The Mate Race

(Anna) His sudden question threw me off, making my mouth hit the ground with shock. A wave of warmth travelled through me and I wondered if he was joking or was serious. One could never tell with Asher. Was he being sincere or merely mocking me to prompt a reaction? Before I could formulate an answer, Oliver dragged me along towards the pirate boat. “Hurry! I want side seats,” Oliver jabbered as Asher followed us on sure and confident steps. A small smile twisting his lips. I knew this was a topic we needed to approach subtly and not in a hurry, definitely not like this. So I avoided approaching the topic for now. We settled in the boat and belted up. Oliver perched between Asher and me and was over-excited for the ride. It had been a while since I had taken this one. The boat began to gradually swing, picking up pace with every completed swing. Soon it was fast enough to make people and their pups scream. To my surprise, Oliver was sitting normally with his hands raised. The air swept