37. Harle
HARLE
I stirred the pot of red sauce on the stove, my thoughts drifting as I watched the sauce swirl slowly around the pot. It was Friday night, and Cassidy had been staying with me for a week now. It was only seven days but somehow, it felt like a lifetime.
The thought of her packing up and heading back to her own place made my heart clench, and I frowned, trying to shake it off.
It was just an arrangement, ten days. That was what we had agreed on. But somehow, it didn’t feel like enough anymore. I stopped stirring, resting the spoon on the edge of the pot, and lay my hands flat on the counter, my head bowed. It felt like I had a huge weight on my shoulders right now, pressing down so hard I could barely breathe. What the fuck was wrong with me?
Raising my head, I glanced out the window, seeing the late afternoon light fading over the lake. The cabin felt different these days. Warmer. Fuller. There was a sense of life in it that hadn’t been there before. A reason to be here.
I sighed, reaching for the salt and sprinkling a bit into the sauce. I wasn’t used to this feeling of missing someone who was still right here. It was an ache that settled in my bones, an unsettling feeling that went beyond anything I’d expected when I first made her the offer. I thought back to the first few days she’d been here, how she’d been nervous, guarded. I’d tried to make it easy for her, cooking her favorite meals, giving her space, and being patient. I’d told myself it was just about making her comfortable, and maybe that had been true at the time. But now I realized it had become more than that. Much more than that.I wanted her to stay because it felt right having her here.
The front door creaked open, and my heart gave a little leap. I turned, a smile already tugging at my lips as I heard Cassidy’s footsteps then her voice, all soft and sweet.
“Hey! Sorry I’m a bit late. Got caught up in a meeting.”
“Hey, you’re all good. Dinner isn’t for another fifteen minutes.” I had to brace myself before I could meet her gaze.
She looked tired but happy as she walked towards me, her cheeks a little flushed, her hair a little tousled. I felt that same, deep pull in my chest. A feeling I could only just now start to name. Love. It was love, plain and simple, and it hit me like a punch to the gut.
How the hell had I let this happen? And what the fuck was I going to do about it?
As soon as she was close enough, she ran her hand lightly down my back, smiling at me,her eyes crinkling at the corners in that way I adored.
I felt my heart squeeze painfully. She’d be gone in a few days.
Fuck.I wanted more. I wanted her. All of her.
“Something smells amazing,” Cassidy peered into the pot, her arm sliding around my waist and her head resting on my shoulder. It was such a simple gesture, but somehow, painfully sweet.
“It’s not quite done yet,” I murmured, pressing a kiss into her hair.
“Yeah, you said.”She raised her head to look up at me, her gaze searching mine, and for a moment, I wondered if she could see it. If she could see everything I was feeling, everything I was too afraid to say. “You okay?”
I swallowed, forcing myself to keep it light. “Yeah, I’m fine. Just a bit tired from yard work.You hungry?”
Cassidy nodded, her eyes still on me. “Starving.”
“Okay, well, how about you go and freshen up and I’ll get done here.”
“Sounds like a plan.”
Before she could move away, I slipped my arm around her shoulders, pulling her close and giving her a fierce, hard kiss on the lips. She matched the heat, breathless when I finally let her go.
“I won’t be long.”
“Okay.”
I turned back to the stove, but my mind was still reeling, my heart still racing. I wasn’t sure what I was going to do about it. This love had crept up on me, unexpected and unplanned. But for now, all I could do was hope that somehow, some way, I could convince Cassidy to take a chance on me.