A powerful full drama movie filled with love, secrets, and unexpected twists.
Follow a powerful story where relationships are tested, hidden truths are revealed, and lives change forever. From romantic moments to shocking surprises, this drama keeps you engaged from beginning to end.
Featuring stories about CEO, billionaire lifestyles, family connections, and life-changing decisions, this movie delivers strong emotions and unforgettable scenes.
Watch the full movie and discover what happens in the end.
New full drama movies uploaded regularly. Stay tuned for more captivating and trending stories.
#drama #fullmovie #lovestory #dramatic #billionaire #ceo #family #relationships #movie #story
Follow a powerful story where relationships are tested, hidden truths are revealed, and lives change forever. From romantic moments to shocking surprises, this drama keeps you engaged from beginning to end.
Featuring stories about CEO, billionaire lifestyles, family connections, and life-changing decisions, this movie delivers strong emotions and unforgettable scenes.
Watch the full movie and discover what happens in the end.
New full drama movies uploaded regularly. Stay tuned for more captivating and trending stories.
#drama #fullmovie #lovestory #dramatic #billionaire #ceo #family #relationships #movie #story
Catégorie
😹
AmusantTranscription
00:00The summer I turned 18, Asher made me cross a line I could never take back.
00:04I bit my lip through the ache, glowing secretly all night,
00:07convinced that six long years of loving him from a distance had finally, finally paid off.
00:12Then the next morning, I heard his friend laughing outside the classroom door.
00:16Okay, okay, got the nerd to give it up, huh?
00:20My face burned, and I turned to slip away before anyone saw me.
00:23I'm trying to get with Chloe, but she'd think I was too inexperienced.
00:27So I'll use Stella to get some practice in first.
00:29I didn't say a single word.
00:31I just quietly changed my college application from NYU to a school thousand miles away in California.
00:37His words hit me like a thunderclap out of a cloudless summer sky.
00:40No warning at all.
00:42My mind went completely blank.
00:43It was a scorching July afternoon, but I felt like ice was spreading through every inch of my body.
00:49The guys inside kept talking, pausing only for a half second before someone else piped up.
00:55Classic Ashen, even Stella was just a warm-up for him.
00:57Everyone knows how hard it is to get into her pants.
01:03So what does that make her, like a practice dully?
01:07Asher just laughed it off.
01:11Relax.
01:11She got something out of it, too.
01:13I mean, Stella's cute and all, but compared to Chloe, yeah, no contest.
01:17Right.
01:18Asher threw a textbook at him to shut him up.
01:21It was just a vibe, okay?
01:23The moment happened, and honestly, she seemed like she was enjoying herself.
01:27The guys all exchanged knowing looks and started roasting him.
01:30Who knew the Bookberg was that freaky under all those cardigans?
01:34Bro, Asher's just built different.
01:36Why leave free food on the table, right?
01:38She's been chasing him for years.
01:40Technically, she got what she wanted.
01:42The laughter inside the room got noticeably louder.
01:45I pressed my teeth into my lower lips so hard I tasted copper.
01:48Both hands balled into white-knuckled fists.
01:51It took every single ounce of willpower I had to stay upright,
01:54to not just crumple right there in the doorway.
01:56Footsteps echoed down the hall toward me.
01:58I snapped back to reality and bolted,
02:01shoving my way blindly through the corridor.
02:03In my panic, I threw myself into the nearest bathroom stall
02:06and locked the door behind me.
02:12The tears came like a dam breaking,
02:14grief and humiliation pouring out all at once.
02:17Asher's words played on a loop inside my head.
02:19Every single syllable.
02:21They shredded what little self-worth I had left.
02:23If I hadn't heard it with my own ears,
02:25I never could have believed that the guy talking in there
02:28was the same one who had held me
02:30like I was something precious just last night.
02:32Turns out you don't actually need to love someone to do that with them.
02:35Turns out you can look a girl dead in the eyes,
02:38make her feel everything,
02:40and still be lying through every single second of it.
02:43The thing I thought was my happily ever after
02:45was just a punchline someone else got to laugh at.
02:48The more I cried, the worse it got.
02:50But I couldn't make a sound.
02:51My whole body was shaking so hard I could barely breathe.
02:55A long time passed.
02:56My phone buzzed.
02:58It was Asher.
02:59Just grab an Uber back.
03:00My crew's got a party tonight
03:01and it'd be awkward to bring you.
03:03I didn't reply.
03:04He sent a follow-up.
03:05Also, pick up a warning after pill yourself.
03:08I'm busy today.
03:09Don't forget to take it.
03:10Good girl.
03:10I stared at those two texts for a very, very long time without moving.
03:15From dusk until nearly sunrise,
03:17Asher had been relentless,
03:18like he had a point in her head.
03:20By the end, we were both completely wrecked.
03:22Right before he drifted off,
03:24his arms were up.
03:25He murdered the same thing twice.
03:34He'd even given me this little lecture about how girls needed to take care of themselves.
03:39Said the morning after pill was really important to him and that skipping it could mess up my body.
03:44And I had actually thought, this is it.
03:46He's the one.
03:48He's being so responsible.
03:49I finally got my person.
03:51And now, the clarity hit me like a slap.
03:54I dug my nails into my own palm until the pain forced the tears to stop.
03:58I wiped my face, straightened my glasses,
04:01and walked out of that bathroom like nothing had happened.
04:04I was too embarrassed to go to a real pharmacy,
04:06so I ordered the pill online instead.
04:08When the delivery guy left the package at my door,
04:11I waited another long stretch
04:13for a while I could kind of bring myself to go get it.
04:15I swallowed it with a mouth full of my own tears,
04:18and then I just sat down on the floor,
04:20staring at nothing.
04:21Completely empty.
04:25Ever since Asher's family had moved next door to mine,
04:28I trailed out the relief shadow.
04:30That had been ten years of my life.
04:32I had genuinely never stopped to think about
04:34what a world without him would even look like.
04:37I couldn't picture it,
04:38but starting right now,
04:39I was going to have to figure it out alone.
04:41Outside the floor-to-ceiling window,
04:43the neighborhood lights blinked on,
04:45one by one, and then off again.
04:47At some point,
04:48I really didn't know how long I'd been sitting there,
04:51Mia called me on FaceTime.
04:56Stella, why didn't you come to the party tonight with Ashler?
04:59That girl Chloe from the AP track is here, by the way.
05:02She has been all over him since we didn't show.
05:04It's actually disgusting.
05:05In the dark corner of the VIP booth,
05:08Asher and Chloe were sitting so close together,
05:10their thighs were touching.
05:11Chloe had worn a crop top and a curve-hugging mini skirt.
05:15Long tan legs, tiny waist.
05:17Even the way they were talking looked more like whispering secrets
05:20than having a conversation.
05:22I could feel the charged energy between them through the screen.
05:25Something in my chest locked up.
05:27He'd only said he wanted to chase her this afternoon.
05:30And apparently,
05:31tonight was all the time he needed.
05:33The game switched to truth or dare.
05:35And Chloe drew a card that said,
05:39Do a push-up challenge with a guy hovering over me.
05:44Predictably,
05:45Asher got on the stairs before anyone else could open their mouth.
05:48Chloe blushed bright pink and lay back against the couch cushions.
05:51Asher planted his hands on either side of her.
05:54He was controlled the whole time,
05:56deliberately keeping his body from making contact with hers.
05:59Until the very last one.
06:01His arms gave out,
06:02and his entire weight came down directly on top of her.
06:06The room erupted.
06:07Everyone screaming so loud,
06:09the walls practically shook.
06:11Asher's and Chloe's faces went even redder.
06:13With the whole crowd going absolutely feral around them,
06:16Asher just tilted his head down and kissed her.
06:18Not a quick peck.
06:19A full, deep,
06:21for the whole room to see kiss.
06:23Three full minutes before they finally pulled apart.
06:25For all three of those minutes,
06:27I sat completely frozen.
06:29Eyes locked on the screen,
06:30barely remembering to breathe.
06:32I wanted to cry so badly.
06:35Oh my god, Stella.
06:37Did you see that?
06:37He literally kissed her in front of everyone.
06:40He is so into her.
06:43Mia shook her head and stepped out of the booth,
06:45turning the camera as she went.
06:46Don't be mad at me.
06:48If I hadn't shown you,
06:49you never would have let yourself move on.
06:51I'm not mad at you.
06:53I'm only mad at myself for wasting so many years.
06:56I had always assumed that the spot beside Asher was mine,
06:59that it would always be mine.
07:01I am so done with him, Stella.
07:02Who does he think he is?
07:04Watching you love him for years,
07:05acting all innocent like he had no idea,
07:06just letting you fall deeper and deeper.
07:08You saw what I showed you.
07:10I'm not giving myself the chance.
07:13Mia, I've already decided
07:14I'm going to California with you.
07:16But you have to promise me
07:17you'll keep it quiet for now.
07:19Right after I said it,
07:20I flipped open my laptop right in front of her.
07:23Without a single second of hesitation,
07:25I changed my first choice school
07:26to the one in California.
07:28One minute before the deadline,
07:30Mia basically levitated off the ground.
07:32She'd been begging me for months
07:34to apply to the same school as her.
07:36But back when we started high school,
07:38Asher and I had made this pact.
07:40We'd work hard together
07:41and go to his dream school up in Boston after graduation.
07:44It had his aerospace engineering program,
07:46the one he'd been obsessed with since we were kids.
07:49So even though I didn't particularly love
07:51the idea of brutal winters,
07:52and even though that school was a technical institute
07:55that didn't even have my major,
07:57I'd spent three years treating it like my only option.
08:00Our families had lived next door to each other for so long
08:03that both sets of parents thought
08:04it was basically a done deal
08:06we'd end up at the same school.
08:07Everyone, including me,
08:09assumed Asher and I would just naturally become official
08:12once we got to college.
08:13But right now,
08:14I couldn't think of a single reason to still go to Boston.
08:17Because honestly, after today,
08:19if I kept following Asher around the way I always had,
08:22I would never be able to look myself in the mirror again.
08:25I just needed to go somewhere far away.
08:27It didn't even matter where,
08:28as long as he wasn't there.
08:30He was going east,
08:31so I was going west.
08:33Before bed,
08:34I filled the entire bathtub.
08:36I needed to scrub every inch of myself clean.
08:39But when I took off my clothes,
08:41the bruises on my skin were still so vivid,
08:43it made me flinch.
08:45The memories from last night rushed back
08:47before I could stop them.
08:48The burning heat of his skin pressed against mine,
08:51the sound of his breath ragged and warm against my ear.
08:55The ghost of it all still seemed to linger in the air around me.
08:58I shook my head hard,
09:00physically trying to shake myself free of it.
09:02Then,
09:02I grabbed the roughest loofah I owned
09:04and scrubbed myself raw,
09:06over and over,
09:08until my whole body was flushed pink and singing.
09:11I was trying,
09:12clumsily,
09:13desperately,
09:14to erase what was officially the worst night of my entire life.
09:18The result was that the pain kept me awake the whole night anyway.
09:22Asher didn't text.
09:23For the first time in six years,
09:25ever since we both got phones,
09:27we didn't say goodnight to each other.
09:28That was fine.
09:29It was going to happen eventually anyway.
09:31Tonight was as good a time as any to start letting go.
09:34I didn't fall asleep until just before sunrise,
09:37drifting in and out of exhaustion.
09:39Early the next morning,
09:41while I was still buried in sleep,
09:42I felt,
09:43in that foggy space between dream and awake,
09:46the soft press of lips against my forehead.
09:49I jolted awake.
09:50The first thing my eyes landed on was a jaw I knew too well,
09:54and the soft dip of a throat right above me.
09:56The scent hit me next.
09:58Cedarwood.
09:58That cologne he always wore.
10:00And underneath it,
10:01the faintest trace of something new.
10:03Something citrusy that wasn't his.
10:06Right.
10:06I'd completely forgotten that Asher still knew my front door code.
10:10Seeing me awake,
10:11he shifted lower
10:12and tilted his face down toward my lips.
10:14I shoved him back with both hands
10:16and scrambled to the far edge of the bed.
10:18He blinked,
10:18then let out a short laugh like I'd surprised him.
10:23Since when are you shy?
10:25I didn't answer.
10:26I just yanked the blanket over my head
10:28and disappeared under it.
10:29Asher started talking.
10:33Stella, seriously.
10:34You didn't say goodnight,
10:35you turned your phone off
10:36and now you're hiding under a blanket?
10:39Still avoiding me?
10:40Then he just lifted the blanket
10:42and slid himself right in.
10:45Hey, how many times have I told you
10:47you can't skip breakfast?
10:49I ran half a mile
10:51to get you those croissants
10:52from your favorite place
10:53and it stood in line forever.
10:55Want to get up and eat now?
10:57Or
10:59get eaten?
11:01Reality crashed back in
11:03and I fought like my life depended on it.
11:05But I'm 5'2 in sneakers
11:06and Asher is literally 6'2 of solid muscle.
11:10I honestly could not figure out
11:11what game he was playing.
11:12He had Chloe now,
11:14so what was he even doing in my bed?
11:15I tried to push him away
11:17only to be held even tighter.
11:19Let go of me!
11:21After what felt like forever
11:22of thrashing around,
11:23I was panting
11:24and had accomplished nothing
11:26except being held even tighter.
11:27What's the tantrum about?
11:30You're mad because I didn't bring you
11:32to the party last night?
11:33Over something that small?
11:35I said nothing.
11:35He buried his face
11:37in the curve of my neck
11:38and actually laughed.
11:39Let me guess.
11:41Mia told you something?
11:42It was a party game, Stella.
11:44Is it really worth getting jealous over?
11:46You're doing that thing you always do.
11:49I get slightly close to another girl
11:51and you go all silent and sulky.
11:53I was so furious
11:55I couldn't even form a sentence.
11:56I dredged up something
11:57from a self-defense unit in gym class,
11:59snapped my knee up hard between us,
12:01and the second he doubled over,
12:03I launched myself out of that bed.
12:05Stella.
12:06Asher's jaw went tight,
12:07his whole face going red.
12:08I grabbed a hoodie off the floor
12:10and yanked it on over my pajamas.
12:13I did not want to be in any room with him,
12:16and especially not my bedroom.
12:27Hey, you took that pill yesterday, right?
12:30Because I really don't need that kind of drama,
12:31and I definitely don't want to have
12:33that conversation with your parents.
12:42Come on, be reasonable.
12:44Eat something before you pick a fight.
12:48You know your stomach's sensitive.
12:58What is actually going on?
13:01Stella, even a tantrum needs a reason.
13:03Listen, there have to be some limits here.
13:05I kept my voice ice cold and set it flat.
13:08I don't deserve to have any say.
13:11Asher snapped.
13:12He slammed the cup down on the coffee table
13:14so hard it cracked.
13:16The plastic split,
13:17and the smoothie spilled out in a wave,
13:19soaking into the rug.
13:20What is that supposed to mean?
13:23Who do you think you are, Stella?
13:26Who do you think you are?
13:29We slept together once,
13:31it was consensual,
13:33and now you think you own me?
13:35Do you know how suffocating that is?
13:38His voice had a viciousness to it
13:40I had never heard before.
13:41The second he finished speaking,
13:43my eyes flooded.
13:44No warning,
13:45no buildup,
13:46just instant tears.
13:48Yesterday's humiliation came crashing back,
13:50hitting me all over again like a fresh wound.
13:53Asher clearly hadn't expected me
13:54to cry this hard this fast.
13:56He looked genuinely thrown,
13:58scrambling for what to do.
13:59He crouched down and said he was sorry.
14:02I'm sorry.
14:03I drank too much last night
14:04and I was out of line just now.
14:06He reached out to wipe my face,
14:08but I twisted away,
14:09putting distance between us.
14:10His hand froze in midair,
14:12hovering there.
14:12He opened his mouth to keep trying,
14:14but his phone buzzed.
14:15He glanced at the screen once,
14:17and his entire expression shifted,
14:19and he stood up and moved toward the door.
14:21I've got something urgent.
14:22Take a minute to calm down.
14:24We're going to college soon.
14:26You can't keep throwing fits like a little kid
14:29who's going to put up with that.
14:36He hadn't been gone 30 minutes
14:38when Mia sent me a screenshot.
14:40Chloe's Instagram story just said,
14:42I'm hungry,
14:43and breakfast appeared like magic.
14:45Pretty sure this is mutual now,
14:46with a little heart.
14:47The photo was of the exact same croissants
14:50that were sitting on my kitchen counter.
14:52I didn't respond.
14:53I just quietly wiped my eyes,
14:55got on my hands and knees,
14:56and started cleaning up the smoothie Asher had spilled.
14:59I scrubbed for a long time before I accepted,
15:02with a hollow feeling in my chest,
15:04that the stain had soaked all the way through the wool rug,
15:07and wasn't coming out.
15:08So, I just threw the whole rug in the trash.
15:10It didn't matter anyway.
15:11That rug was something Asher and his parents
15:14had spent an entire afternoon picking out on a family trip,
15:17and he'd lugged it home in his carry-on himself.
15:19Then, I went through everything else.
15:21Every single thing Asher had ever left at my place.
15:25Every gift he'd given me over the years.
15:27Every photo of the two of us.
15:28Every small souvenir and keepsake.
15:31It took the rest of the day,
15:32but I packed every last bit of it up,
15:34and threw it all out.
15:38I doubted he'd want any of it back, anyway.
15:41After he left that day, the silence stretched.
15:44Days went by, and he didn't reach out at all.
15:46Things with Chloe were probably going great,
15:48or maybe he was waiting for me to be the one who caved first.
15:51In every fight we'd ever had,
15:53I was always the one who broke first.
15:55Every single time.
15:57No exceptions.
15:58But this time, I didn't go looking for him,
16:00and I didn't have any reason to.
16:01I blocked him on everything.
16:03Texts, all social media,
16:04changed my front door code,
16:06and deleted every account he might use to find me.
16:09After that, I called my parents,
16:11who were both traveling, for work.
16:12I told them I wanted to spend the summer
16:14visiting my aunt on the other side of the country.
16:16My plan was to stay there until school started,
16:19then head straight to California with Mia,
16:21instead of coming home.
16:22Other than Mia,
16:23no one else knew yet that I'd changed my application.
16:26This plan should work perfectly.
16:28There was basically zero chance I'd run into Asher
16:31if I pulled this off right.
16:32My mom actually laughed over the phone,
16:36Oh, so you and Asher are taking a vacation together?
16:40I made up a quick excuse and didn't go into detail.
16:42I just told her I wanted to visit my aunt and grandma.
16:45I begged my dad to book me the first available flight,
16:48and I was ready to leave that same night.
16:50Of course, because the universe has no chill,
16:53I ran into Asher's mom right at our front door on my way out.
16:56She grabbed my arm warmly and started chattering.
17:00Stella, honey, where's Asher?
17:02He's not going to pick you up?
17:03Didn't he say he was taking you on that ski trip?
17:07Go have fun.
17:09I am 100% behind you two.
17:12I was confused.
17:14I had mentioned once during senior year
17:16that I'd always wanted to try skiing in Colorado,
17:19just offhand.
17:20But given everything that had happened between us,
17:22the idea of going on a trip together
17:24seemed completely impossible.
17:26I was running out of time, though,
17:28so I said something vague and noncommittal
17:30and slipped away.
17:31What I never expected was that at the airport,
17:34I would come face to face with Asher.
17:38He was with a group of friends.
17:40Chloe was there, too.
17:41Asher had her designer bag in one hand
17:43and his other arm slung around her shoulder.
17:45They were trailing at the back of the group.
17:47Every so often,
17:48Chloe would lean her head toward him to say something,
17:51and every single time,
17:53without any hesitation,
17:54he would bend down to listen.
17:56He never did that with me.
17:57Asher had always been taller than me,
17:59and the gap had only gotten bigger over the years.
18:02When it was the two of us,
18:03I was always the one bouncing on my toes,
18:05craning my neck up just to catch his eyes.
18:08Turns out, for the right person,
18:10he would be the one who bends.
18:12I breathed in slowly.
18:13I told myself I needed to have some dignity about this.
18:17Whatever he did was none of my business.
18:19If I let myself overthink it,
18:20I deserved to be slapped.
18:22But there seemed to be only one path to the gate.
18:25All I could do was stay far enough behind
18:27that he wouldn't notice me.
18:28By some miracle,
18:30we eventually reached a fork in the terminal
18:32where the path split.
18:33Asher seemed to get distracted around then.
18:35He made a bunch of calls,
18:36none of which seemed to go through,
18:38and then spent a long time staring at his phone.
18:41Eventually, he borrowed someone else's phone,
18:43his face dark and unreadable,
18:45and disappeared into a nearby bathroom.
18:47A moment later,
18:48my phone rang.
18:49Unknown number.
18:51So you've got a real attitude on you this time.
18:54You're just not going to come to me first?
18:57You actually blocked me?
18:59Fine.
19:00Keep it up.
19:01See how great you do when we're both in Boston
19:03and you don't know anyone
19:04and there's no one to look out for you.
19:05Asher came out swinging,
19:07rattling off complaints
19:08in one long, irritated breath.
19:10I had absolutely nothing to say to any of that,
19:13but Asher seemed to get angrier at my silence.
19:16I'm done talking about this.
19:17Just unblock me.
19:19I'm heading out of the country
19:20for a couple days with some friends.
19:22Probably won't have great reception.
19:26Don't get all weepy about it.
19:28I couldn't even be bothered
19:29to say a single word back.
19:31I hung up and turned my phone off.
19:33From across the terminal,
19:34I watched Asher stalk back to his group,
19:36his expression stormy.
19:38He grabbed Chloe's hand,
19:39didn't hesitate for a second,
19:41and walked toward the left gate.
19:43I let out a long breath,
19:45turned around,
19:45and headed right.
19:48With my family,
19:49I performed happiness.
19:50And honestly,
19:51I got pretty good at it.
19:52I deliberately kept myself slammed with plans,
19:55filling every gap in the day
19:57so I had no room to spiral.
19:59I definitely didn't add Asher back
20:01the way he'd demanded.
20:02But Mia and some others
20:03kept me updated on his life anyway.
20:05Asher and his friends
20:06had apparently been swimming in Colorado for days.
20:09For some reason,
20:10he was suddenly posting on social media
20:12every single day,
20:13which was completely unlike the version of him
20:16who used to go months without posting anything.
20:18Sometimes it was slow motion clips of him
20:20carving down the slopes.
20:22Sometimes it was food and late night parties.
20:24But mostly,
20:25it was big group shots
20:26of everyone clowning around in the snow.
20:28Even though I genuinely didn't want to see it.
20:30Somehow,
20:31people kept sending it to me unprompted.
20:33Everyone was very casually curious
20:35about why I hadn't gone with Asher.
20:37I didn't know what to say,
20:38so I just told people
20:40I had family stuff going on.
20:41Mia was the only one
20:43who openly called him a trash human.
20:45Everyone else around me
20:46seemed to be constantly
20:47stopping themselves
20:48from saying something.
20:49I knew,
20:49they'd probably figured out
20:51something was wrong.
20:53In every single group photo Asher posted,
20:56he and Chloe were glued together,
20:57inseparable.
20:58But that spot beside him
21:00had been mine for years,
21:01just mine.
21:02Every time I saw one of those photos,
21:04my face stayed completely neutral,
21:06but something deep in my chest would clench.
21:08He was the first person I ever fell for,
21:10someone I had genuinely,
21:12completely,
21:13embarrassingly loved
21:14for such a long time.
21:15In the middle of the night,
21:16alone,
21:17I would fall apart a little,
21:18and sometimes I felt this stubborn,
21:20stupid feeling
21:21that I wasn't ready to let go.
21:23But every time that feeling started rising,
21:25I'd replay his words
21:26and give myself a mental slap.
21:28I'd repeat it to myself over and over.
21:31Stella,
21:31don't be pathetic.
21:32That's the fastest way
21:33to make yourself
21:34even less worth respecting.
21:36Just hold on a little longer.
21:37Once the detox period was over,
21:39everything would be fine.
21:41We went a full month
21:42without any contact,
21:43the longest we'd ever gone
21:44since the day we met.
21:45Distance and time
21:46turned out to be the best medicine.
21:48I ground through the worst of it
21:49and came out the other side.
21:51Just when I'd reached the point
21:52where I didn't think about him
21:53every hour of every day,
21:55he switched to a new number
21:56and called me from across the country.
22:01So you're just that bold?
22:03Running off without me
22:04and staying this long?
22:07Summer's almost over, Stella.
22:10Did you forget you promised
22:11to go on a trip with me?
22:12Maybe it was because
22:13we'd gone so long without talking,
22:15but underneath all the complaints,
22:17his voice had this edge to it,
22:19almost careful.
22:20I still didn't want to talk to him.
22:21I was about to hang up
22:22when his mom snatched the phone.
22:24Stella, sweetheart,
22:26are you having fun out there?
22:28This boy won't tell me anything.
22:30I only just found out
22:31you two had a fight.
22:33Don't be too hard on him, honey.
22:35When you come back,
22:36I'll make him apologize to your face.
22:39Oh, and Ashler just got
22:40his acceptance letter today.
22:42Yours should come soon too.
22:44Have you thought about
22:45when you'll come home
22:46for your going away party?
22:48I've got a little surprise planned.
22:50Asher's mom had been like
22:51a second family to me
22:52since I was little.
22:53I couldn't bring myself
22:54to hang up on her,
22:55so I stayed on and let her talk.
22:57I'm not really planning
22:58to have a party.
22:59My parents are always traveling,
23:01and honestly,
23:02we can just do a video call
23:03thing with family.
23:04I probably won't be back
23:06before school starts anyway.
23:07I'll just come home
23:08right before move in.
23:09I didn't even finish the sentence
23:11before Asher took the phone back.
23:12His breathing was heavy.
23:14I could feel the anger
23:15coming through
23:15from 3,000 miles away.
23:19Stella, I'm literally the one
23:21reaching out first here.
23:22How much longer
23:23are you going to keep this up?
23:25If you don't come back,
23:26don't expect me to wait
23:27for you.
23:28I'll head to Boston
23:29without you.
23:30He delivered the threat
23:31in this cold, flat voice,
23:33waited and waited
23:35without getting the answer
23:36he wanted.
23:37My acceptance letter
23:38had already arrived at home.
23:40When they saw the school name
23:41on the letter,
23:42my parents finally found out
23:43I'd changed my application.
23:45My mom video called me.
23:46Hi, baby.
23:48Why didn't you talk to us
23:49before changing your application?
23:51Does Asher know?
23:52His mom called this morning
23:54asking if your letter
23:55had come yet.
23:56I had no words.
24:01Baby,
24:02how are we supposed
24:02to feel okay
24:03about you going all the way
24:03to California alone?
24:05Aren't you the kid
24:06who's terrified of bugs
24:07and can't handle heat?
24:09You really think
24:10you can manage?
24:11Don't call me
24:11to come deal with it
24:12for you.
24:13That school has a lot to offer
24:15and Mia will be going there too.
24:17You don't have to worry.
24:19Is this about a fight
24:20with Asher?
24:21Because that's not a reason
24:23to switch schools
24:24across the country.
24:26What if you change your mind
24:28in a week
24:28and want him back?
24:29Then what?
24:30It's heart your caption.
24:31I just decided
24:33to say it straight.
24:35Asher has a girlfriend.
24:37Mom,
24:38Dad,
24:39I have my own life
24:41and I don't want to just
24:42orbit around his forever.
24:44So please support my choice
24:46and please keep it
24:47between us for now.
24:49My parents looked at each other
24:51for a long time
24:52without speaking.
24:53The only thing they asked
24:54was that I come home sooner
24:56rather than later.
24:57School was starting soon
24:58and they wanted time with me.
25:00My mom mentioned
25:01that Asher had gone off
25:02on another trip with friends
25:03the very next day
25:04after getting his acceptance letter.
25:06He'd been gone
25:07for days.
25:08His mom was apparently
25:09calling my mom regularly
25:10asking when I was flying back.
25:12On the day I landed,
25:14my parents showed up
25:14at the airport
25:15dressed like they were
25:16going somewhere formal.
25:17I woke up from my nap
25:18on the drive.
25:19I realized
25:20they'd pulled up
25:21to a five-star hotel.
25:23I was still half asleep
25:24when my mom grabbed my arm
25:26and steered me
25:26through the lobby.
25:27And right there,
25:28standing in the middle of it,
25:30was Asher,
25:31who I hadn't seen in months.
25:33My feet stopped moving
25:34on their own.
25:35Asher was in a perfectly
25:37fitted black suit
25:38leaning casually
25:39beside the lobby fountain
25:40like something out
25:41of a magazine spread.
25:42Just one summer
25:43was all it took.
25:44The boyish edge had faded
25:45and he looked exactly
25:47like the version of him
25:48I used to imagine
25:49when I tried to picture
25:50him grown up.
25:51Something complicated
25:52twisted in my chest.
25:53I'd avoided this moment
25:54for months
25:55and now here it was,
25:56sprung on me
25:57with no warning.
25:58Stella,
25:59it's Asher's going away party.
26:01We figured we'd pick you up
26:02and bring you straight here.
26:04You said you didn't want
26:05a party of your own,
26:07right?
26:07Asher asked his parents
26:09to set the date
26:09for the day you got back
26:11so you can kind of
26:11both celebrate together.
26:13Asher seemed to sense something
26:14because right then
26:15he casually glanced over
26:17and his gaze landed
26:18directly on mine.
26:19My heart lurched sideways,
26:21still felt like the floor
26:23dropped out.
26:23But Asher moved first.
26:25He took one step toward us
26:26and then Chloe appeared
26:27out of nowhere
26:28and slipped her arm
26:29through his.
26:30She pulled him along with her,
26:32smiling wide,
26:33and walked right over to us.
26:34Oh my gosh,
26:36Stella,
26:37you're back.
26:38I've been wanting
26:39to properly meet you
26:40forever.
26:41I always saw you around
26:43with Asher.
26:44I'm from the AP track
26:46so we never officially met
26:48and I'm genuinely sad
26:51about that.
26:52Yeah,
26:53Asher looked vaguely
26:54uncomfortable.
26:55Why would you want
26:55to get to know her?
26:57She's just a drama queen
26:59who throws fits.
27:01I honestly thought
27:02she'd stayed in her
27:02aunt's state forever.
27:03The world will keep
27:05on turning
27:05and your name
27:06will be forgotten.
27:07I had nothing
27:08to say to that.
27:08There was genuinely
27:09no response.
27:11Chloe's silver
27:11bodycon dress
27:12was covered in
27:13tiny crystals
27:14that caught every bit
27:15of light in the room.
27:16I glanced down at myself.
27:17White tea,
27:18jeans,
27:19sneakers,
27:19hair that still had
27:20a slight slept-on
27:21wave from the plane.
27:22I looked like
27:23I'd made a wrong turn
27:24on the way
27:24to a convenience store.
27:25I brought a dress
27:26for you, baby.
27:27You can go change
27:28in the powder room.
27:28I nodded,
27:29then shook my head.
27:30There was no point.
27:31This wasn't my party.
27:33Asher kept staring
27:34at me with this
27:34unreadable expression.
27:36Chloe's eyes kept
27:37flicking back and forth
27:38between the two of us.
27:39Luckily,
27:40a few more guests
27:40arrived just then
27:41and Chloe immediately
27:43pulled Asher over
27:44to greet them.
27:44Like she was already
27:45the hostess.
27:46Mom, let's go in.
27:47I'm a little hungry.
27:50It was a small gathering.
27:52Asher had only
27:53invited close family
27:54and a handful of friends.
27:55Every single person
27:56I knew looked
27:57visibly shocked
27:58when they saw me walk in.
27:59I just smiled
28:00and said hello
28:01and acted like
28:02I didn't notice.
28:03But nobody was subtle
28:04about their curiosity.
28:05The people watching
28:06energy was off the charts.
28:10I slipped out
28:11to the terrace
28:11for some air
28:12and could immediately
28:13hear a small group
28:14in the hallway
28:14cornering Asher
28:15for the gossip.
28:18Wait,
28:19didn't Stella fall out
28:20with you over the Chloe thing?
28:21Why is she here?
28:22Did she come crawling back?
28:24She's just quick-tempered
28:25and in a mood.
28:26She always comes around
28:27after a couple of days.
28:28We've known each other
28:28our whole lives.
28:29She's not actually
28:30going to cut me off.
28:31I mean,
28:31Stella's genuinely great.
28:32She's been ride or died
28:33for you for years.
28:34All of us are low-key jealous
28:35of how she treats you.
28:36But like,
28:37one is your childhood
28:38best friend
28:38and honestly,
28:40Stella's amazing.
28:41But it also feels
28:42kind of limiting.
28:43I'm young.
28:44I don't want to only ever
28:45have one person.
28:46That's too predictable.
28:47I need to see
28:48what else is out there.
28:49But that doesn't mean
28:50anything has to end.
28:51As long as I know
28:52there's always a light
28:52on at home for me.
28:54You're such a player.
28:56I'd heard enough.
28:57I backed away
28:58as quietly as I could.
28:59The evening breeze
29:00hit my face
29:01and I felt my eyes go hot.
29:03I just hated myself
29:04for spending so many years
29:06being blind
29:06to who he actually was.
29:08I was in absolutely
29:10the worst mood
29:11of the entire summer.
29:13But Asher's mom
29:14was thrilled to see me
29:15and spent most of dinner
29:17doting on me,
29:18refusing to let go
29:18of my hand.
29:19Stella,
29:20Boston can get really dry
29:21in winter.
29:22Let Asher take you
29:23shopping tomorrow
29:24and stock up
29:25on some good moisturizers.
29:26Oh, it's fine.
29:27There are plenty of shops
29:28out there
29:29and online shopping
29:29is so easy.
29:30She nodded warmly
29:31and turned to my mom.
29:33I already picked out
29:34all the bedding
29:34for the dorms,
29:36got a set for Asher
29:37and one for Stella
29:37at the same time,
29:38all four seasons covered.
29:40Boston winters are brutal.
29:41I went with really thick
29:42comforters
29:43and got a few winter coats
29:45for Stella too.
29:46Don't you worry
29:46about a thing.
29:47My mom made a face
29:48like she'd swallowed something.
29:50All of that would be
29:50completely useless
29:51in California.
29:52But she didn't want
29:53to embarrass anyone,
29:54so she thanked her graciously.
29:56Chloe, sitting nearby,
29:57looked like she was
29:58biting through her own cheek.
30:00Asher's mom
30:00didn't seem to notice.
30:02She kept right on talking,
30:03addressing both of us.
30:05Once you're both in Boston,
30:07you'll be each other's family.
30:09Asher,
30:09you better take good care
30:10of Stella
30:11and stop making her upset.
30:12You hear me?
30:13Asher threw a glance
30:14my way with zero expression.
30:17She doesn't need anyone
30:18to look after her.
30:19She's perfectly capable
30:20of flying on her own.
30:21The table got a little stiff,
30:22and that's when Chloe
30:23smoothly cut in.
30:25Oh, don't worry.
30:25My school is in Boston too.
30:27I'll be there
30:27to look after Asher.
30:28And Stella will be
30:29all the way in California anyway,
30:31so it's not really practical.
30:34Before she even finished
30:35the sentence,
30:36Asher and his parents'
30:37faces changed.
30:38California?
30:39Every single one of them
30:41looked at me
30:42and asked it
30:43at the same time.
30:45Asher, you didn't know?
30:46It's been on the school's
30:47honor board.
30:48Oh, wait.
30:49You haven't been back to campus.
30:51Every pair of eyes
30:52at the table swiveled to me.
30:53Under the weight
30:54of all that attention,
30:55I quietly nodded.
30:57My mom stepped in
30:58to explain.
30:59Stella made a last-minute decision
31:01to change her application.
31:03She's going to a great school
31:04in California,
31:06and it's actually
31:07the perfect program for her.
31:09Asher didn't believe it.
31:10He grabbed my hand
31:11and made me look at him.
31:13Stella,
31:14I literally watched you
31:15fill out that application.
31:17We were going
31:18to the same school.
31:19His grip was tight enough
31:20to actually hurt,
31:21and it pushed me
31:22over the edge.
31:23Yeah, I changed it.
31:25What does it have
31:25to do with you?
31:26Asher looked stunned
31:27for a second,
31:28then started laughing
31:29like I'd said
31:30something ridiculous.
31:31You're joking.
31:32You're literally
31:33the girl who jumps
31:34onto my back
31:35at the sight of a bug,
31:36and you're moving
31:37to California?
31:39And you're moving
31:39to California?
31:40I pulled out my phone,
31:42found the crystal clear
31:43photo of my acceptance letter,
31:44and held it up
31:45in his face.
31:46Asher took the phone,
31:47zoomed in,
31:48zoomed out,
31:49read it over and over,
31:51and finally let out
31:52a laugh
31:52that had no humor
31:53in it at all.
31:54In the middle
31:55of everyone's gasps,
31:56he grabbed my wrist
31:57and pulled me
31:58out of the dining room.
32:01He pulled me
32:02into a side room
32:03and locked the door
32:03behind us.
32:04Asher planted himself
32:05against it,
32:06cutting off any escape,
32:07and came at me hard.
32:09Stella,
32:09I cannot believe you.
32:10You're so mad
32:11that you just forget
32:12our whole plan,
32:13go behind my back,
32:14and commit me
32:15to a school
32:15across the country.
32:16I lifted my head.
32:17I took a breath
32:18and made myself
32:19look him straight
32:19in the eye.
32:20I have my own plans.
32:22Since when do I have
32:23to build my entire future
32:25around what you want?
32:26Asher,
32:27be honest with yourself.
32:28Are you actually upset
32:29about the plan?
32:31Or are you upset
32:32because I'm not available
32:33to be your fallback girl
32:34anymore?
32:35The color drained
32:36from his face.
32:37What is that supposed
32:37to mean?
32:38Could you not phrase
32:39things like that?
32:40We're adults.
32:41That night was
32:42completely mutual.
32:43Are you seriously
32:44still bringing that up?
32:45I was embarrassed,
32:46but I held his gaze anyway.
32:48Asher,
32:48if you liked someone else,
32:49you could have just said so.
32:50I'm not so shameless
32:51that I would have kept
32:52throwing myself at you.
32:53But you knew
32:54you didn't like me back
32:55and you just watched me
32:56walk straight into the flame.
32:57That was fun for you,
32:58wasn't it?
32:58Even now,
32:59he still didn't get it.
33:00People don't say goodbye
33:01until they've completely
33:02run out of hope.
33:03He flushed.
33:04Something in what I said
33:05hit.
33:06His face went from
33:07white to red
33:07and he visibly swayed.
33:09What do you even
33:10listen to what you're
33:11saying?
33:12You...
33:12He couldn't finish
33:13the sentence.
33:16Stella,
33:16we've known each other
33:17since we were eight years
33:18old and we're 18 now.
33:20If you're choosing
33:20to walk away
33:21from what we have,
33:22then we don't have
33:23to be friends either.
33:24And with just that,
33:25he turned and walked
33:26out of the hotel.
33:34From that day
33:35until the day
33:36I left for school,
33:37I never saw Asher again.
33:39Mia sent me a screenshot
33:40of his official
33:41couple's post with Chloe.
33:42I deleted it
33:43without even opening it.
33:44Every mutual friend
33:45connected to him,
33:46I blocked.
33:47There was genuinely
33:48no point in following
33:49any of it anymore.
33:53The only exception
33:54was the day I flew out
33:55to California.
33:56Of course,
33:57because the universe
33:58has a terrible sense of humor,
33:59I walked straight into Asher
34:01at the airport again
34:02with Chloe still glued
34:03to his side.
34:04When we passed each other,
34:06he said a stiff hello
34:07to my parents
34:07and kept walking,
34:09clearly still angry.
34:10He didn't look at me once.
34:11We scattered
34:12in different directions
34:13and neither of us
34:14looked back.
34:15Right before I got
34:15to the security line,
34:17I glanced over
34:17and caught Asher
34:18at his gate
34:19about to board.
34:20He gave me
34:21one cold,
34:21flat look
34:22and then disappeared
34:23through the door
34:24without turning around.
34:25The person who had been
34:26part of every chapter
34:27of my growing up,
34:28we were finally
34:29completely done.
34:31Different destinations
34:32at last
34:32and I hope yours goes well.
34:34I said it only to myself.
34:36After that,
34:37a long,
34:37long time passed
34:38without either of us
34:39hearing a single thing
34:40about the other.
34:41I specifically
34:42asked my parents
34:43not to bring up
34:44anything related to Asher
34:46or his family
34:47in front of me.
34:47Over New Year's break,
34:49a girl from our high school
34:50came to visit.
34:50He's nothing like that
34:52cold, focused,
34:53straight-A guy
34:54he was in high school.
34:55He's completely different.
34:59Honestly,
35:00if you ran into him now,
35:01you might not even
35:02recognize him.
35:04I didn't say anything.
35:05Mia kicked her
35:06under the table
35:07and smoothly changed
35:08the subject
35:08and the girl dropped it.
35:10We did the New Year's
35:11countdown by the water
35:12and Mia told me
35:13to make a wish.
35:14Hope New Year,
35:15Syria Parent Healthy,
35:16cankeeting under the world.
35:18I realized it was
35:19the first wish
35:20I'd ever made
35:20that had absolutely
35:21nothing to do with him.
35:22For a full six years
35:24of my life,
35:25every single wish
35:26I made had involved
35:27Asher in some way.
35:29Mia,
35:30Happy New Year!
35:31I felt genuinely happy.
35:33I knew I had finally,
35:35actually,
35:36completely let go.
35:37The first winter break
35:39of college,
35:39I missed my parents
35:41so badly
35:41I couldn't stand it.
35:43The second my last exam
35:44was done,
35:44I was on the first flight home.
35:46What I didn't expect
35:47was that Asher
35:48had come to the airport
35:49with my parents
35:50to pick me up.
35:51After half a year apart,
35:53we had both changed.
35:54He was thinner,
35:55had dyed his hair,
35:56but was still,
35:57honestly,
35:58annoyingly good looking.
35:59I've always had
36:00terrible judgment
36:01about people,
36:02but my taste
36:02has never been the problem.
36:04Why else would I have
36:05been trailing after him
36:06since we were five?
36:07Hey there,
36:07big bro Asher.
36:08He stared at me
36:09like I'd spoken
36:10a different language.
36:12We ran into him outside.
36:13He insisted on
36:14coming along to help.
36:15I smiled
36:16and waved her off.
36:17It was fine.
36:20In the car,
36:21I immediately launched
36:22into all the funny things
36:23that had happened at school,
36:24and my parents
36:25were the whole ride.
36:26No one was paying
36:27any attention to Asher.
36:30You've worked hard.
36:32Please send our regards
36:33to your parents.
36:33He seemed like
36:34he wanted to come inside
36:35when we got home,
36:35but all three of us
36:36politely turned him down together.
36:38My grandma and my aunt
36:39had both come back
36:40to celebrate the holidays
36:41that year.
36:42New Year's Eve
36:43was loud and packed
36:44with family.
36:45After the big dinner,
36:46the older relatives
36:47parked themselves
36:47in front of the TV
36:48while the rest of us
36:50were teaching each other
36:50card games.
36:51That's when Asher showed up
36:52at the door with his parents,
36:54arms full of bags.
36:55Our house is too quiet tonight.
36:57Hope you don't mind
36:58us crashing your game.
37:03Our house is too quiet tonight.
37:05Hope you don't mind
37:06us crashing your game.
37:06Asher's mom laughed
37:08as she walked in.
37:09Every year growing up,
37:10the two families
37:11had spent the holiday together.
37:12This year,
37:13because of everything
37:14that had happened,
37:15my mom had turned down
37:16the invitation
37:17to share the big dinner.
37:18But you can't exactly
37:19turn people away
37:20once they're at your door.
37:22Asher settled himself naturally.
37:24My cousins had no idea
37:25about any of the drama
37:26and kept teasing us
37:27like they always had.
37:28I laughed it off.
37:30It's not what you think.
37:32Asher's expression
37:33went a little flat.
37:34When midnight came
37:35and we all went outside
37:36for sparklers,
37:38he caught my arm
37:40and looked like he was
37:41working up to say something.
37:42My phone rang.
37:43My face went a little warm.
37:45It was a guy
37:45from one of my clubs
37:46at school.
37:48Hi, Stella.
37:50I'm just a bit bored
37:51and wanted to say
37:52Happy New Year to you.
37:53A local California boy
37:54named Jake.
37:55He was good looking too.
37:56Not in that cold,
37:58aloof way.
37:59More like the guy
37:59who's always laughing
38:00at everything
38:01and making you laugh
38:02right along with him.
38:03He never ran out
38:04of things to say
38:05and he had a way
Commentaires