by Lyra Winters
I thought I had shielded my heart from Asher, but as soon as I saw him, the walls I’d carefully built started crumbling down.
I blinked away the tears that welled up in my eyes and reached for my phone that was buried in my purse. I unlocked my phone and dialed Magnolia.
It rang twice before she answered, “Hello?”
“Mags.” A sob escaped my lips. “Oh my God, Mags.” My lip trembled, and I collapsed into my office chair.
“What’s wrong?”
“Asher,” a low whine escaped my throat.
She was silent for a few moments. “It’s been years since I’ve heard that name come out of your mouth. What about him?”
“He’s here.” I sniffled. “He’s our new gym teacher. I don’t know what to do. After butchering his words a couple of times, he said I looked good, and that it was good to see me.”
“You’re kidding me! After all this time, that’s all he could say?” Her angry voice bounded through the receiver.
“I know! I didn’t even know he was a fucking teacher.” I slapped my forehead.
“I’m sorry, Faith. I would’ve told you, but you said you didn’t want to hear his name again.”
I sighed. “No, that’s okay. I probably would’ve murdered you for mentioning him. It’s just a shock is all.”
“Well, no fucking shit! You haven’t seen the man in person since that party. Are you okay, babe?”
I dabbed my eyes. “I’ll be fine. Asher isn’t my problem anymore. Preston is. I just have to remember that.”
She snorted. “Right, Mr. Perfect. I don’t know what you see in that pig. I mean, he treats you like shit! Always ditching you for his clients. Are you really going to marry him?”
I hesitated and glanced at the stack of ungraded essays to my right. “I think I am.”
“And Asher will not have any sway in that decision?” she asked.
“Of course not. What we had was one night. That was it.”
“Yeah. Keep telling yourself that, Faith.”
“Very encouraging, Mags.” I rolled my eyes. “I need support. Not you dissing my fiance.”
“Honey, I love you. I just don’t want you to make a huge mistake. Besides, I still think you should’ve reached out to him or something.”
“And say what? Asher, you fucked me and then left. Why did you do that?”
“Yes, actually. I think that would give you closure.”
I groaned. “Alright. Well, it looks like I may get that closure now.” I looked at my watch. “Anyway, I have to go pick up my class.”
“It’s going to be okay. I promise. Just stay strong. And dump your troll of a fiance!” she hollered before making a kissing sound and hanging up.
I slid my phone into my dress pocket and left the classroom. I didn’t understand why she couldn’t get along with Preston. She said he made her feel uncomfortable, but wouldn’t elaborate. I started watching him around her, but nothing out of the ordinary ever happened.
As I neared the gym doors, my stomach heaved. I shoved the nerves to the back of my mind once I pulled the doors open and stepped inside.
“Ms. Reed!” My class cheered as they lined up by the doors.
“Were you guys good for Mr. Wells?” I asked, with a wavering voice.
“Yes!”
“He’s the best gym teacher ever!”
“We played dodgeball!”
I smiled at the students. “That’s good.” I avoided looking at him as I went to walk my students out of the gym.
“Ms. Reed,” he said, as he placed a hand on my shoulder. The warmth of his touch spread through my body. I hadn’t realized he had gotten so close to me.
“Were they good for you?” I asked, avoiding the longing in his gaze.
“Yes, they were. They clearly have a good teacher.” He let his hand drop, and I hated that I ached for his touch.
“Well, their teacher needs to get them back in time for reading.” I cleared my throat.
“Faith. Look at me,” he said as his voice dropped to a whisper.
I swallowed hard before I met his gaze. As soon as we made eye contact, memories of being in his arms with him inside of me rushed back. The contact we made that night was special, and it only fueled my feelings for him. Staring back into his eyes seven years later did the same damn thing to me.
“Not here, Asher. Please,” I whispered.
His lips twitched into a frown. “Okay. Not now. But we need to talk.”
“Seven years too late,” I muttered, ignoring his flinch. I retreated out of the gym, with my class in tow.
Once we made it back to the classroom, my students asked me about Asher. They told me how he explained to them that he knew me and that he thought I was cool.
I shut down that conversation immediately and launched into reading.
When I dropped them off at the cafeteria for lunch, I went to the library to eat my food in peace. Of course, that didn’t last long since Linda sniffed me out like a bloodhound. Much to my dismay, Asher trailed in behind her.
“There you are! I told him you’d be in here, hiding out like a hermit.” She grinned and took a seat across from me. She patted the seat next to her, which Asher ignored as he sat down beside me.
Linda’s eyes narrowed at me before she turned her attention to Asher. “So, Asher, how do you like Violet Ridge Elementary?”
“It’s good. So far, everyone has been welcoming. The students are full of energy so I can’t complain.” He took a bite of his chicken sandwich.
“Oh, yes. We are very welcoming. As a matter of fact, I can be very welcoming.” She pressed her chest against the table as she leaned forward.
He cleared his throat, shifting his gaze toward me. “That’s nice. Uh, what do you do, Faith?”
I stabbed my salad. “I teach fourth-grade reading and writing.”
“Ms. Reed teaches reading. That’s cute.” He chuckled.
“How’s your fiance, Faith?” Linda asked, batting her eyelashes at me. I froze, and my blood ran cold when she mentioned Preston.
Asher’s expression turned blank and his jaw tightened. “You’re engaged?”
I nodded. My heart twisted in my chest for some stupid reason. “Yes. He’s fine. Just busy.”
“I’ll bet he is. Being a lawyer must be exhausting. I hope you’re taking good care of him.” She sipped her water.
Suddenly, I lost my appetite. Annoyed, I grabbed my things and stood up. “I have work to do. Enjoy your lunch.”
As I walked away, I heard Linda telling Asher about Preston. She was a gossip, sure, but she was being a meddling bitch. I didn’t want to be involved with Asher. I was engaged, but Linda acted like I was trying to move in on him.
I tossed my lunch in the trash once I made it back to my classroom. I glanced at my watch and saw that I had five minutes of lunch left.
Eager to hear his voice, I grabbed my phone and called Preston. The phone rang five or more times before he answered.
“Yeah?” He panted heavily, with a strain in his voice.
“Is everything okay?” I paused. “You sound winded.” I ignored the weird feeling and organized the stacks of papers I needed to grade.
“What is it you need?” He snapped, straight to the point, as usual.
I stopped what I was doing and sighed. That was certainly not the greeting I expected. “I wanted to let you know that my cousin’s best friend—my old friend—is the new gym teacher here. The one that—”
“How many times have I told you I don’t care about your past flings?”
I sucked in a sharp breath. “I just thought you’d want to know.”
“Well, I don’t care babe.” There was whispering on the other end of the phone which he responded to. “I gotta go. See you at home.” He ended the call, and I tried to ignore the nagging in the back of my head.
Preston had been an asshole lately, and it all started when we got engaged. I desperately missed the man he used to be. The tears burned
in my eyes as I tried to clear my head of intrusive thoughts.
The rest of the school day I gritted my teeth, swallowed the pain, and forced myself through each hour of class. The students knew something was wrong, but I assured them I was just tired. Children were more intuitive than people gave them credit for.
I grabbed my car keys and bolted out the big glass doors of the school. I tossed my purse into the front seat of my car, plunged the key into the ignition and started the car. It made an awful chugging sound before it shut off. I held my breath and tried to start it again, but there was no use.
I banged my head against the steering wheel, causing the horn to beep. I jumped and placed a hand over my chest. “Fuck.” I stepped out of the car, slammed the door, and slunk against it. “Fuck, fuck, fuck.”
“Car trouble?” Asher walked towards me.
“Shit.” I cursed under my breath and hoisted myself to my feet. “It won’t start.” I paused, dreading the next thing I would have to do. He was already in a pissy mood earlier. “I’ll call Preston to come get me.”
He snorted. “The fiance?” He shook his head as if the thought of calling Preston was the most absurd thing he’d ever heard. “How ‘bout I take a look at it?”
My shoulders slumped in defeat. “Okay. I’ll call him and let him know what’s going on.” I got back in the car to grab my phone out of my purse.
He snuck in beside me, pulling the lever under the steering wheel to pop the hood. When he pulled back, his fingers brushed against my thigh. He hesitated. His gaze met mine briefly before he walked away.
I let out a breath that I didn’t know I was holding before I stepped back out of the car. I bit my lip when I saw the sight in front of me. Asher bent over my engine. I never thought a man could look so good under the hood of a car.
My head filled with memories every time I looked at him. A feeling of nausea formed in the pit of my stomach as I called Preston. I called twice, but he didn’t answer. I pursed my lips. Normally, he was great about answering my calls on the first ring, but lately, he’d been putting me off. Instead of calling him again, I sent him a quick text to let him know the car wouldn’t start.
Asher shut the hood. “I’m thinking it’s a dead battery. Can you try starting it for me?”
I sighed. Great, a dead battery was exactly what I needed to make this day better. I bent into the car and started the engine. That chugging sound happened briefly before the car shut off. I frowned.
“Yep. It’s a dead battery. Did you get a hold of your fiance?” He strode over to me.
“He didn’t answer.”
His eyes twitched. “You’re fucking kidding.”
I shook my head.
He scratched his head and stared at me. “Listen, I know you’re pissed at me, but can I drive you home?”
My face scrunched. That didn’t sound like a good idea. I could barely be around him in the school, let alone in a car with just the two of us. I placed my hands on my hips. “Just leave me here.”
“I’m not leaving you.” He crossed his arms, and my eyes followed the movement. His muscles peeked out from his shirt.
“You’ve done it before.” My thought slipped out, and I slapped a hand over my mouth.
His eyes widened. “Faith, I didn’t—”
“Never mind. It’s not important. I didn’t mean to say that.” I waved my hand. “Can you just drop me off at home?”
He gave a firm nod and pointed toward the red Ford pickup truck. “Sure, let’s go.”
My knuckles turned white as I gripped the steering wheel. I listened to Faith rattle off directions to her home in the suburbs.
I fucking hated this. For seven years, I waited for a phone call, a text, something. Hell, even a message from Luca. Instead, I got nothing. Not a damn thing.
When I woke up next to her that morning, my heart throbbed like never before. I knew she was the one. I’d known since she was sixteen and went out of her way to take care of me when I stupidly got drunk at my seventeenth birthday party.
She looked peaceful, post-sex bliss, I didn’t want to wake her up and see her tears when I left that morning. So, I scribbled down a note on a piece of paper and put it on the nightstand. It said something cheesy like Faith, you’re it for me. Call me when you wake up. I love you. I poured my heart out on that shitty piece of paper. What did I get in return?
She posted on social media. She hung out with Luca. She changed her major in college and became a teacher. Luca kept me updated with some things. Apparently not all since he never shared that she was engaged. I never understood what I did wrong.
Then, I heard from Luca that her school was hiring a gym teacher a month into the school year. I was out of a job because of layoffs at my other school. So, I moved back to Violet Ridge and took the position. I knew I’d run into her, but I didn’t know I would be under her spell just like in high school.
Seven years I tried to forget her, but it did nothing except make me want her more. She broke me, yet here I was, begging for her attention. Again. I was pathetic and she was engaged to another fucking person.
“I’m sorry you have to take me home.” Her angelic voice broke through my thoughts. Her voice always seemed to have a soothing effect on me.
“Not like your fiance was going to,” I said as I snuck a quick glance at her.
She flinched, pursed her lips and stared out the window.
Fuck, why did I say that?
“I live in the brick home. There.” She pointed. “456.”
I pulled my truck into her driveway and cringed. It looked so out of place next to the Mustang. The landscaping was immaculate. The house was perfect. A little too perfect. It made my skin crawl just being here. How did she deal with it? We had grown up in the hills, the countryside. This didn’t seem like the right fit for her, yet here she was. With him, in that house. A pang of jealousy hit me.
“Whose car?”
Her bottom lip trembled, and my fingers itched to reach out and stop it. I balled my hands into fists.
“Preston’s,” she clipped, as her hand hovered over the door handle.
“He’s home but didn’t answer your call?” I gritted my teeth. What an asshole.
She opened the door and slammed it behind her.
I hopped out of my truck and followed close behind her. There was no way I’d let her go in there alone right now. Something in my gut was telling me not to. It could’ve been jealousy, but I had to meet him. I had to meet the guy who stole her heart.
“You don’t have to come in, Asher.”
Hearing my name from her was music to my ears. I’d give anything to hear it again. “I’d like to meet this Preston.”
She stared at me for a moment before she nodded her head. Her nose scrunched up slightly, as if it was distasteful. “If you want.” She opened the door to the house, and Preston was standing by it. He had been watching us.
His black hair was slicked back, he was clean-shaven, and his beady brown eyes watched me like I was his prey. The man gave me the creeps. I furrowed my eyebrows together.
“Who are you?” He sneered. His nose turned upward like I was beneath him.
“This is Asher. He’s Luca’s friend. He’s my coworker now, too.” Faith spoke up as she strolled over and planted a kiss on his cheek.
My blood boiled, and I looked away. The thought of them being together, in the way we had been, made my stomach churn.
“Why is he here?” The tone in his voice as he spoke to her made my eyes snap back to them. Faith’s eyes were downcast, and her shoulders slumped in defeat.
“I’m here because her fiance couldn’t pick up the damn phone.” My jaw ticked in annoyance. The man had started to piss me off. I tried to keep my mouth shut, but seeing Faith standing there like that awakened the beast inside.
The anger that shot through me was not something I’d felt before.
His shoulders shook as he laughed. “Is that so? I didn’t get a call from her.”
/> “I called you twice,” she said, and nervously twisted the ends of her hair.
That was something she used to do all the time.
His arm slid over her shoulders as he pulled her into him. He gave me a scathing glare. “Asher. Hmm, I feel like I’ve heard your name before.”
Faith’s cheeks were rosy as she stared at me.
“Faith and I were really close in high school. We’re just getting reacquainted,” I smirked.
He looked away from me and narrowed his eyes at Faith.
I rubbed my hands together and adjusted my gaze to Faith. “I live on the back road a few streets down. We should carpool until you get your car situation fixed.”
She nodded and moved away from Preston. “That would be helpful. Thank you, Asher.”
Something about her moving away from him made my chest puff out. I knew I shouldn’t be looking too much into that, but I couldn’t help it. She was the love of my life. No matter how much time had passed. My feelings had never changed.
“Let me know if you need anything. If you ever do, I’m only a call away.” My eyes shifted to Preston, who looked like he was about to explode. I gave Faith a smile before I excused myself.
When I was back in my truck, I dialed Luca to bitch at him for not telling me she was engaged.
I dialed him, put the phone on speaker, and drove away from their stuffy neighborhood.
“Hey man,” his casual voice came through.
I bit the inside of my cheek. “Why didn’t you tell me she was fucking engaged?”
He paused, and I heard shuffling on the other end. “How was I supposed to? I know what she means to you. How could I tell you she was engaged to a snotty ass lawyer?”
“Maybe just giving me a heads up would have sufficed?”
“You’re right. I should’ve said something.” He sighed. “I’m sorry.”
I slammed my hand against the dashboard. “Her car broke down. That asshole wouldn’t answer the phone, so I took her home. I met Preston.” His name sounded vile coming from my lips.
