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He ended up hitting him three more times, before Steven got one in hard enough to make him think twice about doing it again. His eye was cut, bleeding, and it was obscuring his vision.
“Aren’t you going to run like Nelson?” Luke asked belligerent. Steven wasn’t going anywhere. He always did think that was the biggest part of the problem before.
Steven shook his head and saw that Cassandra was starting to calm down because her brother wasn’t actively hitting him. Steven knew that it could change any minute. He braced for it, while he did hope that Luke was done and had gotten it out of his system. “I told you that I am not going anywhere. You’re my best friend, Luke. Where am I going to go?”
Luke was shocked to see them both still standing there. Cassandra was unsure of it all. She was looking from her brother to her lover, waiting for one to start in with the other. Steven tried to tell her that everything was going to be okay, even if he wasn’t all that sure of the validity of it.
“You’re not going to go run off like you did before?” Luke was looking at Cassandra and she agreed that she wasn’t. He looked unsure, but then he put his fists down and looked back at Steven. “You promised.”
The words were simply said in a small voice that made Steven ache inside. He had betrayed Luke; he had broken his promise, and Steven was going to have to live with that. He wanted Luke to see that he was sorry, he hadn’t meant to hurt him, but he loved his siter. He said as much in response to his accusation of breaking the promise. Steven never wanted to break a promise that he made to his friend, but he had to. He loved her.
“Why did you have to choose Steven, Cassandra? Do you know how many other guys there are in the world?”
Cassandra shrugged and winced when she moved closer. Her face was pulled tight, and she didn’t like seeing Steven all beat up. He was beat up and there was so much swelling and blood. He didn’t even look the same.
“We really are sorry, Luke; we just love each other. We didn’t want to hurt you.”
Luke waved her off and said that he didn’t know what to say anymore. It was hard for him to see it as something that had to be done. Luke wasn’t ready to give up on how he felt. He told Steven that he wasn’t up to talking and he got back in his vehicle.
Cassandra wasn’t sure what to say and Steven wasn’t sure either. He was in pain, and he could barely see. Cassandra wanted him to go to the hospital, and he relented because he couldn’t even drive home on his own. He needed a few stitches, but it seemed like a small price to pay. Even though it hadn’t worked the way he’d wanted it to, Steven was happy that it was finally out in the open. His face was on fire, but the stress that he’d felt before was gone. His friend would come around and they would be back to buds in no time.
“Do you think it’s our fault for not saying something sooner?” Cassandra wanted to know.
Steven shrugged. “Could you honestly have seen that going any better than that?”
Cassandra agreed that it was probably as good as it was going to get. She knew that it was a major jump for Luke, and they were going to have to give him some time to work it out.
“Let’s go back to my place,” Cassandra suggested.
Steven agreed and then he got a smirk on his face. “Is it wrong to be glad it’s over?”
Cassandra sighed. “You should see your face.”
He frowned. “Am I not pretty anymore?”
Cassandra shrugged and said that he never was. He tried to sound offended. “Oh really?”
Cassandra agreed, “Yeah, but I think I still like you this way. Once you get your shirt off, I will have better things to look at.”
Steven scoffed but kissed her. “Your place it is.”
Chapter 44
Cassandra
Six months later…
“Did you really think that you were going to get out of it?” Cassandra smirked, unable to hide the pleasure that she got in seeing Steven in the position he was in.
Steven stuttered and then tried to grab her. Cassandra moved back and said that she wasn’t getting involved. “I told you that it was a bad idea to keep it on the floor like that. I heard Dennis said the same thing.”
He looked down at his foot still submerged in paint and she couldn’t help but smile. He tried so hard to take himself seriously, but it was hard, especially when there was white paint to his ankle and the funniest look on his face. Cassandra didn’t mention any of it. It would do no good.
“Come here and help me.”
Cassandra shook her head and said that she knew better. He looked offended, but she didn’t care. She knew where that would end up and Cassandra didn’t want to get it all over her too. She sidestepped his outstretched hand and then looked back at the room half-painted. She brought a few towels so that the paint didn’t get on the carpet, but that was all done with enough space between the two of them that she wouldn’t have to worry about him trying to drag her into his nonsense.
She watched him get out and clean up. Cassandra was only successful not laughing about it for a while. She couldn’t help but get it out and then there was this silence.
