Cassidy heaves a sigh, thinking of the next thing to say to Asher.

“To be honest…” she then began again, placing her spoon over her lips as she turned to stare at the ocean with him. 

“I feel like staying here for a bit longer. I’ve never left this country before. I admit I’d miss this place even though Adrian and I won’t really be gone for too long.”   

She trailed off as she began to play around with the ice cream she had left in her bowl. Only a little remains at this point. Trying to make it melt faster, she keeps twirling it around. 

“I’ll leave our family to you, Asher. Thank you for looking out for me all the time.” 

Asher didn’t say anything, and it’s at that moment that Cassidy finally realized it. 

At last, she has figured out what, or more like who, he was staring at. Her eyes widened in surprise when they fell on a certain someone from a distance – he was looking at Irish the whole time. Amused, she smiled and placed her hand on his shoulder. 

“You like her that much, huh?” she then whispered in his ear, making him perk up slightly.

Her sudden statement made him blush a little. That has definitely forced him to snap out of his daze. As embarrassed and as flustered as he was, though, he did not bother to deny it. Instead, he lowered his head, trying to hide his eyes with his hair. He then sat up straight and covered the rest of his face with his hands. 

Now, Cassidy feels even more amused. It’s unusual to see Asher acting like this.

“Ugh, what does it even matter at this point…?” he groaned in a cracked-up voice. 

“I can’t understand myself anymore. I used to despise her and this whole family so damn much, and whenever I recall that, I’d begin to doubt my feelings all over again. Why does it have to be that woman, anyway? This is just too much to take.” 

“Hey, don’t say that…” she said as she faced him and sat on her knees, trying to encourage him. 

“Haven’t you learned already? Life is full of surprises. You fall in love when you least expected it. I myself have no qualms about you liking my sister-in-law. She could still be a little tough sometimes, but I could see how much she was trying to change for the better. Perhaps, the greatest reward she’d received for doing so was your… well, love.” 

“Yeah, right. To tell you the truth, I feel envious of you and Shade sometimes. You two just seem so perfect for each other. It’s as if you have been together since forever.” 

Cassidy stares at Asher in silence. 

She didn’t know what to say at that point. Up until recently, she used to be like him as well. She remembered when she would waver and doubt. There were so many times when she thought that her love life would not just work out at all. 

Of course, all that changed when Cassidy and Adrian got back together again. 

He made her realize that it was never too late to start over. He made her believe that true love would always prevail no matter what happened.

“You know what?” she said, finally making up her mind. 

She stood up from her seat and shook off some dirt that had managed to crawl on her shirt before she smiled down at Asher. He looked up at Cassidy in surprise, his face going from red to pale as soon as realization dawned on him. 

Ignoring his reaction, she reached out her hand for him to grab. 

“You’re going to go talk to her right now. If you think about it too much, then you’ll never get yourself to do anything. If you like her, tell her how you feel. This is a perfect chance, actually. There can’t be a better day for confessions than today,” Cassidy told Asher.

He immediately bolted up, looking at her as if she was crazy. Struck with horror, he took a couple of steps back. 

“Didn’t you hear what I said?! I-I’m still not… Just how in the world do you want me to talk to her?! This is all too sudden! I’m not ready for this shit!” Asher opposed vehemently.

“Come on! What’s there to lose? I know you can do it! You just have to think positive!” Cassidy cheered encouragingly.

She then went and grabbed his wrist, but of course, he didn’t let himself get pulled so easily. He kept trying to shake her hand off of him. Yet, at this point, she was already determined to help him out. 

“This could be a life-changing moment for you! Just imagine it…!” Cassidy chirped ecstatically while Asher remained unconvinced.

“Can’t you picture yourself as her boyfriend? Can’t you see yourself holding her hand?”

She kept trying to drag him from under the canopy, but he still wasn’t giving in. He continued to pull himself back, making all her effort seem in vain. She didn’t know how she would do it, but she would make sure that he’d at least talk to Irish. 

“No! No! I can’t!” he shrieked as he planted his feet firmly on the sand. 

“It would be fine! I refuse to leave you guys behind like this! At least before I go, you’ve already made your feelings clear to each other! I bet she likes you, too!” she enthused, failing to notice that the two of them were already causing quite a scene. 

“Sure, she does! I-I mean, we already did talk the other night! And we’re not really that awkward with each other! I-It’s just me! I just thought that I’m getting more and more obvious! Everyone around us is starting to notice!”

“What’s the issue, though?”

“I don’t know! Maybe because I really still couldn’t picture us as a couple! I haven’t properly sorted out my feelings yet! It’s all just getting too unbearable! I’m even beginning to catch myself staring at her without realizing it! It’s so not cool!”

“Then, confess already, you dumbass!”

“As I said, I still can’t seem to do it!” 

“Okay! Fine! Alright!” 

Eventually, Cassidy relented, but that didn’t mean Asher was already off the hook.