Asher stares at me for what feels like forever.

"Pinch me, Estella," he says.

"Huh?"

"I must be fucking dreaming."

My mouth curls up into a smile. "You aren't."

I pinch him anyway.

"Fuck, ow!" He laughs. "What the fuck?"

I shrug. "For proof."

His giant pupils stare right into mine. I'm not the best at keeping eye contact, but I can't seem to look away from him right now.

"I'm stupid, Asher." I blurt out. His eyebrows furrow at my words. " I'm so, so stupid because you poured your heart out to me and I told you that the kiss was a mistake. I know that wasn't easy for you, and I also know that it's not something you do often, and I shot you down."

He shakes his head. "Stop, it's okay."

"No, just listen to me for a sec."

I take a deep breath and he lets me continue. "I lied by telling you I didn't feel the same for such a long time. I know you probably already know that, but I'm still gonna tell you, anyways," I continue, taking a fistful of the fabric of his t-shirt. "The kiss at the museum wasn't a mistake. It's so far from being a mistake, Asher... I need you to know that cause you deserve the truth. And I'm sorry it took me so long to realize it."

He smiles. "It did take you a while."

I laugh weakly and bite my lip. "I know. I'm sorry."

He shakes his head lightly and brings his hand up to my face. His fingers wrap around my chin and his thumb pulls my bottom lip from between my teeth.

"I get it," he whispers. "Don't be sorry."

He presses his lips to mine in a slow kiss. My hands wrap around his neck and my fingers rake through his hair as our lips move in sync with each other.

His tongue enters my mouth, rolling against mine as he pulls me closer to him.

I can't get enough of this feeling. I can't get enough of him.

His right hand travels down my body, gripping onto my thigh. His lips leave mine, instead traveling down to my jaw, then to my neck. I bite my lip as he gently sucks on the skin, moving his lips to the opposite side and doing the same there.

His mouth stays on my neck for a long time. My eyes flutter shut and my stomach does somersaults each time his lips come in contact with my skin.

My phone rings in my back pocket. I ignore it, anyone calling at this time can wait.

I pull his hair, guiding his lips back onto mine. I have no idea what I'm doing, but he seems to like it.

"Fuck," he whispers against my mouth.

I smile. He smiles, too.

My phone continues to ring in my pocket. He pulls away from me and looks me in the eyes. "You should just answer that. Whoever it is really needs to talk to you right now."

I smile sheepishly as I reach behind me to grab my phone. Asher pulls away, adjusting his pants as he takes a step back.

"It's my mom."

"Block her ass, Estella."

"I can't," I reply. "Asher, she didn't know I went out tonight."

"Yeah, no shit."

I slap his arm. "Rude."

I slide my thumb across the screen to pick up the call. Bracing myself for her anger, I pull my phone away from my ear slightly.

"Where the hell are you, Estella?"

I gulp. "Hi to you too, Mom."

"I don't have time for your jokes right now," she replies sternly. "Who the hell do you think you are, sneaking out of the house like we wouldn't notice?"

Asher takes a step closer to me and rests his hands on my thighs. He looks at me then looks down, his hands slowly making their way up to my waist.

My eyes widen as I twist away from him. "Wendy Darling?"

Asher mouths, Peter Pan?

I press my index finger to my lips. The mere thought of my mother hearing his voice on the other end terrifies me on another level.

"You better get your ass home right now."

Say no.

"Okay," I respond.

She hangs up without another word. I stuff my phone back into my pocket.

"I have to go home."

He shakes his head. "Fuck no. Stay here."

"Asher—"

"I'm being deadass with you."

"I'm eventually gonna have to go back to the house anyways. Staying here with you is only gonna make it worse, trust me."

He runs a hand through his hair. "I'll take you then."

I bite my lip. "I don't think that's a good idea."

He furrows his eyebrows before walking away. Moments later, he's back with a pair of Nikes on and his car keys in hand. I slide off the counter. Without a word, he opens the door, letting me know there's no arguing him on this.

"What if my mom and Matthew are just standing outside ready to beat me when we get there?" I ask as I get inside of his car. He closes it for me and circles around to the driver's seat.

"Any guy that drives a silver minivan can suck my dick," he replies.

"Ew, Asher." I grimace, shaking my head. "Stop talking that way. You sound like a fifth grader who just learned how to cuss."

He laughs. "It's just natural. I can't control it."

"Yes, you can."

He glances at me. "No, you're right. I can use my mouth for much better things."

Instinctively, I slap a hand over my mouth. "Asher."

He smiles. "What?"

"What? You know what."

"I don't, actually," he replies, turning his head to face me. "Can you tell me?"

He is so annoying.

"Okay, anyway..." He laughs. "I'll stop cussing."

"No you won't."

He scoffs. "Yeah, I will."

I would bet my entire life savings (not saying much, but that's not the point) on the fact that Asher is incapable of going one day without cursing at least 80 times total. One day, I'll count.

"I bet you won't be able to."

He pushes his tongue against the inside of his cheek, his eyes on my lips. "What are we betting?"

I hum in thought. "If you can refrain yourself from cursing at all for one whole week, I'll stay a night at your house."

"A whole week?" He repeats. "How about one whole day."

"No way. One week, take it or leave it."

"That's like me asking you to refrain from chomping the inside of your cheek for five whole minutes," he says, still attempting to negotiate the bet. "Now how would you feel if I asked that of you?"

I narrow my eyes. "You're not funny. And I don't chomp, thank you very much."

He throws his hands up in defeat. "Fuck, alright. One week it is."

"You just lost!"

"Starting Monday."

He starts up the car and backs out of his driveway. The ride from his house to mine is quiet considering it's only about a ten second drive. He slows down as we near my house, stopping right in front of it.

The lights downstairs are still on, and I have no doubt that my mom is waiting for me to return so she can lecture me about sneaking out. Maybe she'll have some sort of shock collar that she'll use on me to keep me from ever doing anything behind her back again.

"I'll see you Monday," I say as I open the car door. "Thank you for bringing me."

He nods in response. As I'm about to get out of the car, I lean over to him and press a kiss to his cheek.

"Okay. Good night." I smile before stepping out of the car and shutting the door behind me.

He doesn't drive away until I open the front door and enter my house. It's quiet inside, presumably because everyone's sleeping. Everyone except Matthew and my mom, that is.

As I remove my shoes, I hear their footsteps rushing over to me. "I'm really tired right now. Do you think you could lecture me tomorrow, Mother?"

I stand up from my crouched position. She stares at me with her arms crossed. Her boyfriend stands behind her, a concerned expression on his face. I'm sure she has so much to say right about now but is only biting her tongue because she's afraid of what he'll think of her. Maybe having him around isn't the worst thing in the world.

"You can't leave without letting me know first," she says. "You're setting an awful example for the kids. You're supposed to be a role model for them, Estella. Not a delinquent."

I swallow. "Sorry."

She looks me up and down, undoubtably judging my choice of outfit. When neither of them say anything else, I begin to walk away toward the staircase.

Turning on my light, I toss my shoes to the ground and walk over to my closet.

"Estella."

I whip my head around, my eyes widening once I see Ansley sitting on the edge of my bed, clad in a pair of black pajama shorts and a blue Nike hoodie. She holds up her arms innocently.

"What are you doing in here?" I ask.

"Where were you?"

"Out. What are you doing in here?"

"I wanted to talk to you."

I look around my room before facing her again. "I'm really tired. You think we can talk tomorrow instead?"

She sighs, standing from my bed. "I just wanted to ask how you did it."

I furrow my eyebrows. "Did what?"

"Snuck out," she replies. "Do you have like a whole process, a specific route or something?"

I stare at her, my mouth agape. She waves a hand, an attempt to gain my attention. Am I dreaming or is she seeking advice on how to sneak out of this house?

Why is she in here?

"The window," I reply. "I left through my window."

"Like, when we were watching movies?"

I nod. "Can I go to sleep now?"

"Yeah, of course. Sorry." She walks away, heading for the door. Before she shuts it, she looks back at me with a sheepish smile. "I should probably let you know... you, um, have a little something."

She points to her neck. I hold mine as she leaves my room. Once she's gone, I look at myself in the mirror, removing my hand from its place on my neck.

Sure enough, a mark reveals itself on my neck, a couple of inches above my collarbone. I move my hair around to the front, grateful that it now reaches well below my shoulders.

Once I'm dressed in a pair of sweats and a plain red t-shirt, I crawl into my bed. I lie on my back, staring at the dark ceiling as I replay tonight's events over and over in my head. 

-

author's note;

hello everyone!! you all probably hate me I AM SO SORRY FOR TAKING FIVE EVER TO UPDATE

I feel so bad cause I know how it feels to wait for a story and not know whether the author will finish it or not but I promise I'm going to finish this book!

thank you all for being patient with me ily <33

- blizfvl