Chapter Twenty-Seven | Cherry Blossom

If you were to tell me a couple weeks ago that I'd be spending my Friday afternoon on the phone with Toby Kim — I'd probably slap you square in the face, and yet here I am, on the phone with Toby Kim for the past thirty minutes and fifteen seconds. I don't know what my life has come to honestly.

"And he was all like "I thought I smelled failure," and then I was like "then you must be smelling yourself," " Toby crackled into laughter on the other end, his childlike squeal filling my ears. "That was a good one right?"

I exhaled a sigh, flipping through one of my mother's vintage Vogue catalogs I found laying around the house. "For you, I guess." I shrugged as if he could see, flipping to another page.

I always find myself rummaging through my mother's old collections from her modeling days. The rush of serotonin I get when I look at the designs and fabric that goes into creating a single piece is literally what I live for. The amount of happiness and comfort I feel when I think about working with some of the most credible names in high fashion is unmatched. I live for it. I like to think in another life where my last name wasn't Claremont and my name wasn't tied to a multibillion-dollar business, I'd be going to school for something fashion related, probably in Paris or Milan where I'd have to make a name for myself on my own.

Sadly, I'm stuck here in America and my last name is most definitely Claremont, and I'm the heir to one of the most successful companies in the world, and I attended one of the most expensive yet poorly mannered schools in the world where so-called boys that make you think that they like you let their friends dump pasta on your head.

I hate it here and I hate Asher too, again.

Ever since the little accident with Andre and Caleb in the cafeteria, I've been doing my best to wipe any memory of Asher from my mind, and much to my dismay the boy wasn't making it easy since he's tried calling and texting me multiple times. Normally I wouldn't hesitate to hit the block bottom on someone but this is different. I want Asher to know I received his messages, I've read them and I'm purposely not replying.

Maybe then he'll feel what I felt in the cafeteria the other day.

"Hey Liam," Toby's voice snapped me out of thought.

"Yeah?"

"I'm trying to finish this report for Mrs. Vega and I need help trying to find a synonym for this word. What's the word for horny but not in, like, a sexual way, like, I'm horny for Halloween but I don't wanna fuck a pumpkin, you know?"

I pulled the phone away from my ear and stared at it for a moment. "I think the word you're looking for is "excited".

I could feel him smile through the phone. "Okay thanks, I-" He suddenly stopped himself. "That's weird, why is he calling me of a sudden?"

I raised a brow. "Who?"

"Asher."

I felt my heart plummet to my stomach and my palms started to sweat. I closed the Vogue catalog and got up from my position on my bed. "What the hell? Don't answer Toby."

"Why not? What if it's something important." He said and I let out a low groan, rolling my eyes. "Toby, if you're my friend you can't be friends with Asher."

"I don't remember reading that agreement in the Friendship Contract," Toby's sarcastic remark left a sour taste in my mouth and I frowned up at the phone. "But fine, if you don't want me to talk to the guy I won't."

A victory smile found its way onto my lips. "Thanks-"

"Wassup Asher!" Toby suddenly announces into the phone and I choked on air. It felt someone had knocked the wind out of me for a second and I couldn't breathe. Asher's familiar voice came on the line and I quickly muted my phone from the conversation.

"Hey Toby, you talk to Liam lately? He's been avoiding me like crazy these past few days." I felt a chill run over my spine when Asher says my name. I haven't heard him say it in a while.

Toby paused for a moment before answering. "I actually just got off the phone with him actually. He was helping me with this paper."

"Oh," A silence took over Asher for a moment. He sounds defeated, his voice sounding heavy with grief. I pictured the next time I talked to Asher it'd be satisfying to see that he's cracked and he feels ashamed for what happened, but this wasn't making me feel satisfied at all. I don't know how to feel, to be honest. "Well, can you call him later and ask him to meet me downtown at that ice cream parlor on Sunset? I'd really appreciate it."

"Texting him as we speak." Toby avowed.

"Alright, appreciate that Toby." Asher said, "Oh and Toby?"

"Yeah?"

"Thanks for being a good friend to Liam. He really needs that right now."

I could feel Toby smiling on the other end, and I knew I shouldn't have done the same but it's as if I had no control over my facial muscles and they moved on their own. I was smiling, I was fucking smiling because of Asher's ass and I shouldn't be. Asher clearly showed his true colors back in the cafeteria that day, and if it ever comes down to it the way his friends think of him is way more important than anything we've ever had.

Asher ended the call and left Toby and me on the line by ourselves. The line was silent but only for a moment because I could hear Toby chuckling to himself on the other end.

"So I take it as you're going?" He questioned, an assuming tone to his words that caused me to snarl.

"No." I quickly replied.

"I can hear you putting on your shoes."

I looked down at the almost complete outfit I quietly put on and then back at Toby through the phone. "Shut up."

He let out a laugh as I continued getting ready. "Hey, I know it's none of my business but what's going on between you and Asher? He seems really upset at himself. It's weird because I've never really known the guy to express any type of emotion but when he talks about you it's like his words are so heavy with it."

I paused in tracks, a low sigh escaping my lips. "It's personal Toby." Was the only reply I could think to give. "Oh okay. Well, you better get going!" Toby exclaimed, before ending the call abruptly.

I looked down at the phone for a moment and chuckled to myself. That damn Toby Kim.

••••

The park here in downtown DC was nothing like those of the smaller towns. Theirs were miniature formal gardens for the elderly that had retired there for a quiet life. They had benches, ornamental trees, flowers year-round and water fountains in clear lakes that were stocked with Koi carp. But not here. Not in the big city. Here a park meant acres of concrete interspersed with neat grass verges. We have rollerblading tracks, tennis courts, basketball courts, water parks, and skateboarder basins. There are vendors with hotdogs and burgers, vendors with curry and rice, vendors with tacos and sour cream. There's always music, sometimes clashing from various sources, none of them official. We don't have color from roses or asters, but it is more vibrant than any planned garden.

The parks here are beautiful beyond imagination and they should be considering all the money my father contributed to making them this way. It was in the early 2010s when my father decided to give back to the city and upgrade the parks for the kids. It was a nice gesture that sure gave my father some points with the general public.

I haven't been to the park since forever. The reason being is that it's mostly a spot for tourists, and has been run down to a local hangout spot for the public school kids on the lower southeast side who just stand around and litter the park with their cigarettes and liquor bottles.

But of course when Asher asked to meet me out here I couldn't decline and not for the reasons some might think. I'm not here to accept his apology, I'm not here to try and rekindle some old flame, I'm here to let him know that there's no coming back from what he did and anything that we had is completely and one-hundred-percent over.

I spot the boy sitting on one of the wooden park benches in the center around the stone fountain. He didn't seem to notice me approaching as he twiddled with the strings of his matching Nike sweatsuit which made my choice of a white turtleneck, plaid pants and a beige trench coat thrown over seem a little much but that the least of my worries at the moment.

When Asher finally does notice me he looks up with a widened expression, his brows rising and his eyes lighting up a bit however his expression quickly falls when he gets up and makes his way over to me only to be put to a halt when I extend out my arm.

"Six feet!" I told him, sending him my famous icy glare that I know he's quite acquainted with. "Anything you have to say to me say it from there because I'm not coming any closer." Apart from me knew another reason I didn't want to get close to the boy was because I knew if I did I might just collapse in his arms and pull him tight and never let him go, but he doesn't deserve that and I won't give it to him.

"Really, Liam?" Asher's ran a hand over his head as he shook his head, giving me a knowing look. A look which I returned with a glare. He removed his hand from hand and stuffed them into his pockets, before kissing his teeth and making his way over to me.

"Hey."

I tried to take a step back, but he only inches closer. Those doe-like eyes met mine and a breathtaking smile appeared on his soft face.

"See that's your problem, you never listen."

"And you're dramatic." The words left his mouth and a smug, teasing smile appeared on his lips without a second thought.

A musical chuckle left his lips, causing my stomach to flip, as I rolled my eyes. "If you just call me out here to be annoying then I'll gladly leave, because I already didn't want to come in the first place."

I did want to come out here but he didn't have to know that.

"Look, I just wanted to see you in person." He sighed. "I haven't seen you in any of our classes since the incident in the cafeteria. How have you been? Are you caught up on all our assignments?"

"I'm still pulling alfredo out my ear if you must know," I said, crossing my arms over my chest. "And don't worry about my grades. I'm doing fine missing a few classes won't hurt my GPA."

"That's good." Asher's eyes start to linger on mine for a moment, but I quickly turn my gaze towards the grass that surrounds us. There was silence between us for a moment. The sounds of the running fountain water, birds chirping and kids playing around us sounded louder than usual as we just stood there in front of one another.

"I missed you," Asher's words cause my grip around myself to tighten but I kept my composure. "I've missed you so much. You're literally all I've been thinking about, and I know it's fucked up what happened at the cafeteria and if I could rewind time and change things I would in a heartbeat and you know that-"

"I don't know that, Asher!" I cut him off, finally meeting his gaze again. "I never know anything with you, but now I know that if it ever came down to me or your cousins approvals you wouldn't hesitate to throw me under the bus."

"I didn't throw you under the bus. I tried to stop Andre and you saw me, but at the end of the day he makes his own decisions Liam."

"And you did nothing after he made that decision. You just stood there and watched as I was humiliated in front of everyone! I was already a target from the moment I walked into school because of Imani and her stupid lies, and all the people that said they were my friends don't even want my friends anymore. Even Ryder, my best friend since elementary turned his back on me and for what? A seat at a lunch table? It's like the whole world is against me and I have no one in my corner!"

I didn't realize tears had left my eyes until Asher pulled me into his chest, his familiar scent coming over to me. The tears are overwhelming. My walls, the walls that hold me up, make me strong just... collapse. Moment by moment, they fall. Salty drops fall from my chin, drenching Asher's sweatshirt.

"Hey, listen to me," He tugs at my wet chin and uplifts my head to meet his serious gaze. "Don't ever let me hear you say that again. You got me in your corner, always. Remember that."

"And forget Ryder and Imani. They're both scums who'll get what's coming to them very soon. High school has a weird way of showing you who your real friends are. People change. Someone who you thought was your best friend will cut you off completely. Some of us enter high school with plenty of friends and end with only a few close ones. Others of us enter high school with only a few close friends and end with no friends at all. It's just how life is. It's like that sometimes. It sucks but it happens to almost everyone so don't let it get you down."

With his arms wrapped around me, he pulled me close, our chest pressed up against one another. Despite the heaviness in my stomach, it fluttered at the feeling of my body pressed against his. "I'll always be with you though. That's something you won't ever have to worry about."

"Promise?"

The sparkle shining in Asher's eyes made me get lost in his eyes, a small smile coming over my lips. I couldn't help it. The sparkle, his eyes, the smiles, it was all easy with him. It always is. He intertwined our pinky fingers. "Cross my heart and hope to die." He finished, placing a soft kiss upon my lips. God, I've missed them.

"I've got something I want to show you." He said, pulling apart from the hug and taking my hand and leading me through the park.

"What is it?" I questioned, completely lost.

"You'll see. . . "

••••

Asher guided me with his hands covering my eyes. At first I thought it kinda kinky and different, but after walking like this for the past three blocks I've grown a bit bored and slightly concerned.

"Asher, I swear to God if you're gonna kill me and dump my body in the woods somewhere I will haunt you so hard. I just bought these shoes too." I told him, still following his lead. I heard him kiss his teeth from behind me before chuckling to himself. "We're literally almost there. Just a few more seconds."

I exhaled a sigh still continuing to follow to God knows where. The air began to smell salty and sweet and reminded me of my summers in the cools water of Bora Bora, but I knew we couldn't there for obvious reasons.

After a few more steps Asher finally removes his hands from my view and I'm brought to a world of pink cherry blossom trees. The lake-side air was pungent with the fragrance of the pink trees and warmed my insides. It was something you had to see it to believe it. Sitting under a pink world, with petals gently gliding toward the earth draped across the grass like snowflakes, it's breathtaking. There's so many of them it's like a maze and I wouldn't mind getting lost in it.

"W-where are we?" I turned around to see Asher with his eyes already on me, a sly smile on his lips.

"This is a cherry blossom garden. It's my moms." He told, and my eyes widened at his words. "What? Really?"

Asher never really talks about his mother, and I never ask him anything about her because it's none of my business. I remember her from my elementary school days when she'd come to school and pick up Asher when school let out. She was a beautiful woman with nice dark skin like Asher and the most stunning light-brown eyes. I couldn't help but stare at whenever I saw her even though I'm pretty sure she disliked me for always getting her son in trouble.

"Yeah, my mom was obsessed with Japanese culture. She studied abroad there in university. She'd always tell Braxton and I stories of her time there and how she discovered herself." Asher's hand intertwined with mine and he pulled me into the pink maze, cherry blossom petals crunching beneath our feet.

"She fell in love with the Sakura tree and one she just decided to plant a whole garden of them. There's an acre of cherry blossoms here and sometimes during the spring when they blossom she would let people came and tour. For free tourists and locals alike could escape the traffic and the frenetic movement of the city and just enjoy the cherry blossoms."

My eyes wandered around the garden, the stone path before us covered in a pink carpet made of petals. Pretty. Excuse my lack of vocabulary but that's the only word I could find at the moment. That's just how everything felt. Pretty.

"That was so nice of her," I told him, leaning my head against his shoulders as continued to walk.

Asher exhaled a low sigh. "Yeah, I practically know this place like the back of my hand. My mom used to tease the kids that if they're bad or disrespectful to their parents they'll get lost in here forever, but I could never get lost here. I used to come here at the dead of night sometimes. That's how familiar with it I am."

When it seemed as if the stone path had split into four different paths Asher stopped us. I looked at him to see his already trained straight ahead and I followed his gaze, and that's when I spotted the rocky memorial placed only a few feet before us. Moss and ivy growing all over the back of the great slab of grey granite, engraving almost worn away by years of rain, once sharp-edged letters now rounded and so shallow as to be barely readable, standing as a testimony to the life of someone long forgotten, in the shadow of a great cherry blossom tree that stood larger than the others.

There was a framed picture of Asher's mom inside the large stone. I never noticed they shared the same smile.

I felt his grip on my hand tightened and his shoulders tense. The sparkliness in his eyes disappeared as he stared ahead at the memorial. At first I thought he was some kind of demon because his eyes went dark and he started to scratch his arms.

"I haven't been here in years." He mumbled.

I never seen Asher cry before. Ever since I've known him he's always been the nonchalant type. He never lets anything get to him, and I always thought it was an act and just as a single tear slides down from his left eye I realize I was right. He refused to look away, even as his lips trembled and his shoulders heaved with emotion, unwilling to back down. His dark lashes brimmed heavy with tears; his hands clenched into shaking fists, in a desperate battle against the grief.

I take his trembling hands and bring him down onto the ground. We both sit on the stone path and I embrace him into a comforting hug. He rests his head on my shoulder not making a sound, but the tears seeping into my trench coat spoke for him.

Asher sniffled. "I need to say this because you deserve this because I can't lose you again. You walked into my life and found me spiraling and you saved my life with the way you see the best and worst parts of me. You are sharp and strong and the bravest person I've ever known and you know how much I hate making choices but somehow choosing you, every single time was easy because you looked at me and I could suddenly breathe again."

He lifts his head from my shoulder and stares at me, tears threatening to fall from his eyes. "I like you, Liam. I like you a lot. I like you so much that it makes me forget how to act naturally. So much that it makes me say stupid things and act like an idiot around you. Damnit, I don't know what it is but somehow you've got me hooked. I don't know if you feel it too, but I know that there's definitely something here. Yes, it's new, and it's overwhelming, but I need to—"

I cut him rambling short with a kiss. The kiss obliterated every thought. For the first time in forever my mind was locked into the present. The worries of the previous days evaporated like a summer shower onto a hot car. He pulls apart and he looks up at me with his tear-stained face and kisses me again. As cheesy as it sounds, it's just like the movies. For that single moment time stops. I don't care about anything, not Imani, not Ryder, not our parents. It's just me and him. There's no war, no rules, no suffering, just us.

"I do love you by the way," Asher uttered. "As much as I'm capable of loving someone, which is never enough. I'm sorry."

I shook my head, placing a comforting hand in lap. "It's okay. I forgive you and we're gonna get passed this. Pass everything."

Asher smiles. His smile was one of happiness growing, much as a cherry blossom blooming. I could see how it came from deep inside to light his eyes and spread into every part of him. A person smiles with more than their mouth, and I heard it in his voice, in the choice of his words and the way he relaxed. It was beautiful.

"Oh, and I got something for you." His eyes widened as he reached into his sweatpants pocket, and I raised a brow at him as rummaged around in his pants. After a second he pulled out a turquoise Tiffany & Co box.

"I know you have enough diamonds to last you a lifetime so I hope this 18k gold necklace will do." He chuckled to himself, opening the box and showcasing the gold necklace that spelled out my name.

Parris.

I gasped. "Asher you didn't have to get me anything. Your apology alone was okay." I tried to tell him but he shook his head.

"I know but I love your name," He got up and went back me to hook the necklace around my neck. "and one day I hope you learn to love just as much as I do."

Once the necklace was around my neck, I quickly attacked Asher with an embracing hug that took us to the ground, the cherry blossoms petals covering us as we rolled around.

"I'm never taking this off, you know that right?" I told him, and he nodded. "I'm gonna wear it forever."

"Promise?" He held up his pinky.

I held up my pinky finger and locked it with his. "Cross my heart and hope to die."

••••

I stayed out with Asher longer than I had anticipated and when I got home it was nearing midnight. Thankfully, it's the weekend so there's nothing to be worried about and if I'm lucky my father is gone to lords know where to handle business. However, much to my dismay the minute I walked into the door I'm greeted by a familiar pair of piercing blue eyes that made my blood run cold and my hairs on my neck stand up.

My father stood in the foyer with folded arms and a raised brow. He eyed me up and down, and I tried my best not to crack under his intense stare. "Where have you been?" He questioned.

"Out with a few friends." I walked passed as the words left my lips so I wouldn't have to look at him as I lied, but he quickly called my name again before I could reach the steps.

"Liam, you know we have that charity event tomorrow morning. Why would you stay out so late?"

I blinked at him. With all the things going on in my life right now a charity event was without a doubt the last thing on my mind. I didn't tell my father that though. Instead I said, "I'm sorry I just lost track of time."

The way his eyes squinted when he glared at me reminds me of a pit viper's slit-like pupils. I gulped nervously. A burning animosity was developing in his ocean eyes, and I could tell I was likely the root of the problem. Thankfully, my father exhaled a heavy sigh and turned his gaze elsewhere, his eyes turning back to normal. "Just make sure to call me before you decide you want to stay out all night with your friends, Liam." He said.

I nodded. "Yes sir."

I wasted no time rushing up the stairs, but before I could even reach the top step my father called my name again from the bottom of the stairs. "Oh and Liam?"

"Nice necklace." He squinted up at me from his level of the house and I swallowed a lump in my throat I didn't even know was forming as I fumbled with the lettering of the necklace, before making my way up my room.

••••
Excuse any mistakes or errors