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“Yeah. A real coincidence.”
Ben misses my sarcasm. I hope I wasn’t as oblivious as a freshman.
“You know Maggie’s sister?”
“A little.”
“You like her or something?”
I raise one brow at the ballsy question. I’m a senior, and his captain. Maybe I misjudged Howard as shy and awkward.
Ben hastily backtracks. “Not that—you don’t have to tell me. I’m not… You do you, you know.”
I crack a smile. “Yeah, I will. Thanks.”
Ben orders a burger while I polish off the rest of mine. We make small talk as we sit. But the whole time his question echoes in my head.
You like her or something?
I like shooting hoops. Like beer and pizza. What I feel for Cassia has always been stronger. The tug of the tide, not just a passing wave.
Like is unassuming and casual.
Something is vague. It can encapsulate a whole host of emotions. Including ones bigger than like.
Ones big enough to break hearts.
CHAPTER NINE
CASSIA
The credits start to roll. “Did that ending make sense?” I ask. “I’m not sure if—”
I glance over at Sydney. Fast asleep. Rolling my eyes, I crawl over her and off the bed. This Friday night was Sydney’s choice of movie. She still didn’t make it through the whole film.
I stretch, check my phone, then tiptoe into the hallway. It’s almost midnight.
Ever since last weekend, I’ve been resolved about how tonight is going to go. I even considered telling Sydney I wasn’t staying over tonight, which would have broken our tradition of me sleeping over when her dad isn’t home for the first time in years.
But then Holden showed up at Roxbury Diner with my sister’s crush so they could have a pseudo date. Maggie hasn’t stopped talking about it since. Holden has been elevated to deity status in her mind. And honestly, it meant something to me too.
I’m still not sure what his motivation for getting Ben there was, but he showed up. There were a million other ways he could have spent his afternoon yesterday, but he was there.
I don’t know how to act around him. If I’m being too forgiving or not forgiving enough.
That’s the problem with Holden—he skews my reactions.
If any other guy had made me come and then sat there silent, I never would have been able to look him in the eye again.
If any other guy had set up a date for my sister with the guy she likes, I’d agree with Maggie about the pedestal.
When it comes to Holden, I can’t figure out his motivations about anything.
He very easily could have stopped anything from happening between us—he’s done it before. But he didn’t.
He very easily could have said no to Maggie. But he didn’t do that either.
Lily is curled up in her plush bed when I reach the bottom of the stairs. Her yellow tail taps against the hardwood floor as I approach and crouch down beside her. She’s mostly lab but with some other breeds likely mixed in too. The monkey toy Eileen gave Holden is lying on the floor next to her, already bearing evidence of teeth marks.
