Breathe

twenty-two

I opened the front door later that day, jumping a little when I was met with Anna's face.

She looked at me with the same surprised expression before cracking a smile. "Kiri, what has you going out so late?"

"A hot boy, obviously," I replied before closing my own eyes in embarrassment. Sometimes, I should just keep my mouth shut.

Anna simply laughed though, stepping aside to let me walk past. "I take it you're talking about Asher. In that case, have fun, and stay safe, will you?"

I rolled my eyes, the faintest hint of a blush creeping up my face. "I'm not gonna get pregnant, woman," I replied, walking past her and pulling my earbuds out of my pocket. "Also, I'll probably be back in a few hours, just so you know not to do the nasty things all night."

Now it was Anna's turn to roll her eyes. She leant against the doorframe, smiling at me while holding on to the bag of groceries that she had just bought.

"It's good to see you excited again," she called after me, and I just waved my hand dismissively.

"Yee yee, it's nice to see Michael getting laid again," I replied, cracking a grin as she just shook her head. Then I was already down the street, my earbuds in and my heart beating quickly.

No, I wouldn't get laid tonight. But that wasn't what I was thinking about as I made my way to Asher's.

He was just now allowing himself to open up again, to take risks and face challenges, and that was all I had wanted.

Asher opened the door today, giving me a small smile as I stepped past him into the house.

"Wait," I said, stopping in my tracks and sniffing the air. "Lasagna."

Asher shook his head, still smiling. "I told mom you might come over for dinner, so she decided to make something you like."

"Dude, can we like, switch moms?" I asked, my eyes widening. "No, wait. She could get with Anna, and you can have Michael, and then I would live with two chefs."

"Shut up and go eat," Asher replied, pushing me a little to get me to move. I just laughed as I started walking down the hallway, meeting his mom in the kitchen.

Amelia seemed tired but happy, and when we started eating, the radio playing in the background after Asher had turned it on, everyone seemed to be in a good mood.

"Boys, I'm telling you, never, ever go work in retail," Amelia sighed, burying her face in her hands. "Today I had a woman walk in that wanted to return the bouquet she had bought last week, because a few flowers had started to wilt."

"Wilson came in again today," Asher said, causing his mom to chuckle.

"Did he ask for all the prices again, even though they're written right on the shelves?"

"No, worse," he replied, shaking his head. "He wanted a discount because he comes to this supermarket for forty years now. It took me like ten minutes until he finally gave up."

"Isn't this the only supermarket in town?" I asked.

"Yeah. I hate Wilson."

"He really does," Amelia added, laughing. "First thing he does when he comes home from work, he complains about old Wilson."

"No I don't," Asher contradicted with a frown. "At least I don't spread pollen everywhere I go."

His mom gasped. "Hey, don't attack my life work! That's what happens when you work at a flower shop."

I laughed as I watched them, already feeling like the past few months hadn't happened. Like I hadn't spent this much time away from them.

"Hey, you guys want to watch a movie with me?" Amelia asked once we were done with dinner as well as the dishes afterwards.