Pretend It Never Happened
Asher looked dazed as he walked into the school grounds, his backpack slung carelessly over one shoulder. He barely acknowledged the greetings from classmates, his mind still tangled in the mess of last night.
Tessa had invited him over after he told her how Lila had gone livid about his comments on Damien. He hadn’t thought twice before going, he hadn’t remembered what she said to him in the park. How she’d confessed she was in love with him, that she wouldn’t stop until he was hers.
How stupid could he be? To forget all that. To still go to her house. To drink with her.
That was how everything happened. He got drunk and slept with his girlfriend’s best friend.
The memory made him stop in his tracks. A heavy sigh escaped him as he stared blankly ahead, his heart feeling unbearably heavy.
His eyes stung, guilt pressing hard against his chest until it almost hurt.
“Asher.”
Her voice came from behind him, soft but trembling and Asher’s jaw clenched before he turned.
“Are you happy now?” His tone was low, shaking with restrained fury. He took a slow step toward her. “You fucked your best friend’s boyfriend, Tessa. Aren’t you the most shameless person on earth?”
Tessa swallowed hard as tears stung her eyes. “Trust me, Asher. That wasn’t my intention. I lost my mind too,” she said, her voice breaking.
“Quit being melodramatic, Tessa. You already said you wouldn’t stop until I became yours, didn’t you?” Asher shot back, his tone low but cutting, eyes cold and sharp.
Tessa nodded quickly, her voice trembling. “I said that, but I didn’t mean it like that, Asher. I just wanted you to know how much I love you. I’m sorry… I’m actually feeling the same way you are right now. I betrayed my best friend.” She sobbed quietly, lowering her head.
Asher’s breath caught. He swallowed the rest of his words and sighed. The remorse on her face was undeniable, and it twisted something in him. After all, it hadn’t been just her fault, he’d played his part too.
“Can you stop crying?” he muttered softly. “We need to figure out how to deal with this.”
Tessa quickly wiped her face, glancing around to make sure no one was watching them.
“So what do we do, then?” Asher asked quietly. “Pretend nothing happened between us and just move on with our lives?”
He had barely finished speaking when Tessa nodded in agreement.
“That’s fine by me,” she said firmly, though her voice trembled beneath the surface. “I don’t want anything to ruin my friendship with Lila. I’ll do anything to keep it that way.”
Asher’s chest tightened at the sincerity in her eyes. For a split second, he wished it were that simple.
“What’s up, guys?”
Lila’s cheerful voice hit them like a shock. They both stiffened, then quickly forced smiles as she walked toward them, her bag slung casually over one shoulder.
“Is something wrong?” she asked, her gaze flicking between them. “You both look so serious.”
Tessa and Asher exchanged a nervous glance before faking a laugh.
“It’s nothing, babe,” Asher said, slipping an arm around her shoulder and pressing a quick kiss to her cheek. “Tessa and I were just talking about you.”
“Yes, Lila. We were just talking about you,” Tessa added quickly, forcing a smile.
Lila raised her brows. “Oh, really?” Her tone was light, teasing. “Are you not mad at me anymore? You’ve been acting strange ever since that night at the party when Asher sang for me.”
Tessa’s throat tightened. She swallowed hard against the rising guilt, but Lila kept talking, still smiling.
“You ran out of the party in tears,” Lila continued. “I even chased after you, remember? But you wouldn’t tell me what was wrong. You just said a bunch of nonsense and started ignoring me. So why the sudden change of heart?”
Tessa and Asher exchanged a tense glance before Tessa forced another smile.
“I’m sorry about that, babe,” she said softly, her eyes glistening. “I was going through something… something serious. But it doesn’t justify how I treated you. I should’ve just told you instead of giving you an attitude. You’re my best friend.”
Her voice cracked on the last words as she threw her arms around Lila. Lila hugged her back instantly, laughing through her confusion.
“Yeah,” she said warmly, squeezing her tight. “And we’re going to be best friends for life.”
Behind them, Asher’s smile had already faded. But when Lila lifted her head and looked at him, he forced one back on his face.
— — — — —
“This is getting more difficult than I thought, Wolfe. Where the hell could that ass-licking bastard be hiding in this damn forest? We’ve been searching since morning and there’s still no trace of him. I’m getting tired,” Vladislav muttered as he and Damien moved side by side.
Ahead of them, the intel scanned the area, eyes fixed on his device, trying to catch even the faintest signal but nothing.
“You caused this, Dislav,” Damien said coldly, his nose flaring.
Vladislav frowned. “What—”
“If you had paid my goddamn money in full,” Damien cut him off sharply, “and not offered me a deal that forced me to cross paths with Silvano, I wouldn’t be in this situation, searching for his daughter in the middle of some godforsaken forest.” His frustration bled through every word.
Vladislav stayed quiet, jaw tightening. Damien was right, and there was no point arguing.
The nine of them — Damien, Vladislav, Blade, Sergio, Tomas, Rafi, Niko, Karim, and the intel had split into pairs to cover more ground in the forest hills. It was a decision made after hours of wandering aimlessly through thick underbrush. Morning had long passed; the sun now hung high, burning down on them through the trees.
“I’ve got a signal!” the intel suddenly shouted, staring at the device in his hand.
Damien and Vladislav rushed toward him, their boots crunching on dry leaves. But before they could reach him, a gunshot cracked through the forest. The birds scattered from the treetops, and the echo carried for miles.
They froze.
Their guns up, eyes sweeping the trees as they moved cautiously toward the direction of the shot.
Another gunshot rang out, closer this time. Then a sickening thud followed.
Rafi fell from a tree, landing hard on the forest floor with a lifeless thump, a single bullet hole between his eyes.
“Damn,” Vladislav hissed, his voice low but sharp as they crouched beside the body. “I think we underestimated this bastard, Damien.”
Damien’s eyes darkened as he scanned the tree line. “No,” he said quietly, his tone cold. “He lured us right into his trap.”
The intel swallowed hard, his hands trembling slightly as he turned in slow circles, scanning the forest around them.