Page 36 of Stay (Stay #1)

CASSIDY

“ H ey, Cassidy, wait up.”

Not recognizing the voice, I turn at the sound of my name. My muscles freeze as I catch sight of Luke trotting toward me. Unable to move, I hitch the brown leather bag higher onto my shoulder as if clutching it for dear life.

When he reaches my side, he flashes a bright smile as if we’re lifelong friends.

“Hey.” Even though it’s difficult, I force my stiff lips into something that hopefully resembles a smile as my heart jackhammers a painful staccato beneath my breast.

“I’ve been looking all over for you.”

Why?

My mouth turns cottony, making it impossible to swallow. What could we possibly have to say to one another?

Nothing good. Certainly nothing I want to discuss. Especially with him.

“Are you headed this way.” He nods in the direction I’ve been walking.

It’s tempting to shake my head and take off down another path. I don’t want to spend another moment in his company. Already my chest is tightening.

I open my mouth to lie and hear myself blurt instead, “Yeah.”

He gives me another smile as if totally oblivious to the tension that permeates the atmosphere. “I have Poli-sci in ten minutes.”

“Econ,” I respond grudgingly as my mind races, trying to figure a way out of this mess.

When my brain remains frustratingly blank, I hasten my steps, hoping that if I walk fast enough, there won’t be enough time for us to talk.

“How long have you been seeing Cole?”

The unexpected question makes me stumble. He reaches out, his fingers wrapping around my elbow to steady me. A shiver of awareness slides through me at the unexpected contact.

“I’m all right,” I mumble, feeling like an idiot.

It takes a few moments for his hand to fall away. I give him a bit of side-eye as I quicken my pace. At this point, I’m practically jogging across campus. It won’t be long before I break into a run.

I’m reluctant to give him any information about myself. “For about a month or so.” Even though the weather is chilly, sweat pops out across my brow.

A thoughtful expression crosses his face as he nods. His gaze returns to mine and like before, I feel it sharpen as if he’s searching for something. Air gets lodged in my throat as I wait for an indication as to which direction this conversation will veer.

But he remains silent.

Tension continues to ratchet up inside me as we walk side by side.

A scream builds within. Any moment it’s going to burst free.

Just when I’m about to lose it, Luke reaches out and grabs my hand, pulling me off the concrete pathway onto the grassy stretch of lawn so we’re no longer caught up in the swiftly moving foot traffic.

My wide gaze lands on his as everything inside me freezes.

“My class is in Danners,” he says in explanation before nodding to the left. “I need to head this way. ”

Instead of releasing me, his grip tightens. My skin prickles with unease at the intent way he continues to stare.

“All right,” I say lightly, carefully trying to tug my hand free. He closes the distance between us until there’s no more than a few inches that separate us. My breath hitches at his proximity as I lift my chin to hold his gaze. The way he invades my personal space sets my nerves even more on edge.

With his attention locked on me, he cocks his head. “I realize you’re seeing Cole, but can we grab coffee later?”

I blink before slowly shaking my head.

No.

Absolutely not.

I can’t imagine sitting down with him. What the hell would we talk about?

That thought has my belly hollowing out because I know exactly what he wants to discuss.

“No, I don’t think that’s a good idea.”

“Just as friends,” he adds as if that will change my mind.

Again, I shake my head. The urge to flee pounds through me.

As I hold his gaze, memories from last year flood back to me. I remember seeing him around campus before that night. He was on the men’s hockey team and had caught my attention. With his short blond hair and blue-gray hazel eyes, there’d been plenty of girls vying for his attention.

Knowing that we both attended Dartmouth last year, and that he had a front row seat to what happened makes me sick to my stomach. Instead of feeling attracted to him, I’m repelled. I want to get away from him as quickly as possible.

“Just think about it, okay?” His voice dips. “I’d like to get together so we can talk.”

He leans over and brushes a soft kiss across my cheek. Even when his lips leave my skin, he doesn’t retreat. His muscular body invades my space as his gaze searches mine for a long, breathless moment.

Just when I’m afraid he’ll push the issue, he squeezes my fingers before saying goodbye, disappearing through the crowd. I’m left standing on the grass next to the walkway as people rush past. It takes a couple of heartbeats before I’m able to gather my scattered thoughts and hurry to class.

The rest of the day passes by in a blur. Later that afternoon, I meet up with Brooklyn for dinner at the Union.

We both order taco salads before sliding into an empty booth buried deep in a corner. I haven’t seen her since last night, and I’m sure she’ll be brimming with questions.

I’m not wrong.

“How did it go? You told him, right?”

Indie rock plays in the background as other students grab something to eat.

I shake my head before shoving a forkful of lettuce and taco seasoned ground turkey into my mouth. Just like last night at the restaurant, my appetite pulls another vanishing act, leaving only queasiness in its place. At the rate I’m going, I’ll lose all the weight I’ve gained from not working out.

I wince when Brooklyn purses her lips. I know what’s going to fly out of her mouth before the words leave her lips.

“Cassidy, you have to tell him before Luke does!”

“I know.” With an unhappy huff of breath, I stare at my bowl of leafy greens.

I can’t help but wonder how Cole and I veered so offtrack last night. All right, I know exactly what happened.

And you know what?

I can’t bring myself to regret it. I never dreamed I could feel so close to another human being.

No longer interested in eating the salad, I drag my fork through it. “I’ll talk to him tonight. I promise.”

Brooklyn levels me with a hard stare. “I know it’s hard, but you have to do it.

It’ll be so much better coming from you.

If Luke says something first, it’ll seem like you were keeping the relationship from him.

” She pauses, brows pinching together as her voice drops.

“It might even look like you and Luke had something going on. ”

My eyes bulge as my mouth tumbles open. “Why would you say that?”

She jerks her shoulders. “I don’t know. You both attended the same college last year.

He was there the night everything went down.

And you were dancing together at that party when someone snapped a picture.

At the restaurant, he tried to get you to admit that you knew him.

” A thoughtful expression flickers across her face.

“It’s almost like he wants Cole to find out you two know each other. ”

Everything she just said circles through my head as a fresh wave of nerves ripple across my flesh.

Is Brooklyn right?

Will it now seem like I’m trying to hide our nonexistent relationship from Cole?

My teeth sink into my lower lip as I lean closer to the table. “Want to hear something weird?”

One of her perfectly manicured brows slinks upward. “If it has anything to do with Luke, I don’t think so. The situation is already bad enough.” When I remain silent, she gestures with her hand to continue. “All right, lay it on me.”

“Luke caught up with me when I was walking to Econ earlier this afternoon.” I’m still unsure what to think about the encounter. It had been so uncomfortable and stilted.

Her brows nearly hit the ceiling as she shoves a forkful of salad into her mouth. Her expression turns contemplative. “You want my honest opinion?” Before I can say anything, she blurts, “I think he has a thing for you.”

Not that I want to feed into her speculations, but I need to tell her everything. “He asked me to grab coffee with him so we could talk.”

She holds her fork midair as a knowing glint fills her eyes. “I knew it. He’s definitely got a thing for you. My guess is that he’s trying to cause trouble between you and Cole.”

I shake my head, hoping she’s wrong. “I don’t think that’s the case.”

“All right, let’s say you’re right and I’m totally off base. The only way you’ll get it figured out is if you sit down and talk to him. ”

The look Brooklyn spears me with says that she doesn’t think she’s wrong.

What I hate most is that she could be right.

“I’m not interested in anything he has to say.

I came to Western for a fresh start, and now it feels like everything from last year will be dredged up again.

” The thought of that happening makes me want to cry.

It must show on my face because Brooklyn reaches across the table and lays her hand over mine before giving it a squeeze.

“I know. I swear we’ll get through this together.” There’s a pause before she adds, “You have to tell Cole what happened. Once you do that, it’ll make dealing with Luke easier.”

She’s right.

“Thanks, Brook. It helps talking with you about this.” I give her a half-hearted smile as everything swims around in my head. Not wanting to dwell on the situation any longer, I ask, “Anything new on the Austin front?”

“He,” she sets her fork down before making exaggerated air quotes with her fingers “claims that Mandi was hanging all over him and wanted to whisper something in his ear, but kissed him instead.” Her lips flatten before she tacks, “Which is when I oh-so-conveniently walked in.”

“Do you believe him?”

“I don’t know. He keeps swearing that he’s not interested in Mandi and had no intention of kissing her.” She huffs out a breath. “The last thing I want is to spend time worrying that he’s screwing around behind my back.”

I can understand where she’s coming from. No one wants to feel like a paranoid, jealous bitch. Nothing ruins a relationship faster than distrust.

“I still have a hard time believing he would throw your relationship away by messing around with another girl. Especially out in the open, where it could easily get back to you.”

Her expression turns thoughtful. “I guess that’s true.”

“Are you thinking about giving him another chance?”

I like Austin, and them together .

“I haven’t made any decisions.” She shrugs. “I told him that I needed time to think about it.”

“You should take as much time as you need to sort out your feelings.”

A smile trembles around her lips. “I’m just not sure how much longer I can hold out. Sex with Austin is seriously hot.” Her eyes take on a mischievous glint as she warms to the subject. “Have I mentioned the amazing things he can do with his tongue?”

I lift a hand to stop her. “Unfortunately, you have. And I don’t need to hear about it again, thank you very much. Once was more than enough.”

A chuckle escapes from her. “Oh, come on, Cass. You can give me all the sexy details on Cole, and I’ll dish about Austin. We can compare notes.” She waggles her brows. “Maybe exchange some ideas.”

Eyes widening, I sputter, “No way!” Then I add, “Absolutely not!”

When she dissolves into a fit of giggles, I consider the possibility that she’s messing with me. Although, knowing Brooklyn…probably not. She’s already given me the lowdown on several guys she’s been with this semester. I have to avert my gaze every time I run into one of them around campus.

Just as my shoulders shake with laughter, a muscular body slides onto the bench next to me.

Surprised, I find myself staring into Cole’s golden-hued eyes.

Not a heartbeat later, he leans over and smacks a kiss against my lips.

Even though it’s nothing more than a peck, it’s enough to get my blood pumping.

“Hey.” He pulls away enough to flash a smile at me.

“You’d disappeared before I got back this morning,” he murmurs.

The heated look filling his eyes tells me exactly what would have happened had I stuck around.

“Yeah, I had to take off and study for a test.”

He reaches out and grabs my bottle of water before taking a long drink. My gaze drops to the column of his throat, watching as the muscles constrict with every swallow.

How can that be so sexy ?

“How’d that go?”

My attention snaps back to his face.

His lips lift into another smile as his fingers gravitate to mine, tracing delicate patterns across my skin. A thin shiver works its way through me as he continues to play with my hand.

I clear my throat and focus on the question. “Good.” His nearness has my nervousness draining away. It’s just so easy to be with him. “It went really well.”

He closes the distance between us before kissing me again and whispering against my lips, “Are you going to stay over tonight?”

Desire flashes in his eyes as an answering heat flares to life in my core. For someone who wanted nothing to do with sex a few short months ago, he’s flicked a switch inside me. I want him all the time and I love that he’s so openly affectionate. I never thought I’d be someone who enjoyed PDA.

Turns out that I do.

My gaze flicks to Brooklyn as Austin slides in next to her. Even though his lips curve into a hopeful smile, her scowl is enough to knock the expression off his face.

I have to nip my lower lip with my teeth to keep from laughing. I get the feeling this is her way of torturing him.

“Um, I’m not sure,” I murmur in return.

Not caring about the audience we have, Cole presses his lips against mine. “Last night wasn’t enough to persuade you to sleep in my bed from now on?”

It was more than enough to convince me that I never want to sleep anywhere else.

Ever.

When I remain silent, he says, “Cassidy?”

“Yes.”

When I finally rip my gaze from his, I find Brooklyn using her fork to shred the last of her salad, and Austin is staring at her with a pensive expression.

“How about I pick you up after practice?” His fingers continue to toy with mine .

I nod, knowing that I can’t allow him to distract me as easily as he did last night. No matter what, I have to get everything out in the open so we can move forward.

“All right, I’ll see you then.” He glances at his teammate before giving me a wink. “You ready to go?”

Austin gives Brooklyn puppy dog eyes as if that will thaw her iciness toward him.

It doesn’t.

“Yeah.” He sighs in frustration. “Let’s get out of here.”