by in Armond trying to explain me the best method to swim and all but all in vain.
After we were done at the pool, we hit the showers again, him giving me an advice on how to tone myself more...that kinda irritated me. My dad does it all the time, now him as well. I just replied with an 'hmmph' as he continued.
After changing back to our clothes, we rode on my cycle to his house, him again inviting me to hangout and me again declining cause Cason was waiting there for me.
~
"Hey..." I said to Cason as he was sitting below a plum tree near the gate of the park.
"Hi, come sit here." He said giving me a grin, showing all his perfect white teeth.
"You seem happy" I said more like a question as I sat at a more than normal distance from him.
He shifted closer though, doesn't this guy get it that I purposefully sat away from him, I thought as I did a mental facepalm.
"Yep, I completed reading the first book of Harry Potter" he said grinning like a gremlin monster, his face too close to mine, making me feel warmth come to my cheeks.
"Okay... Cool" I replied breaking eye constact with him. What the hell is wrong with me, I wondered.
"Actually even I wanna read the Harry Potter series, my friends, Faith and Ivara both are fans of it so even I wanna try it."
"Great!! I'll bring the book the day after tomorrow when we meet..."
"Umm sure" I said looking back at him. His face had a lopsided grin on it, the source of which was a mystery to me. "I've got a class tomorrow if that's what you're wondering in that nerdy brains of yours."
I chuckled at his ability to read my mind so well. "Yep, I was..." I said sheepishly. He raised a hand and said "Hi!" It took me a moment to realise what he meant though and I gave him five saying the word with more embarrassment than enthusiasm.
The rest of the two hours went by in him elaborating and if I may say so, marketing Harry Potter. Jeez, I liked Harry Potter but Cason surpassed all the limits. He would be a great company to Faith, she's almost as crazy a fan as he is...
"See you soon Ash!!" he exclaimed as we exited the park. He waved at me, not before giving me a handshake but this time his touch felt more like an electrifying shock as I felt tingles of sparks radiate from where his hands touched mine. What the hell is wrong with me.
I replied with a frail wave of hand, mouthing a bye to him as I turned towards my cycle, my brain still processing what the jolts of electricity were about, maybe static but this wasn't the kind I had experienced ever before. I'm going nuts and reading too much of Wattpad romance was the conclusion I pulled out of it on my way home.
~
As I opened the door to my house, my mom, still in her work clothes greeted me with a warm hug. "Asher, you did really well in the English assignment" she said patting my back as I thought of what she was talking about. "Which one?" I asked dumbfounded.
"The one who's result was declared today Mr. forget all... but Cason" Ivara said standing behind my mom, the last part only mouthing to me. I didn't really know what blushing meant in action but now I did as Cason's name made me feel all giddy on the inside and my face turned a 50 shades of red. I gave Ivara a glare as she gave me an annoying smirk.
"And to celebrate that you've stood first in you're batch along with Faith and Sam, I made a fillet mignon with asparagus shoots and dried salmon fry." Ok to say that my mom really liked cooking was a shame, she loved it at a masterchef level and she cooked various variety of foods which was a blessing. All the food, especially the fish made my mouth water as I realised that I hadn't touched food since past 5 hours. As if on cue, my stomach gave a little growl and so did Ivara's. My mother chuckled at this.
Ivara and I had met when I had changed school two years ago. In the beginning we were mere acquaintances and I made a few 'fake' Friends then. I only did realise that as my first year passed and in that time she and I grew closer. Faith was her friend and Doris mine, so we began to hang out and Viola! We became the gang we are today.
Ivara was here today cause I had told her about my meeting with Cason and she, with her newfound girly side, was behaving accordingly, i.e. she was here for the details.
Dad was already at the dinner table as we took our seats. Since our friendship grew, Ivara and I would many a times hang out at each other's places so our families had grown to the fact of having a extra meal ready incase either of us were at the latter's house.
Dad and I exchanged a few pleasantries, after which the table conversation was mostly based upon the career plan Ivara wanted to pursue. I'd like to join it, but firstly, I didn't know much about the topic and secondly I was busy enjoying my salmon. Ivara who too was a fan of fish, I couldn't say the same for her that she had peace with her dinner for she wasn't able to concentrate much on the salmon as my dad discussed her career. Poor her...
~
After dinner, around eight pm we retired to my room. I told Ivara about our meet minus the tingling sensations I had gone through, while Ivara somehow resembled to a crazy fan girl as my description progressed.
I'd forgotten to charge my phone after I got home so I had put it to charging. As I switched it on, not even a minute had passed and I had received 59 messages and 8 missed calls. All from Cason.
I called him no sooner did I see his name, various horrible thoughts of his and his family's safety going through my head, also of Josephine's. He picked up in one ring
"Hello, what's wrong? Are you alright? Are you're parents fine? Is it Josephine? Is she alright?" I blabbered as Ivara watched me with a pout on her face, trying to process what was happening.
"Asher stop." Cason replied in a cool tone, a hint of amusement in his voice.
"I saw you're calls and texts. What's wrong?" I said barely keeping the panic in my voice unnoticeable.
"Everything is alright. I am fine, my family is well and so is Josephine..."
"Then why did you call so many times and Dude I have 59 messages from you!!"
"Did you read em?"
"No....Sorry I'll read them first. Wait"
Before I'd hang up, Ivara smacked me on my head; and mouthed a 'stop blundering!' I'm actually grateful to her to do that.
As I calmed myself I good hear Cason's deep hearted laugh. "Asher, I had texted and called you to check up on you so stop getting so worked up" he managed to say as he chuckled.
"Oh."
"Yeah, you didn't text or call me when you reached home so I was kinda...wanting to know." I could tell that as he said this, he was moving his hand through his shiny balck hair.
"Ohh, thanks but I never usually call or text you anyways, why would I do that now?"
"Yep, you're right. Bye Ash."
"Ok, good night"
"G'night." He hung up.
As I turned around, I could see another gremlin monster; seriously what was with my friends and the gremlin family, were they related I thought to myself.
"Are you related to the gremlin monster?" I asked Ivara.
"What did he say?" Ivara responded, completely disregarding my question.
"Nothing, he said he was just checking up on me if I reached home safely or something like that." I said nonchalantly. To be honest, I felt giddy all over but I had to keep myslef calm, it was just a kind gesture afterall. He didn't feel anything about me right?
As much as I knew Cason, he wasn't a feelings guy and if at all, he opened up only to Josephine. He was a closed to book to most people including me. Besides that, he's other prominent trait was his selfishness; I knew that he was selfish but then again I liked him nonetheless. Everyone has flaws and he had his share too.
"Ok..." Ivara replied with a knowing grin to which I only shrugged.
"Asher, I think we need to talk..." she said in a serious tone, her face loosing all it's humour, a look of concern in her eyes.
"Sure what?"
"I think you're getting too attached to Cason."
"I'm trying not to" I said casting my eyes onto my gallery. Ivara could see right past through me even if I didn't show it.
"Asher, look the only reason I'm saying this is cause I know how emotional a person you are and I don't want you to get hurt."
"I know Ivara, you're just looking out for me and really, I'm glad. I just don't know how to not feel anything about it. Besides, it's actually scaring me how quickly I'm...liking him..."
She gave me a pat on my shoulder "It's alright, let's hope for the best. And I'm always there when you need me."
"It's not just that Ivara, not only am I concerned of liking Cason, by doing this I feel like I'm betraying my parents, more like hurting them knowingly when that's the last thing I wanna do" I said fumbling with the leaves of the butterfly pea.
"Hmm, look Asher, if you like someone, you just do. There's no choice for them but to accept you, it may be sooner or later but they will, they love you."
"Their love is the thing that pains me the most, everytime I see them doing things for me, showing me their love; I feel terrible."
"Asher, look I'm not really good with feelings but what I know is, they're you're parents, but that doesn't mean everything they want for you can be achieved. You have to think of them as well as yourself cause in the end it's you're life that'll be affected.... I think you should tell them" she said with a grimace.
"No way, atleast not now, actually never but in case I need to, I will." I replied after taking a brief pause. Yes they had the right to know, but I knew this would break them and that they'd probably disown me. I'd be hurting them sooner or later but I'll choose later, until then I could figure this whole thing out. Maybe I'd stop liking Cason and fall for a girl, that way they'd never get hurt. Atleast I could try.
Ivara left after sometime but before she did, to lighten up things, we had a pillow fight.
Ofcourse I and she took every possible chance to pounce at each other and it was fun.
"Bye Ivara, thanks for everything." I said dropping her at the door as her dad had come to pick her up.
"Bye Asher and no need to thank me. By the way, did you know Cason calls you Ash..." she whispered giving me a wink before darting out of the door.
No... I didn't realise that, I thought to myself; a small smile forming on my face as I turned around to go back to my room.
~
Holla!!
How are you my lovely readers?
I know this chapter is a bit...getting on the nerves kinda, but please be patient with me, I promise I'll get better.
It's Christmas btw
Merry Christmas!!!
This chapter is my update gift to you guys for reading my story.
The question for this chapter is
'What do you want for Christmas this year? '
Apparently I'm not the one to usually ask for gifts, I kinda believe that we get what we deserve eventually. Though this year my heart does yearn for a specific someone, let's see how that goes...
Anyways enjoy Christmas!!! And if you're liking my story, please do comment and vote. I'd like comments and votes for a Christmas gift...
Loads of love...
Next update would near the new year...and well the best answer gets dedication!!!