Page 31 of Hot Summer

He’d been smiling a moment before, laughing with the boys about something as they waited in the entry, but as soon as he heard Sienna’s heels on the balcony, he glanced up, his whole body freezing in place when he spotted her. Cas could see it, the way that his entire world had just spun on its axis, reoriented itself so that it was about Sienna, only and always Sienna.

Cas had never seen someone look at someone else like that. So raw and open and real, their feelings written all over their face, not a care in the world about who saw them. About whether people knew how you really felt.

Femi had his heart in his eyes, and it softened his smile, and though it was small and gentle and easy, there was an immensity to the look all the same. A comfort, a warmth that was all-encompassing.

Sienna pressed her lips together in a failed attempt to hide her own smile, her eyes sliding shyly toward the floor as she made her way down the stairs. Femi’s arms were around her the moment she reached the landing.

He whispered something to her, loudly enough that the mic was surely going to capture it, but not loudly enough that Cas could hear it. Whatever it was, though, it made Sienna smile at him, and in that moment, Cas felt like she saw everything laid out between the two of them. All the possibility and potential of what they could be.

Cas glanced to Jayden, leaning up against the wall by the corridor into the lounge. His hands were in his pockets and though he wasn’t smiling, there was an ease about his expression all the same. An acceptance.

Cas walked over and mirrored Jayden’s stance. “You okay?”

Jayden was still looking at Femi and Sienna, separated now, taking in each other’s outfits. “I let him borrow my shirt.”

“That’s nice of you.”

Jayden shrugged. “He should look nice for her.”

They all cheered as Sienna and Femi made their way out the door, but the moment the door closed, Cas walked silently upstairs on her own.

No one tried to stop Cas on her way out—they either knew she needed the time alone or didn’t care enough to intervene. After a few seconds, she heard the garden door slide open, a loud shock of laughter as she walked into the bathroom.

That should be her. Out there grabbing the camera’s attention.

At least she was still likely getting enough screen time—they’d probably edit this together in some pathetic montage. Dramatic cuts between Cas sitting alone in the bathroom, red-faced and covered in mascara and tears, and the lively party out in the back garden.

Maybe people would feel bad for her. Hate her less.

It was Cas’s worst habit, the way she liked to hide away to lick her wounds. She could hear Aisha in her head as she dropped down onto the ground, back pressing firmly into the side of the bathtub—You have to start talking about your feelings, Cas, or you’re going to combust—and the laugh that burst out of Cas now was thick, wet, depressing.

It was definitely better to be hiding away if that was what she was going to be laughing like.

The idea that she was going to talk about her feelings here? That would only make things worse.

Cas groaned softly and dropped her head to her knees.

“Bad time?”

Cas looked up at the sound of Ada’s voice, surprised because she hadn’t heard Ada approach. A feat that should have been impossible in the shoes she was wearing that night.

And something that was explained when Cas noticed said shoes dangling from Ada’s right hand.

“No.” Cas straightened her legs out in front of her, tried to subtly brush away the moisture under her eyes. “I just needed a minute. I’ll be down in a second.”

“No, you won’t,” Ada said simply. In one fluid motion, she sat on the floor next to Cas, her legs stretched out. She was the perfect mirror to Cas except her legs were about five inches shorter.

Cas stared at them for a long beat, and Ada laughed, knocked her left foot against the side of Cas’s calf. “Shut up.”

Cas pressed her lips together in an attempt to hide her smile. “I didn’t say anything.”

“You were thinking something,” Ada said, and when she turned, her eyes were bright, despite the concern that creased her features. There were only a few inches between them, and Cas was surprised to see that Ada’s gaze was set an inch above her own.

“How are you taller than me right now?”

Cas straightened her posture, squared her shoulders, but still, Ada was a little bit taller.

Ada laughed and straightened up, giving herself another centimeter. “I have a long torso.”

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