She’s driving us back home from school. The seniors all got out early for our last day. Asher has been picking me up from school, but I didn’t know it was a half day, so I grabbed a ride with Emily. I’m hoping to surprise him. I’m pretty sure during the day when I’m at school he works from his laptop.

“I’m fine.” She shrugs one of her shoulders.

“Fine? Doesn't that mean that you're really not okay?” I push.

Emily has been off since her father’s birthday party, which was over a week ago. She’s so involved in school I thought unlike most she might be upset about it coming to an end. But I think it’s something else.

“I have a lot on my mind is all.”

“You can talk to me about it if you want,” I offer, hating seeing her this way. Emily is always so chipper and full of life. It’s like a switch flipped or something, and she’s become quiet and keeps to herself a lot more.

“How about what’s going on with you and my brother?” She tosses a smirk my way, changing the subject. My face warms. “When are you two going to stop sneaking around?”

“I’ve been waiting.” I wring my fingers together. I’m really not sure how everyone is going to take to the idea of Asher and me being a thing. We’ve been living more in the moment. There hasn’t been a ton of talk about what’s next. I keep thinking any day now he’s going to tell me that he’s heading back to Japan, but he hasn’t.

He’s turned into a freaking sweetheart for the most part. There is still a very bossy side to him. One I love. All the air leaves my lungs as the one word lingers in my mind. Love. No, that can’t be possible. It’s only been a little over a week since all of this started. It all happened so quickly. I’d melted right into the man's hands.

“Waiting for what?”

“I don’t know. I guess I’m scared,” I admit, opening up to her.

“You think your mom will be upset?”

“I don’t know.” I bite my bottom lip. Asher has been sweet to me, but there’s something off when it comes to the way he treats my mom. He’s not mean, but there is a stiffness that I pick up on when he talks to her. I’m not sure if it’s because of what’s going on between him and me or something else. He’s been nice, just as he promised, but it’s off. Mom can sense it too.