I thought I was just seeing things when I looked out my window the next day.

I was used to seeing an empty room from across my window, but today, as I yawned and stretched, a shirtless guy stared back at me from the other side. My heart dropped as fast as my legs, my hands clutching the hem of my shirt.

I couldn't believe that out of all the rooms in that house, his had to be across from mine. I knew I shouldn't complain at the fact that I would be seeing a gorgeous human being everyday, but it was something I might have to adjust myself into.

With my heart still racing, I stood up again, hoping he was already gone. When I looked up, Asher still stood there, as if waiting for me to meet his eyes.

Thank God, he already put on a shirt, though. His lips stretched into a smile, but I didn't return one to him.

Turning my back, I finally proceeded to the bathroom, hoping the cold water would slow down my heartbeat.

After taking a shower, I headed downstairs and saw Aunt Claire's note on the fridge. "Forgot to buy eggs yesterday, dear. Just heat something up from the fridge. See you later."

She might be on the morning shift again. I was already used to this kind of set-up, considering mom was also a nurse back home. At one point, I wanted to follow in their footsteps, but I decided to go the long way and become a doctor instead. I was only starting my first year of studying Medical Science. Still a long way to go.

Taking a banana from the pantry, I stepped out of the door and saw Grandpa Allan stretching his arms up on their front yard. When he noticed me, he waved his hands, catching my attention. "Good morning, Jam!"

I waved back at him. "Good morning, Gran Al!"

"You're heading to work?" The old man asked, to which I responded with a nod. Out of the blue, he called out for his grandson's name. My reflexes weren't fast enough for me to run or hide, so instead of doing that, I pulled my head down, pretending to check my phone for the bus schedule.

"Ash!" I heard Grandpa Allan calling out again, but I kept my attention on my phone.

"What's up, pops?" The sound of Asher's voice stopped me on my post as I slowly glanced up to where they were. With only his sleeveless shirt and checkered boxers, he stood there in front of his grandpa as he messed his hair with one hand.

"Take the keys and drive Jam to work," Grandpa Allan ordered him and the guy immediately snapped his head towards my direction.

My mouth fell open, shaking my head lightly to decline the offer. "Gran Al, it's all right. I can just take the bus."

"Well, there you go. She doesn't need a ride." Asher shrugged, turning his back. But his grandfather cleared a throat, making him turn around again. "I'll just go change my clothes. Be right back." Asher brought his hands up in defeat, rolling his eyes and glancing at me in frustration. Well, that makes the two of us.

Minutes later, I was sitting inside the car next to a handsome guy, who looked as disinterested as I was to initiate a conversation.

I was not the type to speak up first, but this time, I felt the need to, so I turned to him slowly. His eyes focused on the road and mine stuck on his gorgeous side profile.

"Everything all right?" He glanced at me. I responded with a couple of blinks. Damn, I couldn't even stare without him noticing.

"S-Sorry," I mumbled, looking down.

"For what?"

"For... bothering you this early in the morning."

The car stopped on the red light. His head tilted to my side, lips forming a smirk. "It's all good."

"It doesn't seem all good to you, though," I wanted to say, but instead, I replied, "You can just drop me here and I'll wait for the bus. I won't tell your grandpa."

"Grandpa knows how long it takes to go to the store from our house. I can't fool him." He faced me again, his smirk turning into a perky smile. "I said it's all right. Don't worry about it."

I just nodded after that. The low temperature inside the car stiffened my body. It was winter here in June. I just didn't understand why this guy turned on the cold air. Thankfully, it didn't snow in Fremantle. Otherwise, I might have gone back to Maui already. I wasn't really a beach bum, but I appreciated the temperate weather.

My eyes landed on the open glove compartment, a pack of cigarette peeking through. It tempted me to ask him about it, but decided against it.

I just looked out the window to avoid the awkward silence. But few seconds later, I heard him speak. "I'm trying to quit smoking. Don't tell my grandparents about it."

I remained silent on my seat. His answer explained the weird stench etched inside the car.

When he cleared his throat, I turned to him. "So, do you think you have more stocks of razor now?" His face brimmed with mockery. I almost choked in the air, if not for my remarkable self-control.

"I'm... not sure. I can check it for you," I replied.

He snickered. "I'm kidding. Just wanted to lighten up the mood. Are you always this quiet?"

I am. Everyone's first impression of me usually lasted even after they got to know me. I was consistent like that.

"I know I've been rude the first time we met at the store. Sorry about that. I'm normally better on most days." Asher's answer disrupted my thoughts, making me turn to him. His expression turned from bright to sullen in an instant. There was something off, but I couldn't read his mind. "I heard you just moved here a few weeks ago?"

I nodded.

"How are you finding Fremantle so far? Boring?" The way he was trying to hide his gloom made me more intrigued on what it was about. But I chose to ignore it.

"I... have seen nothing. I'm mostly inside the house or the store," I answered. And it was true. I hadn't been going sight-seeing because Aunt Claire was always busy and I didn't want to wander off alone. My poor sense of direction might just take me to another dimension.

Asher chortled a bit, confusing me. "Really? Well, there's not much to see here anyway, you know, especially in this part of the town, so you're not really missing out on things."

"I'm relieved then," I responded. He flashed me a genuine smile. I just assumed it was genuine because his dimple was peeking out of his cheek again.

After that, we were back to being quiet again. The usual half an hour bus ride to the store suddenly turned into a forty-minute awkward car ride. There wasn't any traffic, but my driver took the long route, hence the delay.

When we finally reached the front of the shop, I immediately thanked Asher and stepped out of the car. I was few minutes late and if Clyde found out about it, I would be fired in an instant.

"What time is it?" Clyde addressed me from the counter with his toned arms crossed over his bulky chest. Of course, he was here already.

I gulped down, peering at my watch. "It's... ten past seven."

"You're the new employee, right?" Clyde asked again, causing me to quiver.

"Y-Yes," I answered in a soft voice.

"Who trained you here?" He continued to grill me, but before I could even answer, someone suddenly spoke from behind, startling me.

"Clyde! How are you?" It was Asher who walked past me and moved towards the counter, high-fiving the owner.

"Ash! I didn't know you're back. It's been a while." Clyde smiled at him, suddenly forgetting that I was there being reprimanded.

"I just arrived a few days ago. I see you're still strict with your employees," Asher commented, glancing at me.

"Well, if I have to, yes. I used to do that to you before, remember?"

Used to what? Did Asher work here as well? I got confused, but I chose to keep this confusion to myself.

Asher kept the smile on his face, nodding. "I know. But please don't take it out on her, Clyde. It was my fault she's late."

Clyde shifted his attention to me again. "Ah, so you know her?"

Asher nodded, winking at me. I just stood there, not wanting to convulse in front of my boss and the guy who was trying to kill me. "Can you take it easy on my friend?"

Friend? I guess I should be grateful that our friendship progressed quite fast.

"All right then. I'll let it go this time." Clyde glanced at me before turning to Asher again. "Just promise to give me an album for my daughter. She adores you."

"Of course." Asher raised his thumbs up at him.

So he used to work here, and now he's a musician? I sure was learning a lot about this guy in just two days. Before Asher left, he glanced at me with a smirk on his face. I didn't know if that was meant to be a friendly one or a "you-owe-me" kind of smile.

The first few hours of my shift were rather slow and boring that it made me want to doze off. Clyde left an hour ago, so I was left all alone. There weren't any customers, aside from the young boy who bought a can of soda a few minutes ago. I looked at my watch. It was already fifteen minutes before twelve noon. My stomach rumbled, my hunger pangs reminding me that it was time to eat.

When the door swung open, I prompted my eyes to open, ready to greet the customer. My eyes scrunched up, seeing the familiar guy next door with a paper bag in his hands. When his eyes met mine, his cheeks rose up at an instant. "Hey! Just came back to give you this. Nana made it for you," he explained, handing me the paper bag.

I peeked inside the bag and saw a container of banana muffins, its subtle scent bringing a smile on my face. I guess she wanted to repay me for the flowers I gave yesterday. Turning back to Asher, I spoke, "Please tell her thank you. I really appreciate it."

"I will. So, have you eaten lunch yet?" His little smirk made me question his motive. Or maybe I was just being paranoid. "There's a really good restaurant near here," he added, his brows shooting up for a second.

I took a breath. I wasn't allowed to go out while on shift. He would know this if he worked here before. "I can't leave my post here," I pointed out.

"Sure you can. I usually just go out and lock the door. It'll just take a few minutes," he continued to press.

Ah, I get it. He purposely took the long route earlier for me to be late for work and now this. Was he trying to get me fired?

"Do you want me to call Clyde and ask permission? I'm sure he won't mind." He brought out his phone. I wanted to stop him, but he already turned his back at me, speaking to Clyde over the phone. It took only a few minutes before he returned with a triumphant smile. "Let's go!"

The next thing I knew I was sitting inside a Chinese restaurant just nearby, with a guy, whom I was still trying to decipher. "What do you want to eat?" He peered at me, lowering the menu from his hand.

I didn't even have to look at the menu because I already knew what I wanted. "I'll... just have vegetable spring rolls. Thank you."

He let out a playful scoff. "You don't want any seafood noodle soup or something?"

"I'm... allergic to seafood," I admitted in a low voice.

Shock crossed his face, but he quickly recovered. "I'll make sure to remember that."

That made my cheeks burn. I brought my hand on top of the other to remind myself that I shouldn't be swayed by this guy. For all I knew, he was just trying to make up for his rude behavior the other day.

The whole time we were eating, Asher kept on talking about how he missed the food there and why he regretted not coming back sooner.

I just listened to him, mouth shut, not wanting to appear nosy by asking questions. My silence didn't even bother him as he carried the conversation for the entire half an hour. He was really chatty. His laugh resembled that of a girl's giggle, which oddly suited him.

"Am I that stunning?" he suddenly asked, catching me off guard. I didn't realize I had been diving into his ocean eyes the whole time he was talking.

Dropping my gaze from him, I grabbed the napkin from the table and wiped my mouth.

When he scoffed, I knew I failed to save myself from that embarrassment. "You've been staring at me since we got here."

I paused, keeping my head down. "N-No... I wasn't."

"Don't worry. I forgive you," was the last thing he said, marking my first awkward lunch with him.

***