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"You and me! Nope!"

"Why would you like me?"

"Do you think you like me?"

"Don't. Don't like me."

"Your brother likes me, and even though he had lied low, it'll only bring trouble. It won't benefit anyone."

"This growing interest… is not anywhere near love. It's simply a desire to make a point. Don't use me to make a point, Young Master Quinn. Cut both of us some slack."

"Is this desire even more important than your relationship with your brother?"

"I can only offer friendship to you…"

Cosette's words kept replaying in Asher's head throughout the day. The two of them barely had any exchange after that, letting Ezekiel carry their conversation all alone. Even when they regrouped with the adults, the two of them acted civil, as if they had this silent agreement to avoid each other for the time being.

Evening fell quickly and after another outdoor dinner with everyone, Asher returned to the guest room where he was staying in the Blac's ancestral home. Ezekiel told him to join the adults for a few drinks since it was their last night together, but he politely refused.

Yet, he brought a bottle of wine to his room to make himself fall asleep. As he savored a glass of wine, that was when his conversation with Cosette earlier today resurfaced in his memories again.

Sitting on the floor of the courtyard of his room, Asher gazed at the nothingness.

"She can be very frustrating," he mumbled, chugging down a glassful of wine. He hissed at the bitterness of the strong wine, which seemed to go straight into his heart, making him feel stuffy.

A deep breath escaped his open mouth, shutting his eyes closed. He cocked his head back, ignoring the slight throb in his head. When he reopened his eyes ever so tenderly, the image of Cosette flashed before his eyes.

"Friendship…" he whispered, only to chuckle in ridicule. "... liar. Even that… you can't give."

Asher had seen with his own two eyes how Cosette treated Luke and Maxen. The three of them had a great friendship that anyone would be envious of. However, Cosette, even from the very beginning, treated Asher differently.

At first, Asher thought it was because he and Cosette didn't bond yet. But this belief slowly changed during this entire weekend because she proved to him that wasn't the case. Although Cosette was wary of Ezekiel, she wasn't as distant as she was with him.

It was as if Cosette wanted nothing to do with him. Sure. Asher might not have the best personality, but he didn't wrong her so severely for her to not give him a chance. It wasn't like he already like her or had fallen in love with her, but it appalled him.

Asher couldn't understand her reason for keeping a clear distance from him. He could swear if Cosette could make him hate her, she would do it without batting an eye.

His head was filled with questions, and none of her answers left a satisfactory clarification. It was frustrating.

Asher kept pouring himself a glass and straight up chugging them down without a second hesitation. He didn't notice he was drinking more than he usually drank until his body was swaying. He cocked his head to the side as his brows rose when the bottle only produced a drop of wine in the glass.

He finished an entire bottle, and he didn't even notice it.

"Hah…" he let out a dry laugh until his laughter grew louder. "... why am I acting like this?"

To be honest, Asher didn't understand himself as well. He knew he didn't like Cosette to the extent it would be considered a romantic feeling. But alas, his action was strange. The bitterness in his heart was distinct and new, something he was unfamiliar with.

The only person who could leave this alien feeling that he didn't like from the get-go was Cosette… and her indifference to him. Yet, deep in his core and at the back of his head, he somehow guessed the real reason.

He… was very envious and terrified.

Asher dragged his weight back to the room and went straight outside. His steps were faltering, swaying mildly sideways. In his head, he wanted to get another bottle of wine. A part of his mind told him he would regret this if someone saw him getting a bottle of wine, as he was in another place, but the more stupid and reckless part of his brain didn't care.

Soon, Asher reached the wine cellar and selected a great aged wine to enjoy. Before the wine cellar that was situated in an underground room, he walked past the kitchen. Hence, when he chose a bottle and planned to return to his room, he had to go through the kitchen again.

But just as he took up the stairs and appeared in the kitchen, the door of the fridge closed from the corner of his eye. He froze, turning to the fridge, only to see a pair of big eyes looking back at him with surprise.

Cosette.

Cosette furrowed her brows, studying Asher's face. His cheeks were in a shade of deep red, as if someone slapped him back to back, but when she saw his neck had also turned red, she tilted her head to the side. Her eyes fell down and caught the bottle of vin de pays.

"You're drinking?" she frowned, holding the glass of water in her hand.

Asher raised the bottle slightly while gazing down at it. When he raised his head, the side of his lips hooked up in what resembled a smile.

"Want to have a drink?" he proposed while Cosette marched towards him.

She studied him up close, sighing to see how red his naturally pale skin had become. "How many did you drink?"

"Not much…" he shrugged. "A bottle."

"An entire bottle?"

"I didn't choose anything expensive." Asher humored, getting a bit more confident and playful with the help of the wine. "Don't tell anyone about it, okay?"

Asher bent over to look her in the eye, nodding encouragingly. When he straightened his back, Asher walked away to return to his room, only to stop when she spoke.

"Is your invitation… still valid?"

He slowly turned around to see her subtle smile.

"Yes," he breathed out, smiling gently at her. "I think… I really need a friend right now, but I have none. Can you be one tonight?"