Not Your Bet to Make Chapter 15

Not Your Bet to Make Chapter 15

I stared at the phone. Something bitter and sweet tangled in

my chest.

Ever since I’d known Asher, he’d been good to me. Attentive. Noticed everything I needed.

That’s why I fell so hard. Wanted a future with him.

But after all those bets. Him and Tiffany. Using me as the wager. Everything curdled.

I couldn’t pretend nothing happened and stay with him.

couldn’t hate him either. I just wanted a life with no more0:04

traces of him.

Asher pushed the phone toward me. Gestured for me to take

I pushed it back.

“Don’t. We’re broken up. You don’t need to give me anything.”

His eyes reddened further.

“Can’t we just not break up? Please?”

“Tiffany and I deleted all our contacts. I’ll never talk to her

again. We can go back to how things were. Just us. Only each

other.”

I shook my head.

“Asher, we can’t go back. Stop struggling for nothing.”

Didn’t wait for him to process. Left the apartment.

Asher seemed unable to accept it. Stayed in LA until school

was about to start again.

He circled me constantly. Drove me to work. Picked me up.

Bought me “gifts.”

Hoping I’d soften.

I rejected everything. The determination to end it was

absolute.

As classes approached, Asher’s parents found him. Dragged

him home.

Before leaving he asked me. Almost begging.

“You really won’t get back together with me? But… but I really want to be with you.”

I looked at him. Voice flat.

“I told you. We’re never going back.”

Asher’s eyes filled with loss. Said nothing else.

School started again. I fell back into the busy rhythm. But every time I got home, a hot meal waited. And a kind old

woman.

Asher’s parents forbade him from coming to find me. He

switched to new numbers to reach me.

I stopped blocking him. Let him send his messages.

Sometimes, when I had a moment, I’d reply a few words. That

was all.