Anger immediately takes over her.
“Are you fucking kidding me? You’re sleeping on the couch again? What the fuck is your problem, Nicholas!”
“We have to leave midday tomorrow. Make sure you’re packed,” is all I say before closing the door.
A few explicits fly out of her mouth, followed by a thump or two against her door. Sighing, I shake my head as I look to the closed bedroom door to the side of her. Is it totally fucking stupid of me to leave one sister’s room to go into another? Yeah, but it doesn’t stop me from trying the door handle. When I find it locked, I frown, and lightly knock against the wooden door. I stand there for several seconds before letting out a sigh of disappointment and making my way down to the living room.
Grabbing the bag of clothes I’ve been keeping down here, I rifle through it until I find a t-shirt and a pair of sweatpants, getting changed in the bathroom before setting up my ‘bed’ on the couch. If Mary or Henry have noticed that I’ve been out here instead of in Carly’s room, they haven’t said anything. Then again, maybe that’s why Henry made that comment at dinner. At least it won’t be a surprise to them when we break up. They have eyes, they are intelligent people. They know their daughter. It won’t be a surprise to anyone.
Pulling out my phone, I scroll through before finding Cassi’s number. Typing out a text, I re-word it about ten times before I hit send.
Me: Are you up?
Real fucking original, Nico.
Her response comes faster than I anticipate.
Cassi: No.
Okay then.
My fingers begin moving faster than before as I type out my reply.
Me: Are you upset with me?
Cassi: Wow, so fucking observant. Someone get this guy a trophy.
I frown at her words, trying to figure out how to phrase my next text when another one comes in from her.
Cassi: This is all a mistake. You’re not mine and I’m not yours. We should stop this now before someone gets hurt.
Like me. That’s the part she left off but I can read it plain as day, because despite only knowing her for a little less than a week. I feel like I’ve known her for a lifetime. There are several ways I could handle this topic, but the only way I think will give me a chance in hell in talking her down is in person. So, I egg her on.
Me: Say it to my face if you really mean that.
I wait for several minutes with no response. I’m half convinced she’s fallen asleep before the next text comes in.
Cassi: The door is unlocked.
Say no more. I’m up and on my feet in half a second, rushing up the stairs as quietly as I’m able before coming to her door. I hear the soft sound of snoring come from Carly’s room which is good. It means she let the alcohol take over and effectively knock her the hell out.
When my hand grips the door handle and it turns, a feeling of relief fills me, though when I step through the door and see the hardened look on Cassi’s face, that relief vanishes in an instant.
Shutting the door behind me, I make sure to lock it before crossing the room. She’s sitting in the middle of her bed, legs crossed, arms folded and an unimpressed look on her face as she whispers to me.
“This is all a mistake. You’re not mine and I’m not yours. We should stop this now before someone gets hurt.”
Yeah, scratch what I said before. Cassi Fischer is absolutely a fucking brat. One I can’t wait to tame.
I take several steps towards her, not stopping until I’m at the edge of her bed. Leaning down without getting on the bed, I press my nose to hers as I look into her eyes.
“Say it again.”
She falters for a moment before that stubbornness flares in her eyes.
“This is all a mistake?—”
Cassi doesn’t get to finish her sentence before my lips are on hers. My hands dive into her hair, digging into her wild curls as I tug on them hard. She gasps into my mouth as I pull away.
