Page 83 of Double Standards
It’s been a long week since Axel’s trial ended. A quiet emptiness lingers, the kind that settles when someone who should be there isn’t. It’s only been five days since I last saw him and with my work as his attorney officially done, I have no real reason to reach out, no excuse to see him again. Still, a part of me aches for him, though I doubt he feels the same.
We haven’t made any effort to contact each other, and all week I’ve debated whether I should be the one to make the first move. But the more I think about it, the clearer it becomes: he’s wrong for me. As much as he makes me feel alive, nothing good could ever come from us.
I shovel cereal into my mouth like a starving animal when Lexie enters the living room. Her hair is wild and untamed, which makes me laugh. She’s usually so put together, but today dark circles shadow her eyes, and she yawns like she hasn’t slept in days, even though she was in bed before me last night.
“You look like shit,” I say around a mouthful.
“Jeez, thanks!” she shoots back, slumping down beside me.
“What’s up?” I set my bowl on the coffee table and watch her closely. She’s restless, avoiding my eyes.
She drags a hand down her face and sinks deeper into the cushions with a tired sigh.
“Just didn’t sleep well.”
“Work?”
“Something like that,” she murmurs, her voice low andguarded, a clear signal she doesn’t want to talk about it. So I don’t push. Instead, I pull her into a gentle hug. I’m one of the few people she lets comfort her, and even though she still feels a little awkward about it, I can’t help myself.
“You still not spoken to Cooper?” she mumbles against my shoulder. I pull back and wrap my arms around myself. It’s been two weeks since I caught him in bed with someone else, and aside from quietly retrieving a few of my things, I haven’t spoken to him since.
Honestly, I don’t think there’s anything left to say. We’ve both clearly moved on. Cooper might have moved on before me, but I made no qualms about jumping into bed with Axel. I can’t exactly be mad at him when I did the same, but I always sensed he’d been seeing other women behind my back far longer than that one incident.
“No, that’s definitely done,” I say, my gaze distant, fixed on nothing. “I just need to get the rest of my stuff without running into him.”
“I’ll come with you,” Lexie offers softly, resting a hand on my arm.
“Thanks.” I need all the support I can get. After seven years, I’m not sure I even believe what we had was real anymore.
She breaks away just as my phone rings from the coffee table. She glances at it and points to the private number flashing on the screen. I know exactly who it is—the one person who always hides behind a private number.
“Axel,” I sigh as I answer the call.
Lexie strolls into the kitchen, pouring herself some coffee, and scoffs. “You fucked him, and now he wants more? Damn, girl!”
I wave her off with a quick hand and a hushed, “Shut up!” before bringing the phone to my ear. “Hello?”
His deep voice fills the line, abrupt and direct. “Do you have any plans tonight?”
“Oh, I’m fine, thanks for asking,” I reply with a heavy dose ofsarcasm. A low growl rumbles through the speaker, vibrating against my ear and down my spine. I shift nervously on the couch and switch the phone to the other ear, feeling the heat coil between my legs.
“Smart mouth,” he grumbles. “I wanna take you out to dinner.”
His words hit me like a jolt. My mouth drops open, helpless, like a fish gasping for air. Silence stretches between us, and then I realize it’s my turn to respond.
“What for?” I manage, voice trembling.
“Because I want to,” he says flatly. Axel makes it sound so obvious, like it should have been the first thing on my mind, but the kindness in his tone unsettles me.
I go to protest. It’s not that I wouldn’t like it. I’ve already made up my mind that there’s too much raw sexual tension between us to pretend otherwise. We’ll probably end up in the same mess as last weekend. Naked and sated.
“Cassie?” he cuts in, voice calm, almost tender, and I shiver at the unexpected softness.
Before I can say more, Lexie appears beside me, whispering way too loud, “What does he want?”
I cover the mouthpiece with my hand and mouth quietly, “To take me out.”
Lexie’s eyes light up, and she grinds her hips playfully against the couch arm. Considering her usual objections to The Five, she seems way too thrilled about the idea of me going out with Axel.
