Page 37 of Don’t Leave (Stay #2)

COLE

“ S o, what’s the deal between you two?” Austin asks. “You two aren’t together, are you?”

The suspicion in his voice is clear.

My gaze flickers to his. “No, we’re just friends.” Sort of. I guess. Maybe. It’s all a bit tentative right now. And weird. But it’s much better than hating her guts.

His brow furrows as we walk to class.

I’m aware of how Austin feels about Jackie.

And none of it is good.

He might not know her personally, but he was there when shit hit the fan last fall.

He’s the one who encouraged me to get back out there again.

Up until that point, I’d never been with anyone else but her.

For a couple of months, I made up for lost time in that department before deciding that random hookups weren’t for me.

He gives me a bit of side-eye me. “You sure about that?”

“Yup.” I have zero desire to travel down that road again.

When I say nothing more on the topic, his muscles gradually loosen. “Glad to hear it.”

To fight off the wicked cold blasting through campus, we both have our hockey jackets buttoned up to the collar.

“I ran into Cassidy this weekend,” he says casually.

Even though I’m the one who walked away, Austin understands that I’m still hung up on her just like I know he’s still chasing after Brooklyn.

“Where?” The word slips out before I can stop it. Or, at the very least, before I can temper my voice so I don’t sound so desperate.

My mind spins, trying to come up with an answer. I know Cassidy went home for the first time in almost a year, which means he didn’t run into her somewhere around here. The other detail I’m aware of is that Brooklyn lives next door to her.

You add those two things up and you get?—

“I picked Brooklyn up from a party on Friday night and we hung out for a while.”

Yeah. Right.

“I think what you’re trying to say is that you drove two and a half hours to get laid.” This doesn’t surprise me at all. I think Austin would drive five hours one way to be with that girl. He’s got it bad.

“I’ll have you know that it was way more than a hookup. I spent the night on her couch and met the fam in the morning. Ate a tasty stack of pancakes with Janie and Richard.” A shiteating grin slides across his face. “They love me, by the way.”

A chuckle escapes from me. “I guess that’s progress. Good job.”

“Exactly,” he agrees, “Slow but surely. That’s what I’m all about.”

I’m still waiting to hear where this Cassidy-sighting occurred. “I’m guessing you saw Cassidy at this party.”

His smile dims. “Yeah, she was there all right.”

My gut clenches as I wait for the next bomb he’s about to drop. From the pinched expression on his face, I can feel it coming.

“With Wellington.” He shakes his head in disgust. “That guy is such a tool.”

Even though I shouldn’t be surprised by this information, I am. After all, I practically gave her my blessing before shoving her in his direction. If there’s a tool around here, it’s probably me.

“Oh, yeah?” It takes effort to keep my voice level.

“Yeah. I offered to take her home, but Wellington was quick to shoot that down idea. I guess he picked them up earlier. The party was at one of his high school buddy’s house or something like that.” Austin pauses before adding, “I wanted to give you a heads up.”

At least I can count on Austin to have my back.

Luke Wellington…not so much.

My gaze slides to his before I lift my chin. “I appreciate it.”

“Later, dude.” He jerks his head to the left where the science building is located. “I’ll catch you at practice.”

“Yup.”

Even though I miss Cassidy like crazy, I feel like the lessons I learned from my relationship with Jackie have been pounded into my brain.

The last thing I’m looking to do is get my heart stomped on for a second time.

Maybe the connection I have with Cassidy isn’t not enough.

Maybe what she feels for Luke is deeper.

If she spent her break with him, then he must be the guy she wants to be with. As painful as that realization is, it’s better to figure it out now rather than later when I’m in even deeper.

With my head so full of the dark-haired girl, I’m startled when she materializes before my eyes.

As our gazes collide, I lift my hand in tentative greeting.

The edges of her lips lift as she stops and waits for me to catch up with her.

Even though I want to play it cool, it feels like I’m starving for the sight of this girl.

When she unleashes a smile, my heart beats into overdrive, and I realize that I’m in so deep that I’m practically drowning.

“Hi,” she says.

I might be mentally beating myself up for letting her go, but I flash her a smile in return because it feels so damn good to see her. I have to resist the urge to yank her into my arms and kiss her.

I’ve missed her so damn much.

I’ve missed the way her soft body feels stretched out beneath mine.

I miss being inside her tight heat.

And I miss the breathy little sounds she makes when she comes.

Those memories are enough to have me stiffening right up.

I clear my throat and attempt to refocus my thoughts. “Hey, it’s good to see you. How was your break?”

We fall into line and continue walking to class.

She glances at me from beneath the dark fringe of her lashes.

Cassidy has the most beautiful blue eyes I’ve ever seen.

“It was pretty great. I really enjoyed being home again and spending time with my family. It made me realize how much I missed being part of their lives.” A chuckle escapes from her. “You wouldn’t believe how grown up my two younger sisters are.”

“I’m glad it went well.” Before I can stop myself, the words are shooting out of my mouth. “I thought about you a lot over break.”

Damn. Could I sound more desperate?

My mind spins as I quickly backtrack. “You know, wondering how it was going with your family and hoping you were doing okay. Things like that.”

Whether Cassidy realizes it or not, I spent a lot of time thinking about her. Especially after my conversation with Jackie. That’s when I realized I couldn’t let her go without a fight.

Although, after what Austin divulged, maybe it’s too late and I’ve already lost her.

The corners of her mouth spring upward. “I owe you a huge thank you.”

I shake my head. “You don’t owe me anything.” The last thing I want is her gratitude. Sometimes I have to wonder if that’s what binds her to Luke.

What I want is her heart, not her gratefulness.

When she reaches out and takes hold of my fingers, my wide gaze darts to hers.

She looks equally startled by her own actions, but our hands remain clasped. The need to yank her into my arms surges through me for a second time.

“If you hadn’t reached out to my father, we probably wouldn’t be talking. And I wouldn’t have spent my vacation with them. What you did means a lot to me, and I wanted you to know that.”

Even though we’re still walking, our gazes stay locked and something electrical sizzles between us.

“You’re welcome.” Again, I want to kick my own ass for encouraging her to explore her feelings for Luke.

As we reach the social sciences building where our nine o’clock class is held, she pulls me to the side, out of the way of student traffic. There are a few grumbles as we cut across the sidewalk to the lawn.

Her gaze darts away before she straightens her shoulders and forces it back to me. “I was wondering if we could get together sometime this week.” She bites down on her lower lip.

She has no idea just how much it makes me want to nip at her mouth.

“What did you have in mind?”

“Maybe we could skate like we used to?” When her expression turns hopeful, something leaps to life inside me.

“Sure.” My mind quickly sifts through everything I have going on for the week. “Does Wednesday work?”

The corners of her lips lift as tension leaks from her. “That sounds good.”

“I’ll pick you up at five.”

She’s practically beaming. “Okay.” She glances at Dorin Hall. “I guess we better get moving before class starts.”

If given the choice, I’d blow off our lecture so we can continue talking.

With a nod in agreement, we jog up the stairs. As I reach the glass door, I pull it open for her. We hustle down the corridor and enter the lecture hall just as the professor walks to the podium. Even though I’m tempted to follow her, I decide it’s probably best to park myself beside Sammy.

“I’ll see you Wednesday morning,” Cassidy says as I move into the row next to my cousin.

“Yup.” Sammy gives me a speculative look as I slide into my seat. Even though she doesn’t say a word, I see the questions brimming in her curious eyes.

I give my head a little shake as I pull my laptop out of my backpack. “We’re just skating together.”

She snorts. “Whatever you say, loser.”

I narrow my eyes.

“Tell me that you don’t want her.”

I huff out a breath.

There doesn’t seem to be any point in denying it. “I can’t do that.”

For a long moment she remains silent. Just when I think she’s dropped the subject, she says, “Good. I like you two together.”

A small smile tugs at the corners of my mouth because that makes two of us.