Page 34 of Don’t Leave (Stay #2)

CASSIDY

I t’s slammed home Friday morning that getting up at the ass crack of dawn to fight an overzealous crowd of crazed shoppers for a few sweaters and cute pair of ankle boots is not my idea of a good time.

Not only do we hit a few malls but then I’m dragged against my will to Target and Wal-Mart for more of this tortuous thing called Black Friday shopping.

If I never hit another store for the rest of my life, it’ll be too soon.

The only thing that makes the experience bearable is the steady supply of caffeinated beverages shoved in my hand.

Brooklyn also accompanies us on this miserable excursion.

Unlike me, she seems to thoroughly enjoy the thrill of the hunt and excitement over every new discovery as much as the other demented people who are out and about before the sun has risen in the sky.

In other words, she fits in perfectly with my mom and sisters.

I have two words to sum up this day?—

Never.

Again.

I don’t think I’ve ever felt more exhausted in my life.

By the time we return home around two o’clock in the afternoon, the only thing I want to do is crawl into bed and sleep for the rest of the day.

And since I have no plans, that’s exactly what I do.

I pass out for three blissful hours, getting up around dinnertime.

With a yawn, I grab my phone and realize there are a few messages. My heart skips a beat, wondering if Cole texted again. As I scroll through them, I see two are from Brooklyn and one is from Luke.

Nothing from Cole.

Rationally speaking, I shouldn’t be disappointed.

But I am, which only makes me crabbier than I already am.

I read through Brooklyn’s text, asking if I’m up for going out tonight.

Ugh. Not really.

I’m still exhausted from the ridiculous amount of shopping we did.

And no, having lunch at the Cheesecake Factory did not make any of it better.

But I know Brooklyn will end up harassing me if I give her a firm negative at five o’clock in the evening for being lame.

I give her a noncommittal response that I can back out of in a couple of hours.

I scan Luke’s text.

Are you up for a party tonight?

I gnaw on my lower lip as I contemplate the question.

Even though I don’t really want to go out, I wonder if maybe I should.

I got my hopes up with the few messages Cole and I exchanged.

It seems obvious now that he was just checking in to make sure I was okay because that’s the kind of guy Cole is.

It’s one of the reasons I fell so hard for him. He’s so considerate and nice.

Then again, so is Luke.

And I do like him…as a friend. Maybe I owe it to myself to explore the connection between us. I don’t know. Maybe I won’t know until I try.

Before I can overthink the invitation, I type out a response.

Sure. Can Brooklyn come?

I actually feel pretty good about killing two birds with one stone. If nothing else comes out of tonight, at least it’ll get Brooklyn off my back.

His text pops up almost immediately.

Sure. I’ll pick you both up at 9.

See you then.

There.

Done.

I’m moving on with my life.

As I suck in a deep breath, I can’t help but wonder if I’ve made a mistake.

Five hours later, we’re at the house of Luke’s high school friend. There are a ton of people, none of whom I know. Luke has been at my side the entire evening, introducing Brooklyn and me to his friends.

After a couple of hours, Luke slips my hand into his.

I stare down at the connection, trying to decide if moving in this new direction with Luke feels right.

When my gaze collides with his, something jolts insides me.

His lips tilt up at the corners and I can’t help but return the expression with a hesitant smile of my own.

He leans toward me so I can hear him over the pulsing beat of the music. “Do you want something to drink?”

My usual MO is to stick with water. Occasionally, I’ll have a beer. The remnants of last year and the trouble I got myself into are never very far from my mind. Plus, I’ve discovered that I like being in control of myself and my surroundings. It’s hard to be in control when you’re totally wasted.

I shake my head. “No, I’m good.”

Understanding floods his blue-gray eyes and I’m reminded that Luke knows everything—all the ugly little details of last year and still accepts me for who I am.

For the rest of the night, we dance, laugh and have a good time. By the end of the evening, it’s evident how well-liked Luke is among his friends. Brooklyn also seems to have fun. She’s been off dancing with a couple of different guys.

It’s the reason I do a doubletake when Austin walks through the front door. For a moment, I can’t figure out what he’s doing here. My gaze narrows suspiciously on Brooklyn.

She doesn’t look surprised in the least to see him.

As I make my way over to them, Austin rips his attention away from her to long enough to meet my gaze.

“Hey, Cassidy. How’s it going?”

“Pretty good.” I raise my brows. “I didn’t expect to see you here tonight.”

His glances at the tall blonde before shrugging. “I’m giving Brooklyn a ride home.”

I can’t resist needling the pair because their relationship has seriously moved beyond ridiculous. Clearly, this is more than just a booty call or friends-with-benefits situation or whatever the heck they’re now trying to call it.

“Oh, you live close by?” I give him a wide-eyed look because I know damn well that he doesn’t.

A dull flush creeps into Austin’s cheeks as he clears his throat. “Not that far. About an hour or so.”

Liar. More like two and a half. I take pity on him, because he really must care for her, and decide not to call him out.

Brooklyn studiously avoids my searching gaze.

“That was nice of you to drive all the way over here to take Brook home,” I say.

That remark is met with deafening silence.

Brooklyn must decide that she’s had enough of my comments and shoots me a well-honed death glare.

As soon as Luke joins our trio, the air shifts, making it feel charged and uncomfortable. Even though Austin and Luke are teammates, the strain between them is palpable. The issue between Cole and Luke has obviously bled over.

Austin gives him a stiff chin lift. “What’s up, Wellington.”

Luke causally drapes an arm around my shoulders, making it clear that we’re together. “Not much. How about you?”

A hard glint enters Austin’s eyes as he takes in how close Luke and I are standing. “Brook called, so I’m going to take her home.” His narrowed gaze shifts to me. “You need a lift home, Cassidy?” He nods his head toward Brooklyn. “Since you’re next door, we can drop you off.”

Unease blooms in the pit of my belly as I shift, wanting to defuse the thick, suffocating waves of tension that has fallen over the group.

From beneath my lashes, I glance at Luke. At this point, we’re just friends but I’m sure Austin assumes differently. My heart trips, wondering if he’ll mention it to Cole.

Just as quickly, I wonder if it matters.

My guess is that it doesn’t.

“I’ll take her home,” Luke replies before tugging me a bit closer.

It feels as if I’m in the middle of a pissing match between these two, which is ridiculous. Austin has no reason to be angry with Luke. Cole and I aren’t together anymore. If the wide variety of girls I’ve seen him walking around campus with is any indication, then Cole has moved on with his life.

And I should probably do the same.

“Luke will drive me home later.” I hold my breath when it looks like Austin might argue.

Instead, he nods before grabbing Brooklyn’s hand. “See you at school, Cassidy.” He flicks a hard look at Luke. “Wellington.”

I nod, relieved that Austin and Brooklyn are taking off. “Yup.”

Once they walk out the door, I release the pent-up breath clogging my lungs as my gaze finally drifts to Luke’s. “That was kind of weird. Is there a problem between you two?”

He shrugs, his eyes becoming shuttered. “Nope, not at all.” He changes the subject. “Are you ready to take off?”

“Yeah, I am.”

“All right, let me say goodbye to a few friends and then we can head out.”

It’s another thirty minutes before we leave. On the ride home, thoughts of Cole circle through my mind. Sometimes it feels like he’s never very far from my thoughts and a little prick of sadness fills me.

“Are you all right?” His gaze flickers to me as we drive through the darkness. “You’ve been really quiet.”

I don’t realize just how tangled up in my thoughts I’d become until he pulls the truck into my driveway. Instead of cutting the engine, he leaves it running before turning to me.

I nibble at my lower lip and debate whether to tell him the truth. Luke and I are friends. It’s important that I’m honest with him. “I was thinking about Cole.”

His expression never falters. If he’s bothered by my answer, he doesn’t show any outward sign of it. “Is that because Austin showed up tonight?”

I jerk my shoulders. “I guess.” But Cole has been on my mind since…I try to think of a time when I haven’t been consumed with thoughts of him and I can’t.

“Have you talked with him lately?”

“We exchanged a few texts yesterday,” I admit.

He glances away for a heartbeat before his gaze pins mine in place.

A moment later, he reaches out and takes hold of my fingers.

As I stare at our clasped hands, I can’t help but notice how small, almost delicate, my hand looks in his larger one.

I also realize that every time he does it, it feels more natural.

“I know you’re still getting over Cole,” he says. “And I realize that you’re not ready to get involved with anyone else just yet but I’ll wait, Cassidy. For as long as it takes, I’ll wait.”

My eyes widen as his words wash over me. “Luke, I?—”

He squeezes my hand gently before shaking his head. “Don’t say anything right now. I know you need more time. But there’s something between us. Ever since that night…” His voice trails off as my mind tumbles back in time.

To him.

“I haven’t been able to get you out of my mind.” There is an ocean of emotion swimming around his blue-gray depths. It arrows through the heart of me as he whispers, “I want to be with you.”

“Luke…” His name rolls softly off my lips but I’m not sure how to respond to the enormousness of his words or their meaning.

His other hand rises to tenderly stroke my cheek and even though it feels different than when Cole has done the same thing, it doesn’t feel bad. It actually feels nice. I squeeze my eyes closed as my mind somersaults.

“Give us a chance to be more than what we are,” he pleads.

“I still love him,” I force myself to admit, wanting him to understand what he’s up against.

His fingers continue to touch my cheek. “I wish you didn’t.”

When I finally lift my lashes, our gazes collide. “I know.”

Something indescribable sparks to life between us.

He leans forward, gradually closing the distance between. I realize that he’s giving me time to stop this from happening. Part of me wonders if this is what needs to occur.

Maybe this is what I need to get over Cole.

His lips ghost over mine. He brushes my top lip before giving the same attention my bottom one.

Gently, he kisses the corners of my mouth.

It’s only when he pulls back that I realize I’m not ready to let him go.

His gaze searches mine for a second before he closes the distance between us again.

His lips drift over mine with soft seductive strokes.

We kiss for a few more minutes before he ends it.

When I finally open my eyes, he whispers, “I want you to think about that, Cassidy.”

Every thought empties from my head, making speech impossible.

“Come on, I’ll walk you to the door.”

With that, he exits the vehicle, jogging around the front of his truck.

Once he reaches the passenger side door, he opens it and helps me out.

As we face one another on my front lawn, he pulls me close until I’m wrapped up in his arms. I rest my head against the solid wall of his chest and breathe him in.

“I’m not going to push you into anything, Cassidy.

You’re the one who needs to decide what you want.

” He pauses before adding, “You need to decide who you want.” He pulls back enough to holds my gaze in the darkness.

“I think we could be good together. Give me a chance to prove just how good we could be. If I’m the one you want to be with, then it’s up to you to make the next move. ”

My mind whirls with the implication of his words. “Okay.”

Just when I wonder if he’ll lean in for one last kiss, he turns and tows me to the front door. Once we’re standing under the bright porch light, he tugs me into his arms and holds me close.

“I’ll pick you up on Sunday around two so we can head back to school. Let Brooklyn know.”

Still unable to speak, I nod.

His gaze holds mine as he presses a kiss to my mouth. A few heartbeats later, he retreats down the stairs to the driveway. And I’m left standing on the front porch with the cold swirling around me.

As he walks backwards down the brick pathway, his gaze stays pinned to mine. “Go inside, it’s cold.”

I nod, feeling strangely scattered. Once inside, I lean heavily against the front door before releasing a breath.

I can’t remember a time when I’ve felt this conflicted.