“Me too,” he said with a warm smile that melted me.
“We should get out of here,” he said.
“Okay, I’ll see you out front in twenty,” I replied.
We both got out of the water.
Asher whistled playfully. “Hot get-up, Claire.”
I didn’t know what to make of him, even if I still felt the need to rip his clothes off.
I laughed. “This is the least hot outfit I could find.”
My hair was tucked away. I looked like an alien with goggles, and even though the swimsuit was high-cut it was one piece and crushed my boobs, making them look flat.
I shook my head and giggled. His eyes danced with humor, and we watched each other disappear into the changerooms.
Asher was leaningagainst the counter like he’d been waiting longer than he wanted to admit. A hoodie covered his torso now, gym bag over one shoulder. He straightened when he saw me.
“You good?” he asked.
There was something softer in his voice.
“I’m fine,” I said, adjusting the strap of my bag.
His eyes moved over me briefly, not in a way that felt possessive, just aware.
“I’ll walk you,” he said.
“I told you I’m fine.”
“I know,” he replied evenly. “I still want to.”
We stepped outside together. The air had cooled since earlier, the sky deepening into evening blue. The parking lot was mostly empty. My car came into view. That’s when I saw it. A folded piece of paper tucked beneath my windshield wiper. My steps slowed. Asher noticed immediately.
“What’s that?” he asked.
“I don’t know,” I replied.
I reached for it. My heart began to pound in a way that had nothing to do with swimming. The paper was slightly damp from the air. The handwriting was rough. Block letters. No signature. Your friend’s death was avenged.For a moment, everything around me felt distant.
“What does it say?” Asher asked quietly.
I handed it to him instead of answering.
His eyes scanned the line once. Then again, slower this time. His jaw tightened almost imperceptibly.
“This wasn’t here when you came in?” he asked.
“No.”
“You’re sure?”
“Yes.”
He looked around the lot instinctively, like someone might still be watching from the shadows. The wordavengedsat heavy in my chest. Someone believed there had been something to avenge. Someone believed justice had already been handled. Or someone wanted me to think it had.
“What does that even mean?” I murmured.