Chapter 3 Marcus
As if the club wasn’t hectic enough, we decide to explore the Strip once we finish our drinks.
It’s only ten o’clock, and I want to spend as much time with Cassidy as possible before we turn in for the night.
I don’t know if I’ll get the opportunity to hang out with the first and only girl I’ve fallen in love with like this again.
“This is amazing,” Cassidy says, all the shining lights and signs glistening in her eyes as she looks around at the different restaurants, bars, and attractions.
I can’t help but watch her, my heartbeat getting faster and faster every time she smiles. Sheesh. I thought I’d shake the feelings I had for her as a teenager by now, but everything came flooding back the moment I saw her.
Sure, we’ve grown up a lot, but I can tell there are still things about her that haven’t changed. Things that made me fall for her in the first place.
Her humor. Her smile. The way she laughs with her whole body.
I could go on all night, but there’s so much that I want to do with her before we have to go back to acting casual with her. At the end of the day, she’s Ryan’s little sister, and he made it clear to us that she’s off limits.
Even if he gave his blessing, I think she could do better than me. And certainly better than Derek.
“Hungry?” Jackson asks her.
Cassidy smiles. “Starving.”
Now that we’re all a few drinks in, none of us are particularly picky about what we want to eat. We choose a casual burger joint that has a diner vibe, the four of us piling into a booth with blue leather seats and immediately ordering.
“How’d you get into tattooing?” Cassidy asks as she sits across from me, plucking a French fry off her plate. “I remember you drawing a lot in high school.”
“I knew I wanted to do something involving art,” I explain, setting my half-eaten burger down to grab a napkin.
“I got my first tattoo on the night of my eighteenth birthday on a whim, and I remember being in awe of all the artwork in the artists’ portfolios.
They all had their own styles, and you could see their personalities in their work. ”
Cassidy’s expression brightens in interest.
“So, I started making my own portfolio. Some of my friends let me practice on them, and now I’m booked all the time,” I tell her, giving her the short version.
It took me years to get as good as I am now, and I had moments of struggle. Times when I didn’t feel good enough. Mistakes that I made. Uncertainties that plagued my mind.
“He’s really talented,” Jackson adds from beside me before holding up his left arm, showing off the flames that surround a fire axe. “He did this piece for me.”
Cassidy reaches out to take Jackson’s hand, extending his arm across the table so that she can admire my work. “This is amazing. The level of detail is incredible.”
A flicker of pride fills my chest as she traces the flames with her fingertips. “Thank you. Do you have any tattoos?”
Cassidy releases Jackson and shakes her head with a sheepish smile. “I want one, but I’ve been too nervous to even step foot in a tattoo shop.”
“Need someone to hold your hand?” Tyler asks her with a playful twinkle in his eyes.
Cassidy rolls her eyes at him. “No…”
“Says the one who almost fainted when he got a flu shot,” Jackson scoffs.
Tyler’s face reddens a bit. “I already wasn’t feeling well that day. I told you that.”
“That was the same excuse he used when he almost threw up on Katie Palmer’s shoes while trying to ask her out in the seventh grade,” I add, my voice shaking in amusement.
Tyler waves his hands, trying to get us to shut up. “Okay, okay! We were talking about tattoos. Not my top ten embarrassing moments.”
Cassidy rubs his arm. “It’s okay. No judgment here.”
When she cracks a smile, Jackson and I laugh, making Tyler huff in annoyance. If there’s a chance to mess with each other, we’re going to take it.
“Anyway, if you find the courage, I’ll do your first tattoo for free,” I offer Cassidy before showing off my sleeves. “I promise I’ll do a good job.”
Cassidy takes my right hand and turns my arm a little. “You’re seriously good, Marcus. Is that a swan?”
I glance at the swan that’s on the side of my upper arm. “I like swans. They symbolize love.”
Her face softens. “Really?”
I nod, my skin warming from her gentle touch. “They mate for life. I think that’s beautiful.”
“That is beautiful,” Cassidy agrees, lightly tracing the wings with her fingertips. Her expression turns bittersweet, and I can’t help but wonder if she’s thinking about Derek right now.
Does part of her still love him even after he hurt her?
Unease twists in my stomach as I gaze at her, wondering if she has ever thought about me as anything more than her brother’s friend. It’s a luxury that I don’t deserve and shouldn’t selfishly want, but it’s Cassidy. No other woman has made me feel this way.
I’ve loved her since I was sixteen. I’m twenty-eight now.
That’s more than a decade of loving someone who I can’t have.
Who I won’t let myself have.
She doesn’t deserve damaged goods.
“Ryan seems really happy with Sarah,” Jackson comments once she releases me and we all go back to eating.
“They’re perfect together,” Cassidy says. “They deserve the best wedding ever.”
“It must be stressful handling all the maid of honor duties,” I reply, passing her a sympathetic look.
Cassidy lets out a slow exhale as she leans back against the seat. She adjusts one of her thin straps, drawing my eyes down to the smooth skin her dress exposes. “It is, but I love them both. I’m more than happy to do this for them.”
“You did throw the best parties back in the day,” Tyler says with a cheeky grin. “I will never forget the graduation party you threw for us and Ryan.”
Cassidy laughs and shrugs. “I used my connections as a lifeguard to reserve that pool for three hours of chaos, and it all paid off.”
Nothing like a pool party with a bunch of recent graduates full of hope for the future. We partied like there was no tomorrow, and it was all thanks to Cassidy pulling strings and planning the whole thing for us and our other friends.
I remember almost kissing her that night when we were swimming next to each other. She looked so beautiful with her hair wet and slicked back. The white bikini that she had on nearly made me run into the lifeguard stand when I first saw her.
But I stopped myself at the last second.
Part of me regrets that, but it was for the best.
“The wedding invitations you designed look sick too,” Tyler adds. “You’ve got some artistic talent too.”
She presses her teeth into her bottom lip in a shy smile. “Not like Marcus.”
“Don’t downplay your talents,” I tell her. “Sarah and Ryan are lucky to have you helping out with the wedding.”
Jackson nods in agreement. “You should be cherished for everything you do. Derek dropped the ball on that.”
I can tell that Jackson is pissed off with Derek. I can’t say I blame him, but he doesn’t need to start any fights during the wedding.
“Now, his birthday parties are going to suck without me planning them,” Cassidy replies before tossing a small fry into her mouth.
Tyler laughs. “Exactly. I hope a creepy clown shows up at his next one.”
Laughter surrounds the table, heads shaking in amusement.
“You guys are seriously the best,” Cassidy says, her eyes sweeping around the table before landing on me. Her gaze lingers, her cheeks slightly pinkening when I smile at her.
Derek seriously messed up when he let her slip through his fingers.
“Are you tired or can you keep going?” Jackson asks her as he tosses his napkin onto his nearly empty plate.
Cassidy glances between the three of us. “I’m good to keep going if you guys are. Do you have something in mind?”
Jackson pulls some bills out of his wallet and puts them on the table before getting out of the booth. “I heard of a pretty cool place.”
“Follow the leader,” Tyler quips, making Jackson roll his eyes.
I chuckle and follow them out of the booth. If anyone is going to take the lead, it’s the guy who runs into burning buildings.
We all walk back out to the Strip, hundreds of people roaming up and down the sidewalks in search of a late night adventure just like us. Something tells me that this is going to be a very late night for us.
Not that I mind.
There’s an endless number of possibilities in store for us tonight, and I’m looking forward to seeing which ones turn from fantasy to reality.
We just need to stay out of trouble as much as we can.