Kael was avoiding his friends.
It had been three days since the coffee date—not a date, just coffee, definitely not a date even though it felt like one—and he'd been dodging Jax and River's increasingly aggressive texts.
JAX: Dude where are you
JAX: We need an update
JAX: Don't tell me you're chickening out
RIVER: If you don't respond in the next hour I'm coming to your house
JAX: He's probably already balls deep and doesn't want to tell us
RIVER: Nah. He'd brag about that
JAX: True. So what's the holdup?
Kael threw his phone across his bed and scrubbed his hands over his face.
The problem was that he wasn't making progress. Not the kind they wanted, anyway. Sure, he and Asher were getting closer. They texted every day. Had extended their tutoring sessions to twice a week. Had plans for another coffee outing this weekend.
But Kael hadn't made any actual moves. Hadn't pushed physical boundaries. Hadn't tried to escalate things beyond friendship.
Because every time he thought about it—about following through on the bet—his stomach turned.
This is ridiculous, he told himself. It's just a game. Just do it and get it over with.
But then he'd remember the way Asher laughed at his terrible jokes. The way his eyes lit up when explaining a complex metaphor. The way he'd looked at Kael in the car, vulnerable and hopeful and trusting.
I'm so screwed.
A knock on his bedroom door made him jump.
"Kael? Honey, Jax and River are here to see you."
His mother's voice.
Shit.
"Send them up!" he called, scrambling to look casual.
Moments later, his door burst open. Jax and River walked in like they owned the place—which, considering how much time they'd spent here over the years, they practically did.
"Finally," Jax said, throwing himself onto Kael's designer couch. "We thought you died."
"Just busy," Kael muttered.
"Too busy for your best friends?" River raised an eyebrow, closing the door behind him. "That's cold, man."
"Basketball has been intense—"
"Cut the shit." Jax's voice lost its playful edge. "What's going on with the bet?"
Kael felt cornered. "It's going fine."
"Fine? It's been three weeks and according to your Instagram stories, you've been on multiple 'study sessions' with Quinn." River made air quotes. "So either you're the world's slowest player, or something else is going on."
"I'm taking my time. Building trust."
"For three weeks?" Jax leaned forward. "Kael, be real with us. Are you actually catching feelings?"
"No!"
River and Jax exchanged a look.
"Oh my god," River said slowly. "You are. You're catching feelings for the nerd."
"I'm not—"
"Dude, we've known you since we were five," Jax interrupted. "We can tell when you're lying. You like him."
Kael's jaw clenched. "So what if I do? Maybe he's actually cool. Maybe I enjoy spending time with him."
"That's not the point of the bet!" Jax stood up, clearly frustrated. "The point is to prove you can get anyone you want, collect your prize, and move on. Not to fall for some nobody scholarship kid."
"Don't call him that," Kael snapped.
The room went silent.
River whistled low. "Wow. You've got it bad."
"I don't have anything," Kael insisted, but even he could hear how weak it sounded. "I just don't see why we have to be assholes about this. Asher's a good person. He doesn't deserve to be treated like a joke."
"He was always the joke," Jax said coldly. "That was literally the entire point. We were bored, we made a bet, and you agreed to it. Or are you forgetting that part?"
"Look," River said, his tone gentler. "I get it. He's probably sweet and innocent and makes you feel like a good person or whatever. But you need to decide—are you in or are you out? Because if you back out now, you lose by default."
"And we'll never let you live it down," Jax added. "Kael Everhart, defeated by a nerd with glasses. That'll be great for your reputation."
"I don't care about my reputation," Kael said, but even as the words left his mouth, he knew it wasn't entirely true.
He did care. He cared about being seen as confident, successful, someone who didn't fail. That's who he'd built himself to be.
"Then what do you care about?" Jax challenged.
The answer should have been simple. But Kael found himself thinking about Asher's smile, his thoughtful questions, the way he made Kael want to be better.
"I need more time," he finally said.
"Time for what?"
"To do this right."
Jax studied him for a long moment. "One month. You have one more month to seal the deal, or you lose. And if you lose, you're paying for our Bali trip and posting a public apology admitting we're better than you."
"Fine."
"And no more of this wholesome hanging out bullshit," River added. "You need to actually make a move. Like, a real move."
Kael's stomach churned. "I know what I'm doing."
"Do you?" Jax's expression was skeptical. "Because from where I'm standing, it looks like you're stalling. And I'm starting to think it's because you don't actually want to go through with it."
"I said I've got this."
"Prove it." Jax pulled out his phone. "Marcus is having a party this weekend. Huge rager at his parents' lake house. Bring Quinn."
"What? No—"
"Bring him to the party. Show everyone you're actually with him. Make a move in front of witnesses. Or admit you've gone soft and forfeit."
It was a trap. Kael could see it clearly. But backing down now would be admitting defeat. Would mean enduring months—maybe years—of mockery from his friends.
And what's the alternative? Keep lying to Asher? String him along until you can't anymore?
"Fine," Kael heard himself say. "I'll bring him to the party."
Jax smiled. "That's what I wanted to hear."
They left shortly after, satisfied that they'd gotten through to him. Kael sat alone in his room, staring at his phone.
He had a text from Asher.
ASHER: Just finished the chapter you recommended! You were right, the ending was incredible. I can't believe she did that!
ASHER: Sorry, I'm rambling. How was your day?
Kael's fingers hovered over the keyboard.
KAEL: My day was complicated. Hey, random question—what are you doing this weekend?
ASHER: Nothing much! Just homework and probably helping my dad with some house projects. Why?
KAEL: There's this party at a friend's lake house. Want to come with me?
The three dots appeared, disappeared, appeared again. Kael could practically see Asher's internal debate.
ASHER: A party? I don't really do parties...
KAEL: I know. But I'll be there. You can stick with me the whole time. It might be fun?
ASHER: I don't know anyone who goes to those kinds of parties
KAEL: You know me. And I promise I'll make sure you have a good time. Plus there's supposed to be an amazing view of the lake at sunset. Very romantic.
He added that last part before he could think better of it.
ASHER: Romantic?
KAEL: Scenic. I meant scenic.
ASHER: Sure you did 😊
ASHER: Okay. I'll go. But if it's terrible, you owe me an entire cake
KAEL: Deal. I'll pick you up Saturday at 7?
ASHER: It's a date. I mean! Not a date date. Just like. A plan.
KAEL: Whatever you say, Asher 😏
Kael set down his phone and immediately wanted to throw up.
What am I doing?
He was backing himself into a corner. Taking Asher to a party where his friends would be watching, judging, waiting for him to make his move. Where Asher would be completely out of his element and vulnerable.
This is wrong. This is so wrong.
But he'd already committed. Already invited Asher. Already set the wheels in motion.
One month. Jax had given him one month.
Kael looked at himself in the mirror across his room. The person staring back was handsome, confident, successful.
And a complete coward.
Asher was panicking.
"Elliot, I don't have anything to wear to a party!"
"You don't have anything to wear anywhere," Elliot observed from his perch on Asher's bed, watching his best friend tear through his limited wardrobe. "Your entire closet is cardigans and button-ups."
"That's not helpful!"
"I'm just saying, maybe we should go shopping?"
"With what money?" Asher pulled out a shirt, examined it, threw it aside. "I can't afford party clothes."
"Then wear what you have. Kael seems to like you regardless of what you're wearing."
Asher paused, clutching a sweater to his chest. "Do you really think he likes me?"
Elliot's expression softened. "Honestly? Yeah, I do. I still don't trust his intentions, but the way he looks at you... it seems real."
"But?"
"But I'm terrified you're going to get hurt. These parties—Ash, they're not your scene. They're full of people who've spent their whole lives being cruel to people like us. And Kael's friends..." He trailed off.
"What about them?"
"They're assholes. Like, genuinely terrible people. Jax Sterling once made a freshman cry just because he looked at him wrong. River Morgan has a reputation for hooking up with people and then posting about it online. These aren't good people, Ash."
"Kael isn't like that."
"Are you sure? Or is that just what he's shown you?"
I have to trust him," Asher said quietly. "Otherwise, what's the point? I can either believe he's genuine and risk getting hurt, or push him away and definitely lose him. At least this way I have a chance."
"A chance at what?"
Asher bit his lip. "At something real. At someone seeing me. At not being invisible anymore."
Elliot stood up and pulled Asher into a hug. "You were never invisible to me."
"I know. But you know what I mean."
"Yeah." Elliot pulled back. "I do. And for what it's worth, I hope I'm wrong about him. I hope he's everything you think he is."
"Me too."
They settled on Asher's nicest pair of dark jeans and a fitted navy blue sweater that Elliot insisted "made his eyes pop." It wasn't party attire by Silvercrest standards, but it would have to do.
Saturday came too fast.
Asher stood in front of his mirror, second-guessing everything.
His mer dad knocked on the door. "Ash? Your friend is here."
"Coming!"
Asher took a deep breath, grabbed his jacket, and headed downstairs.
Kael stood in the living room, chatting easily with Asher's parents. He looked unfairly gorgeous in black jeans and a dark green henley that brought out the warmth in his eyes.
When he saw Asher, his face lit up. "Hey. You ready?"
"As I'll ever be."
"You look great."
Asher's mer dad cleared his throat. "So, Kael. What kind of party is this?"
"Oh, just a small gathering at my friend's lake house. Very low-key. I'll have him home by midnight."
"Eleven-thirty," Asher's fer father said firmly.
"Eleven-thirty," Kael agreed easily. "You have my word, sir."
After some final parental warnings and a very obvious "we're watching you" look from both his dads, Asher escaped to Kael's car.
"Your parents are nice," Kael said as they pulled away.
"They're protective."
"Can't blame them. You're pretty precious."
Asher's face burned. "Stop."
"It's true though." Kael glanced over with a smile. "You nervous?"
"Terrified."
"Don't be. I'll be right there with you the whole time. If you want to leave at any point, we leave. No questions asked."
"Promise?"
"Promise."
The drive to the lake house took forty minutes. As they got closer, Asher could see other cars—expensive sports cars, luxury SUVs—all heading the same direction.
"That's a small gathering?" he asked weakly.
Kael grimaced. "Marcus's idea of small is like fifty people. But seriously, stick with me. It'll be fine."
It was not fine.
The "lake house" was a massive modern mansion, lit up like a nightclub. Music pulsed from inside, loud enough to hear from the parking area. People were everywhere—on the deck, in the yard, spilling out the doors.
Asher felt his anxiety spike. "Kael—"
"Hey." Kael took his hand, squeezing gently. "I've got you. Okay?"
The touch grounded him. "Okay."
They walked in together, Kael's hand at the small of Asher's back, guiding him through the crowd.
The party was overwhelming. Too loud.
After that tense moment with Jax and River, Kael had pulled him away to a quieter part of the deck. They spent the rest of the evening talking, laughing, watching the stars reflect off the lake.
"See? Not so scary," Kael said, his arm draped casually over the railing behind Asher—not quite touching, but close enough that Asher could feel his warmth.
"I guess not." Asher leaned back slightly, and Kael's arm shifted to his shoulders.