#Chapter 49: Devoured

Me. I stared at Asher, my eyes as wide as they could physically go. He wasn’t suggesting… He couldn’t mean… Did he actually want to be in a romantic relationship with me? Too soon, his determination evaporated, and he removed his hands from my shoulders. “Someone like me, I mean,” he said. My heart cracked straight down the middle as my hope shattered. Of course he hadn’t meant himself. I was a fool for considering otherwise, even for a brief moment. As disappointment flooded me and the remnants of adrenaline faded away, I just felt so very tired. “I want to go home, Asher.” I couldn’t wait to crawl under my covers and forget this entire day existed. At least, I supposed, I had been gifted a cheek-kiss of forever friendship from Asher on top of that Ferris Wheel. It wasn’t romantic love, but I was no less grateful for it. I knew I’d appreciate it more tomorrow, when the ache of his rejection had time to heal. Wordlessly, Asher opened the passenger door of his car for me,