Welcome to Moongate

Seven: It’s Certainly Been a While

The group of us left for the party a few hours after dinner, arriving to Ryland’s fashionably late as always. Much to my brothers surprise, and my own, I didn’t put up much of a fight about going. I was only facing the inevitable. If I was going to be living in this town for the summer, and working here, I couldn’t exactly spend the next few months entirely trapped in my bedroom. I would go stir crazy doing that, so it was better to face it head on. What better way to show everyone I was back, then to get all the Oh I haven’t seen you in forever!’s done in one night. Besides, after the past 24 hours that I’ve had, I could certainly use a drink.

Except, the party wasn’t what I thought it would be at all. The group of us had strolled in, my brothers immediately forgetting my presence and moving on with their usual social groups. Marcus had gone to join a group of guys around the pool table, whereas Trevor’s fiancée had spotted us the second we walked in.

“Talia, so glad you’re back in town for the summer. So, so happy to see you,” Jess was the most cheerful one in the room, as always, and that’s saying a lot considering we were surround by a whole bunch of drunk people.

‘Hey Jess, I smiled, hugging her tightly.

“Punch?” She offered me a red solo cup as she backed away, and I didn’t even hesitate before taking it. Immediately I brought it to my lips, taking a long drink.

Trevor took a sip from Jess’s own cup and my insides churned a little. They were so in love with each other it was almost hard to watch, as much as I wanted to be happy for them.

“Disgusting guys,” I shocked my head at them, and immediately both of them bit their bottom lips. It was clear they both knew what had gone down back in California, but no one dared speak of it.

“You want us to introduce you to some people?” Jess offered but I quickly shook my head. The last thing I wanted was anyone feeling bad for me.

“No don’t worry about me, I’m sure I’ll find lots of familiar faces around,” I said, noticing the way Trevor’s eyes flashed to mine in warning again before I continued on, “you guys enjoy your night, I’ll catch up with you later. With that, I backed away from them. Jess offered me one last smile before dragging Trevor over to their usual group of friends. I immediately recognized a few of them, but to my surprise, none of their heads turns in my direction. In fact, not a single person had recognized me yet, or at least, no one had come up to say anything. I didn’t mind though, I was fine maneuvering myself around the house and through the mobs of people.

The last room I walked into had a bar in the back corner and I knew I’d finally found my place for the next few hours. I hadn’t seen Corey around here, but I also doubted she was spending her Saturday nights at Ryland’s parties anymore. So instead, I was going to get myself another drink and find a way to forget the past 24 hours.

I had just walked up to the bar, scooping my cup into the punch bowl and filling it up again, when someone came up behind me.

“Well, certainly haven't seen you round here in a while,” that deep voice was far more familiar to me than I had ever imagined it would be. I hadn’t realized how much it had gotten under my skin, dug it’s way into my brain, burned itself into my brain until that exact moment, when I hadn’t even needed to turn around to know exactly who was waiting behind me.

Or rather, towering over me, as I turned around and found myself eyeing a muscular chest between a pair of broad shoulders. Asher Hale was looking down at me with the corner of his lip turned up in that smirk that used to drive me mental. Only now, it sent a warm tingle straight down my body.

A single drink in and clearly I was already feeling the effects of the alcohol, but regardless I took another sip of my drink. Taking the moment with my cup pressed to my lips, my eyes looked him up and down. Nothing ever changed around here, but annoyingly Asher always found a way around that. Somehow in the years since I’d seen him, since our last year of high school, Asher had only gotten hotter.

He’d clearly been working out, his biceps nearly doubled in size now. I was certain he loved gloating about his workout routines. His t-shirt was also annoyingly slightly too tight, making no attempt and hiding the muscles beneath. He’d also grown his hair out a little, or maybe it had just been a while since his last hair cut. Those thick black locks hung into his eyes a little, but they made no attempt of hiding that bright emerald green.

“Well well well, finally someone recognizes me,” I finally spoke, my lips pursed as my eyes came back to his.

“Surprising,” was all he responded, a single nod of his head. Now that, certainly hadn’t changed. Ash never had been a man of many words.

“Wasn’t expecting it to be you, of all people,” I added, taking another sip of my drink.

Ash chuckled, both corners of his lips turning up into a smile for just a moment. “Spent enough time staring at the back of your head in Mr.Galloway’s class, guess it’s burned into my memory,” he said, and the smirk came right back. “Besides, still got that dimple,” of course he had to add that part. I turned a scowl for a first time in our conversation. Truly, I was surprised we’d even made it this long.

“Yeah well you’re,” I trailed off, my eyes blazing their trail down his body and moving their way back up for a second time. He looked as good as ever, and that tiny voice in the back of my head whispered, better. I found myself struggling to find my words, far too distracted by the way that black t-shirt clung to his chest. He certainly wasn’t a boy anymore, no, the Asher standing in front of my now was a man. A man who clearly visited the gym too frequently for his own good.

“You look the same,” I finally managed out, only now I couldn’t meet his eyes. It might be dark in here, and many many years between the two of us, but I still wouldn’t admit to checking him out. Nor would I admit that that ever growing warm pit in my core. Asher always caught on fast though, he always knew when someone was interested in him. Truly, he caught everyone’s attention and he knew it, but I refused to give him that satisfaction.

So I took another confident sip from my drink, he wasn’t winning this time. “Everything around here is always the same,” I added, quickly recentering my mind back into the friend-zone. Or at least, friendly acquaintance, because I certainly would never call us friends.

“You know, some people might actually find that comforting,” Asher smirked, and for the first time in their conversation, those intense eyes left hers, and scanned the party around them. “Although, some things do change.” He added. Looking at the crowd of people around us, I found that doubtful. My eyes scanned the crowd, lingering over the stoners in the corner, the same crowd among them as always. In fact, I was sure Carter was even wearing the same beanie he wore back then. And at the beer pong table, I found the usual high school jocks and their fawning cheerleaders. The only thing that seemed to have changed about them was the fact that they were no longer in high school. Hopefully, at least. There was definitely a few of them that were pretty close to failing a few grades back then.

Even Chelsea, was still hanging off of the same on and off boyfriend she’d been clinging to since the 10th grade. He’d never fully commit, but she’d also never fully let go. Then there was Madison, all the boys clearly still trying to get in her pants. Even thought most of them likely already had a few times. I scoffed, turning my attention back to Asher.

“Like?” I decided to entertain him, but his odds of convincing me otherwise were diminishing by the second. Change the date on the calendar and I was pretty sure we’d have been at the exact same party 7 years ago.

Asher didn’t answer, the corner of his lips turned up in a slight smile. He leaned back against the door frame, and openly let me notice the way his eyes trailed down my body. My cheeks burned under his gaze, which only left me feeling all the more uncomfortable. No one had that affect on me, and to show him that he did, was all the more humiliating. I took the slightly step back, hoping the dark lighting of the party would hide my reaction. His answer was clear. I was the one that had changed.

“Doesn’t count, I’m not from here anymore.” I scowled for the second time in our brief interaction, and things were starting to feel just like old times again. He was only stating the obvious, but I hated the way it seemed like he owned that, being the one that had noticed. My arms folded over my chest, and I leaned against the opposite side of the archway as him.

“Don’t deny it baby, you’ll always be from here,” his voice lowered, coming out heavier than before as he eased over that word. In an instant my defensiveness revved up a few notches.

“Don’t call me that!” I snapped after him, ashamed of the way he made my foot dramatically stomp on the ground and my fists ball at my sides. I couldn’t help it though, the way Asher got under my skin was beyond irritating. I wasn’t sure why what he’d said had bothered me so much. Maybe it was the pet name, or even just the way he said it, but it felt as if he was claiming a part of me, forever marking a part of me to this town, and I wanted nothing to do with that