brought your favorite fruit as a peace offering.”
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He held out a box of cherries to Sarah, then proceeded to wash and share them with everyone, acting like he was just a boyfriend who was late for a date.
Then he sat beside me, glancing at Ashley and Emily.
“Ashley, feeling better?” he murmured, leaning close. His breath tickled my ear, and I instinctively pulled back slightly, blushing.
‘Much better. Thanks for coming,” I whispered.
Ashley, who’d been glaring at us, jumped up, his voice dripping with sarcasm. “Are you two done? Get a room!”
“Jason is my boyfriend. If you don’t welcome him, you don’t welcome me,” I retorted calmly. “I guess your house only welcomes your mystery girlfriend. I’ll be going now. I have a date.” I stood up, ignoring Ashley’s furious expression.
“Ashley, wait!” Jason grabbed my arm.
His expression was serious, a stark contrast to his earlier playful demeanor. He knelt before me and gently lifted my foot. I blushed, trying to pull away.
“Ashley, stay still. Your ankle’s bleeding. How did this happen? Didn’t you notice?”
“Huh?”
I looked down at my sock, stained red. I remembered the shattered bowl. A shard must have flown and cut me. I’d been too distracted to notice. It wasn’t deep, but it had bled slowly.
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Ashley stammered, “I… I dropped the bowl when I was getting Emily some fruit… It must have…”
Jason’s face hardened. He gave Ashley a tight smile. “Since I’m not welcome here, Ashley and I will take our leave. I need to get her ankle looked at.” He scooped me up into his arms.
I mumbled, “I can walk…” He ignored me.
At the door, Sarah apologized profusely, pressing antiseptic wipes and bandages into my hand, promising to give Ashley a piece of her mind. I didn’t care. It was over.
Outside, I gasped. “I left my purse!”
Jason smiled down at me. “Don’t worry about it. I’ll buy you a new one. And everything in it. That purse was ugly anyway.”
He’d noticed the matching bags. He probably knew what had happened. But he didn’t say anything, preserving my dignity.
“Why are you crying? Is your ankle that bad?” he asked, his voice laced with concern.
