“Don’t leave me!” the woman on the screen in front of Asher and Daphne protested to her now ex-boyfriend. The ex-boyfriend onscreen scowled at the woman.

  “You’re absolutely worthless,” he told her, kicking a rock in her general direction. “You never even knew me, got it?”

  The woman continued crying as Daphne took a sip of her soda. Asher’s hand gently touched hers on their shared armrest, and her heart skipped a beat as he threaded his fingers through her own.

  Even though the couple had pnned their date earlier on in the week, and Daphne was genuinely happy to be spending time with Asher, her mind was still whirring on the information she had gleaned from her mother only a day before.

  Which one of us is not my father’s child? On screen, the male lead offered the female lead a hand, helping her pick herself up after having been bullied by the female antagonist. I can’t help but wonder if it’s me who’s not father’s child. Maybe that’s why mother treated me so badly all of these years. Every time she would have looked at me or interacted with me, she would have seen bits and pieces of her affair partner in me. What else could better expin why she has always treated me so poorly? She never treated any of my siblings as cruelly as she treated me.

  She removed her hands from Asher’s, taking a big handful of popcorn from the bucket between them. If the man who raised me isn’t my father… Daphne’s heart ached at the thought. I don’t know how I would be able to cope with knowing that my father wasn’t my biological father.

  A car accident happened on the screen in front of them, and Daphne jumped nearly out of her skin. She saw the truck’s headlights again, heading straight towards her. She felt Asher’s hand grab her own again, and she turned and looked at him. He had a gentle smile on his face as he ran his thumb over the skin on the back of her hand.

  Her pulse started to steady as the female lead cried over the male lead in the hospital bed in front of her.

  God, this movie is very melodramatic. But, why do I rete to it so hard? With her free hand, she wiped away a couple of tears that snuck out of her eyes. …is my life actually this melodramatic?

  Asher squeezed her hand, and her heart warmed a little. Even if it is, at least I have a man who is willing to be my partner through it all now.

  The movie ended with the male lead and the female lead getting married, finally getting their happily ever after, after all of the things they had been through, throughout the entirety of the film. Daphne’s heart warmed a little at the ending. The credits rolled, and Asher and Daphne gathered up their belongings to leave.

  “So, what did you think of the movie?” Asher asked her as they were walking out.

  “I thought it was pretty good,” she replied with a small smile, looking up at his face and meeting his brown eyes. “Melodramas are definitely not my favorite though.”

  …because I rete to them too hard, she added silently.

  “Really?” Asher asked. “That’s surprising. I also liked it, in part because it was a melodrama. It feels more like my real life. I rete to that kind of story a lot.”

  Daphne cocked her head at Asher, surprised by his words. Should I tell him? It feels too soon in our retionship to dig into family stuff. I never talked to Gary about any of my family ...though…I didn’t want Gary to even know who my mother was. With Asher, he already knows who she is.

  “I’m surprised you feel that way,” she replied. “From the outside looking in, your family always looked perfect and well-put together. I was envious of that as a child.”

  Asher let out a ugh. “What if I say I felt the same way about your family? You had so many siblings, yet you all seemed well put together.”

  Daphne scowled at him. “It’s a show,” she replied.

  He shrugged. “It’s the same for my family. Lots of families look perfect on the outside, but on the inside they hold lots of lies and secrets.”

  They walked out of the doors to the movie theater into the crisp, November air. Daphne tugged her coat closer together. “So what now?” she asked as they slowly strode to his car.

  “Would you like to come to my pce for dinner?” Asher asked as they reached his car in the parking lot.

  Daphne’s heart skipped a beat. Does he mean what I think he means? She was grateful for the darkness as she felt her face heating up.

  “For, uh, dinner?” Daphne asked, unable to stop herself from stuttering.

  “Yes, for dinner,” Asher replied with a ugh. “I thought it could be kind of fun to cook for you. Plus you’d get an opportunity to meet Pippin.”

  Daphne’s heart squeezed. Oh my god. He wants me to meet his cat.

  “I’d love that,” Daphne replied, pcing her hands on her cheeks and smiling.

  Asher chuckled a little, and then turned and opened the passenger seat of his car. He gestured to Daphne to climb in. She did, and he went around to the driver’s side as she got buckled in. “Thank you,” she said as he sat down in the driver’s seat.

  I don’t know if anyone I’ve ever dated before opened a door for me. What a gentleman.

  “You’re welcome,” Asher said, starting the vehicle.

  Daphne’s heart stuttered a little, realizing how close to one another they were. I’m really breathing the same air as him today.

  The drive to Asher’s condo was short and before Daphne knew it, he was opening the door for her to enter. She heard a cat humming, sounding excited that the door was opening. As she stepped inside, into a kitchen with a high ceiling, she saw the little white and buff boy cat wadding around, mewing, opening his mouth widely, showing off his pink tongue.

  “Oh my god, he’s so cute!” Daphne excimed, swooping down to reach her hand out to Pippin. The cat looked nervous, and backed up a few inches, wobbling as he went.

  “Well, he’s not running and hiding right away, so you’re off to a good start with him,” Asher said with a ugh. “Sorry that he’s so noisy. I think he just likes the sound of his own voice.”

  Pippin had yet to stop meowing at the couple, and Asher reached down and pet the cat, who excitedly shoved his face into his owner’s hand. As Asher stroked Pippin’s back, his fluffy tail raised like a fg into the air.

  “He’s so adorable!” Daphne cooed, reaching her hand closer to Pippin’s face. He sniffed her gently, and still backed up a couple of steps, meowing at her and looking at her with his eyes that slightly pointed outward from one another.

  “I’m gd you like him,” Asher said. “Give him a little, and I’d bet he’ll let you pet him. He’s just a very skittish cat.”

  Daphne nodded with a smile and stood up. “So what were you thinking of making for dinner?” she asked, removing her coat and putting it on the coat rack he had by the door.

  “Whatever you think sounds good,” Asher replied, removing his own coat. “What kind of food do you like to eat?”

  Daphne narrowed her eyes at Asher. “You can just make all foods?” she asked.

  Asher chuckled. “No, but I can make a lot of foods.”

  “What about sushi?” Daphne asked.

  Asher narrowed his eyes at her, pursuing his lips and nodding. “I can definitely make sushi but let me see if I have the supplies for it.”

  Asher began rummaging around in his kitchen and Daphne peeked around into he living room. Her jaw dropped a little to see a luxurious stone firepce, and a vaulted ceiling, with a sliding gss door onto a deck that overlooked a rge pond.

  “Oh my god, Asher,” she said. “This pce is incredible.”

  “Thanks!” Asher replied brightly from the kitchen behind her.

  “How can you afford this?” she asked.

  He let out a ugh as she turned back to him. He had just pulled out a rice cooker and was plopping it down onto his counter. “Well, I do basically work two full-time jobs,” he answered. “Between work and my father’s business, the thing that hs been cking the most in my life is time, not money.”

  “That’s fair,” Daphne agreed with a nod. “Will you still be able to afford this pce after you quit your project manager role?”

  “Oh, for sure,” Asher replied, as he pulled out rice from one of his cabinets. “I’ve been making extra payments to help lower my monthly costs over time.”

  He’s going to be a business owner soon and he’s good with money? Impressive…

  “It will be sad when you leave,” Daphne said. “I’m going to miss working with you all the time.”

  His brown eyes met hers. “I feel the same,” he said with a small, warm smile.

  She smirked a little. “I do imagine you’re looking forward to more free time, though.”

  “Only so I have more time to spend with my lovely girlfriend,” he replied with a wink before he started washing the rice in his sink.

  Daphne giggled a little. “I’m definitely looking forward to you having more free time,” she said. She felt her face heating up.

  “Still, though,” Asher said. “While we won’t be working directly together, there is still the opportunity that we’ll get to see each other at work every now and again.” He poured the rice into the cooker. “We had someone leave the project management team, so I gave the manger in that space your contact information. They’re supposed to contact you this next week about setting up time for an interview.”

  Daphne’s heart jumped in her chest. “Are you serious?” she asked.

  Asher and I will get to leave at the same time? No more Trevor? No more Fiona? Daphne had to hold back a giddy ugh.

  “Of course,” Asher replied, starting the rice cooker.

  “Thank you so much,” Daphne said with a heavy sigh. “I really, really appreciate it.”

  “It’s my pleasure,” Asher replied, sticking his head into the fridge.

  “My whole world has changed since you came into my life,” Daphne said. “I really don’t have the words to express how grateful I am.”

  Asher put the fish from his fridge on the counter, and walked over to Daphne, pulling her into his arms. “I feel the same way,” he told her, studying her face. He gently lifted her chin up towards his face, and Daphne’s eyes fluttered shut.

  Asher’s lips caressed her own, briefly, and then he pulled her in deeper for more. Daphne let out a little gasp, as she clung onto Asher’s back, feeling the ribbons of his muscles beneath his shirt.

  Asher’s hands were in her hair, holding the back of her head. She felt his tongue against her lips. She let him in, and he explored her mouth, letting out a soft moan against her lips. Daphne felt a heat running through her, as she reached up, running his hands through his short, dark hair.

  Holy fuck, I want this man. Asher wrapped one of his arms around her shoulders, pulling her closer to him. She could feel her breasts fttening against his chest.

  Daphne’s stomach growled loudly, as their kisses were starting to slow down. She felt Asher’s arms release her, and he took a step back. Both of them were panting a little. Daphne knew her face was red, and she saw the tips of Asher’s ears were much pinker than usual. He was smiling at her, with a hint of a smirk embedded in it.

  “Seems like you’re really hungry,” Asher said.

  Daphne ughed a little. “I am,” she replied. “The thought of sushi is making me even hungrier.”

  He chuckled in response and returned to his sushi making activities. Daphne pulled out one of the stools at the isnd and sat down on it, still attempting to steady her whirling head.

  “So, since you’re moving onto taking over your father’s business…curious question for you,” Daphne said, continuing their earlier conversation in an effort to distract herself from the heat that was growing inside of her.

  “Fire away,” Asher said, looking at her with a smile.

  “Is this what you have been dreaming of doing your whole life?” Daphne asked.

  Asher shrugged. “Honestly, I haven’t really considered doing anything else for a really long time. It was always just me and Rose, and lord knows she’s far too zy to take over the company.”

  “Hmm,” Daphne replied, studying Asher closely. “In that case, what was your first dream job?”

  “Oof, that’s a tough question,” Asher replied. “Probably…I really wanted to be a civil engineer who designed bridges.”

  Daphne nodded. “That’s a bit unexpected,” she admitted.

  “What about you? Do you intend to do project management forever?” Asher asked.

  “Project management has always been a means to an end for me,” she admitted. “It pays the bills but I’m not sure that I will want to do it forever.”

  Asher nodded. “I especially don’t bme you with the experience Trevor has been giving you. Have you considered what you’d like to do instead?”

  Daphne shook her head. “I’ve been pretty directionless for a long time.”

  Asher nodded again. “It’s hard to choose just one thing. Did you also have a first dream job?”

  Daphne nodded slowly, thinking back to her childhood interests. “I honestly always really did like pnts before Mother ruined them for me. I always hoped that she would take me into her garden and show me how she did it.”

  Asher nodded. “So maybe it will be something with pnts then.”

  Daphne felt her chest tighten. “No, I hope not,” she said. “These days I really hate flowers.”

  Asher gave her a sharp nod. “Good to know,” he said.

  “What about our retionship?” Daphne asked, tracing a heart over and over on the countertop. “Do you see a future with me?”

  Asher nodded, pulling rice out of the rice cooker and beginning to shape it on the sushi mat in front of him. “Absolutely,” he replied. “I really hope that we can be together a long time because before…” He paused.

  Daphne felt her head tilt to the side. There’s that word again. Before. What does he mean by before? Her eyes narrowed. Could it be…?

  “Before?” Daphne prompted him after he hadn’t continued his sentence fore several beats.

  “Um…you know,” Asher said, sheepish. “Before.”

  Daphne pursed her lips, her heart quivering in her chest. “Well, actually I don’t know what you mean by before,” she said. “I was hoping you’d be willing to enlighten me.”

  He finished rolling the sushi, and chopped it up into eight rge pieces, then put the pte down in front of her before beginning to grab more rice out to start the roll for himself.

  Asher sighed. “If I try to expin to you what I mean by before, you’re not going to believe me, and I’m just going to look like a crazy person in front of my girlfriend.”

  Daphne’s heart skipped a beat. Don’t tell me…did he go through something simir to what I did?