Page 77 of Company Ink

I bite my lip, frustration and an uneasy sense of vulnerability flowing through my veins.

"If we keep going like this, I'm going to fall for you," I admit, surprising even myself. "And I know you're not going to be there to catch me, so please,stop."

Adrian lifts up his hand and cups my face, his thumb grazing the apples of my cheek. "Cassie, I'd catch you," he whispers.

I lean into his touch for a second before forcing myself to pull away. "No, Adrian, you wouldn't." I close my eyes, taking a step away from him. "And I—Weare going to have to accept that this—" I motion between our two bodies. "Is never going to happen, because I'm not willing to budge and it seems that you're not either."

Adrian grunts and runs both his hands through his hair, cursing under his breath, muttering something in Spanish.

"Why is it so important to you that we have a label? Can't we just spend time together, have fun, make love, and not worry about anything else?"

I laugh at myself. Where was he two months ago? When life was simple?

"My best friend in the entire world is getting married in a few weeks," I explain. "She's going to buy a house, start a family. She's...growing and I—I need to grow too. I don't want a fling, I want something stable, something that matters." I sigh, kicking some stones with my feet. "I don't want to be the only person at her baby shower that's alone."

"I—I understand. You need more." Adrian nods, licking his lips, pacing in front of me. "And I can't give you what you want—a future." He continues to mumble words in Spanish. God, he's losing it.

I take a step closer to him and put my hand on his shoulder. "Why can't you?" I ask quietly. "There must be a reason."

Adrian closes his eyes and shakes his head. "It's not—" He swallows. "You wouldn't—"

"You know what? It's fine," I say, not wanting to push him. He already looks like he's unraveling. "You don't have to explain yourself to me, it's none of my business." Oh my God, did I just say that? Wow.

"I'm sorry, Cassie," he says. "I wish I could."

"Yeah, me too." I nod, shrugging off his blazer and handing it back to him. "We should get back inside, Blake's probably looking for me."

"Pearson—" Adrian stills, his emotionless eyes piercing mine. "Right." He gestures towards the door. "Wouldn't want to keep the boss waiting. After you."

We head back to the ballroom in silence. My head slightly hurts, and I feel quite blue. In another life, we could've had something magical, of that I'm sure, but as Adrian said, we only have this life, and in this life, I guess it wasn't meant to be.

"I'll see you on Monday?" I mutter as we approach the ballroom.

Adrian tries to smile but I can see the sadness he's masking. "Of course, Cariño." He pauses. "I meanCassie."

"We're okay, right? I mean...we can still be friends," I offer, not wanting to only be two ships passing in the night.

Adrian sighs. "I guess that's what we're left with."

"Yeah," I smile, trying to ignore the fact that my heart is hurting. "Try to enjoy the rest of the night, okay? The silent auction should be starting soon."

Adrian nods and then disappears into the crowd. I let out a breath and straighten my shoulders. Despite what just happened, I need to get it together. There's still an hour left of this event and I need to have my host face on. I survey the tables, trying to spot Blake's white suit, a difficult feat when half the attendees are dressed alike. In the corner of my eye, I spot a walking cane.Ah, there you are.

"Hey," I say, approaching the table that Blake's mingling at.

"Cassandra, there you are," he says, his eyes bright. "Where have you been?"

"Oh, I had to go and deal with a catering mix-up," I lie. "I'm back though."

Blake tilts his head. "Are you okay? You look a little—something."

I giggle nervously. "Yeah, I'm great, don't worry. Everything is fine."

"Are you sure?" he asks in a concerned tone. "Do you need anything?"

"A drink would be nice actually."

"Alright, let's get one." Blake excuses himself from the group of clients and leads us to the bar. "After you finish your drink, how about another dance?"

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