Page 60 of As the Rain Falls (Sainte Madeleine #1)

But the look on her face when I turned her down the other night…

She seemed genuinely heartbroken. It almost made me circle back, but I felt too angry and confused to stick around.

I really don’t think there was any pretense, at least not towards me.

Her brother was definitely the one to mess things up, and my feelings got in the way, too.

Mateo returns from the bathroom, his brown hair slightly damp, sticking to his forehead.

“Man, I’ve got the worst headache in the world!”

“It’s the heat,” I explain, pointing at the sky.

It’s been raining too much at night, which means that the days are hotter. If you’re not used to it, the weather can be brutal.

“You need to drink more water.”

I hand him my water bottle, still watching Cassandra. He takes a short sip while looking back to follow my gaze. “Look at her, she’s waiting for Caleb again. I told her not to take a chance with him, but she went for it anyway.”

“Oh, figures.” Antony rolls his eyes, still sounding just as annoyed as he did before. “He’s probably brainwashing the shit out of her—”

“It’s not great for her reputation,” Mateo’s voice cuts through, and I can tell he is genuinely worried, just like I am. “At least, that’s what I’ve been hearing from the guys.”

Because here’s the thing: whoever said men don’t ever gossip, they’re lying. We talk with our eyes, with the things we joke about. We can say a lot of shit under the pretense of not saying anything.

“What are they saying?” I ask, fishing for information.

“She’s like, his new fling.” Mateo takes another sip, a longer one this time. “He’s been bragging about her. Acting so full of shit because the others never took it as far as he did, that kind of thing.”

“How far?” I ask.

He answers, smiling meekly, “I don’t know.”

“Is he like…” I swallow hard, feeling uncomfortable. “Is he badmouthing her?”

I’d hate to see a guy hurt her like that. And while I still want to watch out for her, I suddenly don’t want to know about this anymore. What Caleb is doing, how much of her he gets to see that I don’t. I like her. Maybe. Just a little. It’s not a crush, not totally. It’s just something .

Not that anyone needs to know, because it doesn’t even matter anymore. We’re still not talking.

“I wouldn’t say he’s badmouthing her, but nobody takes her seriously, you know?” Mateo explains, keeping his voice low. “She’s his rebound from Maria. Once he’s done with her, he’ll go after someone else.”

I shake my head, finding it all a little absurd. “But she likes him.”

“She told you that?” Antony asks, gaze softening only the tiniest bit. It reminds me of the way he talks about his sisters when they’re doing something he disapproves of.

“No, but I definitely think she does.”

I set my cocktail aside, watching as Caleb yanks his apron off, grabs Cassandra, spins her around, and kisses her.

She’s still wearing my jacket.

What a funny girl.

“I can’t fucking stand this guy,” I snap.

Antony laughs, “Nobody can.”

“No, like seriously.” I stare him down. “I actually hate him.”

I hear her laugh because of him, unaware of what he’s doing behind her back. It seriously makes me want to crush something.

“Mnn, I don’t know.” Mateo eyes me with understanding, a little too perceptive. “You sound more mad at him than at her,” He smiles, nose twitching. “What is she to you?”

I try to brush the whole off with my answer, “A friend.”

“That doesn’t sound right.”

I hear him say, but my treacherous eyes are looking for Cassandra again.Her dark blonde hair is swaying down her back. She’s flushed and embarrassed. Her knees are scraped again, bruises all over her thighs. I hadn’t noticed them before, but my heart squeezes in my chest at the sight.

Why is she always bruised?

Did she just hurt herself again?

“Yeah,” Antony actually agrees. “Do you like her or something?”

I shift, feeling uncomfortable. “It’s not like that.”

Yet.

If we had a proper conversation that day without any interruptions, maybe things would’ve been a little different.

“I swear, it isn’t.”

“It better not be,” he emphasizes. “Her brother messed with Lucia, and she took his side.” I let my best friend talk, knowing he has a point. She did take his side. I have no reason to believe otherwise. “I need to go to the bathroom.”

He leaves right after that, but Mateo lingers, observing me quietly. Truth is, I don’t hate her. At least, not in the same way Antony does. I’m mostly confused. I don’t understand why Nathaniel would even think we’re together or why he’d feel so threatened by that.

I also don’t get why he would try to joke about Lucia, especially not in the way he did.

Out of all the people she went against over the years, I wouldn’t expect him to hold a grudge.

I was always closer to Cassandra than they were ever close to each other.

Nathaniel never tried to talk to me after Lucia’s death, either.

I assumed he didn’t care about it enough to fake niceties with me.

“Hey.” Mateo nudges me, stealing my cocktail. “Is this alcohol-free?”

I nod weakly. “Yeah.”

He takes a long sip, making a low sound of satisfaction as he gulps down the sweet beverage. After I don’t say anything for a couple of minutes, he sighs.

“Alright, come on, dude. Go talk to her. Caleb’s got thirty minutes left. Drag her outside, smooth things over.” I automatically grimace in response, but Mateo smirks, winking at me. “Go get this girl back.”

“She’s not my—” I rise abruptly, my skin feeling too tight. “Look, she’s not my girl, okay?”

Mateo leans back, sipping my cocktail and tilting his head as he does so. He seems more amused by the situation now that he’s gotten under my skin. This little fucker, I swear.

“I said this .” He points a finger at Cassandra. “As in her .”

I scoff, toss him a twenty, and walk out.

Cassandra doesn’t follow, even though I wait outside for a while, thinking she might.

Whatever.

It’s whatever.