Page 45 of Oblivious Roommate

I can’t be just a hook-up.

Not with my Cassian.

Soon enough, the trees are gone, and I’m almost relieved when I see a semi-truck in the window above as Cass accelerates. Soon enough, we’ll arrive home, and I’ll be able to regroup without this painful awkwardness poisoning every passing minute.

The music, which has been playing since the car started, suddenly comes to a halt, replaced by a ringtone.

Cass bangs the back of his head against the headrest, but before I find my voice to tell him he can ignore the call, the speaker creaks, and the voice I hate with a passion resonates in the cab.

“Hi! How are things?” Logan asks, almost hesitantly, as if that wasn’t what he actually wanted to say.

Cass is curt in his response. “All fine. You?”

“I’m just… packing. For the trip back tomorrow. I missed you,” Logan adds, making my skin crawl.

Cass takes a deep breath. “Yeah, we’ve both been busy before you went away. Do you know if you’ll be back late or at a normal hour? Maybe we could have dinner together?”

“In the afternoon. I’d really like that actually. I had some time on my hands for thinking, and you didn’t text much. I’m not blaming you! Just… I’d love to reconnect. I feel like we maybe drifted apart a bit. Sorry, I should have left that for tomorrow, but it’s been on my mind.”

No, no, no nonono!

There will be no reconnecting on my watch.

But I say nothing, horrified when Cass takes another strangled breath. “That’s okay. I’ve been thinking the same.”

My heart splinters into bits. Did the night with me only make him miss Logan more? Was I a substitute? My hand slides to where I think I have a hickey, but then the car hits a bump and I groan when my head rattles.

“Were you? But it will be best to talk in person tomorrow. You wanna go grab a bite at Rossini’s?”

How can they be discussing dinner plans when I’m in such distress? What is Cass thinking? Is this meant to hurt me? Or does he simply not think about me at all?

His voice does sound a bit softer when he agrees to Logan’s proposition. “I’ll book a table for eight. Sounds okay?”

They continue to discuss which pizza topping is best and, of course, Logan likes pineapple, like the monster he is.

By the time they finish, the pulsing in my head has become stronger, and after a while, I sit up in an attempt to alleviate the pain. I spot the sign announcing we’re driving into Springton.

“Hey, Cass…”

He spares me a glance in the rearview mirror, but only grunts.

“Could you drop me off at the college campus?”

His hands tighten on the steering wheel. “Sure. Where?”

“By the dorms.”

“Are you visiting Aaron?”

I swallow. Does he think it’s weird my new friend is gay too? I need to keep it casual. “Yeah, he was gonna give me this one book.”

Not suspicious at all when Cass knows I’m hardly the bookish kind. So I stay one step ahead of him. “You know, for school.”

“No need to explain yourself,” Cass says in the tight, curt tone that sounds nothing like his usual relaxed speech. It feels like there isn’t enough air in the car.

We sit in the awkward silence all the way until he parks in front of the dorms. Even the weather sucks, and when I exit the car, it’s drizzling.

Cass mutters a half-assed, “see you later,” and leaves me there. I stumble on my way out, watching him instead of minding where my feet go.