CHAPTER FIFTEEN #2
‘I want to learn what it means to you too. I really want you to enjoy this. And me. Hanging out with me, I mean.’
I relaxed, but only a little. I wanted the same. And I was here now. ‘So far, so good.’
Upstairs, we split off toward opposite locker rooms. Mariah arrived with a halter combo as promised – deep chocolate brown with subtle bronze embellishments. ‘When you step out into the sun, he’ll think you’re glowing,’ she said.
‘He definitely will.’ My voice fell flat.
I changed, covering myself with a robe and cap.
I refreshed my new flare contacts with a few UV-protectant drops, prolonging the inevitable.
A glass door led to the rooftop terrace.
Lemon balm and hyssop surrounded the sparkling pool, a waterfall edge spilling from the hot tub area.
It felt majestic. Cas didn’t hesitate, diving straight into the deep end.
His white swim trunks sat low on his hips, his muscles flexed with every stroke.
I hesitated. I could do this. I could tell him I was a Pain Carrier. The way he looked at me, I felt safe – like I could tell him anything and he’d never judge me.
I pushed open the rooftop door just as Cas popped up in the middle of the pool, shaking water from his hair. I sat on the lounge chair closest to him as he waded over. ‘You’re really going to make me enjoy this view by myself, aren’t you?’
I glanced past him, beyond the thick plexiglass railing surrounding the roof. The Heraldess Mountains were gorgeous. So many hues of green before fading to a sandy brown and icy white at the snow-covered peaks. ‘I would love to paint this,’ I said.
‘And I’d love to see it. Speaking of your art, you owe me a tour of your mural.’
‘Next date.’
‘Nice to know there will be a second.’ He leaned against the edge of the pool, resting his head on his folded arms. ‘I’d rather admire the view this way.’
I wanted this to work. I wanted a second date, and a third. I wanted this escape. We stared at each other, bashful smiles on our faces. A small stab of pain at my shoulders made me look away.
‘You know I’ll splash you if you make me doggy-paddle by myself,’ he warned.
‘You wouldn’t.’
‘Gemma’s junior prom. She and her friends decided to take pictures by our pool …’
I covered my mouth, grinning underneath. ‘You didn’t. Cas.’
‘I was an innocent kid, and it was the perfect day to practice cannonballs.’
I laughed. ‘RIP her prom dress.’
Another surge of pain pressed at my thigh, and I closed my eyes, letting the sun warm my cheeks. At least the hellflare didn’t hurt much – the nervxs was doing its thing.
I stood, and Cas smiled as I slipped off my robe and cap. Without a second thought, I dove in. The water was the perfect temperature. I glided through it with ease, then stood at the shallow end as Cas followed.
Raising my arms, I twirled, just as he had not too long ago. ‘Notice anything?’ I mirrored him and giggled. Helical blue reflected off the pool’s surface, glittering against my complexion. Mariah was right – I glowed in this swimsuit.
‘You have helical disease?’ His brows furrowed, then his expression turned to wonder. ‘It doesn’t hurt?’
‘I’m a Pain Carrier. My doctor said I had the highest tolerance level she’d seen in a while.’ It wasn’t a lie. ‘I barely feel a thing.’ That was the lie.
The blue light from my body danced in his eyes. ‘You’re beautiful. You know that, right? Inside and out.’ He took my hand and spun me. ‘Who knew helical disease could look so good?’
I drifted closer, our fingers still intertwined.
There was no judgment in his stare – only awe.
He wasn’t looking down at me, but up. It calmed me.
He didn’t see a stigma or a stereotype or anything of the things I worried about.
He just saw me. And from the way his eyes lingered on my lips, I knew he wanted to kiss me.
‘I’m happy that you think that. The part about me looking good,’ I said softly. ‘My melanin doesn’t glow for just anyone. You’re getting to see it with extra sparkle.’
He chuckled, curls falling into his eyes, and I pushed them back, running my fingers through his hair. His eyelids fluttered.
‘Did I just give you chills?’
‘You do a lot of things to me. I’m just waiting for you to notice.’
‘Mhmm.’ I closed the distance between us.
He did a lot of things to me too. I’d never felt so vulnerable and so safe at the same time.
He knew almost everything I hid from most people: my financial struggles, my family, my disease.
And he still looked at me like that, stars in his eyes.
He was worth taking the chance. He could be different from my expectations of a boy from Crestview.
He was different.
‘Yes,’ I said.
‘What are you saying yes to?’
‘I think you know.’
We both smiled as we kissed, slow at first, then he deepened it. This would lead to something amazing or heartbreaking. I wasn’t ready for either, but I was here for both now.
Over the next hour, we kissed more than we swam.
Between kissing, splashing and dunking him under the water, I somehow let myself go.
During our mani-pedi, he told me about his surf incident.
It became more of an anecdote about how distracted Jaiden had been by a few girls, and Pua having to drag him away so they could save Cas.
Now, he was back on track with his training for the AB Cup in a few weeks – September twenty-seventh, the eve of the solar flare anniversary.
His eyes brightened as he talked about it.
I couldn’t ignore how being a Pain Giver had made it possible for his dreams to stay on track.
Unfortunately, the hour in the pool replaced the body butter class, but Cas insisted I get as many jars as I wanted from the spa’s gift shop.
It took a lot of convincing to let him buy me anything.
One slow kiss later, paired with a promise that our next date would be a low-key sunrise on the beach (the tour of my mural would be the third date), he had me.
I hovered between two scents – brown sugar and honey, and lemon and mint.
Cas placed them both on the cashier’s counter.
‘I only want one,’ I insisted, uneasy about the price – eighty dollars apiece.
‘I know. One is for me.’
I narrowed my eyes. ‘Which one?’
He tapped the brown sugar and honey. ‘It reminds me of your lip gloss.’
I smirked, taking the little burlap tote from the cashier. ‘Nice choice, Castor Cas.’
Outside, he pulled me to him. ‘No glassrail.’ We waited for the valet, Cas’s hand warm in mine, just as my helical disease flared.
I squeezed his grip. The pain was stronger than before, the nervxs not pulling its weight as much.
He pressed a kiss to my forehead, and I breathed him in.
I had just gone on a date with Castor Fox, and loved every minute.
Without warning, someone on a motorbike pulled up and flashed the brightest light. It went off repeatedly before the rider sped off and Cas’s ride took its place in the driveway.