Chance(38)

"Asher," I repeat his name. "I've been so worried. Everyone is worried."

"I know." He rakes his hand through his hair, pushing it back from his face. "I thought I'd come up for a day or two but then it was a week, and then longer and I didn't know how to come back."

"The police are looking for you." I motion towards the checkered sofa. "I need to sit down."

He scoops his hand around my waist, leading me towards the furniture. "They were here. They came to the door but I didn't answer. They just left. That was days ago."

I can't say that I'm shocked that there was no follow up. Asher is a grown man. The police must receive dozens of missing person's reports a day. I'm certain that the majority of the resources are focused on children who are either abducted by a parent or stranger.

"You said you were going to visit your mom." I sit as I try to level my breathing. "You never went there."

"I wanted to be alone." He leans back and skims his hand over the leg of his jeans. "I needed time to process some stuff. My mom wouldn't have helped with that."

It's a weak excuse. There's no way he wasn't aware of the turmoil and pain that he was causing everyone who cared about him, me included. "You just disappeared. I don't understand how you could do that."

I see the pain in his face as soon as the words leave my mouth. I've been mindful of what I say to him since he came back from rehab. I haven't wanted to push him and now I'm realizing that it's given him a cushion that's allowed him to be selfish.

"I'm sorry." His voice cracks slightly. "I was planning on calling Gabriel this weekend."

I want to believe him but given the fact that I accidentally stumbled on his hiding place, I can't do it. "Why didn't you call him last week or the week before that? You know how much he worries about you."

"I couldn't do it." He leans back into the soft cushions of the sofa. "I have to explain why I took off. Gabriel is going to want to know."

Newsflash, Asher. Everyone wants to know.

"Why did you leave?" I ask hoping that he'll give me an explanation.

He shakes his head lightly from side-to-side. "I don't do this grown up thing very well. I suck at being a responsible adult."

I feel a small smile tug at the corner of my lips. "I'm not going to argue with you about that."

"I'll call him now." He stretches his legs out to reach inside the front pocket of his jeans to retrieve his phone. "I need to charge it. It ran out of juice a few days ago. I stopped charging it because…"

He stopped charging it because when you're trying to escape from the realities of life, a phone isn't your ally.

"You can use my phone to call him." I reach towards the coffee table to grab my purse. I pull my smartphone out quickly. It doesn't take me more than a few seconds to bring up Gabriel's contact information. "Call him now. Tell him you're okay."

He scoops my phone into his palm, presses the phone icon and brings it to his ear.

***

"You're sure you don't want to come back to Manhattan with me?" Asher pushes a sweatshirt into a large duffel bag. "It would help if you'd come see Gabriel with me."

The only person I would be helping is Asher. I planned on coming to the house for some rest and relaxation. I may have solved the great mystery of where Asher has been hiding but that's where my part in this twisted Foster saga ends. Responsibility is a bitter pill to swallow for some people and I'd definitely put Asher into that category. "I'm staying here. You need to handle it by yourself."

He tilts his chin up in a slight act of defiance. "Did you come looking for me, Bell? Did you know I'd be here?"

I could tell a small white lie that would give him some reassurance about the unspoken strength of our friendship, but false hope isn't what he needs right now. "No, Asher. I was taking care of some business on Martha's Vineyard yesterday and Gabriel suggested I come here to get away from things."

There's no masking the disappointment in his expression. "You didn't seem surprised to see me last night. It felt like you knew I'd be here waiting for you."

I look down at the hardwood floor. There's a stain on one of the boards. I remember exactly how it got there. Asher and I had found a stray puppy down by the beach and in our infinite, and grade school, wisdom we had smuggled it into his room. It hadn't gone through the rigors of being housebroken so it had relieved itself wherever it saw fit. The stain I'm looking at now is a reminder of that time when we were young, innocent and unaware of real consequences.

"I've been looking for you around every corner for weeks." I lean my leg against the bed. "Every time my phone rang, I hoped it was you. I came here to escape that. I was so tired of worrying."

"I've let you down." He sweeps his hand across his brow. "I've let everyone down again."

"You're going back now." I point to his bag. "You should finish packing. The car Gabriel sent for you will be here soon."

"Will you call me when you're back in the city? You'll call me, right?"

"You need time to sort out things with your brothers." I start towards the bedroom door. "Once things have settled, call me and we'll talk."