Chapter 79: Cassidy

##Chapter 79: Cassidy

Book Two: Don't Leave

It's the deep timbre of Luke's voice that finally punctures the anxiety spiraling through me.

"Hey," he squeezes my hand again, "are you all right?" His fingers rise to stroke softly over my cheek. "Cassidy, look at me."

He must see the fear and panic rising within my wide eyes, because he slowly tugs me into his arms. I squeeze my eyes tightly shut and rest my head against the solid strength of his chest.

And then I just breathe.

I suck in big gulps of air before slowly pushing them out again.

"Keep breathing," he whispers near the shell of my ear.

I focus on the low cadence of his voice.

It takes about three or four minutes before I find my muscles loosening.

Once I've calmed myself down, he says, "We can leave right now if you want. I'll take you to my house or back to school." He pulls away enough to search my eyes. "Is that what you want?"

For a silent moment, I turn the offer over in my mind, realizing that I don't really want to