I smirk. “Don’t sound so excited.”
I step closer to her, noticing how her deep red hair is sticking to her sweat-slicked skin. She’s wearing a black shirt that hugs her body and shows a sliver of her midsection and some shorts. I never really looked at her when we were younger. I didn’t care to. But she’s all woman now. Curves for days, and I can see how strong she looks from all the dancing she does. She got fucking gorgeous.
Her blue eyes track over me, the same way mine did to her, and I see her throat bob with a swallow. I want to know what she’s thinking. I’m about to ask, but then she speaks again.
“I just didn’t expect to see you here.”
“I have a fight tomorrow. You coming?”
She scrunches her nose. “As fun as that sounds, I have to be in Los Angeles tomorrow.”
“You don’t like fighting? Isn’t your whole family hockey players?”
Rae shrugs. “Not all of them fight.”
I scoff. “I’m sure your boyfriend does.”
She tilts her head to the side and gives me a puzzled look. “I don’t have a boyfriend.”
“No? That Wheeler kid hasn’t gotten the balls to say anything to you yet? Or did you already break his heart?” Everyone knows Grayson Wheeler has a hard-on for Rae, and the only people that didn’t seem to do anything about it was them.
“Hi Asher, long time no see. Thanks for coming to my show, this has been great catching up.” She rolls her eyes and turns to walk away. I stop her with a hand on her arm that has her whipping back around with narrowed eyes.
“I didn’t come to piss you off. I was just curious.”
She pulls her arm from my loose grip. “Why does it matter?”
“Wondered what I missed back home.”
“I’m sure you talk to Audrey. She can tell you all the gossip.”
I grit my teeth, not wanting to admit that I don’t really talk to my sister. I don’t really talk to anyone.
“Like I said, this has been fun. Good luck on your fight tomorrow.” She turns to walk away again, and this time I don’t stop her. Instead, I watch her hips sway as she walks away and appreciate the view.
I guess it doesn’t matter anyway. It’s not like I’m going to see her again. It would take a lot for me to go back to Denver and it’s something I’m going to avoid at all costs.
None of them want me back anyway. Including Audrey. I’ve never fit in with them, and now I feel like I fit in even less. Though, I would’ve thought Grayson and Rae would be married and shit by now with the way they were always so googly eyed at each other.
I think about her reaction, and wonder if they really aren’t together, or if they were and it didn’t work out. Even though Inever looked at Rae with interest before, I’d be an idiot not to be interested now. Though I doubt she wants anything to do with me, maybe she could see that we could have a little fun.
I’m always down for a little fun. And if I’m lucky, Rae could be into that too.
CHAPTER 3
Rae
Asher doesn’t look like how I remember. His attitude, on the other hand, is exactly how I remember. Maybe even worse.
Physically, I could see how massive he got even underneath the hoodie he was wearing. The fabric strained around his arms. His dark hair is short on the sides and longer on the top. He had a piece falling onto his forehead I wanted to push back but resisted. His hazel eyes looked so intense when all his focus was on me. It’s like he wasn’t just looking, he was seeing more than just what is on the surface.
But he doesn’t let anyone see anything below the surface with him. He’s the most closed off person I’ve ever met, and that doesn’t seem to have changed much.
My phone starts to ring in my hand, and I look down to see Grayson’s name. I speed walk back to my dressing room to answer, “Hey.”
“Hi Sunshine, how was your show?” Grayson’s cheerful voice greets me.
“Amazing.” I slump in a chair, my feet screaming at me. “What did you do tonight? Stare at yourself in the mirror?”