Session 33

Chapter sixty six

When I woke up, Cassius was still lying next to me. His chest was rising and falling. He didn’t know how much comfort I would take from having him there, and I damn sure wasn’t about to tell him. He would use it against me. My eyes drifted to the window. The sun wasn’t even out yet. I could hear raindrops. I sighed. When I looked back down at Cassius, I noticed his eyes were on me . Watching. The softness that used to be there was muted.

“Why are you mad at me, Cassius?” I asked, sitting up slowly, feeling the shift in the air between us.

He blinked, like I’d caught him off guard, like he hadn’t expected me to notice. Then he turned his head, looking away for a second, the muscles in his jaw working as he tried to figure out how much to say. “I’m not mad,” he muttered.

I tilted my head, giving him a look. “You’re lying. You’ve been mad since that night. So don’t sit here and try to gaslight me like I don’t know you.”

He exhaled hard, running a hand over his face, dragging it down slowly. “It’s just...” His voice trailed off. He let out another breath. “I’m mad because you stayed with him for so fucking long,” he finally said, his voice tight and raw. “I get why you left after what he did, but why’d you let it get that far?”

I blinked, stunned. “Cassius—”

“No,” he cut me off, shaking his head like he needed to get the words out before they choked him. “That night at the party when he made you leave early, I saw it. I saw it in your eyes. You knew what type of person he was. And I thought, ‘Not my Angel. She’s too smart, too strong to put up with that shit.’ But then you did. And it pissed me off, because I thought you knew better.”

I didn’t even know how to respond. I stared at him for a beat before my mouth would work. “I thought I could handle it,” I whispered, my voice shaking just a little. “I thought if I just... handled it, I wouldn’t have to ask anyone for help. I didn’t want you to see me weak.”

He flinched, like my words had slapped him. “See, that’s stu—” He stopped himself, clenching his fists before letting out a frustrated groan. “Fuck, Angel. If you’d just told me, told somebody—” He stopped again, closing his eyes like he was trying to reel himself back in. “I know I fucked up. I know I put you in a position where you didn’t feel like you could come to me. But Naomi? Silas? Hell, even Jonas? Somebody, Angel. Anybody.”

I bit my lip, my chest tightening. “It wasn’t your responsibility, Cassius. Or theirs. This was my mistake to learn from.”

He narrowed his eyes at me. “Yeah, well, it was a dumb-ass mistake,” he muttered, his voice low.

I knew he didn’t mean it the way it sounded, but it still stung. I turned my head away, looking out the window as the wind howled outside, rattling the glass. The rain felt like it was feeding off the tension in the room. It beat hard against the windows.

After a moment, I sighed. “If you want me to leave, just say it,” I said quietly, testing him.

His head snapped toward me, his glare sharp enough to cut. “Stop saying stupid shit,” he barked.

I almost smiled at that. Almost.

He leaned back against the headboard, letting out a long breath. “I don’t like what happened and I’m resentful,” he said, his voice softer now. “But I gotta let this shit go. I ain’t talking about it again. I hope you stick with counseling, ‘cause I’m sticking with mine. It’s good for you. For both of us.”

I nodded, because he was right. Counseling was helping.

He gave me a small, real smile—not one of his cocky, Cassius grins. Something genuine. “We’re good now?” He asked.

I smiled back, my shoulders relaxing for the first time in days. “Yeah. We’re good.”

His grin widened, and I knew the teasing was coming before he even opened his mouth. “Now, since we’re good, how about you cook me some breakfast? I’m thinking shrimp and grits. I got some smoked sausage from the meat store, too. Oh, and for dinner? Crab boil.”

I rolled my eyes, shaking my head. “You’re out of your mind if you think I’m cooking for you all the time.”

“Maybe not all the time,” he said, his grin turning into that familiar smirk. “But I let you move in, and I ain’t getting no pussy. Least you can do is feed me.”

I threw a pillow at his head, laughing despite myself. “Shut up. I can’t stand you,” I said, but I got out of bed anyway and headed for the bathroom, then the kitchen.