Chapter 38
Cassie
I ’m dragging by the time I arrive back at my apartment. I’m dead-ass tired, and all I want to do is climb under the covers and pretend the rest of the day doesn’t exist. But I definitely don’t have that luxury right now, so I drop my backpack on the floor in the hallway and head for the living room to switch on my laptop.
While it’s loading, I pour myself a glass of orange juice in the kitchen and look around for my cell phone to check my messages.
There’s a knock on the door.
Oh great, what now? At this rate I’m never going to get my paper finished.
Making my way back across the living room to answer the door, I glance down at my phone as I walk.
I’ve had four missed calls from Nick, a text message from Leon asking if I can start an hour early tonight, and a selfie from Quinn. This makes me smile. He’s standing on a stage with Kael beside him, and they’re both holding their guitars up in the air while posing for the photograph.
Quinn looks so happy, and now I’m grinning like the town idiot as I head toward the door because that beautiful half-smile on his face, that intense, yet wild, look in his eyes, it means he’s doing what he loves most, and that makes me happier than anything else.
Another knock.
“Cassie, you in there?”
Opening the door, I find Nick standing on the other side. “Oh hey, stranger. I haven’t seen you in a while. What’s up?”
“Where have you been?” he says, almost sounding annoyed, but I’m not sure why. Walking past me, he moves into the living room, turning to look at me with his hands planted firmly on his hips. “I called you a bunch of times, but you didn’t pick up.”
“Come on in,” I mutter under my breath, following him into the living room. “I was out, and I left my phone at home. Is everything alright?”
“Not really, I mean…I don’t know. I just haven’t seen you around much lately. I wanted to check in with you, make sure everything is okay.”
“I’m fine, Nick.”
“Are you sure?”
What’s with all the questions? No, I’m not sure I’m alright. But I’m pretty certain I will be if everyone just leaves me alone to get on with my…
“I met someone,” he says softly .
I stare at him for entirely too long. At first I think I may have misheard him. Talk about a one-eighty. The annoyance on his face from seconds ago has morphed into a coy smile that doesn’t make any sense to me. Unless? Ha. Look at Nick using his concern for my welfare as a front. A fa?ade. Dude wasn’t worried about me at all. The stupid jerk. He was just busting to tell someone his good news.
“You met someone?” I repeat.
“Yeah.”
That’s all he says.
And then he laughs at my obviously exasperated expression. “I met a girl, I mean…a woman. I met a woman.”
“Who is she? Where’d you meet her?”
He hesitates for a beat, and it doesn’t go unnoticed. “She’s…her name is Layla, and…it doesn’t matter where I met her.”
“Okay?”
“She’s really nice, and she’s super smart and totally driven. She’s studying law at Boston University. And she’s so fucking hot I can’t even think straight when I’m…oh, shit, sorry, Cass…” He shakes his head, running his hands back through his hair. “I doubt you want to hear about any of that. I forgot who I was talking to for a second there.”
Is he serious? It’s like he doesn’t even know me at all.
“Look,” he continues before I can push for more details. “I just wanted to give you the heads up that I’ve met someone, and I really like her, and that I’ll be bringing her to dinner on Sunday night. You can still make it, right? I’d really like you to meet her.”
“I wouldn’t miss it, and wow, that’s a big deal, Nick. Meeting the parents already. I hope she knows what she’s getting herself into. I love your mom, you know that, but she’s going to be like a hungry crow on fresh roadkill. Pick, pick, pick.”
Nick laughs, shoving both hands into the back pockets of his jeans. “Yeah, that’s what I’m afraid of. I need you to play decoy if the opposition comes on too strong, deal?”
“Deal.”
“Sorry to blow up your phone earlier. I just really wanted you to hear about Layla from me and not turn up blind on Sunday night.”
As the significance of what he’s just told me sinks in, I experience a flood of emotions. I don’t know where it comes from or even why. I don’t want to burst into tears, but he’s making it really hard with how crazy happy he looks.
Throwing my arms around Nick’s shoulders, I give him a massive hug and assure him unequivocally that no matter what I’ve got his back, and that I can’t wait to meet Layla because I’m sure Layla is great.
“I better get going,” he eventually says. “The guys are rehearsing today, and I should be there by now. God only knows what kind of trouble they’ll get themselves into, especially now that Kael’s back. He did an amazing job in rehab, despite a couple of small setbacks, but Kael is still Kael and you never know what he’s going to do next.”
“I’m glad we got to talk. I’m really happy for you, Nick.”
“Thanks, kid. I’ll see you on Sunday night.”
Nick makes his way back across the living room again to the front door. I follow after him, gripping the handle between my fingertips, and as Nick turns to leave he smiles and winks at me, and then he walks out of my apartment.
Closing the door, I stand there for a few seconds just thinking about life and how cool it would be if everything was this easy. I still can’t believe Nick met someone. It’s been years since he’s shown even the slightest interest in dating. When I first started dating Jeremy, we tried to include him in everything we did, but Nick was always too busy building his career to go out with us or anyone else for that matter.
I’m so happy for him. I can’t wait to meet Layla and find out all about her. I wonder where she lives. I wonder what she looks like. I wonder what she does…
A knock on the door.
The vibration startles me. I jump and spin around.
Shit. What now?
Opening the door, I find Nick standing there again.
“Did you forget something?” I ask lightly, stepping out of the way.
I expect Nick to jog back into my apartment and grab whatever it is he left behind.
But Nick doesn’t move.
He just stands in the doorway, frozen. His eyes are no longer dancing with happiness. Now they’re blank and hard and staring straight through me.
“What’s wrong?” I ask.
He swallows hard.
But still, he says nothing.
“Nick, you’re scaring me.”
His eyes close briefly, and a weird sort of smile pulls his lips together. But there is absolutely no sign of amusement on his face. His brows crease with tight lines, and when he opens his eyes again, I don’t recognize the darkness in his features.
“That’s Quinn’s T-shirt,” he says .
His voice cracks a little at the end.
My gut sinks.
“Wh-what?” I stammer.
“That’s Quinn’s T-shirt,” he repeats himself.
I look down and then look back up again.
He knows.
He knows.
My mind scrambles to come up with a logical reply. Nick wasn’t asking a question though. He wasn’t looking for a response or an explanation. He simply stated a fact.
That’s Quinn’s T-shirt.
I can’t think straight, not knowing what he’s feeling right now, not knowing what he’s already pieced together. Whatever he says from here on out, I’ll just have to accept it no matter how bad his reaction is.
“Yes, it is,” I whisper.
He hangs his head, and I can tell by his flared nostrils and exaggerated breathing that he’s trying really hard to rein in his emotions. The bloated silence is maddening.
“Nick, I can explain. Please—”
He holds up his hand, halting me. After a few seconds he lifts his eyes to meet mine. He looks like he’s in shock. I know he’s mad, or confused maybe, but I don’t know the words to fix this, and even if I did know the right words to say right now, I don’t think he’s ready to hear them.
My fingers play nervously with the holes in the hem at the bottom of Quinn’s shirt while I wait for Nick to say something.
But he doesn’t. He just stands there staring at me.
“We wanted to tell you, Nick. I swear we did. We didn’t mean for any of this to— ”
“We?” he says, blanching. His entire body starts to tremble. “You and Quinn are…a we now?”
I reach for his hand, but he starts backing away. All I see is hurt and confusion and deception in his eyes.
And then the last thing I hear Nick grumble as he steps back and starts running down the stairs is, “I’m going to fucking kill him.”