Two weeks passed in a blur of tutoring sessions.
Kael found himself looking forward to their meetings in a way that had nothing to do with the bet. He started actually reading the assigned chapters. Started thinking about Asher's interpretations during his free time. Started finding excuses to text him outside of their scheduled sessions.
KAEL: Random question—do you think Gatsby actually loved Daisy or just the idea of her?
ASHER: Oh! I think he loved the memory of who she was before he left. But people change, and he refused to see that. Why?
KAEL: Just thinking about what you said in our last session. It reminded me of something.
ASHER: What?
KAEL: Nothing important. See you tomorrow?
ASHER: Can't wait! :)
Those smiley faces were going to kill him.
"You're texting him again," Jax observed during lunch, not bothering to look up from his own phone.
"Just coordinating our next session," Kael lied smoothly.
"Right. Because you need to text him at midnight about books." River smirked. "Dude, you're supposed to be seducing him, not actually becoming friends."
"I am seducing him," Kael snapped. "This is called building trust."
"For two weeks straight?"
"Quality takes time."
Jax finally looked up, his expression thoughtful. "You know what? He's right. The long game is smarter anyway. Make Quinn actually fall for you, then the payoff is bigger."
Kai's"Yeah. Exactly."
"So when are you actually going to make a move?" River pressed. "You've been doing this wholesome study buddy thing for a while now. Boring."
"I'm planning something," Kael said. "Trust me."
It wasn't entirely a lie. He was planning something. He just wasn't sure anymore if it was for the bet or because he genuinely wanted to spend more time with Asher outside the library.
This is getting out of hand, he thought. I need to either commit to the bet or back out.
But backing out meant admitting defeat. Meant dealing with Jax and River's mockery. Meant explaining why he suddenly grew a conscience.
And committing to the bet meant...
He looked down at his phone, at Asher's last message with its cheerful emoticon, and felt like the worst person alive.
"You're going to wear a hole in the floor."
Asher stopped pacing and turned to face Elliot, who was sprawled across his bed reading a manga.
"Sorry. I'm just nervous."
"About what? It's your fifth tutoring session."
"Sixth. And I don't know. Kael's been... different lately."
Elliot raised an eyebrow. "Different how?"
"He texts me. Like, outside of school stuff. We talked for three hours last night about whether superheroes are modern mythology."
"Sounds thrilling."
"It was!" Asher's face heated. "And he remembers things I tell him. Like, I mentioned once that I love chai lattes, and yesterday he brought me one to our session."
Elliot sat up, his expression serious now. "Ash..."
"I know what you're going to say."
"Do you? Because from where I'm sitting, you're falling for this guy hard and fast, and I'm not convinced his intentions are good."
"You don't know him like I do," Asher protested.
"You've known him for two weeks!"
"And in those two weeks, I've seen a side of him nobody else sees. He's not just the arrogant influencer everyone thinks he is. He's thoughtful and funny and—"
"And way out of your league," Elliot finished gently. "Ash, I love you, but you need to be realistic here. Why would someone like Kael Everhart—who could have literally anyone in the school—suddenly be interested in you?"
The words stung, even though Elliot didn't mean them cruelly. Because Asher had asked himself the same question a hundred times.
"Maybe he likes that I'm different," Asher said quietly. "Maybe he's tired of people who only care about his status."
"Or maybe he's playing you."
"You don't know that."
"And you don't know that he's not." Elliot stood, walking over to grip Asher's shoulders. "Look, I hope I'm wrong. I really, truly hope this is real and he's actually a decent guy underneath all that popularity. But please, please protect your heart. Don't give it away to someone who might just be collecting it for sport."
Asher wanted to argue. Wanted to insist that Elliot was being unfair.
But doubt lingered like a shadow.
What if he's right? What if this is all just some elaborate joke?
His phone buzzed.
KAEL: Change of plans for today? Instead of the library, want to grab coffee? There's this place downtown that's supposed to have amazing pastries. My treat.
Asher's heart leaped.
That sounds like a date. That sounds like an actual date.
ASHER: Sure! What time?
KAEL: I'll pick you up at 4? Send me your address.
Elliot read over his shoulder and groaned. "He's taking you on a date now?"
"It's not a date. It's just... coffee."
"Right. And I'm just the Pope having a casual Tuesday." Elliot flopped back on the bed dramatically. "Well, when this all goes to hell, I'm going to be insufferable about being right."
"Noted," Asher murmured, but he was already mentally going through his closet.
Coffee with Kael. Outside of school. Just the two of us.
His hands trembled slightly as he typed his address.
This was happening.
This was really happening.
Kael pulled up to Asher's house at exactly 4 PM.
He texted Asher that he was outside and waited, drumming his fingers on the steering wheel.
This is fine. This is just coffee. No big deal.
Except it felt like a big deal. He'd spent an hour deciding what to wear—casual but not too casual, nice but not trying too hard. He'd settled on dark jeans, a fitted white t-shirt, and a leather jacket.
The front door opened, and Kael's breath caught.
Asher had clearly put effort in too. He wore a soft cream sweater that made him look impossibly delicate, dark jeans that actually fit instead of his usual too-big clothes, and he'd done something different with his hair—still soft and slightly messy, but deliberately so.
He was beautiful.
Stop it. Focus.
Asher approached the car shyly, and Kael leaned over to open the passenger door.
"Hey."
"Hi." Asher slid in, clutching his messenger bag like a lifeline. "Nice car."
"Thanks. Birthday present."
"Must have been some birthday."
Kael pulled away from the curb, hyper-aware of Asher's presence beside him. The fer smelled like vanilla and something floral. Jasmine, maybe?
"So this coffee place," Asher said, clearly trying to fill the silence. "How'd you find it?"
"My mom did a feature on it for her lifestyle blog. Said it was 'authentically artisanal' or whatever." Kael made a face. "But the pictures looked good, so I thought we could check it out."
"That sounds nice."
He turned on music—something neutral, indie pop—and tried to focus on driving instead of the way Asher's fingers played with the hem of his sweater.
The Gilded Bean was tucked into a trendy part of downtown, all exposed brick and hanging plants. Definitely the kind of place his mother would love. Probably overpriced, but Kael didn't care about that.
He packed the car."Ready?"
Asher nodded, and they walked in together.
The café was moderately busy—college students on laptops, a few couples, some remote workers. Kael was relieved when no one seemed to recognize him. Or if they did, they were polite enough not to make a scene.
"What do you want?" he asked as they approached the counter.
"Oh, I can pay for myself—"
"Asher. I invited you. What do you want?"
Asher bit his lip, studying the menu. "Um... the chai latte? And maybe a croissant?"
"Excellent choice." Kael turned to the barista. "One chai latte, one black coffee, two chocolate croissants, and... do you have those lemon tarts in the display case?"
"We do!"
"Great. Two of those too."
"Kael, that's too much—"
"Nonsense. We're celebrating."
"Celebrating what?"
Kael grinned. "You got me to actually enjoy reading. That deserves pastries."
They found a corner table by the window.
Asher looked overwhelmed by the amount of food.
"I can't eat all this."
"Then I'll help. Come on, try the croissant. It's supposed to be amazing."
Asher took a tentative bite and his eyes went wide. "Oh my god."
"Good?"
"This might be the best thing I've ever eaten."
Kael laughed.
Cute. He's so damn cute.
"So," Asher said
"Tell me about basketball. You never talk about it during our sessions."
"Not much to tell. I'm captain. We're doing okay this season."
"I saw some of your highlights on Instagram. You're really good."
"You looked me up on Instagram?" Kael couldn't help but tease.
Asher flushed. "I—well—everyone knows your account."
"Do you follow me?"
"...Maybe."
"I don't see you in my followers list."
"I might have a private account. That I use to, um, observe. Silently."
Kael laughed again. "Observe silently? You mean lurk?"
"I prefer 'observe silently.'" But Asher was smiling now, relaxed. "You post a lot about games and workouts. Some stuff with your friends. But never anything really personal."
"What do you mean?"
"Like... what you actually care about. What makes you happy beyond basketball and parties."
The question hit deeper than Kael expected. "I don't know if I have an answer to that."
"Really? Nothing?"
Kael thought about it. Really thought about it. "Honestly? These past couple weeks. Talking to you about books and life and random philosophical shit at midnight. That's been... nice."
He hadn't meant to be that honest. The words just came out.
Asher's cheeks turned pink. "Really?"
"Really. You're easy to talk to. You don't judge. You just... listen."
"Most people don't think I'm easy to talk to. They think I'm boring."
"Then most people are idiots." Kael said.
"You're really good at this, you know."
"At what?"
"Making people feel special. Seen." Asher's smile was soft. "I bet you don't even realize you're doing it."
Guilt crashed over Kael like a wave.
He thinks this is real. He thinks you're actually this person.
"Asher—"
"I know this is probably just you being nice," Asher continued, looking down at his hands. "I know we're from different worlds and after the tutoring is done, you'll probably go back to your life and forget I exist. But for what it's worth, these past two weeks have been really special to me."
Kael's chest felt too tight. "Why would you think I'd forget about you?"
"Because that's how it works, right? People like you don't stay friends with people like me."
"Stop saying that. 'People like you, people like me.' We're just people, Asher."
"Are we though?" Asher finally looked up, and his eyes were sad. "Be honest, Kael. Before two weeks ago, did you even know I existed?"
The answer was no. Absolutely not. But Kael couldn't bring himself to say it.
"I know you now," he said instead. "Isn't that what matters?"
"I want to believe that."
"Then believe it." Kael reached across the table, covering Asher's hand with his own.
But Asher's face brightened, hope blooming like spring flowers. "Okay."
"Okay?"
"I'll believe you." Asher turned his hand over, palm to palm with Kael's. "But if you're playing with me, I reserve the right to be devastated."
He said it like a joke, but Kael heard the truth underneath.
Don't do this. Tell him the truth. End this now before it gets worse.
Instead, he squeezed Asher's hand gently. "I would never play with you."
They stayed at the café for two more hours, talking about everything and nothing. Asher told him about his parents—his mer dad who worked construction, his fer father who was a nurse. About growing up middle-class in a world of wealth. About his dreams of becoming a teacher because he loved helping people understand things.
Kael found himself sharing too—about the pressure of being an Everhart, about his mother's obsession with their "brand," about feeling like he was living someone else's life.
"Why don't you just... stop?" Asher asked. "Do what you want instead?"
"It's not that simple."
"Why not?"
"Because I don't know what I want." Kael laughed bitterly. "I've spent so long being what everyone expects that I've lost track of who I actually am."
"Then maybe it's time to figure that out."
Asher said it so simply, like it was the easiest thing in the world.
Maybe it could be, Kael thought. With him.
By the time they left, the sun was setting. Kael drove Asher home slowly, not wanting the evening to end.
When they pulled up to Asher's house, neither moved to get out.
"Thanks for today," Asher said softly. "This was... really nice."
"We should do it again. Next week, after our session?"
"I'd like that."
They sat there in the gathering darkness, the car engine ticking as it cooled. Kael turned to look at Asher properly—the soft curve of his jaw.
the slight part of his lips.
I could kiss him right now. He'd probably let me. This would be the perfect move.
But something stopped him. Some last shred of decency that refused to cheapen what they'd shared today.
"Goodnight, Asher."
"Goodnight, Kael."
Asher got out, but paused before closing the door. "Hey, Kael?"
"Yeah?"
"I'm really glad you talked to me that day. At my locker."
He closed the door before Kael could respond, jogging up to his house. At the door, he turned and waved.
Kael waved back, then sat there long after Asher had gone inside.
His phone buzzed. Multiple times.
JAX: Update?
RIVER: Tell me you sealed the deal
JAX: Come on man, it's been two weeks
RIVER: At this rate we'll graduate before you close
Kael stared at the messages, then at Asher's house where a light had just turned on in what must be his bedroom.
He could do this. Could go through with the bet. Seduce Asher, win the game, collect his prize.
Instead, he put his phone away without responding and drove home in silence, Asher's smile burned into his memory.
Author's Note: THE TENSION! Kael is in DEEP and doesn't want to admit it. That hand-holding scene? The GUILT? I'm screaming. Meanwhile Asher is falling hard and Elliot is the only one with brain cells. Next chapter: things get more complicated when Jax and River decide to "help" 😈 Comment your thoughts! Is Kael going to confess or dig himself deeper? -AzureSkies