Love's Dilemma: My Boyfriend /or My Crush

oyfriend, Asher Swanso

hared an uncanny resembl

nced, I froze. His familiar featur

seas, and now

ced my lingering gaze, his fingers tight

ality and shifted my

up recognized Leland

finally back. Hey, Leland looks

hter brittle as the unspoken

a coincide

nce. Handsome people d

work in myst

All eyes kept darting between the two

er Swanson and Leland White

proached with that familiar polished grace, his smile t

locked onto As

ly with smile, introducing Asher, "

ame straight from the airport when I heard you were here, so I thought I'd drop by to see

tigue between his brows; he must still

, he went to the bar t

raised his glass. "Three shot

dn't hold his liquor well. "No ne

around mine, his smil

its quills raised in alertne

d put down his glass, s

n. "He's my senior from high school, Asher, you've

s eyes

d at him with a c

the party grew i

iles looked o

tten my bag. I went back to retrieve it wh

h my bag, just before rounding the corn

e mid-

sured tone, "You know Michelle wa

didn't even look at him,

arbon copy? A knockoff remains

rt lur

n this explicit

nnected w

Without letting Leland finish

orward, seizing Lelan

had trained in

ning at the noise,

dged myself between them

ated as both men r

age. "My apologies," he said with a courte

houldn't I hit ba

s of curiosity, I shot him a war

arted slightly as he stared

bbed at his bleeding lip

e the

e, his face buried in

Michelle, tell me-what am I to yo

d I answ

hook imper

ng his back in reassurance. "

eyes rimmed red, search

embrace, my hair gr

ays melte

Asher," I whispered

elt a dampnes

cradling his fa

Asher's cheeks i

e been together

ery struggle-outmaneuvering rivals, ultimately cla

hed heiress" to Payne Gr

w the bloodied path be

shows weakness in front of others-now trembling as tears tracked do

ness flooded me

murmured, thumb brus

t the night came pouring out. "Do I even count as your boyfrie

arted to

n. "Do I remind you of hi

t your personalities are

like him,

explained ever

till fuming-evident by his r

ping mat, spreading i

her

nked the covers over hi

ucked at the quilt. "But

e fabric. "There's a spare blanket

thin, I'll catch

eeping with the ai

e blanket onto the mattress, turning

around his waist and pressing again

my phone buzzed at 1 AM, fl

see you! I'll send you the location, so hurry over. You'd

Grayson Knight, a f

I looked a

next to me, completely un

door to the p

, his eyes flicker

of relief as he helped Leland, who was s

d the room, closing

, then tossed it on the floor, staring at h

ses a little, "Michelle, ple

ck, "We broke up

you'd wait for

emories rushed

ust been brought back

l only to face exams, and my grades were awful. My i

ed and mocked me, even encouraging them to sp

ere considered the perfect couple

st me and insulted me, it was Leland who qu

fessed his feelings fo

fore Leland was sent

asked me to wait fo

im, "Six years-six years for you

e, his eyes glazed

tense, filled w

what he was

ached out and g

prise as he pulled

ohol surrounded me as

own to kiss me, the

the door b