Page 147 of As the Rain Falls
Jesus.
The flirting earlier washarmless.I was just having fun. Me texting her sometimes? Harmless too. We’ve never even kissed, for fuck’s sake. If I wanted to date Cassandra Rivera, I’d be thefirst person to know.And if I did want her, which I don’t, I sure as hell wouldn’t let someone like Caleb Monteiro get in the way and win her over, that’s for sure.
“That’s not what he thinks,” she mutters, tilting her head up.
Her nose brushes against mine, breath warm against my skin, and I raise an eyebrow at her to ask a silent question.
Who cares what he thinks?
“I’m just trying to avoid getting in any trouble,” she adds, blinking slowly at me.
“So what? Should I not talk to you in public?” I exhale sharply, my voice dropping, words coming out a little more vulnerable than I was aiming for. “Should I just never be around you ever again?”
Never be where he can see us. Because Nathaniel is the problem, isn’t he? Not once has she mentioned her father or mother. Not fucking once. It’s all him.
People are looking. Not to judge us for being this close, just to admire the sight of two young people actually enjoying a slow dance. All I can think about is this new piece of information.
There’s definitely something about Nathaniel that makes Cassandra overly nervous in a way a sister shouldn’t be around her own brother. And yes, sometimes I acted overprotective with Lucia, but even then, I knew my limits.
“But you’re doing a lot more than just greeting me.” She lifts her chin, voice sharp, which is usually never the way she talks to me. There’s a first time for everything, I guess.
I smile softly, amused.
“Oh, yeah? What am I doing?”
“You’re flirting.” I stiffen, but she keeps going, sounding every bit certain of it. “And at the park? I was flirting, too. Your head on my lap? Me giving you a massage? I mean, I don’t even do this shit with Caleb Monteiro, who I’m actuallytryingto date.”
“And whose fault is that?” I shoot back, voice still low. “Because it isn’t mine, Cassandra.”
“Oh.” She scoffs suddenly, rolling her eyes like she suddenly can’t stand me. “Thereisa bit of an asshole in you after all. I thought I’d never see it.”
“We’re just friends.”
“I guess we are,” her voice is soft but firm, leaving no room for argument.
The energy between us shifts, the tension breaking into something hot and unfamiliar. It curls in the space we just created, my fingers twitching at her sides, her breath warm against my skin.
She’s even beautiful when she’s annoyed,I realize.
“So, you never even thought about it?”
“About what?” I ask.
Cassandra starts to blush. “You’re always saying that I’m pretty.”
“Because you are.”
“And that you like talking to me.”
“I do.” I nod. “What’s wrong with saying that?”
“Nothing.” Cassandra shakes her head, deflating a little. “I just… Just tell me one thing, Beckett,” she whispers, pulling my neck, drawing me in. “If I said yes right now, how much would you enjoy kissing me?”
My breath catches with surprise.
My first instinct is to brush it off, make some kind of smartass remark, but it would feel fake coming from me. The truth is that while I’d never considered the thought of it before, her question does make me pause. It’s like watching a wheel start to spin inside my head, and I feel a little dizzy.
Do I want to kiss her?
