Page 122 of Falling Like Snow

“You met Micah, and you were so excited that someone liked you,” he continues. “But again, I loved you. And I wanted to scream that at you every time you acted like someone liking you was some wild concept.” He cracks his knuckles, his eyes focusing on his lap. “I thought maybe I sensed jealousy when you found out I was tutoring Daph, but I didn’t know if I was misreading the situation or if it was just wishful thinking. And even if you were jealous, it didn’t necessarily mean anything, especially because Micah was in the picture.

“But then we kissed, and I was so sure…” He trails off, running his hand through his hair, creating a beautiful mess. “But days later, you were flirting with Micah, kissing Micah.” He sighs. “I was scrambling to figure out a new gift so you could be happy with him without my feelings weighing on you. But after everything went down at the Snow Ball and you told me you didn’t like him, I thought maybe I hadn’t lost my chance after all.”

“But when you tried to talk to me about our kiss, I panicked.”

He nods. “Even though I’d been so sure you felt it too, you said the kiss didn’t mean anything. It made me question if I was imagining what seemed to be happening between us—all those small moments that seemed to be adding up to something.” He shrugs. “So, no. It wasn’t about the cake. It was about the fact that at that point, I couldn’t give you my present. It was about the fact that I needed to find a way to let go of my feelings for you.”

“But just now you pushed me to admit everything, even though you wouldn’t do it yourself.”

“Because you told me that you wanted to like Micah because he liked you,” Asher says, exasperated, like he’s stating the most obvious information. “All I needed at the water tower was for you to meet me halfway. For you to admit that the kiss was something—something exhilarating or bewildering or even terrifying. Anything, so I would know it wasn’t all in my head, that I wasn’t the only one having feelings. But you didn’t. And I didn’t want you to have to try to like me back just because I said I liked you, the way you did with Micah. I wanted the real thing, which meant you had to admit it first. So when you saw me in there with Daphne just now and stormed off, I thought maybe…”

“But you asked Daphne to the Snow Ball.”

“Micah had asked you. I didn’t want you to feel bad about going with him instead of adhering to our tradition.”

“Okay, but you kissed her.”

“No, she kissed me. I did not kiss her back.”

“But I came by your house the night of the festival, and you were with her,” I say.

“What?” he says. “No I wasn’t. I was helping my mom at the inn that night.”

“Oh.”

“Why are you trying to prove something that can’t be proven?”

I sigh. “I don’t know. It’s just… yeah, I’m jealous, but I don’t want to come between the two of you if—”

“Stop it. I have no interest in her like that. I told her at the Snow Ball that she and I weren’t going to happen.”

“Oh. Was she okay?”

“Uh, she yelled at me… in Spanish. I have no idea what she said, but it didn’t seem particularly friendly. On the bright side, apparently I’m a very good tutor, because she was very fluent,” he says, grinning.

Of course Hannah was right about her faking it.

“You two seemed good inside,” I say.

“Yeah, we are now. We had a long talk.” He rests his head against the seat behind him. “I feel bad because I knew she was under the impression that maybe we could be something, and I should have made it clear sooner. But when you met Micah and were so damn infatuated, I just wanted to get over you. I was trying so hard to move on, Sloane.”

His eyes dart between mine. “But there’s only one girl I want to kiss. One girl that I am so wildly in love with that I can barely sleep. One girl who makes me stare at my window at night, hoping she’ll randomly show up and climb into my bed again—preferably not wearing some other guy’s clothes, because, frankly, that nearly killed me.” He takes my hand in his and runs his thumb over it. “There’s only one girl I want to spend literally every second of every day with.”

I bite my bottom lip, trying not to smile. “Yeah?”

“I exist for you, Sully. I know that’s a total simp thing to say, but I don’t even care.”

My insides melt, and I have to blink back tears again—but this time because I’m so freaking happy.

Asher leans in and rests his forehead against mine. “I got to be your first kiss, and I want to be your last.”

Before I can respond, his lips are on mine. The kiss is soft at first, his fingers skimming my jaw until they’re in my hair as he cups my neck and pulls me more firmly against his mouth. Every nerve ending sparks to life, pleading to be touched by him. I push onto my knees and throw one leg over his thighs as I try to get closer to him. Sinking into his lap, I part my lips, probing for more, which he eagerly gives. His tongue glides over mine, and he tastes like peppermint candy canes. His hands settle on my lower back while mine get tangled in his silky hair. The car fills with the sound of our shuddering breaths.

He tears his mouth away. “We should stop.”

I freeze. “Oh. Okay. Sorry. I didn’t mean to—”

“Sloane, you did nothing wrong. Quit apologizing.”