Page 46 of As the Rain Falls (Sainte Madeleine #1)

Cassandra has this quiet, serious look—like she’s always deep in thought—until you get her to actually say a word or two.

Once she starts feeling comfortable, and her walls come down, her real nature finally shines through.

There’s this lingering sweetness to her personality, an openness that makes you lean in without even realizing it.

You can’t turn away from her, not even if you really want to.

Her presence is infectious and endearing, addictive even.

I don’t think I could ever get seriously mad at a girl like her. She is an incredibly sweet person, and I like having her around. Maybe even a little too much. I wish we’d spend more time together.

“Why won’t you listen to me?” she asks, her voice quieter now, her eyes shining in the fading sunlight. “You’re the most stubborn boy I know.”

I want to be the only stubborn boy you know.

“You look really pretty from this angle,” I breathe out. A soft blush starts to bloom when I touch her chin, tilting her head down, and it spreads from her nose to her cheekbones like watercolor.

“Stop.”

“Why?” I ask.

She flushes harder and says, “You’re making me blush.”

“I’m allowed to compliment you if I want to. Besides, I’m out here, lying down on dust for you, aren’t I?” my voice comes out rougher than I intended. “Because you asked me to, Cassandra Rivera.”

Since she’s not pulling away from me, I start to get bold.

Without speaking another word, I reach for a loose strand of her hair, rolling it around my finger before tucking it behind her ear.

Then, my finger drifts higher, tracing the line of her upturned nose and pausing over her Cupid’s bow.

Her breath catches, and I can feel it. I can feel the way my touch affects her.

“Beautiful,” I breathe out, a little tortured.

She catches my wrist before I can go any further. “You, Beckett Evans, need to stop!”

“What?” I ask, flashing a smile. “I really am listening to you!”

“But your eyes are still open, dumbass.” Cassandra nudges me gently. “That’s the whole point. You’re supposed to relax and let go.”

I hear Pepé bark. Probably found a stick or a rock that’s unbelievably cool. I wonder if he’s going to show us.

“Come on, just do it.” She brings her palm back to my temples, leaning in to press a quick kiss to my forehead. “I’ll take your headache away one step at a time.”

“How?”

She grins mischievously. “It’s a secret.”

“I’m your friend,” I say, sighing as I feel her fingers massaging my scalp again. “If there’s a secret remedy to headaches and insomnia out there, you should definitely tell me.”

But Cassandra doesn’t answer my question.

“Do you think she read it?” I wonder.

“You know, maybe because you’re a guy, things happened differently for you in high school. With us girls, a single bad look goes a long way.”

My eyes flicker back and forth, lost in hers.

“Like, there was this girl,” she continues, sounding sadder than before. “She started this rumor about me kissing her boyfriend back in my first year at Sainte Madeleine. I only asked him for his notes in a class we’d shared. Mind you, he wasn’t even my type.”

“Kayla wasn’t there that day?” I ask, curious.

“Kayla was advanced. It took me a whole year to catch up to her. I’m not exactly the fastest learner.”

Her voice is quieter now. She sounds upset about struggling with school.

“It’s really okay for you to struggle, Cass.”

Cassandra blinks, looking down at me. Everybody struggles with something. Just because my grades were mostly good, it doesn’t mean I never had to work to get some of them. Not everything comes easily.

“I know, I know. It’s not that big of a deal, I mean.” She shakes her head, sounding lost in thought. “But back then, it was. You won’t remember it because you were a third year student, but my first year at Sainte Madeleine was such a hard time for me.”

I remember her vaguely.Cassandra doesn’t know that, but I do.

Her hair was a few inches shorter, a little more unruly. Lucia always talked about wanting to give her some kind of makeover because, in her words, she couldn’t go another year watching someone apply blush in all the wrong spots.

She was a cute kid, I mean. Quiet, reserved, and a little more nervous than she is now. Two years can do a lot—it can completely change a person.

“They weren’t very nice, were they?” I ask, thinking about how I was never on the receiving end of any form of bullying. People mostly left me alone, and I only really cared about Antony, Angelina, and Lucia. Eventually, graduation came, and I left.

“No, they weren’t.” She glances down, her fingers trailing over the sides of my face. I don’t think she even realizes she’s doing it. I hadn’t noticed either, at least not at first.

“I’m sorry, Cass.” I smile sadly. “I wish I could’ve helped you.”

Cassandra shrugs. “It’s okay. I don’t care about it anymore.”

Yes, she does.

I can tell she cares a lot, even.

“I won’t tell you what was written because I know none of it was true anyway.” A beat later, she adds, “And I know she didn’t think it was either. Lucia was a brave girl, wasn’t she?”

Lucia.

My baby sister.

I swallow hard, nodding quickly before averting my gaze. “She wasn’t much of a people pleaser.”

Cassandra laughs then, quietly but openly, as if the mere thought of my sister displaying any signs of weakness sounds like a joke to her.I find myself staring as a warm feeling starts to bloom in my chest.

I almost ask about the jewelry box. The question is right there, hovering at the tip of my tongue, threatening to come out.

Something stops me, though. And when I open my mouth, nothing comes out.

It’s not until hours later that I finally understand why.

I didn’t ask because I didn’t want to risk ruining the moment.

Because if the truth is going to hurt us eventually, I’d rather not know it at all.