AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Come on,” he needles. “If you’ve never felt anything for me, then I see no harm in it. You’ll get a nice meal. I’ll show you what you’ve been missing in your life, and we’ll have a great time. One date. It’s all I ask.”
“You’re asking too much!” I shout, spinning toward him once more.
The shock that registers on Cassio’s face tells me he hadn’t anticipated my anger. But I’m beyond pissed.How dare he pretend like I don’t exist for two whole years, all but steal my best friend from me, and then think he can just flash a charming smile and make me march to his drum?
I feel dangerously close to crying, and that only makes me madder. “You’ve already had your one chance, Cassio.” I shove my finger into his solid chest as I glare up at him. “As you so blatantly pointed out, we already kissed. And then you dropped off the face of the earth for two years. So, no, I won’t be going on a date with you. The only thing that tempts me to say yes is the knowledge that if Ididagree to go on a date with you, you would probably disappear from my life for another few years. But in order to make that happen, I’d have to endure hours of pure torture in your presence.”
“Man, you’re feisty,” Cassio teases, jogging to reach my side as I storm away once more. “I like a woman with spirit.”
“You’re such a pig.” I scowl daggers at the theater building ahead of us, refusing to look at him, and find that obnoxiously charming smile I know is splashed across his refined Italian face.
“What? I’m just saying I like your conviction. You really commit to your emotions, and that’s sexy.”
“Jesus, just leave me alone!” I scream, angry tears stinging the back of my eyes. But I refuse to let Cassio see me cry.
I’m already far more emotional than I want him to see. I don’t want him to know how much his silence has affected me. And now that he’s talking to me again, I really don’t want him to find out that my body is more eager than ever to be near him.
“Okay, take it easy.” Cassio raises his hands in surrender as he takes a step back from me.
I dare to meet his gaze now that he’s backing down, and frustration boils up in my chest as I find confusion mingled with a bit of hurt behind his eyes.He has the gall to feel hurt by my reaction?God, I could strangle him.
And the worst part is, he’s right. The only reason I’m having such a violent reaction to him is because Idofeel something for him. I feel too much for him, and I hate it. Because it leaves me feeling vulnerable yet again. And I already know the damage Cassio Marchetti is capable of doing to my heart.
4
CASSIO
It turns out that the two years of distance and silence I enforced upon myself to protect Bianka has proven to be a bigger hurdle than I had anticipated when I made up my mind to be near her once more. She’s pissed, and she’s not afraid to tell me just what she thinks of me, but that’s part of what I love about Bianka. She’s so passionate and willing to speak her mind.
After my countless fruitless attempts at breaking down her walls, I’ve come to the conclusion that our last class of the morning, Dramatization and Emotional Acting, is going to be my best opportunity to spend time with her. Because I’m not making headway just by attempting to approach her casually.
But I’m confident she’ll be auditioning for the lead role of whatever performance we’re scheduled to do in Dramatization and Emotional Acting this semester, so if I want to get more time with Bianka, I need to set my sights on being the male lead.
That’s who will have to practice lines with her most. And right now, I don’t see any other way to make her talk to me. Because she’s angrier with me than I had realized about my attempt to stay away from her. And now that I’m getting up close and personal again, I can see that earning her forgiveness is going to be more challenging than I thought.
While I had intended on simply skating by in my theater classes–after all, I have no intention of actually becoming an actor–I’ll need to step up my game if I’m going to get more time with Bianka. Because she certainly doesn’t seem ready to make this easy on me.
Strangely enough, I take the challenge as a good sign. While I hate knowing that I pissed her off by ignoring her, it means I’m not alone in feeling this connection. Because she wouldn’t be this mad if she didn’t care. No. She likes me too. I just have to find a way to help her move past her anger so we can explore that connection properly. And secretly. Getting the lead role will help me do just that.
Our verbal sparring on our way to Stage Choreography only reminds me of how fierce and intelligent Bianka is. That fire of hers comes across so clearly on the stage, which is probably why she’s so good at performing. But I’ve spent so long trying to keep my eyes off of her that I forgot what it’s like to have that heat focused on me.
While I would much prefer to see laughter in her eyes and a smile on her lips, I’m still captivated by her presence even when she’s angry. And though she rarely graced me with proper eye contact or a direct conversation, hearing my name on her lips sent tingles down my spine.
Looking into her captivating green eyes made my heart pound. Being near her brought back that night we kissed with such vivid clarity that I couldn’t help but bring it up. God, I want nothing more than to grab her face and kiss her. To remind her of our connection.
But I don’t want to push her too far, too fast. And after the vitriol in her tone when she told me to leave her alone just before she entered the theater building, I know it’s best that I don’t rush her. I’ll have to take it slower than last time, ease into a friendship again and prove that I’m not going anywhere.
It’s reasonable that she’s pissed. I knew she wouldn’t be happy with me after I ghosted her without an explanation. And then refused to be alone with her for two solid years. From her perspective, it was a dick move that had no justification.
But I don’t know that telling her the truth will do any good. It might just come across as a desperate attempt to look less like a jerk. As far as she’s concerned, the one time Bianka met my father, he was perfectly polite. A proper gentleman welcoming her to Rosehill.
In truth, Bianka’s brother, Ilya, probably had good intuition to warn her away from my family. My father wouldn’t hesitate to hurt or use Bianka if it might work in his favor. She’s as good as a pawn in a long game of chess as far as he’s concerned–one he may not need to use but could always find a purpose for. Still, try as I might, I can’t bring myself to leave her be.
I see proving my feelings for her as a healthy challenge, one I’m more than ready to take on if it means winning Bianka’s heart, but I have to tread lightly. Any word of my plan getting back to my father, and not only would I be in serious trouble–and probably have to switch majors again–but Bianka might get caught in the crosshairs, so I need to find a way to earn her forgiveness without my father finding out.
I refuse to stay away from her any longer. But if I’m going to take that risk, I need to do so with a clear head and a solid plan. I would never forgive myself if I did anything to hurt her future. So I need to make sure none of my father’s minions with eyes and ears around the school learn a thing.
Speaking of the devil, as I push open the theater door to our Stage Choreography class, Hannah Fiore gives me a bright smile and beckons me toward where she stands in the middle of the open space.
