Chapter 33
Luke
The sliding door to the van is open when I approach it. Cassie’s sitting on the bed and scrolling through her phone, and she smiles when she looks up at me.
“Well, good morning, Mr. Romance!”
“Cassie!” I whisper loudly, looking back at the tiny house, worried Harper might have heard. I don’t know how soundproof the walls are, but at least the blinds on the front window are still down.
“Sorry, I’m just nosy. I have to leave, but I wanted to know how it went last night. It looked like you two had a cozy setup on the beach!” Cassie is oddly enthusiastic, considering that a day or two ago she wanted to date me and was angry that Harper was in the picture.
“Were you spying on us?” I cross my arms over my chest. I knew Cassie was up on the hill overlooking us, but I figured we were too far away to see.
She shrugs. “Not creepy spying. I could see a blanket when you guys were using your flashlights. I assumed you were taking my advice and making a move.”
I blink, a little stunned we’re having this conversation. How did she go from being so jealous to wanting me and Harper to get together?
“Cassie, I can’t keep up with you. Weren’t you just mad at me for sharing a place with Harper because we were dating?” I gesture to the both of us.
She bites her lip, a little embarrassed, and then gains composure. “Yeah, it’s called my boyfriend cheated on me and I was looking for a hookup, but even my hookup wasn’t interested in me. So rather than sit in the pity of being undatable, I decided to play matchmaker.”
Now it’s my turn to be embarrassed. “I’m sorry, Cassie. I shouldn’t have gone out with you when I knew I had unresolved feelings for Harper.” I say the words quietly on the off chance that Harper can hear through the thin walls of the house.
“Praise, Thor, the god of thunder! He’s accepted his feelings!” she says dramatically, her arms up in the air.
“Cassie!” I say, again, looking over my shoulder to the window—still closed.
Cassie looks at me, all serious. “Having been cheated on, I guess you could have done more damage.” Her words sting a bit. “But you owe me this—how did it go? If I can’t find love, then I guess you can. And at least this little drama can distract me from my drama back home.”
Cassie is the type of girl that if I met in even the best circumstances, I’d be afraid to cross. She has the type of personality where she isn’t afraid to say a thing. It makes me wonder how the cheating scandal worked out for her ex.
“Nothing happened last night,” I tell her.
She cocks her head to the side, clearly not believing me. “You mean you two cuddled up on a blanket, and nothing happened?”
“We sat on a blanket together and when I tried to make a move, she bolted away.” Cassie’s eyes sharpen on me. I sigh. “We were talking, I was telling her how thankful I was that she asked me to come on this trip. It looked like she wanted to kiss me, too, so I tried and she just. . .”
“Bolted?” Cassie tries, using my words.
“We were lying on the blanket together, and when I leaned in to kiss her, she sat up, pretending that she saw something.”
Cassie lets out an amused giggle but stops when I glare at her. “Sorry. Sorry,” she says. “It is kinda funny though.”
I sigh and start to turn away. “Anyway, glad I could amuse you. Have a nice life.”
“Sorry. Sorry,” she says. I turn back, and she’s serious again. “You need to cool it with the kiss thing. You said you’ve known each other your whole life, right? That makes things. . .” She thinks about it. “Different. Kissing would be weird. If you can’t say how you feel, show her.”
I raise an eyebrow. “How?”
“I don’t know, but you’ll figure it out. Just make sure whatever it is, it’s blatantly obvious.”
“Thanks for the vague advice,” I say, my voice monotone.
“Anytime,” she says, ignoring my attitude. “But I gotta go.” She steps up from her bed and stands at the entry of the sliding door. “If you still have my number saved, text me an update when you two inevitably end up together. Like I said, I’m nosy.”
“You’re that sure that Harper likes me?” Maybe Cassie has a better read on her than I do.
She lets out a single laugh. “You should have seen the death glare that girl gave me when she saw me standing at the front door. She likes you and does not like me.”
“If you insist,” I say.
With that, she gives me a wave before shutting the sliding door. I take a few steps back, and Cassie moves to the front seat of the van, rolling down the window.
“Good luck!” she says, pulling out of the driveway.