“What is it?” he asked her, pulling his brows together.
“That dent.” She nodded towards the familiar vehicle. “Just above the front left wheel. It just. I don’t know. It feels nice. It’s been a while since we shared a ride back home.”
Asa’s lips quirked up, feeling that calming wave of warmth wash over his insides just like it always did whenever Carmen talked about the little things—the seemingly insignificant things but which mattered to him because it mattered to her.
Goddamn, he really was in love with her, wasn’t he? He bit his lip discreetly at the rhetorical question, the bursts of affection he felt for her in unexpected moments not bothering him anymore. He was about to say something, but he forgot what it was as soon as he felt a strong arm fall around his shoulder and tug him closer to a body.
“Hey,” Wyatt muttered, his blonde hair dishevelled and grey-green eyes looking troubled.
Scratch that. Not troubled. Asa realised his friend looked plain pissed off.
“What crawled up your…” The words died in Asa’s throat when Wyatt shot him a threatening look. Instead, he just rolled his eyes and stopped in his tracks. “Why do you look like you found someone taking a piss on your doorstep?”
“Some asshole keyed my car,” he bit out through gritted teeth, obviously trying hard to contain his anger. “I had to call a service and they took my car to the garage, so I’m going to need a ride.”
Asa’s eyes slowly travelled to a very bewildered Carmen standing a few feet away, staring at both him and Wyatt.
“Sure.” Asa shrugged. “Do you know who did it?”
“If I did, I’d be sitting in a cell by now, arrested for homicide,” Wyatt snapped, as if he couldn’t believe Asa would ask something so stupid and self-explanatory.
Asa held up his hands in a gesture of surrender. “As if you’re the type to throw punches,” he mumbled under his breath, inaudible to Wyatt’s ears.
“Can we get going now? If I stay here any longer, I might actually start breaking limbs in order to find out who did it.”
“And I thought I had anger issues.” Asa shook his head.
Wyatt’s disbelieving stare fell on him. “Are you kidding me? I’m nowhere as violent as you!”
“Whoa. Okay, violent is a strong word.”
“You know how many fights I got into this year so far? That’s right, none. And you? God, I’ve lost count!”
Asa folded his arms across his chest defensively. “Keep talking and you’ll find yourself walking home.”
“Fine, Mum.” Wyatt mocked, walking past him and towards the truck where Carmen was still standing.
This should be fun, Asa thought as he too covered the distance to where both of them were.
He noticed Wyatt’s eyes flicker towards Carmen in confusion. “Hi,” he said uncertainly.
Carmen beamed at him. “Hey—”
“Yeah, I don’t really care,” Wyatt cut her off. “I just need you to move. You’re blocking my way.”
Carmen’s jaw dropped open the same moment that Asa smacked his palm against his own face.
“Excuse me—” Carmen began, but was cut off again.
“Asa!” Wyatt shouted, not turning back to see Asa staring at the scene unfolding before him with weary eyes. “There’s some chick leaning against the door on the passenger seat. Can you ask her to scamper off because I’m really not in the mood to be civil right now?”
This was going to end well.
“Hey, man.” Asa patted Wyatt on the back. “I see you’ve met Carmen.” He turned towards Carmen who had her eyes narrowed at Wyatt. “And I see you’ve met my friend Wyatt.”
“I’m seriously beginning to question your choice of friends,” Carmen told him, not breaking the stare-off with Wyatt.
Asa chuckled weakly. “What are you talking about? Wyatt’s super friendly.”
“I’d really hate to see what your version of unfriendly is then, Asa,” Carmen said seriously.
“Why is the girl talking to you?” Wyatt asked, frowning.
“‘The girl’ is Carmen West.” Asa sighed. “Please be nice.”
Wyatt raised a brow, smirked, and then shrugged. “I can be nice,” he said nonchalantly, before looking at her again. “Please crawl away from where you’re standing because you’re being a nuisance,” he said in a pleasant manner. “Please.”
Asa rubbed a hand down his face, sighing again “I don’t think that qualifies as nice.”
“What are you talking about?” Wyatt asked incredulously. “I even said please! Twice!”
“Yes, I feel really honoured,” Carmen said in a flat tone. “I can’t begin to imagine how heartfelt those words were.”
Wyatt’s eyes narrowed. “All right, listen up smartass—”
“All right,” Asa intervened, wanting to bang his head against the window of the passenger seat. “That’s enough. The two of you are going to play nice during the ride, or I’ll kick you both out, got it?”
“Both of us?” Carmen and Wyatt asked in unison.
“Yes, Wyatt needs a ride today, so figure out a way to put up with him,” he responded to Carmen first, before turning to Wyatt, “and I’ve been driving her back for a long time now, so deal with it.”
“I have no problem.” Wyatt shrugged. “Just tell her to move away and get in the back because the passenger seat is mine.”
“I would have given it to you if you’d asked nicely instead of treating me with such hostility,” Carmen said calmly, not moving an inch.
“I’m having a bad day, I’m in no mood to play nice.”
“I’m having a bad life. You don’t see me snapping at strangers, do you?”
“Guys, you’re giving me a headache,” Asa groaned in exasperation. “Wyatt, why don’t you just get in the back—”
Wyatt shot him a look of pure betrayal. “What happened to ‘bros before hoes’?”
Before Asa could say anything though,
