and puffy as usual. It turns out I’ve spent fewer nights with my mind lingering in the past and more thinking of Asher. He makes me look forward to my tomorrows, and he’s always pushing me to try new things.
I put my hair up to keep the wind from blowing it into my face, and then quickly brush my teeth before joining Asher in the living room. He looks tired and worn out today. If I left him alone for a few more minutes, he probably would have fallen asleep.
“Are you ready?” I ask, startling him.
He switches the TV off and stretches before standing up and walking in my direction. My breathing begins to accelerate as he moves closer with this intense, burning look in his eyes. As soon as he’s within reach, he grabs my hand in his and walks us out the door to his car. I can barely keep up, he’s moving so fast. He opens my door and waits for me to climb in before crouching down on the grass so that our eyes are level.
“You need to understand that I’d never hurt you. Every time we’re alone or I get too close to you, you look so scared of me, and I can’t stand it when you look at me like that, Kate.”
He doesn’t wait for me to respond. He stands and closes my door, leaving me speechless. I think a lot of people misinterpret my fear for sadness. I’m not a happy girl but the one thing that holds me back more than anything is the feeling that someone or something is out there waiting to cause me pain. I feel like that every single day, and it’s exhausting. I can’t believe how easily he sees through me. He’s learned more about me in one week than anyone else has picked up on in years.
He doesn’t bother looking at me when he gets into the car and puts it in drive. I relax, sinking down into my seat as we drive through town toward the lake. It’s only a ten-minute walk from my house, but Asher seems to be attached to his car. It would be nice to have in case it rains. God, please don’t let it start raining.
As we pull up a gravel driveway, I notice Asher’s dock is on the opposite side of the lake from the beach that Beau and I frequented as kids. This side is full of houses; some big ones owned by successful business people in the area and some smaller ones used mostly for fishing. It turns out Asher’s dad has one of the smaller log cabin type homes out here. It’s cute, but I think the deck out back is bigger than the entire house.
Asher turns the car off and turns to face me. “Ready?”
“Yeah.” I smile.
It turns out fishing is more relaxing than I ever thought it could be. Instead of being nervous because it’s only the two of us, I feel comfortable, and I think I shock both of us when I laugh at Asher’s attempt to get me to put my own worm on the hook. The sun may not be out today, but I feel warmth shining through my soul as I’m able to forget everything.
It’s quiet out here. Every now and then, we hear birds fly over or the wind blowing through the long grass, but everything else is still. If you come out during the summer, the lake is packed with boats, but today we only see one small fishing boat in the distance.
My bobber goes under water, causing me to scream like a schoolgirl. I don’t remember the last time I was this excited about anything. I start to reel it in, but it must be hooked on something because my pole is bending, but the line isn’t moving.
Asher steps behind me, wrapping his arms around mine to grip the pole on either side of my hands. I take a few deep breaths to ease the grip on my chest. “Take it easy. We’re going to move it a little to the left and try it again,” he whispers, his mouth not far from my ear. He guides my hands to the left until we’re able to reel the line in. When the hook finally lifts from the water, all that’s on it is seaweed.
“So I guess I don’t have the first catch of the day,” I joke, laughing for the second time today.
“I guess not,” he laughs, keeping one hand on the pole and wrapping the other
I put my hair up to keep the wind from blowing it into my face, and then quickly brush my teeth before joining Asher in the living room. He looks tired and worn out today. If I left him alone for a few more minutes, he probably would have fallen asleep.
“Are you ready?” I ask, startling him.
He switches the TV off and stretches before standing up and walking in my direction. My breathing begins to accelerate as he moves closer with this intense, burning look in his eyes. As soon as he’s within reach, he grabs my hand in his and walks us out the door to his car. I can barely keep up, he’s moving so fast. He opens my door and waits for me to climb in before crouching down on the grass so that our eyes are level.
“You need to understand that I’d never hurt you. Every time we’re alone or I get too close to you, you look so scared of me, and I can’t stand it when you look at me like that, Kate.”
He doesn’t wait for me to respond. He stands and closes my door, leaving me speechless. I think a lot of people misinterpret my fear for sadness. I’m not a happy girl but the one thing that holds me back more than anything is the feeling that someone or something is out there waiting to cause me pain. I feel like that every single day, and it’s exhausting. I can’t believe how easily he sees through me. He’s learned more about me in one week than anyone else has picked up on in years.
He doesn’t bother looking at me when he gets into the car and puts it in drive. I relax, sinking down into my seat as we drive through town toward the lake. It’s only a ten-minute walk from my house, but Asher seems to be attached to his car. It would be nice to have in case it rains. God, please don’t let it start raining.
As we pull up a gravel driveway, I notice Asher’s dock is on the opposite side of the lake from the beach that Beau and I frequented as kids. This side is full of houses; some big ones owned by successful business people in the area and some smaller ones used mostly for fishing. It turns out Asher’s dad has one of the smaller log cabin type homes out here. It’s cute, but I think the deck out back is bigger than the entire house.
Asher turns the car off and turns to face me. “Ready?”
“Yeah.” I smile.
It turns out fishing is more relaxing than I ever thought it could be. Instead of being nervous because it’s only the two of us, I feel comfortable, and I think I shock both of us when I laugh at Asher’s attempt to get me to put my own worm on the hook. The sun may not be out today, but I feel warmth shining through my soul as I’m able to forget everything.
It’s quiet out here. Every now and then, we hear birds fly over or the wind blowing through the long grass, but everything else is still. If you come out during the summer, the lake is packed with boats, but today we only see one small fishing boat in the distance.
My bobber goes under water, causing me to scream like a schoolgirl. I don’t remember the last time I was this excited about anything. I start to reel it in, but it must be hooked on something because my pole is bending, but the line isn’t moving.
Asher steps behind me, wrapping his arms around mine to grip the pole on either side of my hands. I take a few deep breaths to ease the grip on my chest. “Take it easy. We’re going to move it a little to the left and try it again,” he whispers, his mouth not far from my ear. He guides my hands to the left until we’re able to reel the line in. When the hook finally lifts from the water, all that’s on it is seaweed.
“So I guess I don’t have the first catch of the day,” I joke, laughing for the second time today.
“I guess not,” he laughs, keeping one hand on the pole and wrapping the other
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