haha since u guys love surprising me by popping up with 50 extra votes every time i promise an update if i set a goal, here's a new goal: 400 votes for the next chapter. if not, see u in a week. i think yall are going to like this extra long chapter. NOT FOR AN UPDATE BUT let's see if we can get like three hundred comments. i feel like we can. i'm nervous to post this. anywho, author ramble over. also go read the pursuit of felicity. luv yall. bye bye.

The days of the week leading up to Thanksgiving break go by a little too fast for my liking. It's jam packed with exams and last minute projects and my stress levels have peaked by Friday. I've spent every day in the library studying, one day with Maya and another with Aaliyah; the rest I camped out alone with my textbooks. I haven't seen Asa at all this week and the only time I'm going to see him is at the party tonight, which I'm secretly dreading. I know Maya's going to make a big deal of all of us hanging out so sneaking away with Asa might not be possible. She was telling me the other day in the library about how excited she is to have us all together.

I struggle to pick out an outfit in my dorm at about nine o'clock. Aaliyah proves to be no help. She lays on my bed, tapping away on her phone without a single care in the world. I shoot her a short glare when I ask for her opinion on a shirt and she mumbles 'nice' yet again, as if that wasn't her generic response to the last three shirts. I eventually get fed up, ball up one of my articles of clothing, and throw it at her.

"What?" she whines when her phone nearly slaps her in the face. It lands beside her head and she's quick to retrieve it. Fortunately for her, she puts it on her stomach. I'd hate to have to rip it from her hands and throw it in the garbage.

"You're not helping!" I retort as I motion to my closet, which I've been rummaging around in for the last twenty five minutes.

"Asa won't care what you wear. He's literally seen you in your worst clothes ever. I doubt you wearing a pink shirt versus a blue one is going to make a difference," she retorts.

I glare at her before deciding on the first shirt I picked out- a gray one that hugs my curves nicely but doesn't accentuate the parts of my torso that I'm not so fond of. I pair it with a pair of blue jeans that make my butt look nice. She admires my outfit once it's on and nods. "Good?" I ask as I do a spin and she gives me a thumbs up.

"Yeah, he'll definitely sneak you away to hold your hand if you're wearing that," she assures me with an entertained smirk on her lips. I give her a short glare as I start hanging up my rejected clothes. When she finally stops laughing, she throws my shirt back at me. "I think you should make the first move and kiss him."

"I don't know," I retort with a sigh. "I don't want to misinterpret the mood of a situation and just go for it. That'd just make things awkward. Sometimes he's really flirtatious and I think I'd be able to get away with sneaking a kiss; other times, not so much. I wish he would just kiss me."

"Because you're always roaring and ready to go," she cackles and I let out a noisy sigh. "Seriously though, and I don't mean this teasingly, but he held your hand and tried to kiss you once already; he's probably nervous about misinterpreting the mood. I don't think it'd be farfetched for you to make the first move tonight." 

I internalize her words but try not to stress them too much; though I will admit, she does have a point. Besides, any failed attempts will likely blow over during the break. Instead of dragging the conversation out, I tuck my phone in my pocket and nod at her. "Come on, let's get going before Maya blows up my phone and tells me to get my ass over there," I insist as I grab my keys. Aaliyah pulls herself from my bed and adjusts her shirt. We start in the direction of the parking lot and I look to Aaliyah. "Whose car do you want to take?"

"I'll take mine and you take yours," she replies before winking, "you know, in case you decide to take Asa to go."

"Very funny. Get all your jokes out now before we get to the party," I insist.

When we arrive, it's already in full swing. Somehow, Maya managed to get everyone here within the same half hour. I introduce Aaliyah to Aria and Tyson and then fall into my own conversation with Zack. I keep an eye out for Asa but he doesn't make any appearances for the next hour of the night. Eventually, I get tired of his absence and find Maya, who's deep in discussion with Aria and Aaliyah now.

"Where's Asa?" I ask bluntly. There's no point in beating around the bush. I'm pretty sure they all know why I'm here, even Maya. Besides, I've been socializing with everyone else long enough.

"His room. I've been trying to get him to come out for the last hour and a half but he's not having it," Maya explains. "Feel free to try. Tell him there's cake or something."

"Will do," I nod before heading towards his room. I knock twice before reaching for the knob, only to find that it's locked. I dramatically wiggle it before knocking twice...then four times...then six...then eight. Soon enough, the door is tugged open by a slightly irritated Asa.

Instead of giving me a rude 'what?' like I expected, he opens the door wider and ushers me into his humble living area. He takes a few steps into the room and I shut the door behind me. Instead of getting into bed, he turns to face me, which prompts me to take another step into the room. I look around before placing my gaze on him with a single brow raised.

He suddenly drops onto his bed and I stand before him with my hands in my back pockets. "Why aren't you out there?" I wonder and he gives me a shrug.

"I'm not in a social mood," he confesses as he gazes up at me. My eyes flicker down and I acknowledge the gray sweatpants and white t-shirt combo. It's probably one of my favorite outfits of his despite how simple it is.

"You're never in a social mood," I acknowledge as I admire his appearance again. He just looks so good.

"This is like a 'see you in a week' party," he motions to the door to the right. "I rarely see any of them anyway. Other than Aria and occasionally Zack."

"Ouch," I retort as I place a hand to my chest.

"I knew you'd come stop by my room eventually," he responds with a small smirk. He stretches back and places his arms behind him, inadvertently flexing his muscles. I definitely notice the small motion.

"You knew, did you?" I ask with a teasing look on my face as I contemplate sitting on the bed beside him.

"I did," he confirms, which makes me laugh quietly. "Besides, if you didn't come here, I'd have gone out there and got you." He nods his head towards the party and I let out a quiet chuckle of disbelief.

"Really now?" I question, genuinely wondering if that would've happened. He offers me a confident nod before giving me a brief once over. He doesn't even try to be discreet about it but I'm appreciative that he's acknowledging the outfit I put so much effort into configuring.

"You don't look that gross tonight," he admits, which gets a satisfied head tilt from me.

"Are you complimenting me, Asa?" I question with a raised brow. My hands are now on my hips and my gaze is on him. I wonder what's going through his mind.

"Take it as you will," he suggests. I do a small twirl for him to show off my outfit completely. When I return back to my front facing position, I note the large, unwavering grin on his face.

"These jeans make my butt look nice, right?" I tease him as I motion to the pants hugging my legs.

"Yes," he agrees with a quiet chuckle. "But when I said that, I was talking about your face."

"Oh, so you were calling me cute?" I ask with raised brows. I drop onto the bed beside him and watch as he turns to look at me. I do the same, enjoying the positive attention from him. He never really compliments me so I'm going to milk this.

"I guess," he replies as he assesses my face again.

"It's a yes or no question, Asa," I reply as I lightly lick my lips. His gaze drops and I feel my stomach clench excitedly. "Or do you need a closer look?"

He lets out a loud laugh as he throws his head back in pure amusement. "Are you seriously using my own line on me?" he wonders.

"That depends...is it working?" I question and in a rather fast motion, he props himself up more so that he's closer to me. I expect him to say something else but he doesn't. Instead, he allows his eyes to take in my face agonizingly slow. Once his curious brown eyes drop to my mouth, he tilts his head and leans in, which all but sets my chest on fire. He wastes no time in kissing me and I waste even less time returning it. Once our lips meet, rather forcefully might I add, there's an awkward pause in the beginning as if we both realize that he is Asa and I am Ivy and we are kissing. I slowly part my lips and urge him to put an end to the awkward realization. 

In a gentle manner, his hand rests at the base of my neck as I press my mouth against his harder and more urgently. My pace is matched so I place my hands on his shoulders, hoping he'll catch on and move closer to me. Instead, his free hand grabs my hip and shifts me a bit, leaving less to be said. It doesn't take a genius to understand what he's proposing. I practically hop onto his lap with my legs on either side of him and he swoops me up in his arms, wrapping them both around my waist and tugging me so that my chest is flush against his.

I pull away and let out a shaky breath at the speed at which he does all of this. He's not only blunt in person but in his actions, not that I mind much. Before he can assume I'm no longer interested in kissing him, I return my mouth to his and bury my fingers in his hair with desire pooling in my gut. His soft lips pull back into a grin as we continue to kiss and I eventually smile, too. Lightly, his fingers trace my spine and his lips move against mine in a mesmerizing pattern, which only makes my heart beat faster.

A trail of thoughts drift around my subconscious as I revel in the fact that we're finally doing this. It took us long enough. He's such a much better kisser than I thought possible. I wonder how far he's willing to take this. Did I lock the door? I don't think I did. I wonder if he's as into this as I am. So much built up tension is being released right now and it feels great and I wish I could just keep kissing him for hours. In fact, I wish we could be doing more than kissing.

Deciding to test the waters, I daringly grind my hips against his a few times and he pulls away from me for a second and lets out a raspy and breathy, "fuck." The single word sends my heart into overdrive as he leaves a trail of quick pecks down my neck. I acknowledge the way his fingers play with the hem of my shirt and mentally say screw the unlocked door. I think I've waited long enough. I tug at the neck of my shirt and he quickly assists me in removing it and tossing it to the floor. He reaches behind himself and takes his off just as fast. His hands explore my chest and I prepare to take things to the next level, only to be greeted with the sound of the door opening and Maya's voice.

"Hey, are you guys going to come-?" she starts before letting out a shocked shriek. The door immediately slams shut and I jump off of Asa and land with a loud (and painful) thud on the ground. He seems disoriented as I stand up, retrieve my shirt, and mumble a quiet 'shit' as I pull it on. He nods in understanding just before I run from the room. I exit just in time to find Maya joining Aria and Aaliyah in the kitchen, where she's greeted with odd looks.

"What the hell happened?" Aria asks as she looks between me and the intruder, who is the color of a tomato.

"I-I," I stumble awkwardly before pointing at her weakly. "I'm going to go. I'll call you before your flight."

"Okay, cool, I'll see you in a week," she replies in the same awkwardly forced fashion. I quickly tug my keys from my pocket and hightail it from the apartment. I don't stop my jog until I'm safely in my car, where I check my phone and find a text from her.

Maya: I hope I didn't make things awkward. I didn't mean to walk in on you guys.

I assure her that it's fine as I cringe silently. My heart still hasn't returned to it's normal beating pattern and I'm not sure if it's a result of Maya walking in or the entire situation with Asa. Perhaps it's a combination of both. I let out a long sigh as I start my car. Well, at least I got a kiss goodbye.

+++

I roll over in bed at a little after 11 the next morning and am jolted awake by the realization that my brothers are going to be here in an hour to pick me up and I haven't even packed. In a rush, I jump from bed and start shoving a random assortment of clothes into the suitcase I had laid out yesterday. The suitcase laid abandoned for a few days, just like my plans to wake up at 8 this morning to finish the task I had been putting off all week. After haphazardly throwing together roughly a weeks worth of clothes, I pull on a semi-decent outfit before booking it to the bathroom. Just as I'm pulling my hair into a little more than messy bun, my phone starts to ring off the hook.

"Hello?" I answer as I press the device to my ear.

"We're outside," Ian informs me and I heave a sigh as I shove my feet into a pair of sneakers. I grab my bag and start down the steps, only to find my brothers waiting in the truck. If it was up to me, I'd drive myself home but my father doesn't want me to risk the hour and a half long drive in my older car. I also think he feels like I'm not an adequate enough driver. I wasn't even able to bring myself here. He drove the truck and had Ian drive my car; then they just left me here with it after making me swear to stay in the vicinity. I don't complain except in times like this, where I have to follow someone else's agenda when I'm perfectly fine completing the task on my own.

"So where are we getting lunch?" Ian wonders as I toss my suitcase into the trunk and get into the front seat, which they left open for me. I forgot that I made plans with them a week ago to actually get a meal together. I think they only proposed it because they want to see my school a bit more. Whenever they retrieve Ian from his school, it's one and done and they just pick up McDonalds on the way home. But I think they want to see the male population here.

Silently, I direct them to the nearest dining hall. Once we've all managed to get a plate and take our seats, I feel my nerves getting the best of me. My brothers and I are vaguely close but they definitely don't know (or need to know) anything about my personal life. Sam and Jay are older so they don't bother pressing me but my twin brother Ian feels entitled to know everything I'm doing. We went through high school together and anything I did, he was the first to find out, whether it be through observation or the rumor mill. Anything involving males, he told our older brothers, which made me especially secretive about crushes. I even avoided diaries and journals because my brothers were nosy like that. They all but harassed any male friends I happened to make.

I still don't know how I managed to date Drew. If it weren't for the fact that he knew them and basically asked their permission, I don't think it would've happened. I didn't appreciate how he went behind my back and treated me more like property than a person but I knew he wanted to be very open about our relationship so I understood to an extent; I just wished he would've came to me about it first. Even then, they were very protective and didn't like me having a second alone with Drew. They'd probably have heart attacks if they found out that I spend all my time with Asa. Hell, they'd probably drop dead if they learned about the fact that I kissed him last night. The realization hits me again and I feel my face start to warm up and my stomach collapse in on itself at the memory.

"Have you made any new friends?" Sam disrupts my thoughts as he takes a big bite of his burrito. His large brown eyes assess me curiously and I offer him a groggy shrug. Of all my brothers, he's the most relaxed. Of course it wasn't always like this. When I first entered high school, he had just graduated so he made sure to sit me down and tell me all the things to avoid doing. Recently, he's been a lot more laid back, which I'm extremely grateful for. Maybe it's because he's so worried about adult things, like working a job and paying rent, that he doesn't care enough about his little sister's dating life.

"Yeah," I answer casually.

"Who?" Jay presses and I move the chicken salad around on my plate. Jay is the middle child, if you count Ian and I as one, which my father typically does, unless you take into consideration the strict gender roles. Jay is a little more attentive to what I do. Sometimes, he'll randomly text me a threat about why I'm not allowed to date or do drugs or drink. I typically just ignore those intrusive messages or send back a middle finger emoji. He skipped out on college and went straight into the workforce so he doesn't have much advice on how to handle college boys. He just threatens me when he feels it's necessary, which is about once or twice a month.

"You guys know Aaliyah," I start out weakly. "There's Maya...Asa...Zack."

"Zack?" Ian questions and the other two turn their attention to me at the sound of a male name. I shoot a short glare at my twin, who simply waits for a further explanation. You'd think that because we grew up together he'd be a bit more lenient with me. He'd do bad things and I'd never say a thing but whenever I did anything remotely rebellious, he'd tell Jay and then Sam and it'd eventually work its way to our dad. Even if it was something as small as skipping class to go see a movie, he'd make sure to report it like it was breaking news.

"Yeah, he's a junior. He's one of Maya's good friends," I explain vaguely. I should've just gone with Maya's boyfriend. Then again, that'd be difficult to explain at a later date if they ever happened to meet her.

"And who is this Asa chick?" Jay inquires and I repress a laugh. I can't imagine what Asa would say if he was ever called 'chick' to his face.

"Another good friend of Maya's, and her roommate," I reply dismissively. Just a guy I kissed last night, no biggie. That'd roll over just as well as I would in my coffin.

My brothers thankfully let Zack go and move on to other topics. They ask me about clubs and my roommate and my major. I try to give them sufficient answers but there isn't much I can say to them without getting any extreme reactions. If they knew what Danica did in our room, they'd probably each write letters to the Dean and get me moved into a single.

I'm grateful when the lunch comes to an end, which means that we're going to be leaving soon. Grateful that we haven't run into anyone, I usher them towards the exit of the dining hall. As we grow closer and I get more eager to leave campus, I see Asa coming in and his eyes immediately land on me. He blinks a few times and I can tell the events of last night are still fresh in his mind, as they are mine. I watch as he briefly shakes them away before putting on his familiar smile.

"Thanks for saying goodbye last night," he starts but I stare at him with wide eyes. Does he not notice the three large guys trailing me?

"Last night?" Sam repeats as he comes upon my side. Asa slows to a halt in front of me and I shoot him one last warning glance before looking at my older brother.

"Study session," I attempt to lie. "A couple of my classmates have formed a study group and there's an exam coming up after break so we were studying."

Sam glances at me dubiously and Jay appears at my other side. "What's your name?" he blurts curiously with his eyes taking in every inch of Asa. I can already tell that this is going to go bad. Very, very bad.

Asa looks from me to Sam to Jay and then to Ian, who is now standing on the other side of Sam. I sigh quietly, press my fingers to the bridge of my nose, and watch as he opens his mouth. "Asa," he answers and I practically hear all of my brother's reactions. They all make noises of surprise and I don't even have to look at them to know their bushy brows are settled higher on their heads, which are tilted at a startled angle. Like I said, this is bad.

"You're Asa?" Ian wonders and I see from my peripheral that his arms are crossed on his chest.

"You've heard about me?" he replies with a confused blink. He looks to me again and I attempt to send him the mental message to just walk away.

"We were under the impression that you were a girl," Sam retorts matter-of-factly. Asa looks between the four of us again before letting his gaze linger on me. He decides to direct his response to Sam, who seems the least threatening. Jay is practically sizing Asa up and Ian is all but growling like a rabid dog.

"Well...I'm not," Asa explains awkwardly.

"We can see that," Jay retorts as he looks Asa up and down yet again.

"What class are you guys studying for?" Jay questions and Asa looks to me. We stare at each other to see who is going to answer this one, so I open my mouth to at the same time he does.

"History," I say as Asa says, "Math."

"History math, I love that class," Ian replies sarcastically. Wow, my predictions just keep being proven correct.

"Is he your boyfriend? Are you the boyfriend?" Jay questions as his attention bounces from me to Asa, who looks genuinely startled at the accusation.

"No!" I answer quickly with an urgent shake of my head. Ian gives me a dubious look. "No, he's not!"

"Are you sure?" Jay presses and I can just tell my face is bright red. I repress the urge to drag my hands down my cheeks to wash away the embarrassment.

"He's not my boyfriend," I repeat through clenched teeth as I look between Jay and Ian.

"Why are you blushing?" Ian points out and I feel the urge to crawl into a vat of acid. That'd be better than having to face Asa after this.

"Are you guys talking? Unofficially dating?" Jay continues to harass us. Asa hasn't even said a word since the interrogation began and I feel like I'm just making things worse, but I know that silence won't help either.

"Jay! No!" I respond again, feeling too embarrassed to risk a glance at Asa.

"Then why are you all red?" Ian presses as he assesses my face. I feel everyone staring at me as I narrow my eyes at him.

"Because you guys are literally so embarrassing!" I explain as I run my hands through my hair. I awkwardly let my gaze fall on Asa, who is watching the interaction with slightly wide eyes.

"How old are you?" Sam pipes in with a much calmer demeanor. Asa tunes back into the conversation after exhaling quietly.

"20," Asa answers as he keeps both of his hands in his hoodie pockets.

"So you're a junior, Asa...?" Sam continues after giving a slow nod.

"Carmichael," Asa informs him before adding in: "yes I'm a junior."

"And where do you live?" Sam presses as if he'd know any of the buildings on campus.

"An off-campus apartment," Asa responds hesitantly with a nervous glance at me. Jay practically gasps and grabs at his chest and Ian dramatically catches him. I watch Asa glance at them before looking back at Sam.

My older brother, who is more collected than the other two idiots, allows his brows to rise just a bit. Asa only blinks back at him in response and tries to make it seem as though his answer isn't as shocking as they're making it out to be. I can also tell that he's trying his best to not act like his usual asshole-ish self, which I will thank him for in the odd case that he doesn't block me on everything after this encounter.

"Do you ever go there?" Ian asks me before whipping around to look at Asa. "Does she ever go over there?"

Asa glances at me before slowly looking back at Ian. "Sometimes?" he answers hesitantly.

I feel my chest cave in and I know that I'm probably going to die tonight. Jay and Ian basically act out a Shakespearean tragedy beside me as they take turns fainting into each other's arms in shock. When they manage to regain themselves, Ian points a finger at Asa.

"She won't be going over there anymore," Ian informs him with a curt shake of his head. "There will be no studying of history math."

I can tell that Asa is repressing a smile as he offers Ian a slow nod. "Okay, got it- next time, we won't study," Asa replies and I can hear the sass in his voice. I figure that since I'm already dying later, there's no point in trying to correct what he's saying. Instead, I shift on my feet and rub the bridge of my nose. My brothers' heads snap in his direction.

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?" Ian snaps but I interject quickly, feeling the tension multiply in a matter of seconds.

"Asa, walk away," I plead as I grab my twin's arm. Asa walks around us with all of my brothers turning to watch him go. Once he's out of their line of sight, I feel three hard gazes on me.

"Who the hell is he?" Ian asks as I start back in the direction of my dorm, already trying to mentally piece together an apology text for Asa. I will definitely mention how stupid my brothers are.

"My friend," I answer in short as I push open the large double doors.

"You're sure about that?" Ian questions as he follows me out, still glancing over his shoulder every few seconds in irritation.

"Probably not anymore. You guys scared him off," I grunt as I approach the truck, ready to just go home. I'm not even there yet but I'm ready to be back on campus.

"Oh, well," Jay retorts in a slightly bitter tone. "You also failed to mention that he's a guy."

"You failed to ask," I snap back as I pull open the passenger's seat.

"Is Maya a boy, too?" Ian questions sassily, which makes me roll my eyes.

"No," I reply bluntly.

"Stay away from that kid," Ian insists.

"He's just my friend," I respond in full on exasperation.

"Share your location with me," Ian insists and I turn to him with narrowed eyes.

"No," I answer.

"You like him, don't you?" my twin continues to pester me.

"No," I answer again as I keep my gaze locked on the road ahead of me. "Can we just drop this now?"

Though my brothers mutter quiet complaints from the backseat, I manage to drown them out with music from my headphones. Despite the urge to start out on the text for Asa, I refrain, knowing good and well my brothers are staring at my phone whenever I unlock it.

+++

I arrive home, bring my things to my room, and lock myself away. My father isn't home yet so I don't have to worry about sitting down and explaining myself to him. I wait a little while before sitting on my bed and opening my conversation with Asa. While I was in the car he texted me but I was too scared to open it. I skim the message, which simply says: 'wow, that was interesting.' I start out on a response before deleting it twice. I click his contact and press call instead, figuring that it'll be easier to apologize this way than to try to convey all of my sorrys in a short paragraph.

He answers after the second ring and I open and close my mouth a few times. Where to begin? Maybe hello? "Hi," I greet him awkwardly and I can practically hear his amused grin.

"Well, hello," he replies in a peculiarly perky tone.

"Sorry...about that," I explain vaguely. So much for conveying all my emotions. "My brothers are dumb and overprotective and just...assholes."

"I'm guessing they don't like me," he concludes casually, which gets a confirming 'hmph' from me. "You told them I was a girl?"

"No, I just didn't tell them you were a boy," I respond.

"The short one doesn't like me at all, huh?" he asks through an entertained chuckle.

"Ian...doesn't like any guy I ever have a conversation with," I phrase with an embarrassed shake of my head.

"So he's your twin?" he acknowledges. "I see where your aggression comes from. What about the other two?"

"The tall, calm one was Sam," I explain. "The other one was Jay."

"Interesting," he mutters. "You know, I never outright asked how many brothers you had. I should've."

"Now you've met all of them," I conclude with a slow nod.

"So you really weren't going to say goodbye?" he wonders after a somewhat awkward pause.

I awkwardly glance at my bedroom door. How do I vaguely mention the kiss without risking the chance of being overheard by my brothers? "Was last night not enough?" I question before realizing how much worse that sounded. "Wait."

It's too late. He's already filling my end of the phone with howls of laughter. I stare at the ceiling and wait for my blush to go away, as well as the joyous sound of his giggles. Though annoyed that it's at my expense, I enjoy hearing him laugh. "I'm sorry, that was just really funny," he apologizes after another minute of chuckling profusely. He quickly grows serious again. "But no, it wasn't."

"What more did you want from me?" I question before again, realizing the way I must be coming off.

"I don't know what direction you're trying to take this conversation in, pervert, but I genuinely wanted you to say goodbye," he replies sassily and I feel the corners of my mouth perking upward.

"Would you have...hugged me?" I ask and he lets out another laugh.

"No, gross," he acknowledges and it doesn't take a genius to tell that he's joking. "Why would you even ask such a stupid question?"

"So...you would have hugged me?" I continue to tease.

"Maybe," he answers, putting on a mysterious tone. "You'd have known had you said goodbye."

"Okay, well, goodbye," I blurt before clearing my throat, "now what do I get?"

"Nothing," he announces, "absolutely nothing."

"Not even a hug?" I question with a large grin on my face.

"Especially not a hug," he responds. "You better stop flirting with me before your brothers overhear and pull me through the phone."

"Then you could meet my dad," I say without thinking.

"Would he beat me up, too?" Asa questions and I chuckle at the mental image of the four males in my house taking turns doing elbow drops on his limp body.

"Not more than me," I respond as I grin up at my ceiling.

"Over a hug?" he replies quickly, which gets a laugh out of me.

I hear a clamor in the background and then an all too familiar voice. "Who are you on the phone with?" It's Maya.

"Hello to you, too," Asa responds and I can imagine him raising a brow at her dramatic entrance. "Don't worry about knocking or anything."

"Yeah I should've learned my lesson after last night, right?" she cackles loudly before I hear another brief shuffle. Muffled conversation follows, along with some grunts and a frustrated groan. Soon after, her voice enters the phone with one word: "Ivy?"

"Hi, Maya," I greet her awkwardly and she coos loudly. "I was going to call you after I said 'goodbye' to Asa. My parents are almost here to retrieve me and take me away."

"Are you excited?" I wonder, not having the chance to ask her last night. She lets out a long, dreadful sigh.

"Not for the day long flight," she confesses. I wouldn't be either.

"You'll be fine. Just sleep the entire time," I encourage her as I continue to twirl a curl around my finger.

"Because that's obviously possible," she mutters in response. "I'll try my best."

"Can I have the phone back now?" Asa asks and I hear Maya giggle again.

"And as soon as I land, I'm calling you and we're talking about how you were basically riding my roommate last night-," she announces evilly and I hear a quick gasp and then Maya complaining from a few feet away. "I didn't even get to say goodbye!"

"You don't deserve it anymore," he retorts dismissively.

"Bye, Ivy! I'll miss you! But not as much as Asa will!" Maya calls from afar and I feel a grin spreading across my face. I definitely wouldn't be smiling if I was there but he can't see me, so it's fine.

"Get your shit and get out," Asa insists teasingly. "Don't bother coming back, either."

"Psh, like you can afford rent without me," Maya retorts before I hear a door slam shut. Then, Asa sighs.

"I should probably go say goodbye," he mutters before letting out a sigh.

"Are you going to hug her?" I wonder he chuckles in response.

"Of course," he responds, "she's my best friend. Why wouldn't I? Plus, she's making the effort to say goodbye."

"You said it yourself, you'll see me in a week," I remind him and there's a quiet pause.

"Sometimes, a week feels like a long time," he comments before I hear some shuffling in the background. "Bye, Poison."

"Bye, Asa," I exhale dramatically after hanging up. I can't fight the smile that crosses my lips as I think about him. Hugging my pillow to my chest, I let out a girlish giggle. Maybe last night didn't set us back but pushed us forward. Maybe, when I get back to school, we can talk about it and see where to go from here. Before I can fall too deep into my thoughts about Asa, my bedroom door flies open and I whip around to find Ian standing there.

"Dad's home and he wants to see you," my brother informs me before turning and leaving my room.

I get up and start down the steps, where I can hear my father clamoring around in the kitchen. After a brief greeting, my brothers join us downstairs and at the table, where my father has placed my favorite form of take-out- Chinese food. We all take our respective seats and my brothers wait barely a second before opening their big fat mouths. Given, they're prompted by our father, who asks: "so how was lunch?"

As if suddenly shoved back into the tense situation with Asa, my siblings all glance at me. "Good," Sam answers and I feel a sense of gratitude towards my eldest brother. My father would insist on driving me back to school and then coincidentally try to run into my new male friend. No offense to Asa, but I know my father wouldn't like him. He barely liked Drew, who brown nosed every chance he got and was the ideal boyfriend that my father built for me: religious, well-behaved, smart, and respectful. Asa on the other hand is definitely not an ass-kisser and I'm pretty confident that he hasn't even touched any kind of religious items in a long time. He's smart and well-behaved but respectful isn't exactly an adjective I'd use to describe him. He's the kind of boy that my father would call a smart-ass before falling into a long winded rant about today's young adults and how back when he was my age, he'd walk old people across the street on his back to ensure their old people bones didn't crumble on the journey.

We somehow manage to get through dinner without any talk of Asa. I can see Ian itching to bring it up though but I'm pretty sure Sam is pinching him or kicking him whenever he opens his mouth. I know I'm probably going to get a 'heart-to-heart' from my twin later about why boys aren't worth it, as if I don't already know all about them and have a better opinion on just how bad they are.

Just as I predicted, a knock sounds on my door a little hour after I shower and get into bed. I stare at the door for a few seconds, hoping that perhaps I can convince whoever is on the other side that I'm asleep. I was hoping that maybe I could call Asa, or at least have a good conversation over text with him before I get to bed. Pathetic, I know. Unsurprisingly, my brother opens the door and peeks his head in.

"You going to bed?" he wonders and I decide that now is as good a time as any. If its not today, it'll be tomorrow morning. I shake my head and he lets himself in and takes a seat at my vanity, which is still lit up from when I did my nightly routine.

"Yes?" I ask with an awkward smile on my face. Ian and I were very close growing up but not so much recently. I feel like everything he does is out to get me, even though I know that's not the case. I think it's just because he's so overwhelmed with school and seeing how college guys behave worries him. He wasn't this stressed about Drew, but maybe that's because a rumor went around that Drew didn't believe in intimacy until marriage. I can tell you first hand that none of that was true. Now, we weren't the most intimate, perhaps because we were never really alone, but he saved nothing until marriage. Of course, I wouldn't tell my brothers that, and even though they were acquainted with my boyfriend prior to the relationship, they made it a point never to discuss anything of that matter.

My phone lights up on my bedside table and I pretend not to notice it. He catches it though and quirks a brow as he lets the chair spin from side to side. "That Asa?" he questions as he glances at the screen. Luckily it goes dark before he can see anything and I roll my eyes at him.

"That's what this is about?" I ask as if I wasn't anticipating this conversation.

My brother scratches his head awkwardly as he stares at me. "Are you sure he's the kind of guy you want to hang around?" he blurts and my eyebrows shoot up on my head. "He seems kind of like an...asshole."

"He only acted like that because you guys were verbally attacking him," I retort, even though I know that Asa's behavior was as polite as he can be. I applaud him for not swearing at my brothers or doing something worse, like flipping them off or making even more sexual innuendos about me and him. "And you can't speak on him because you don't know him."

"I mean, I know guys like him. I'm just looking out for you, Ive. I don't go to school with you anymore, you know? I can't keep my eyes on the people you hang out with anymore, especially guys. I just thought you went for guys like...Andrew." He glances at me quickly when he says the name, as if expecting me to flinch or cringe or retract uncomfortably. When he sees that I don't respond like that, he continues: "you know, the good boy type- goes to church and spends his free time volunteering with children and other innocent stuff like that."

"If I went for guys like Andrew, he and I would still be together," I retort. I mean, he broke up with me, but that's besides the point. We wouldn't have lasted either way.

He nods as he eyes my carpet nervously. "So...you like this Asa kid?" he wonders with raised brows.

"Does it matter?" I retort and my brother offers me a shrug. I let out a sigh as I shake my head at him. "Just...mind your business, Ian. I'm fine. I don't need you to come prancing over to my school and beating anyone up anytime soon. I appreciate the offer, though."

"Anytime," he salutes me as he stands up and pushes in my chair. I watch him leave before turning my attention back to my phone, where I find a text from Asa. I roll onto my side and grin at the screen.