Page 24 of Fall Into Me

Cass (8:17 p.m.): Glad to hear Bri is sleeping. I hope you are able to get some rest as well :) Let me know if there’s anything else I can do to help. -Cass

Without letting himself stop and wait for a response, Cass swiped his screen over to read the messages from Brendan (asking if he was still coming to dinner) and his dad (reminding him to drive carefully, especially as the temperature dropped). He sent a couple of short replies and then zipped up his coat to prepare himself for the cold outside when his phone buzzed with an incoming text message.

And another of those little flutters of expectation settled in his stomach.

He pulled his phone back out, grinning as he saw the number and message.

425-555-6288 (8:20 p.m.): Thank you, I will. Good night!

He wasn’t entirely sure what Ash’s I will referred to. Ash would let him know if he needed anything? Or he would get some sleep? Or maybe it meant that he definitely would be waiting for the roads to clear up before trying to drive again? But whatever it was referring to, Cass realized it didn’t matter. There was something in the tone of Ash’s texts that just felt better, and as he reread each of the texts, all of that anxious worry Cass had been stewing over for the last several hours began to dissolve.

Ash would be okay. And for whatever reason, that thought made Cass smile.

He took a moment to add Ash’s number to his contacts and send a short text back to say good night. Then, after giving himself another few seconds to sit with the lingering contentment that had washed over him, he slipped his phone back in his pocket, climbed out of the truck, and carefully made his way through the icy parking lot to the entrance of Westside to meet up with his friends.

Inside was warm and loud—the small space filled with laughter and cheerful voices—and he let the atmosphere buoy his spirits even more as he quickly scanned the room to find his friends. The group was tucked away at a picnic bench-type table pushed into the back corner, and he grinned as he heard Brendan’s voice call out over the ruckus around him.

“Cass, yo! You finally made it!” Brendan hopped up from his seat at the end of the bench and met Cass with a strong clap on the back. “Everyone’s here except Trish. She ended up staying home after all.”

“I don’t blame her,” Cass said. “It’s pretty bad out there.”

“Totally,” Brendan agreed. “Grab a seat, man. You drinking? Matty and Tam are our designated drivers.”

From the far end of the table, Tam lifted their glass of what Cass figured was probably ginger ale. “I’ve got Trish’s SUV tonight. Plenty of room if you’re in!”

“We’ll see, I’m not sure yet,” Cass said with a grin. “But here, just in case.” He pulled out the keys for his dad’s truck and tossed them across the table. Tam caught the keyring easily and gave Cass a nod before tucking the keys safely in their pocket.

It was sort of a rule they all followed, though Cass couldn’t remember the group ever having a real discussion about it. He just remembered that when he’d moved back home after his mom’s stroke, Brendan had started insisting there was a plan for every time they went out and any amount of alcohol was consumed. Cass had heard brief mentions of something that happened with Laurie’s family, but he’d never pried or asked for a full explanation. It didn’t matter anyway; it was the right thing to do. And now, with this group—his group of friends he’d known for forever—it was habit.

Other “greetings” rose up from around the table. Gil teased Cass for being late, which had been a running joke since junior year of high school, and Laurie complimented Cass on his beanie, which was from their shared alma mater. Then, as Cass removed his coat and beanie and set them on top of a heaping pile of other coats on a chair next to the table, Matty motioned him over to the only open seat left, no doubt strategically positioned right next to Matty’s very good-looking friend Joe.

Matty nudged Cass in the side as soon as he sat, then leaned in and whispered, “He’s single, and he’s a good guy.”

Cass gave Matty a look, but Matty just grinned, his eyes teasing, and he reached behind Cass and tapped Joe on the shoulder.

“Joe, hey, this is Cass,” Matty said in introduction. “Remember I told you about him?”

The man sitting next to Cass was nothing short of gorgeous, if Cass had to admit it. His streaked blond hair was carefully mussed up on top of his head in a way that had to be intentional, and his dark-brown eyes smiled as he offered Cass his hand.

“Nice to meet you, Cass. Matty’s told me a lot about you,” Joe said, his voice slightly lilting as though there was a tease in there somewhere.

Cass immediately grinned. “Has he? Let me guess . . . the spelling bee in fourth grade?”

Joe’s smooth laughter had Cass shaking his head. “Actually, no,” Joe said, his eyes dancing with amusement. He picked up his glass and took a sip of beer. “I’d love to hear that story, though.”

Matty cackled from Cass’s other side, and Cass cringed.

“Stick around here long enough, and someone will tell you,” Cass quipped, elbowing Matty in the side. Laughter broke out around the table then, and, despite Cass’s pleas and attempts to redirect the conversation, the story got told anyway in some hilarious round-robin fashion. Brendan started, and then Gil jumped in, followed by Tam and Laurie. And by the time the story finished, Cass’s cheeks were on fire, and everyone was laughing.

“I guarantee you he’s never spelled joust wrong since,” Matty finished, clapping Cass’s shoulder.

Cass just sighed good-naturedly and shook his head, and after a server came and took his drink order and everyone’s food orders, the conversation jumped to something completely different around him. By the time the server returned a few minutes later with Cass’s Arnold Palmer, Brendan, Laurie, and Gil were in the middle of some back-and-forth about a Dungeons & Dragons campaign Brendan was DMing, and Tam and Matty were laughing at a video Tam had taken of their new dog jumping around in the snow. Cass glanced at Joe sitting next to him, and he grinned as he saw Joe shaking his head at whatever Brendan had just said.

Cass nudged Joe gently. “Do you play?”

Joe laughed. “D&D? No, never have. You?”

“Nah.” Cass took a sip of his drink, and Joe copied him. “Brendan’s been trying to get me to join their ‘campaign’ or whatever it’s called for months now, but I’m pretty busy, and it seems like a real time-suck, unless, you know, you’re really into it.”