##Chapter 7: CassidyBook One: Stay"Cassidy, your four o'clock is here."With my nose buried deep in a calculus book, I murmur, "Great Lisa, send him back."Lisa, our sort-of-receptionist, hovers in the doorway for a few moments until I'm forced to glance up and meet her wide gaze.Only then does she mouth, "He's soooo hot." As if to add emphasis, she rolls her eyes.I roll mine in response before shaking my head. Also for emphasis. Lisa thinks most guys are soooo hot. I'll admit, sometimes she's right. And sometimes she's wrong.Very, very wrong.But I suppose beauty is in the beer goggles of the beholder...or something like that. Not that Lisa usually drinks on the job. Although, sometimes I seriously have to wonder.I plaster a smile across my lips and wait for my next appointment, interested to see how far off base she is today. A few seconds later, the smile falls off my face as Cole strolls into the room. As soon as he sees me, he stops, obviously just as surprised as I am. But
##Chapter 8: CassidyBook One: StayA heartbeat ticks by before he reaches out, his larger hand covering mine.My attention drops to our clasped fingers. Normally, I don't like being touched. When he'd grabbed my arm at the party, everything in me had seized up. But his hand lying gently over mine doesn't trigger a response. Actually, that's a lie. It does do something to me...something I'm unwilling to acknowledge. "You don't know me." And I don't want him to know me either. Not the real me. Not the one who made such a mess out of her life last year.I hold my breath and wait for the familiar knives of panic to slice me up inside.It's a surprise when they don't.He squeezes my hand, and my gaze bounces up to his. "Is it so difficult to believe that what I already know makes me want to find out more?"I gulp, breaking eye contact before carefully slipping my hand from his. "I don't date."That's non-negotiable. There are rules I've set in place for myself this year. And from what I'v
##Chapter 9: CassidyBook One: Stay"Okay, Cassidy, you can go back now. Dr. Thompson is ready to see you." The receptionist smiles as she shuffles around a few papers on her perfectly tidy desk.I give her a brief smile in return before walking through the door and into the office of the psychologist I've been meeting with. After I'd received my acceptance at Western this summer, I'd realized I would need to continue with my sessions. Dr. Thompson has turned out to be a perfect fit. Her office is decorated in soothing tans and whites, with splashes of blues and oranges that catch the eye. There's actually a couch, but there are also comfy chairs. Since I'm a creature of habit, I always gravitate to the same chair. I'm sure that says something about my personality. Dr. Thompson usually sits directly across from me with a notebook close at hand in case she wants to jot down a few notes. In the beginning, I found it disconcerting and wanted to take a quick peek to see what she'd written
##Chapter 10: CassidyBook One: Stay"This is going to be so much fun! Thanks again for coming with me tonight." Snuggling into her jacket, Brooklyn bounces excitedly on the bleacher seat as her gaze tracks the hockey players skating by the Plexiglas that surrounds the ice. "That's him, number fifty-five."A dreamy look fills her large green eyes. As she sighs, her warm breath escapes into the frigid air of the rink. I roll my eyes even though she isn't paying me the slightest bit of attention.Nope.Her focus is trained on her brand-new crush.Number fifty-five.I shift in my seat and watch the players skate past. Not that I would admit this to Brooklyn, but this is surprisingly more painful than I'd imagined it would be. I haven't skated in more than nine months. At this very moment, my fingers are almost itching to wrap themselves around my old fiberglass hockey stick. As I stare at the ice, my mind tumbles back, trying to recall a time when I've been off skates for more than four o
##Chapter 11: CassidyBook One: Stay"Sorry, I'm still trying to get the hang of it. Remind me to ask you for some helpful tips. You seem to be a real pro at it."My belly dips as he grins at me. I almost wince, realizing that this banter is totally counterproductive to what I need to happen.He shifts his stance. "For one, you're supposed to stay out of sight. You know, hide in the bushes, peek around corners, wear disguises, follow discreetly from a distance. That kind of thing. Maybe we can get together later and I can give you a stalker one-oh-one crash course. Stalking for dummies or something like that. Totally free of charge, of course."Dimples.Again with those damn dimples.If he's trying to wear me down, those dimples are doing an excellent job. He must realize it because he flashes them at me every chance he gets.I blink, attempting to shake myself free of the thick fog that always seems to descend when he's near. "No, I don't think that'll be necessary. You've given me qu
##Chapter 12: ColeBook One: Stay"What's your problem, dude? We won!" Austin shouts from across the table in the noisy bar. "Fucking act like it."Before I can respond, his attention becomes ensnared by the curvy blonde perched on his lap. I'm surprised he even noticed me sitting across from him in the first place.With a grunt, I nurse my beer instead of replying, because what am I supposed to say to that?That I'm stuck on a gorgeous chick with the most beautiful ebony-colored hair I've ever seen. Or the biggest, clearest blue eyes I've had the sad misfortune of gazing into.Fuck.I'd get the shit kicked out of me if I said something like that.And you know what?I'd totally deserve it.Hell, I probably deserve it for even thinking along those lines.I'm so screwed.Even worse than that?I'm not sure if there's anything I can do to salvage whatever Cassidy and I have going between us. Maybe I've only known her for a week, but she's all I think about. That's not a good sign.She'd j
##Chapter 13: CassidyBook One: Stay"Where'd you disappear to last night? I thought we were going to hang out at the bar after the game."Even though Brooklyn looks as though she didn't get a wink of sleep last night, her voice is chipper and brimming with curiosity.I glance up from the bowl of oatmeal I'm trailing my spoon through as we sit in the cafeteria with its walls of floor to ceiling windows. Brilliant sunshine pours down on us. Even this early in the morning, students are bustling past with trays full of food before their days get underway."I decided to head home after the game instead.""Well, you missed an awesome time last night. We had a blast." She grins before digging into her scrambled eggs, toast, and fruit. She waggles her perfectly plucked brows before dropping her voice. "And what happened after the bar was even more fun, if you know what I mean."I roll my eyes because yeah, I know exactly what she means. Instead of taking the bait, I clear my throat. "Austin s
##Chapter 14: CassidyBook One: StayIt's not quite seven in the morning as I run through the sleeping streets of the small-town Western University calls home. The sun is just beginning to peek over the horizon, washing everything in a soft pink glow. The air is crisp, the leaves overhead vibrant in their orange, red, and yellow colors.After the hockey game last week, I made the decision to slowly start incorporating exercise back into my routine again. In high school, I'd spent a ton of time working out and skating. After failing out last year, that had been another thing that had fallen by the wayside. I've decided to run three times a week. Okay, so maybe it's more of a jogging/speed walking type of thing but still...I'm out there, doing it.I'm pretty sure that counts for something. Not working out six days a week for the last nine months has taken a toll on my waistline. I used to be muscular and toned all over. Now, not so much. I'm a lot softer than I once was.One side benefi