Her eyes flick to Bo, conflicted. Bo keeps eating like he isn’t listening. Now would be the perfect time to speak up!
“Sure, Colt,” Jess relents when Bo still pretends he doesn’t care.
“Sweet! It’s a date then. You can leave your car here if you’d like and just ride with me.”
“Sounds like a plan,” she says acting excited.
Colt is so smitten with Jess that he is oblivious to Bo glaring at him. And when Colt kisses Jess’ cheek, I thought shit was about to hit the fan. Luckily, I didn’t have to restrain Bo from attacking Colt. Jess looks anywhere but at Bo and I am caught in the awkward silence.
As much as I want to say something, I know that nothing will break the tension clouding the three of us. It’s so thick, a sharp blade couldn’t even cut through it.
Bo slams his hands down on the table and stands abruptly. The commotion he caused forces everyone’s eyes to be solely focused on the three of us. If Cassie were here, she’d be shrinking in her seat.
Bo storms away without a word. Jess looks to be on the verge of tears. Torn, I look at Jess, and then to the door Bo just went through. This is why Cassie needs to be here. She can comfort Jess while I go talk to Bo. Instead, I am unsure who needs me the most.
“Jess,” I call her name apologetically.
“If he cares that much then why didn’t he speak up? I gave him the opportunity to say something, anything, and he didn’t.”
Reaching across the table, I place my hand on top of hers, offering comfort. “I don’t know why Bo didn’t speak up. He’ll realize it soon. Cassie thinks so too.”
Jess stands, grabbing her tray. “I think I need to go call her.”
Nodding, I stand as well. Now that Jess is taken care of I can go find my brother. He better hope he can fix this mess he created with Jess.
Later, Bo and I hop in my truck after a long day of school. You would think as seniors we’d be soaking it all in. Without Cassie here nothing seems to be fun anymore. I miss teaching her new things every weekend.
Bo won’t admit it, but Jess is his demise and the reason behind his tantrums. She brings all of the emotion out of him.
And now Bo is scaring me. For real. Ever since school let out he has been acting anxious. His leg was bouncing ninety miles a minute on the way home and now he is pacing his bedroom floor.
“What has got you acting so strange?” I finally ask.
“What do you think they are doing right now?” he asks in a slight panic.
Realization dawns. “Don’t do this to yourself. You had your chance to speak up and you didn’t!”
“She drives me so crazy, J! And Colt for crying out loud just comes over there and asks her out in front of me! And she said yes!” He throws his hands up in the air as if he can’t believe it all happened. Well, it did happen and now he is beating himself up over it.
How can I get it through his thick skull that he has to give her the green light? Bo needs to tell Jess how he really feels. “You missed your chance, Bo.” That earns me a glare.
“Who’s side are you on anyway?”
“Both. I’m on both sides. Jess is my friend and I don’t like seeing her hurt. Bo, you’re my brother, and I will always have your back. But either you tell Jess that you want to be with her or you leave her alone and stop hurting her.”
Defeated, he hangs his head. “I don’t do it on purpose. Jess brings out all of these unfamiliar feelings and I lash out on her.” I knew all of that, yet I wasn’t going to let him know.
“Then get your butt over there and tell her you want to be with her.”
“I can’t.”
This is going absolutely nowhere. “Why, Bo? You aren’t making any sense.”
“I don’t do commitment, you know this.”
I do know his standing with relationships. But it my gut, I know this situation with Jess is different. “Did you ever stop to think that Jess is your game changer? That maybe she is the girl who can change your mind about relationships?”
“Yeah, I have thought about it, but what if it doesn’t work out between us. Come on, J, do you really think you can spend the rest of your life with Cassie? Only Cassie?”
I don’t even have to think about my answer. “Without a doubt. That’s what love is, Bo. Finding the other half of your soul. And I found mine in Cassie.”
“I’ll think about it, J. That’s the best I can give you.”
“Do that, brother. Deep down, you know that Cassie and I are right. Jess is the girl for you. And she knows it, too. But Bo, she won’t wait forever.”
I leave him to be with his thoughts. I’ve said all I needed to say. The rest is up to him to decide.
Going back to my own room, I pull out my phone and call the girl who turned my world upside down in the best way possible.
Today has been one clusterfuck. Bo turned into a raging bull the moment he saw Jess walking down the hall hand in hand with none other than Colt. To make things even worse, Colt is bragging to everyone about how they are officially dating now. Jess even confirmed it when I asked her, making sure Colt was telling the truth. It’s been two weeks since their first date and they have been pretty much inseparable. Jess is trying to move on from Bo, yet it’s not going to be easy for her. There are times when I catch her gazing at him from afar.
Another day I needed Cassie here with me. Bo needs a giant smack upside his head and Cassie would have been the one to do it. If I did it, I would get punched in return. Cassie is the only person who can keep Bo in his place. Well, most of the time anyway.
Bo has been going on and on about how he can’t believe Jess would date Colt. I told him Jess wouldn’t wait around forever and he didn’t listen.
Right now, though, Bo and Jess are the last things on my mind. In exactly one week, I get to see Cass. Deciding to go see her before Thanksgiving was a smart idea. It’s been two outrageously long weeks without her. How am I supposed to make it until May without breaking down?
Heck, I’ve already started packing my bag.
“One more week, J.” The happiness in her voice excites me.
“Oh, I know, babe. I’ve been counting down. Just so you’re aware, you probably won’t be leaving my arms the whole time I am there.” I meant it as a joke but I am sort of serious.
“You act like it’s some sort of punishment. I love being in your arms.”
“I know somewhere else I love being,” I tease.
“You’re awful!” she laughs, catching on to my joke. “As long as it’s only me.”
“No one compares to you, Cassie. It will only be you. Always.”
“That’s what I like to hear. I don’t want any skanks thinking they can get a piece of you.”
Jealous Cassie is adorable. “Cass, you’re so cute when you’re jealous.” A small chuckle leaves me. “What has made you so jealous anyway?”
Hearing her sigh isn’t a good sign. “Jess told me that Heather is turning into Ellen.”
Cassie must think Heather is after me like Ellen was. “Cass, Heather always seemed interested in Bo. You have nothing to worry about. Besides, I’m in love with you.”
“I know, J, I didn’t mean how it sounded. I trust you wholeheartedly. It’s Heather I don’t trust and I don’t like her thinking she can have you since I am not there.”
Heather is just another girl who thinks she is little miss perfect. News flash Heather: you aren’t even close to being perfect. If I thought a guy was going after my girl, hell yeah I’d be jealous so I can’t blame Cassie for feeling the way she does.
“You have nothing to worry about, Cass,” I reassure her. “Is school getting any better for you?”
“Little by little.”
Good. I don’t want to have to put some high-class hoes in their place while I am up there. Devoting my time to Cassie is my top priority.
Saying goodbye to Cassie is always hard. I could sit and talk to her for hours about nothing and it would still be everything to me.
Seven days.
One hundred and sixty-eight hours.
The countdown in on.
Four days have passed by, leaving only seventy-two hours until I board the plane to see my girl. I swear Cassie sounds more excited each time I talk to her.
“Hey, J!” Heather practically skips up to me. I saw her coming my way and I hoped like hell she would go in the opposite direction.
“Heather,” I acknowledge her.
“What are you doing this Friday night?”
Is she serious right now? “I’m going to see my girlfriend,” I answer proudly. Three more days and Cassie is all mine for the weekend.
“Oh,” she says, sounding disappointed. “What about next weekend?”
I resist the urge to bang my head against the wall. “What are you up to, Heather?”
“I thought we could hang out. Maybe make it a—”
Knowing exactly what she is about to say, I cut her off. “Don’t you dare say the word ‘date’. Cassie is my girlfriend, Heather. Just because she is in another state right now doesn’t give you the right to ask me out. But just so we’re clear, I would not date you. Ever.”
Not wanting to stay and listen to her crap anymore, I push off the wall and walk away as fast as I can.
Thankfully, she doesn’t follow me.
It seems like Cassie was right to be worried about Heather pursuing me. Cassie knows she is the only one for me, at least she should know. I make it a point to show her all the time so there is no doubt in her mind.
Why can’t two people who are truly happy be left alone? I’m tired of these fake ass girls who think if they bat an eyelash at a guy, they will come running. Bo may fall for it, but not me.
As the day goes on, it gets worse. Bo and Jess are fighting and Heather obviously doesn’t get the hint. While Heather doesn’t approach me the rest of the day, it doesn’t stop her from gazing at me from afar. As long as she stays several feet away from me and doesn’t attempt to talk to me, I’ll be golden.
Bo is now accusing Jess of only dating Colt to get back at him. Not a smooth move.
“I am happy with Colt!” she fires back angrily at him.
“Don’t lie to me. It’s plain to see you don’t actually want to be with him!”
Bo needs to shut up while he is ahead or he will end up saying something he will regret.
“Why does it bother you to see me with Colt?”
“It doesn’t bother me, Jess. You’d have to actually mean something to me and since I don’t give a flying fuck about you, I have to look out for Colt. I wouldn’t want him trapped into a relationship he doesn’t want to be in.”
And there it is. Asshole of the year award goes to Bo.
Jess sucks in a harsh breath. “Don’t ever speak to me again, Bo Michaels!” Jess turns and runs down the hall in tears. I want so badly to go comfort her, but I have a brother to put in his place.
“You keep shoving her away and after the shit you just spewed, I ought to knock you on your ass. Brother or not, that shit is not okay!”
Bo looks forlorn as he leans against the wall. “I don’t know what came over me, J.”
“Stop hurting her!” I reiterate for the millionth time.
“I don’t know how,” he whispers sounding pained.
Bo and I are about to head home when Jess walks up, her eyes still puffy and red from crying. Bo grunts from the passenger seat earning a hit from me. “What’s up, Jess?”
Jess has that certain look on her face. It’s a look when she needs to tell me something she doesn’t want to. Cassie has that same look. “Heather is going around telling all the girls that you dumped Cassie for her.”
While it’s not a rumor I want to be spread, Heather will start looking pretty stupid when I’m not hanging around her. “Thanks for the heads up. Need a ride?” Jess’ car is in the shop getting repaired from the deer she hit a few nights ago.
“That’s okay, Colt offered to take me home. Thanks, though.” After a small wave, she takes off jogging over to Colt’s truck who has the door open and waiting for her.
“Why is she with him?” Bo complains. “Jess can do so much better than Colt.”
“You had your shot and blew it, brother,” I remind him. “Not only that but the crap that came out of your mouth earlier probably just ruined any spec of a chance you had.”
Situations like this make me so thankful that I pursued Cassie and although she tried to keep her distance in the beginning, she quickly realized she was better off with me than fighting me.
I swear I heard him mutter “I know”, but I can’t bet on it.
Cassie sprints toward me with a smile that reaches her ears. Letting my carry-on bag fall off my shoulder and hit the floor, I open my arms to catch her as she slams into me. The force knocks me back a couple of steps, but I quickly regain my footing. Setting her on her feet, my lips greedily seize hers. The kiss escalates quickly as we begin to make out like horny teenagers.
Forcing myself to stop, I cradle her face in my hands as my eyes connect with hers. “Did you know that when people in love stare into each other’s eyes that their heartbeats sync together?”
“Aww…when did you become so knowledgeable?” My girl, always so sassy.
Leave it to Cassie to be funny so she wouldn’t blush. “When it comes to you, baby, I know just about everything.”
“I figured you would say you know all about me,” she retorts.
I brush her hair back out of her eyes. “Why know all about you now when I can spend the rest of my life learning more about you?”
There is the blush. I knew I would get it out of her. “How did I get so lucky?”
I wonder the same thing. “I think the better question is, “How did we both get so lucky to have each other?”” Kissing her pretty pink lips again I pick up my bag, throw it over my shoulder and then scoop Cassie up in my arms. With her arms around my neck and her head tucked in the crook of my neck, I hightail it out of the airport.
Her Aunt Beverly is waiting for us when we get outside. When she sees us, she gets out of the car and comes around to give me a hug. “It’s so nice to finally meet the boy who stole my niece’s heart.”
“Nice to meet you, ma’am. Cassie has told me a lot about you.”
Beverly drives us to her house, informing us that dinner will be ready in an hour. I’m glad because I am starving.
Cassie and I head straight to her room to spend some time together when we arrive at the house.
“On a scale of one to ten, how much did you miss me?” I ask her as I make myself comfortable on her bed. Patting the spot next to me, Cassie takes my hint and lies down beside me, curling into my side.
“It was off the charts,” she says, her voice bestowing a hint of laughter.
“Oh really? That much, huh?”
She nods into my chest. “How much did you miss me?”
“Maybe a three,” I reply, trying not to laugh.
Cassie scoffs. “You could have at least said seven.”
“Okay fine, seven then.” Tugging her close, I kiss her forehead. “There isn’t a number that can top how much I missed you.”
“I love you to the moon and back,” she professes.
“I love you more than anything you say,” I reply.
Cassie slaps my stomach. “That’s cheating!”
“How is letting you know how much I love you cheating?” I’m greeted with silence. I knew she couldn’t come up with a reason.
“You just are,” she giggles. She just had to say something to try and prove me wrong.
“That isn’t a reason.”
“To me it is.”
Cassie and I cut up with each other until her Aunt tells us that dinner is ready. Standing quickly, I scoop Cassie up in my arms before she has a chance to get up.
The weekend flew by faster than I imagined it would and before I realized it, I had to board the plane that will take me home. Cassie and I spent most of our time in her room just
catching up on each other’s lives. She informed me she has applied to a couple businesses hoping one of them will call her in for an interview.
Thanksgiving is next week and while my parents wanted me to spend both Thanksgiving and Christmas with them, they compromised and are letting me spend a full week with Cassie during Christmas break.
Five weeks until I get to wrap my arms around her slender body. It can’t come soon enough.
Seth is becoming annoying. He keeps trying to talk to me or get me to hang out with him and he doesn’t seem to realize I’m not on the same page as him. Truth be told, I’d rather be alone. I’d rather be invisible.
Seth is going on and on behind me as I walk hurriedly to my next class. What will it take for him to see I don’t want to hang out with him? Besides, what will J think if I told him I was hanging out with a guy?
Coming to a stop, I turn and unleash my anger on him. “Seth, since you obviously aren’t getting the hint, I’m going to spell it out for you. I don’t want to hang out with you. I don’t want to talk to you. Please, just, leave me alone.”
Please listen to what I am saying.
His gaze hits the floor, making me sort of feel bad for hurting his feelings. However, it needed to be done.
“Cassie, I’m sorry if I am getting on your nerves. All I want is to hang out with you.”
“I have a boyfriend, Seth, whom I love with every fiber of my being. For that reason alone, I shouldn’t hang out with you.”
“As friends, Cassie. Nothing more, I swear. None of my intentions were to date you and I’m sorry if I made it seem that way.”
Now, I feel like an idiot. “I shouldn’t have assumed and for that, I apologize.”
Seth smiles widely and holds out his hand. “Friends?”
“Friends,” I confirm, shaking his hand.
Lifting his backpack further up his shoulder, he asks, “See you at lunch?”
“Sure.”
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