The Four Beta Brothers

Chapter 6 - Not A Date

JUNIPER

	“But luckily for Asher, I don’t like being a third wheel. I’ll take a raincheck on that dinner date, perhaps when it can just be the two of us,” Axel said. He winked at Asher, and Asher’s jaw tensed in response. Axel took a step back, seeming pleased by the reaction. He put two fingers on his forehead before saluting us. “See yah around.”

	Asher didn’t say anything as Axel walked away. Even after Axel was out of sight, Asher was stiff. I reached for his hand, feeling guilty.

	“I’m sorry if I upset you,” I said. It was obvious he hated that I invited his brother to join us.

	Asher shook his head, and his mood disappeared with it. A moment later, he smiled brightly. “You did nothing wrong, June. You were just being nice. Axel just… riles me up sometimes. He’s a good guy, but he enjoys torturing me too much.”

	“Isn’t that a brotherly thing to do?” I asked. I didn’t have any of my own siblings, but from what I had seen from others over the years, bickering was a normal part of being related to someone.

	Asher chuckled. “My brothers seem to have a talent for that.”

	“I can see that based on what I know about them,” I said, thinking about my brief interactions with each of the brothers.

	Asher tilted his head and narrowed his eyes. “How many of them have you met?”

	I nodded. “I bumped into Axel and Nathan yesterday after we had coffee, and Ethan is my TA. He’s actually investigating Professor Harrison, but he told me not to worry, since it’s clear I’m innocent.”

	“You talked to Ethan?” Asher asked. There was a slight hesitancy in his voice.

	“Yeah, he seemed nice enough,” I said. 

	“Just be careful around him. There’s only one person who he cares about, and it’s definitely not you,” Asher said, bitterness dripping off his tongue.

	I swallowed hard at Asher’s words. The way he talked about Ethan made my chest ache. When Ethan told me he wanted to help me, his words were genuine and caring, making it difficult to believe Asher’s words. Asher didn’t seem like the type to lie, though, so I didn’t know what to think. He was saying one thing while my instincts were saying the opposite.

	“I’ll be careful,” I agreed, deciding it was the best choice for now. “So do you still want to get dinner?”

	Asher perked up with the change of topic. “Are you asking me on a date?”

	I laughed at Asher’s determination. “Do I need to remind you that I invited Axel to get food, too?”

	“Fair point,” Asher said. “But it’s not too late to turn this into a date.”

	“Where do you want to eat?” I asked, deliberately ignoring his comment.

	He tapped his chin a few times. “I have an idea.” He grabbed my hand and started pulling me behind him.

	“Where are we going?” I asked, knowing we weren’t going towards the school cafeteria.

	He glanced back at me with a smile. “It’s a surprise.”

	He led me to the parking lot at the back of the school. He pulled out a set of keys and clicked it twice. A slick, black car flashed its headlights in response. The car was smooth, and it looked expensive, but it wasn’t a sports car. It had five seats, but it was still nicer than anything I had driven before.

	“Why am I surprised you have a car? A nice one at that.” I had my license, but I didn’t have a car. The expenses were too much for me to afford, so I made do with staying on campus most of the time or taking the bus when I had to do the occasional shopping trip that required supplies I couldn’t get at the student store.

	“It’s one of the benefits to the family name.” Asher opened the passenger door and gestured for me to get in. 

	None of the guys I had dated before had ever opened a door for me. I slid into the car, and Asher carefully shut the door behind me. The inside of the car looked just as nice as the outside. It was covered in leather, and there wasn’t a spec of dust on the dashboard.

	Asher climbed into the driver’s seat a moment later, and when he turned on the car, it flared to life. Blue led lights covered the dashboard, making it seem like the car was from the future. I couldn’t imagine owning a car like this in the future.

	“Wow, you must get all the ladies with this beauty,” I noted. If Asher’s name didn’t pull him dates, I knew this car would.

	“It pulls some of the traffic, but those girls are usually more attracted to the car than me,” Asher said, adjusting the air so it was a mild warmth to combat the fall chill in the air.

	I looked at him with wide eyes. While Asher clearly flirted to get his way all of the time, he didn’t strike me as the playboy type. However, if he did go on a lot of dates, then what he was doing with me likely wasn’t special. That thought made my heart sink. I wanted to be special to him.

	“Relax, I’m just joking,” Asher said with a smile. “I don’t really date often. School is a priority, and I found out the hard way that most girls only date me to try to use my status to further themselves.”

	“That’s awful.” I settled into my seat and clicked in the seatbelt. I never thought I would feel sorry for a Burrell family member. I envied families with that kind of status and power. I thought they would have it easy, having everything handed to them from birth. I didn’t think about all of the drawbacks that came with that kind of life.

	Asher shrugged, shifting the car into drive. “I’ve just become a better judge of character. I can see the fake people from miles away. It makes the genuine ones shine even brighter.”

	“And what do you think about my character?” I asked. 

	Asher pulled out of the parking lot, and the car moved smoothly. “I think you’re probably the most genuine person I’ve met. Despite the hardships you’ve been through, you still work hard and treat people with kindness—even those who don’t deserve it. It’s why I was drawn to you in the first place.”

	“And you got all of that from the little bit of time we’ve known each other? You saw me practically yelling at the housing lady.” I still felt guilty for snapping at her, but I didn’t feel sorry enough to attempt to apologize to her.

	“You were having a bad day, and you were clearly sleep deprived. It’s normal for everyone to snap sometimes. I try not to judge people based on their worst moments.” Asher kept both hands on the wheel as he navigated through the city with ease. 

	I couldn’t tear my eyes away from Asher. I had never felt more seen before, even by Moira, the girl who was supposedly my best friend for years. I didn’t know how I got lucky enough for Asher to fall into my life like this, but I knew I wanted whatever this was between us to continue growing.

	“We’re not eating anywhere fancy, are we?” I asked, looking down at my clothes. They were simple, just a blouse and jeans, but they were not appropriate for a nice sitdown restaurant. 

	“Nah. I’ll save fancy for a later date. Today is all about casual and fun.”

	“I still haven’t agreed to this being a date,” I reminded. It was starting to feel more like a date. It was more intimate than just hanging out with a friend, but I didn’t want to just jump into dating someone I had just met. There were too many other worries in my life, and I couldn’t afford to let Asher distract me the way other boyfriends had in the past.

	“You will.” His confidence was outstanding.

	“And how do you know that?” 

	Asher smirked. “I haven’t been wrong about you yet. I plan on keeping that up. Something you’ll learn about me pretty quickly is that I like to win.”

	“Just know that a pretty smile won’t be enough to get your way with me. I may not be good at knowing how genuine a person is, like you, but I know when a guy is flirting just to get something in return.” Asher glanced at me, so I decided to elaborate. “I’ve learned the hard way, too.”

	It was the only thing stopping me from diving into something with Asher. I had fallen for the pretty boy before, only for him to use me and break my heart in the process.

	“Don’t worry. I plan on winning your heart fair and square,” Asher said.

	The car slowed, and he pulled into a plaza. He went directly to a drive-through of a place that looked like a Mexican fast food place. It wasn’t one of the main food chains I was used to, but looking at the menu made my stomach growl.

	Asher gave me a moment to decide what I wanted to eat, before he ordered the food. He switched to his signature smile as he talked to the girl at the window, and she seemed to swoon as he spoke. Seeing other girls swoon for Asher only reminded me that I had to be careful not to fall too fast, but it was hard.

	Just being near Asher made me want to grab his hand and dive right in. Whatever this pull to him was made it nearly impossible to resist his charms.

	The window to the restaurant opened, and the girl leaned out. “Here’s your food, sir. I threw in a little something extra for you as a thank you for your kindness.” She smiled at Asher, and she was completely enamored by him.

	“Thank you. Have a nice night.” Asher passed the bags of food to me, and I balanced them on my lap. He rolled up his window and took off.

	“Now that’s not fair,” I said, laughing. “You had her completely wrapped around your finger.” My heart thundered thinking about the way she looked at him. I was jealous, but I didn’t want Asher to know that.

	Asher glanced at me, smirking. “She was just being nice.”

	I dug into the bag to see what the free item was that she “threw in” for Asher’s kindness. I found the cup with a plastic lid and peeked inside. “Fried ice cream and her phone number. Looks like you got lucky.” I laughed, wondering how many women did things like that.

	“It’s not like she was seriously interested. You’re jealous, aren’t you?” Asher asked, chuckling.

	I glared at him, knowing he was right, but I wouldn’t admit it. “Of course not. I just think it’s crazy that you get free things by flirting. Should I call her to thank her?” I started pulling out my phone.

	“Don’t you dare!” He tried to swipe my phone out of my hand, but it was easy to keep it out of his reach, since he was restricted to the driver’s seat. 

	“She was just being nice,” I mimicked. “Isn’t it nice to return the gesture?”

	“Okay, fine. She was interested in me. Happy?” Asher pouted, knowing he was losing. 

	I giggled, pleased that I got him to admit it. “Only if you split your free ice cream with me.”

	“I worked hard for that ice cream.”

	“You just flashed a smile, but not everyone gets free things from smiling. You’re just lucky you have a charming face to go with it.” I stuck my tongue out at him, trying to hide any hint of jealousy I was showing.

	Asher pulled the car over and put the car into park. “I’m sure if you flashed your smile, you could get some free stuff. I know if you smiled at me, I’d give into you pretty easily.” Asher chuckled, but I knew he wasn’t kidding.

	I leaned in and smiled the best I could, wanting to test Asher’s claim. “Is that so?”

	Asher paused, his eyes widening just slightly. He leaned in, and his breath hit my face. It wouldn’t take much from either of us to turn this into a kiss. “Just tell me what you want, and your wish is my command.”

Chapter 7 - The Four Beta Brothers