Asher continued laughing as he clutched his stomach slightly, his shoulders shaking with amusement. After a brief moment, he swiped away a small tear that had slipped from the corner of his eye. Regaining his composure, he turned toward William and Finch, his lips still curled in mock amusement. "Even if I swung that way," he said dryly, "you two would still be the last names on my list."
William sat there stunned into silence, while Finch remained rooted before Asher, holding the teleportation ring in his palm with an equally stunned expression. The reality of their misunderstanding finally dawned on both of them, causing a wave of embarrassment so strong that they instinctively wanted to hide. They had completely overthought the situation, all because of a single misplaced assumption.
