ONE YEAR LATER
Stop refreshing,” I laugh. “It’s not going to change in five seconds.”
Cassie shoots me a look from the kitchen counter, an adorable pout at her mouth as she glances at the laptop screen again. “They said the results would be posted today.”
“Right, but we have no idea what time. You’re going to drive yourself crazy checking obsessively.” She brings her thumb to her mouth to bite at her nail anxiously, and I pat the couch beside me. “Come over here and sit with me.”
She’s been running herself ragged over the pending results of her boards; the final hurdle she has to clear in her long-grad-school journey. I completely get her anxiety, given that this test will tell whether all her hard work has paid off and if she will be a fully licensed occupational therapist, but I hate seeing her stress like she has. She drags her feet as she comes from the kitchen, and I grab her wrist before she can pass by me, tugging her into my lap.
“It’s going to be fine,” I assure her, pulling her face to my chest. “You’re going to pass.”
She makes a frustrated sound. “What if I don’t?”
“Then you try again. It won’t be the end of the world. But . . . it doesn’t matter, since you will definitely pass.”
“I’m scared of failing it,” she admits quietly. “I’ve already taken so much help from you, and if I can’t start contributing soon, then—”
“You don’t have to contribute,” I chuckle. “I don’t care what you do. As long as you do it here with me.”
“Why does that sound perverted?”
“I think you’re projecting.”
She scoffs. “Sure I am.”
“Stop worrying or I’ll call Wanda.”
She groans. “Don’t do that. She’ll come over.”
“So?”
“She’ll bring Fred with her.”
I laugh. “Well, they are married now.”
“Right. But they are way too touchy-feely. It’s been three months since the wedding. They have to stop kissing all the time at some point, right?”
“You sound like Sophie,” I tease.
She makes a face. “This must be what she feels like when she catches us kissing.”
“Wanda would tell you to stop being silly.”
“Yeah, well. Wanda didn’t have to sit through a timed exam questioning everything she learned.”
“You’re fine, Cassie.” I kiss her hair. “Everything is going to be fine.”
“You might not be saying that after your girlfriend tanks her future.”
I cup her chin to turn up her face, smiling at her disgruntled expression. I rub my thumb along her lower lip. It’s amazing that after a year of having her here, I could still be so struck by her. Her bright blue eyes are like a clear sky that I could get lost in, and I do, frequently—and for what must be the thousandth time, I’m just grateful that she’s here.
I lean in to kiss her, enjoying the way some of the tension leaves her body. “Do whatever you want with your future. As long as I’m part of it.”
“Gosh.” She smiles against my mouth. “You’ve gotten cheesy.”
“You like cheesy.”
“Maybe a little.”
“Stop worrying,” I urge.
“But what if—”
I kiss her again. “Stop.”
“But I could—”
I kiss her harder. “Stop.”
“Aiden, but what—”
“Hey,” a voice calls from the kitchen. “You passed.”
Both of us jolt apart, noticing a very annoyed eleven-year-old judging us. She shakes her head as she points to the computer. “You passed,” Sophie says again.
“What?” Cassie looks from Sophie to me to Sophie again. “I passed?”
Sophie checks the screen again. “That’s what it says.”
“Oh my God.” Cassie’s face lights up as she throws her arms around my neck. “I passed!”
She pulls me in for a kiss that has me closing my eyes and wishing very much that we were alone, and I keep my arms tight around her body to keep her against me.
“Ugh,” Sophie groans. “You promised to stop kissing so much.”
I smile against Cassie’s mouth. “We’re celebrating.”
“Well, do something less gross to celebrate,” Sophie huffs.
“Actually that’s a great idea,” I say, leaning back to shoot her a grin. “Which is why I made reservations tonight.”
Sophie perks up. “We’re going out?”
“Mm-hmm.” I rub a slow circle against Cassie’s back. “I invited Iris and her new girlfriend. Wanda and Fred too.”
Cassie still looks surprised. “You made reservations?”
“Yep.”
“But what if I didn’t pass?”
I brush my fingers against her temple, sweeping one loose strand of her hair away to tuck it behind her ear. My palm lingers against her cheek, and in that clear blue sky of her eyes, I can see my whole life looking back at me.
“I knew we’d have something to celebrate,” I tell her quietly.
Her smile is slow, her lips tilting on one side and then the other until she’s beaming, and when she leans in to kiss me again, I can hardly even hear Sophie’s half-hearted groaning. I think she’ll let us have this one, most likely. I let my hand drift to my pocket where the little velvet box sits, grinning against Cassie’s mouth, because we do have plenty to celebrate.
And we’re just getting started.
—◊—
It’s probably a stupid idea.
When Marco had suggested I check it out, I think he’d meant it as a joke. Just another way of ribbing me for not dating.
So why am I sitting here, staring at my computer with a freshly made account for OnlyFans?
I do a quick scroll, and honestly, I can’t tell the difference between this and any other porn site. That brings me back to the question: Why am I here?
I’m about to log out and forget this ever happened, because Marco can never know . . . but then I see her account as a suggestion.
I don’t know what it is about her; her face is covered, her hair is a bright lavender that has to be some sort of wig—but something about her picture draws me in.
I click her profile, scrolling through the free content just out of curiosity.
Cici.
Maybe I won’t log out after all . . .
—◊—
