My Sister's Mate

Guilty Pleasures

Suzanne served Asher a tray of apples as she stepped out of his study room. Staring at the red, juicy apples, his thoughts played a little.

Amaya entered, and her perfectly carved eyebrows furrowed in his direction. She banged the door close and stepped forward, noticing how he woke into reality by the thud of the door. She looked around the room and her gaze finally settled on him.

Asher glared at his mother, then turned away.

"Hey, Asher." Amaya's voice came softly.

"Hey." He weakly smiled up at her.

"Talk to me, Asher." Amaya muttered, placing both hands at and acute angle against her hips. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, yeah." He replied, and she took a seat behind him. "And mum, Lilah said we can.... You know, come for the wedding gifts."

"That's not possible!" Genuine concern filled Amaya's face. "How can she say a thing like that?"

Asher softly nibbled on his lower lip, disappointed.

"What did you tell her?"

"Nothing." Hurt filled his voice. "Mum, you know that we... We did not marry for love. It's not that we were in love with each other before we got married."

"Asher, don't do this!" The sadness struck Amaya's expression now.

"She always had someone she loved. She loved him. She always wanted to marry him. She deserves to be happy. I'm happy for both of them. At least she can be happy with someone that she loves." He said, avoiding her name to forget about her.

Asher met his mum's steady eyes, like a deer in headlights, and twirled away in seriousness.

"I saw both of you. And I know that both of you developed affection for each other." His mum lamented in a feeble voice.

Asher's dancing eyes met Amaya with a sparkle and he turned away, looking at the apple and dropping it in the tray, uninterested.

Amaya watched him, unsure if she should feel relieved or scared about their separation. They got married for 8 months now. Lilah left three weeks ago, and it's sickening. She also had two doses of calming draughts in the same hour and wasn't sure if it mattered. Especially to Asher.

'He should be concerned. Of course, he is concerned.' She imagined still studying him. Amaya could read through his eyes like a book.

"Mum, I'll be in my room." Asher pulled out of the sofa and stood up. Uncomfortable with her presence.

"... But we are talking." Amaya wanted to stop him.

Instead, she watched him leave. Her eyes rolled over to the tray of apples as she grabbed one and gave it a good chew. Her slim lips curved into a mysterious smirk.

Conan was asleep when she woke up. They spent the night together in a hotel room, chatting all night till sleep took over the both of them. Lilah stretched out of the bed and watched Conan. Still sound asleep on the back, lathered couch. More amazingly, how a twenty-five-year-old, 6'4" man slept so sound like a baby. A small part of his lips let out a silent breath of gentle snores and coos. He was too tall for the couch, but he respected Lilah so much, not to share a bed with her.

Although they had shared a close space together a hundred of times, something pulled her closer to him. Lilah admired Conan from a distance and smiled. A thought of Asher came into her mind. How he'd sacrificed his room throughout her stay in the Rhys mansion.

'He is cute, but not as cute as Asher was. Huh, stupid thought!' Lilah flinched into reality.

She tiptoed to the corner of the room, which had a kitchen cabinet. Lilah, like a mouse, quietly made tea by not letting the kettle whistle before turning it off. As she turned back to him, he wiped out the corners of his eyes, sitting upright.