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"No problem. You didn't have to thank me since you already know the Blacs were always at the top of the Quinn's invite list." A subtle smile turned up on his face, melting on the couch he was sitting on.

Asher cocked his head back until the back of his head was resting on the backrest. His eyes fixed on the ceiling, holding the phone still.

"Why did you call? Did you just get home?" he asked, distracting himself from the previous phone call before this one.

"Yes. We just got home," she said, making his brows raise.

"Just now? But you left early, didn't you?"

"We fetched Maxen. He was with Luke, so we dropped by so we can go home together." Cosette plopped her butt down on the edge of the bed, smiling from ear to ear as if she was in a great mood. "Are you still at the party? Or did you go home?"

"Home now." Asher drew his lips into a thin line, not knowing what to say anymore. Especially after hearing Maxen's name.

There was a moment of silence in the line before Cossette's voice was heard again.

"Are you okay?" she asked, tilting her head to the side.

"Hmm?"

"You sound… I don't know. Did something happen?"

'There's is, actually,' was what he wanted to tell her, but Asher bit his tongue to stop himself.

Still, it amazed him how Cosette immediately detected something was off even though they were just talking on the phone. Asher was certain he was doing his best not to sound shaken or anything like that.

"Ash?" Cosette blinked, calling him once again since he didn't answer. "Are you okay?"

"Ah… yes." Asher cleared his throat. "I'm okay. Just… just tired. I had a few drinks with my dad, so you can imagine how tiring it is to take care of a drunk father."

"I can't relate, but I can imagine."

He chuckled. "Anyway, thank you for coming and calling." he took a deliberate pause, smiling a short smile but sincerely genuine. "You don't have any idea what this means to me."

"Uhm… of course." Her soft voice slightly faltered, almost a little awkward. "We're friends now, right? So of course, I'll check in on you."

Friends.

His smile remained, but with a slight bitterness in his eyes. This was when Asher knew being friends with her was impossible. However, it was still better than having her glaring at him every time they meet. Moreover, Asher didn't think he had to ask for more right now. After all, he could barely handle the things that were going on in his life. It was impossible to pursue or even compete with someone who clearly got a good hold of her heart.

"Yeah…" he returned after a moment. "It really means a lot. Anyway, I'll go and rest first. I'm really tired. Thanks for coming again. Let's hang out again next time."

"Okay… good night."

"Night."

Asher didn't idle even for a second as he ended the call, resting his arm over his forehead. He closed his eyes and breathed out heavily, still holding his phone tightly. When Asher reopened his eyes ever so slowly, the side of his lips curled up bitterly.

"I should be thankful," he told himself, almost convincing himself.

After tonight, there were many things Asher realized. Aside from the ones he had after talking to Mister Devilsin, there were also those he realized with Cosette.

From the beginning. In the very beginning, even before he bumped into her in that corridor, he was already interested in the young lady of the Blac. All the rumors about her in the academy and the occasional mention of the daughter of Conrad Blac piqued his curiosity. It just so happened there wasn't any time for them to meet even though they enter the same school.

Both Asher and Cosette sounded so similar back then, and they're both busy trying to prove themselves to other people.

Their first meeting wasn't what he expected. It was abrupt and unexpected, something that neither of them had ever imagined. He thought they would probably meet at one of the important meetings they were required to attend, but no.

Asher might not admit it, but the moment he laid his eyes on her, the first word that came into his head was… beautiful. Cosette was beautiful even when her eyes shook before her irises slowly dilated upon meeting his.

Her voice as she blurted out under her breath, "husband of the year," still rang in his head until today.

If Asher didn't react the way he reacted that time, or if he didn't jump to the conclusion she was one of those stalkers who wouldn't leave him alone. Would their present change?

'To be honest, I don't want to think about the what ifs anymore,' he whispered to himself, more like a reminder. 'Because after that encounter, Cosette transferred schools for personal reasons. She took a leap of fate to change herself for the better.'

Her action had taken a lifetime of guts, which inspired Luke to take the same risk. Now, that risk he called proved itself effective. Cosette seemed happier — especially after hearing her story before that tonight — and Luke also seemed he had matured.

"Now I see my problem," another whisper slipped out of his lips, comparing himself to Cosette and Luke, not in a bad way. Those two had guts, but Asher… not that he wasn't courageous enough, but he believed what was effective to them wouldn't work on him.

After all, Asher's problem needed a different fix. He needed to be less greedy, just like what he felt when taunting Mister Devilsin.

"I hope…" Asher breathed out, closing his eyes to rest while trying to clear his mind of all his worries. "... this kiddie alliance he called will give me peace."

Because at the end of the day and the back of his head, Asher was most terrified of himself or what he might do if he wouldn't get himself together.