Aria's POV

"WHERE THE HELL HAVE YOU BEEN!?!?" Mother shrills as I enter the house. Welp. There goes my plan for sneaking back in unnoticed.

"I was...uh...I-I-I...was..." I stumble to respond. Mother's eyes narrow. 

"I was in the woods," I reply. This isn't entirely false. I was in the woods. I just won't give my mother all the details. Not that I would ever tell her.

"Mmm. Sure. Go to your room. And stay there," my mother dismisses me. I trudge up the steps. 

I was only here because Asher convinced me to go back home. I could've stayed in the forest with him. But I didn't. But he did tell him something before I left...

FLASHBACK 3rd POV

"I-I like you too," Asher mumbled. Aria smiled. She leaned forward.

IDK HOW TO WRITE KISSING SCENES SO IMAGINE THEIR KISS HOWEVER YOU WANT

Asher stumbles away from Aria. He crosses his arms over his chest. Aria cocks her head to the side and wants him to explain.

"I'm sorry. I just...I told myself never to fall in love after...some things happened at my hometown. And I know you want to know what happened. So, I was living peacefully in my town, right? But then I turn 18, and my parents say I have to get married. So they talked with the other parents, and they got me engaged to some random girl from school. I didn't even know her name. But we started to get to know each other, and we became good friends. I didn't want anything more than that. But she did. It was terrible. She kissed me one night, and I kissed her back but I don't know why, and she assumed I was happy with the arranged marriage. But I wasn't. And, she told her parents about that, and they told my parents, and the wedding was going to be in a few days. I ran away. I vowed to myself never to fall in love with someone after that. And so, here we are," Asher finishes.

Aria is silent for a few moments. 

"Are you okay? I'm sorry that happened to you. That sounds awful" she sympathizes. Asher nods. 

"You should get home," he says.

"I left there for a reason," Aria argues.

"Go home. I'll meet you there. You live on the top floor, right?" Aria nods. "I'll climb up there and freak your parents out more. This is gonna be fun. I promise. Just go home for now, okay?" Asher  concludes. 

Aria goes home

FLASHBACK OVER

Aria's POV

Asher climbs  through the window. I go hug him. He sits on my bed, playing with the edge of the sheets. I sit next to him and lay my head in his lap. He starts fiddling with my hair.

"You know," I say after a while, "if my parents found out you're form the woods, they'll ban me from going in there. I can't handle that. Let's make you look like a prince or something." He nods.

I go to my bathroom and get a hairbrush and stuff.

"Let's do this," I say.