Just a Game Ch. 04

Aaron was silent for a moment before he spoke again, his voice subdued. "I know I can be a dick sometimes, but I would never do that to you."

Cass softened a bit, recognizing that she'd hurt his feelings. "Then what is the point of all this, Aaron?"

"To make up for being such an asshole, okay? I completely over reacted and I didn't give either of you a chance to explain. I jumped to conclusions about what was going on between you guys and I was wrong. And I'm sorry."

"Okay, apology accepted. But you've still got it wrong. Gabe and I don't have anything going on. Whatever it was between us is over."

Aaron snorted and rolled his eyes. "If you really believe that you're deluding yourself."

"It's the truth."

"You're still into him, aren't you?"

"I...it doesn't matter."

"I know you are. Avery told me."

"What?" Cass's jaw dropped. She couldn't believe her friend would rat her out like that, especially knowing all the dirt Cass had on her.

"I asked her to go to the wedding with me, but she suggested I bring you instead." He was quiet for a minute before continuing. "Suggested is the wrong word. She tore me a new one, actually. Told me I acted like a selfish prick and the only way to redeem myself was to try and fix it."

Cass was stunned into silence. The idea of the two of them discussing her private business as if it were up for public debate rubbed her the wrong way, but it was hard to stay annoyed with Avery knowing she'd stood up to Aaron on her behalf and given up not just a date, but a whole weekend road trip with her own crush just to give Cass the chance to see Gabe again.

"So are you going to admit you like him or is there nothing there for me to fix?"

"It doesn't matter, Aaron." She tried to force herself to relax, letting her head fall against the seat and gazing out the window at passing soybean fields. "The situation is what it is. There's no point talking about how I feel other than to make me feel like crap about it."

"That's exactly what he said."

"What?" Her head snapped up and she looked at her brother, ready to smack the satisfied smirk off his face. "What did he say?" She cringed at the words, they sounded so junior high, but at the moment she couldn't bring herself to care too much.

"Oh, suddenly it matters?"

Cass let out a frustrated growl. "That's it, pull over so I can strangle you."

Aaron just laughed. "Look, despite how it may appear, I'm not really trying to get in the middle of your business. You two need to talk to each other; that's why I wanted you to come this weekend. Whatever happens now at least I'll know it's not my fault if you guys go your separate ways."

"Oh I see. This is about assuaging your own guilt."

"Absolutely. But I also love you both and I want you to be happy. If being together is gonna make you happy then I don't want to be the one to stand in your way. Plus once I got over the weirdness of it...I kinda could see how maybe you two could be good for each other. I guess."

"Thanks Aaron," she said, reaching over to give his hand a squeeze. "I appreciate the sentiment. And yes, obviously I still have a thing for him. But he never indicated that he felt that way about me and, I don't know, I've put a lot of effort into not getting my hopes up."

Aaron glanced over at her, then back at the road, shaking his head. "I called him, you know, to apologize for...all that stuff I said." He swallowed hard. "I could tell the minute I had him on the phone. He's got it bad, Cass. Trust me. It doesn't happen often, but when it does he falls hard."

Cass's heart throbbed painfully. For the first time since she was a stupid thirteen year old freshman she actually let herself feel the tiniest glimmer of hope. She'd have to wait and see once she felt the situation out for herself of course, but for now she let herself have the luxury of that hope.

"Hey Aaron," she said after a long extended silence.

"Yeah?"

"Whatever happens with me, I'm glad you're talking to him again."

"Yeah, me too."

...

Gabe straightened his tie and tugged on his sleeves, checking himself in the mirror. As much as he complained about dressing up, he had to admit he looked pretty good. His hair was finally long enough to stay in a damn ponytail, so he had it pulled back neatly and his mom had bought him a new shirt and a tie that matched her blue dress.

Man, it was weird to see her like this. She wasn't giddily excited like she had been about men in years past. It was like a calm contentment had settled over her so despite the fact that this was the third time he'd personally witnessed her getting married, it was the first time he actually believed it was going to last. It gave him a sense of peace to know that she was finally at peace.

Maybe she was right when she told him it was never too late.

He sighed at that. No matter how hard he tried not to, he always came back around to thinking about that. About her. It didn't do him any good, it just made him feel like shit. He supposed he should try harder to get over it before he ran into her, especially since he and Aaron seemed to have repaired their friendship somewhat.

He'd been surprised as hell when Aaron called him only a couple of weeks after their fight. It surprised him even more when Aaron actually apologized for what happened that morning. He hadn't asked for awkward explanations or demanded to know details, he'd just said that his reaction had been unfair and he'd said things he didn't mean and that he was sorry. Gabe apologized for sneaking around behind his back and that was that.

They'd been talking on the phone fairly regularly since then, more regularly than they ever had before, actually. Slowly, over the course of several conversations, more of the story had come out in bits and pieces. Aaron explained that Cassie had torn into him and said some things that pissed him off, but made him think hard about how he treated his girlfriends. Then he'd started asking Gabe about his thoughts on relationships and women. As weird as it was to talk about that sort of thing with a dude, Gabe tried to explain as best he could and Aaron seemed to get it. Some of it anyway.

A few weeks ago Gabe finally admitted to his friend that he had feelings for his sister, though only after several beers and Aaron pushing hard and accusing him of being in denial. He seemed to know something Gabe didn't and he'd wondered at the time if Cassie had said anything to him, but didn't ask. He didn't want it to seem like he was trying to dig up information on her. Aaron tried to talk him into calling Cassie and that night he almost did, but at the last second he hung up. Just like he had every other time.

Gabe had gone over his final conversation with Cassie a million times since that morning and he knew there were things he'd left unsaid that he needed to say. He couldn't even count the number of times he'd picked up his phone and started dialing her number, but it just seemed wrong to have that conversation over the phone. Or maybe he was just a coward.

Again, it didn't matter. It especially didn't matter right now, since he needed to be focusing on his mom and the wedding that was supposed to go down in the next half hour. Last time they'd talked Aaron wasn't sure if he could make it, but he said he would try. Gabe hoped he came, it would mean a lot to his mom and, he had to admit, he wouldn't feel quite right until he actually looked into his friend's eyes and saw that there were no hard feelings.

The wedding was a small affair, just a few close friends and family in a little wedding chapel not far from the house. Gabe stood proudly next to his mother while she exchanged vows and may or may not have shed a little tear when his new step-father kissed the bride.

It wasn't until they turned to the few spectators to present the husband and wife that he noticed Aaron sitting in the back row. With Cassie. He was so caught off guard he tripped and almost fell on his face as he started back down the aisle.

God, she looked incredible. She was wearing that same green shirt she'd worn on New Year's Eve, this time with a little black skirt that showed off her fantastic legs. When she met his eyes and gave him the tiniest of smiles it was like a shock to his system and he was sure he stopped breathing for a minute. Just looking at her made his heart pound in his chest and he had to force himself to look away long enough to nod to Aaron as he walked past them down the aisle.

The whole party was quickly ushered out of the chapel in preparation for the next wedding; apparently Valentine's Day was a busy day for wedding chapels. By the time he made it to the parking lot they were already gone, so he didn't get a chance to speak to either of them, but he expected to see them at the reception. If you could even call it that. They were just having a little party at his mom's house before she and Jim left to drive to Gatlinburg for a brief honeymoon.

He didn't even know what he said to the milling people in the living room. There was a smile plastered on his face and he did a lot of nodding, but his eyes kept returning to the door looking for the flash of her red hair. After nearly an hour he gave up and snuck out to the back porch to get a few minutes of quiet.

The happy couple would be leaving in a little while and then he'd be able to kick the rest of the people out and go find Cassie. His resolve had been shaken a bit by the fact that she hadn't shown up, but he knew he'd regret it if he didn't at least try. She was within reach and he was determined to say what he needed to say while he had the chance.

He leaned on the porch rail and sighed deeply, filling his lungs with the evening air. The breeze carried the scent of pine and...pears? His head snapped up and he turned to see Cassie walking toward him. She came to stand next to him and he just stared at her, frozen like an idiot. When he didn't speak she smiled hesitantly, then out of nowhere leaned in and kissed him.

The second her lips touched his he came back to life. They were warm and so soft and only pressed against his for a second before she pulled back and looked at him nervously. Without a second thought Gabe pressed her against the railing and took her lips with his. He clasped her face in his hands and slid his tongue it into her warm mouth, meeting hers with a soft groan of satisfaction. She melted into him, clinging to his chest, tangling their tongues together in a wet, sloppy dance that had them both panting for breath.

"Cassie," he whispered against her lips, but couldn't say more before he had to press them to hers again just to assure himself that he could. She opened to him with no resistance, her hands slipping around the back of his neck and threading up into his hair, messing up his ponytail and sending a chill down his spine.

God, he'd missed her even more than he thought. They way her body felt against his, it was all he could do not to push her skirt up and take her right there on the porch. Fortunately his good sense won out and he settled for palming her sweet ass and pulling her tight against his body. Eventually he released her lips and pulled back enough that he could look down into her face. His heart pounded while he watched her eyes flutter open and her lips curve up into a smile.

"That didn't feel like a game."

"No." His laugh was hesitant, since he wasn't sure whether that meant she approved or disapproved, but she'd kissed him first. That had to mean something, right? Either way, there was no turning back now. He had to speak his mind. "No more games. I should have told you that morning, but I was too chicken shit. I was afraid to be the one to say I wanted more, but I do. I want you, Cassie. I want us."

She made a noise in her throat that sounded suspiciously like a sob, but her hands were still tangled in his hair and she pulled him down to kiss her again so he couldn't see her face. When she let go he saw the tears on her cheeks and his heart kicked up in panic.

"Oh no baby, don't do that. Please don't cry." The words tumbled out in a rush as he wiped her face with his shirt cuffs. "It's okay, I understand. I'm not trying to push you into something you don't want. I just needed to say it-"

"Would you shut up? And stop that." She sniffed and pulled his hands away from her face impatiently. "You're gonna ruin your new shirt."

Her touch turned gentle, her hands sliding into his so he could clasp them tightly as her eyes slid down his chest. He could see the desire in them and for a split second he considered offering to go back to their original deal. If he couldn't have all of her at least he could have that much, but before it had even formed as a complete thought he discarded it. He'd go crazy torturing himself that way and probably drive her crazy, too.

Her eyes came back up to meet his and she smiled that sweet smile that always made his heart skip a beat. "Of course I want that, why else would I be here?"

He sagged against her in relief, wrapping his arms tight around her waist and burying his face in her neck. After he got his pounding heart under control he couldn't help but tease her. "Because you just can't enough of my sweet, sweet lovin?"

"Nice. Way to ruin the touching moment." She pushed his shoulders away in exasperation, but he could see the laughter in her eyes.

"I'll show you a touching moment." He grinned and grabbed her hips, leaning into her while he pulled her close. She groaned and rolled her eyes at his bad pun, but didn't stop him from taking another kiss. Its intensity was in stark contrast to his teasing words, and when he pulled away several minutes later he wasn't smiling. "Stay with me tonight."

She bit her lower lip and he suppressed the urge to pull it from between her teeth with his thumb. Aaron did the same thing when he was thinking and he didn't want to interrupt her if she was trying to work out a way she could stay the night.

"I want to go home and visit with my parents a little while first, but I think it'll be okay. It will be a little weird telling them where I'm going, but I guess I'm going to have to tell them about us eventually, right?"

"As far as I'm concerned you can tell the whole world. I'm done sneaking around. You want me to come with you? We can tell them together."

"Really? Are you up for that?"

"Of course. You don't think they'll mind do you?"

Cass laughed. "No, I'm pretty sure Mom will be thrilled. You know she loves you. Now Dad...I don't know. I guess any reaction would be an improvement over getting clocked in the jaw and he's not likely to do that, but he won't like me spending the night with you."

Their conversation was interrupted by Aaron sticking his head out the door. "If you two can keep your hands off each other long enough I'm going to come out and say hello."

Cass rolled her eyes and Gabe laughed as Aaron walked toward them. Gabe held his hand out and Aaron clasped it firmly for just a moment before tugging Gabe into a tight hug.

"Hey, bro. Good to see you." Aaron said quietly.

"You too, man. Thanks for coming."

"So you guys kissed and made up, huh?" Aaron asked with a wink at Cassie that made her blush deeply.

"Yeah," Gabe said, trying not to feel awkward about sliding his arm around Cassie's waist and pulling her close. "Looks like your sister's decided to overlook my many flaws and give me a chance."

"Well if you're ever thinking of doing something that might hurt her; just remind yourself who knocked you on your ass-"

"Shut up, Aaron," Cass snapped, unamused by his little jibe.

"Excuse me? Was that a thank you, little sister?"

"Go away."

"You're welcome," Aaron said with a wide grin, before turning to look at the commotion going on inside. "Oh hey, I think the bride and groom are about to leave."

They went in and gave hugs all around, then lined up to throw birdseed at the couple as they climbed into Jim's enormous pickup truck, which was decorated with inflated condoms and shoe polish on the windows. After everyone left, Cass and Aaron helped Gabe clean up and packed up some of the leftover party food to take home to their parents.

As Cass expected, her mother was excited to find out they were seeing each other and gave Gabe a huge hug. Her father seemed surprised, but unconcerned until they were about to leave and Cass went to change out of her wedding clothes and grab her overnight bag.

Gabe hovered near the door talking to Aaron and tried to pretend like he didn't notice the glare aimed his way. Eventually Mrs. Carson laid a hand on her husband's shoulder and murmured something to him. With a final glare over his shoulder they disappeared into the living room together.

"Should I go talk to him? I feel like I should say something."

"Not a good idea at the moment, bro. Trust me on this one. Let me talk to him first."

"Alright." Gabe still felt unsure, but a second later Cass came back down the stairs ready to go and the expectant smile on her face wiped his mind clean of any other thoughts.

"I'll be back in the morning," she called toward the living room and received an annoyed grunt from her father in reply. She made a face at Aaron as she slipped out the door. "Good thing he doesn't own a gun," she murmured under her breath.

"He'll get over it. It's not easy getting used to the idea that someone you still think of as a little girl is a really grown woman." The moment could have turned awkward, but Aaron quickly said goodbye and closed the door and Gabe took Cassie's hand and led her down the walk, relieved to finally be alone with her again.

When they got back to his house he pulled her to him and held her for a long moment, enjoying just having her in his arms.

"Have I told you how much I missed you?"

"Not in so many words, but I got the impression."

He pulled back to look her in the eye. "I wanted to call you so many times, but..." He trailed off and just shrugged, unable to find the words to say what he felt.

"I know. I missed you too." She ran one finger along his jaw and pressed her lips to his briefly.

He sighed and rested his forehead against hers. "This isn't going to be easy. We'll hardly ever see each other living so far apart."

"Are you backing out already?" Her little smirk didn't hide the nervousness in her eyes.

He shook his head, twirling a strand of her hair around his fingers. "Absolutely not. I just don't want you to feel like you're missing out. If you feel like this is too much too soon-"

"Are you kidding? Too soon? I've been waiting on this since I was thirteen." He made an effort at a smile, but she saw through him and her own smile faded. "I'm not saying it won't be hard, but I want to give it a shot, don't you?"

"Of course, I just-"

"Good, that's settled. Let's not talk about it any more tonight, okay? I just want to enjoy being with you." Her fingers smoothing the frown lines on his forehead brought him back to the present and when he looked at her face she was smiling. "Don't think so hard."

He couldn't help returning her smile, remembering when he'd said those words to her not too long ago. There was a lot more he felt like they needed to talk about, but he supposed it could wait a little while longer.

"Maybe you could help distract me."

Her grin widened and she pressed her lips to his once again, running her fingers through his hair. Gabe closed his eyes and gave in to the kiss, letting himself relax in her arms. When she pulled back a few minutes later her eyes were dark and her breath was short. She took his hand and led him down the stairs to his basement room. Or what used to be his basement room.

She stopped short at the bottom, looking around in surprise. The posters and pin-ups were gone. His sandbag was still there, but disassembled, ready for him to load it in his truck to take back to his cabin the next day. There were a few boxes of things here and there, but mostly the room was empty.