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“I don’t know. I’m selfish and self-centered—”
She interrupts. “No. You’re not.”
“Come on, Cassia. Yeah, I am.”
“You spent today cheering me up and discussing what might happen if you donate an organ to save your mom’s life.No onewould call that selfish or self-centered.”
“I guess you’ve been a good influence.”
“You didn’t answer my question,” she says.
“Yeah, I did.I don’t know, Cassia. If you’ve been a good influence on me, I’ve been a bad one on you. The only person who’s ever depended on me at all was Sydney. And she always had it together, so she never actually relied upon me. If I fucked up, I didn’t feel like I was letting her down. With you…I want to be reliable. I wasn’t sure if I could be that guy for you, so I avoided you. Ignored you. Told myself that you didn’t care. And if you’d never grabbed that bottle…never climbed into my lap…there’s a chance I could have convinced myself of that. But you did grab that bottle, and I’m so grateful. I wouldn’t change any of our past, flower, even the messy parts.”
I lean closer to her.
“And if we’re placing odds on couples who will last? I’d pick us every time. Because now that I have you, I can’t imagine ever letting you go.”
She stares at me for so long I’m not sure if she registered a word I just said. At least she hasn’t fallen asleep. Or puked.
“Can we go back to your place?” she asks.
“Yeah, of course,” I reply.
Another surprise.
We usually sleep at hers. She has one roommate, instead of two. And Cassia’s apartment is nicer than mine. Cleaner. Her floors don’t have dirty clothes flung across them. But I don’t question her decision. I’m just relieved we’re leaving and I can stop glaring at every guy who looks in her direction.
We head toward the street corner where I parked my truck. I sneak glances at Cassia as we walk, trying to gauge exactly how drunk she is.
Nova and some other girls who Cassia is friends with showed up about an hour after we arrived, so I lost track of how much she continued drinking after she went off with them.
My phone buzzes with a message in the team group chat, wondering where I went. I reply, letting the guys know I left, shoving my phone back into my pocket before the inevitable messages about me being whipped come in.
We’re one of the smaller teams on campus, tighter knit than most. And I’m currently the only one with a girlfriend. Henry dated a sophomore named Amanda for a few months last year, but they broke up mid-season. Several guys on the team are in a constant state of shock that I choose to be in a relationship when they’ve seen first-hand the attention I get from girls.
Cassia connects her phone to the speakers as soon as we’re in the cab, flipping between songs as I drive. Her mood seems to be shifting just as quickly. I glance over at the first light, and she’s frowning. At the next stop sign, her lips are tipped up.
When I park in the empty driveway, she speaks.
“Nice place.” She glances over at me, still smirking. “Have you lived here long?”
I raise one eyebrow, trying to assess her angle.
She raises one right back at me. “What, your sister got all the acting skills in the family?”
I shake my head, then decidewhat the hell?I turn toward her as much as the truck’s seat will allow. “How do you know my sister is into theater stuff?”
Cassia beams when she realizes I’m playing along.
I roll my eyes.
“Lucky guess,” she replies.
“Want a tour of the house?” I ask, popping my door open.
“Sure. Although I’m really just interested in, you know, your bedroom.”
I chuckle under my breath and shake my head as I lock the truck, then follow her up the brick path that leads to the front door. The porch light is on, but the house is dark. Robby wassupposed to show up at Dirty Mike’s but never did. No clue where Henry is.
