***
The sky was changing from dark to light, pink-splattered across the sky, as Cassandra made her way back to her house. The convenience of how closely they lived together was nice. She hadn't realized what she would use the close proximity to achieve, but Cassandra was feeling too good to be upset about it. She closed her eyes and thought of Steven and all the wonderful things that he had done to her the night before. Cassandra would have given anything to go back. Her body still hummed with his touch.
When she got home, Cassandra looked around and everything looked different. She was seeing it all with new eyes, and a heart that was ready to open up. After Nelson, Cassandra didn't think she would ever find love again, but now she was so wrapped up in it that she couldn't help smiling. Whatever the consequences were, it would be worth it.
Chapter 29
Luke
He had a feeling that when he went to his friend’s house, he would find something that was unacceptable. Even though Luke had talked to Steven about it, heard what was said and how badly the two of them wanted each other, Steven had made the promise that nothing would happen. He believed him, sort of.
Luke figured that Steven would do his best to keep his promise, but apparently there was something about his sister that no man seemed able to refuse. He was still under the impression that it might very well be Cassandra's fault, but he couldn't worry about that now. He was worried about why Steven wasn't answering the door. Even if he was out sleeping, he would have usually answered it right away.
Once Steven got to the door, he looked discombobulated, and his eyes weren't even focused. It looked like he really had just woke up. Luke wished that his surprised look would make him feel better. He was sleeping, not keeping a betrayal from him. Steven invited him in, and he started to feel silly. Luke had imagined so much mischief, just by waiting for him to answer the door.
“What’s going on with you? You must be sleeping in really good today. I don’t remember the last time you weren’t up at this time,” Luke observed.
Steven waved him off, still rubbing his face and trying to make sense of it all. Luke had seen that look more than once. It looked like he was genuinely telling the truth. Something had awoken him and there hadn't been much time to do anything else. Luke wanted to take it at face value. He honestly didn't want to dig any deeper, because finding out something more would not benefit him.
“What are you doing here so early?” Steven finally managed.
“I got a little bit of work to do, and I was wondering if you wanted to come with me.”
Steven didn't even hesitate to agree. Luke looked for some guilt or another kind of giveaway. Luke felt calm, still watchful, but feeling better by the moment. Luke just had to keep his cool.
“What are we doing?
Luke shrugged. “Does it really matter?”
Steven agreed that it didn't. “Let me get some caffeine and weed. I got to have something this morning.”
Luke agreed and he said that he would go make coffee while Steven got ready. Steven was still wearing his boxers and rubbing his face. He did not look like he was ready to go anywhere. Luke told Steven to hurry up and he made coffee for the both of them. He had a lot to tell his friend. Steven didn’t need to know how likely he had thought it would be for his sister to be there. Steven had promised. He should believe him. They’d always been good friends. It didn't have to be different. Steven was his best friend, and he needed him to be like Nelson.
By the time the coffee was ready, Steven was getting out of the shower and Luke noticed something red on his neck. He asked him about it and Steven grabbed it for a minute and said how it was nothing. It didn't feel like nothing. It felt like there was something that Steven was keeping from him. It looked like a hickey.
“Come on, man. You act like I don't know what a hickey looks like. I thought that you weren't messing with anybody right now. Did you finally get over your slump and find someone to keep you busy?” Luke asked, though his first thought was that he was trying to move on with his sister.
Steven said that it wasn’t a hickey, but somewhere he’d been pinched or something. Steven was acting really nervous and again, Luke felt like his friend was keeping a lot from him. Luke wasn't honestly looking to find anything wrong, not when it came to him and Steven. They were doing good. Why was he tempting it?
The two left together and more than anything, Luke wanted to forget what was on his mind. It wasn't conducive to the two of them being close. How could they be, when Luke was so convinced that his sister and his best friend were betraying him. It made him feel like shit. Steven was someone that he had known for a very long time. He didn't want to think bad of him. He didn't want to think about it steadily, but it just kept running in his mind. Luke knew then it was going to be a long day. His mind wasn't going to let him forget what was happening, even if he desperately wanted it to.
As they were passing by Cassandra’s place, he made a comment of how they should stop and say hi to her. His friend next to him gave him a strange look and asked him why.
“I thought you liked Cassandra?” Luke asked confused. Why didn’t Steven want to go over and see Cassandra? He always did before.
“I do, it's just honestly, man, you act weird around her, and it would be easier if it was just the two of us. Why make it more complicated than it needs to be?”
The problem was that was too good of an answer. Luke felt the same way. It was more complicated with his sister around. That was just the way it was. When they got to her place, he just kept on driving, and he got that unsettling feeling again when Steven perked up. Maybe Luke was all wrong about the two of them, but maybe he wasn’t. Luke had to keep looking into it for a little while longer.
Chapter 30
Steven
What could be said about his friend Luke? They had known each other since they were in middle school together and just like Nelson, they had all gone to high school together and were on their way to college when Nelson had run out with Luke’s sister. It had made Luke go a little squirrely. Steven had seen it all unfortunately. He watched his friend go down this dark hole of second guessing and there was a while that Steven thought that his friend had simply lost his mind. He became so paranoid. If he hadn’t known Luke as long as he did, he would have walked away about halfway through it. Steven stayed though, stuck it out, and eventually Luke came back to reality. Steven was glad that he had stuck it out, but what if he was to do it all again?
Steven could see that same craziness in his friend's eyes. As they were driving, Luke kept looking in the rearview mirror like something was going to come get them and it was concerning for Steven. He had no idea what they were doing, where they were going, or what kind of mindset his friend was in. For one reason or another, it was nerve wracking.
The day was just as awkward, and Steven found himself looking at his watch all the time. His friend took it as he had somewhere to go and somewhere to be, but that wasn't the case at all. He was just so uncomfortable with him and his erratic behavior. Steven did not want to see Luke go down that same squirrelly rabbit hole again.