Page 18 of Casper
“It’s warm enough,” I assured him, hoping I was reading his face properly. Everything Casper was thinking seemed to show in his eyes.
He gave me a thumbs up before putting the car in gear and pulling away from the curb. Now that the car was moving, I realized I would have to fill the silence by doing all the talking. He couldn’t very well type on his phone or sign while driving.
“I really appreciate the flowers,” I said. “That was a kind gesture. Would you believe that nobody has ever given me flowers before?”
Casper glanced over, shaking his head. He made a face like he thought that was ridiculous.
I couldn’t help but think back to my time dating Jace. The only thing he’d ever given me was something he picked up from one of the many girls he cheated on me with. Thankfully, a prescription from the doctor cleared that up. I’d never made the mistake of trusting someone that much again.
“Codie says you guys are having a lot of fun since she moved in,” I continued, not knowing what the hell to talk about but fumbling my way along. “She thought it would suck to live with so many guys. Sounds like she’s enjoying it though.”
A smile spread across Casper’s face as he nodded. I couldn’t help but be a little jealous of my best friend for living in the same house as this man. Even though she was head over heels for Stray, I envied her. She got to see Casper in his downtime. When he wasn’t being one of the Kings but just a regular guy. Hanging out watching TV. Shooting the shit with his friends.
“Classes have been a real drag this week. I haven’t been sleeping well. It’s making things a bit difficult.” I wasn’t sure why I said that. I didn’t want to drag Halloween night into this date. Moving on, I changed the subject, talking about why I chose the Arts program and how much I’d been enjoying it.
Casper listened attentively. Every so often he glanced over to make eye contact, making sure I felt heard. Nodding along as I spoke. Even though he never said a word, I knew that I had his full attention.
We arrived at the venue, waiting in line to get inside. The opening band was already on stage. The building wasn’t all that large. Probably holding around a thousand. Taking myhand, Casper led me to the bar. He motioned for me to tell the bartender what I wanted.
“I’ll just have a beer,” I said, not wanting anything too strong.
Casper held up two fingers for the bartender. The guy slid two beers across the counter toward us. Casper used his card to pay, and then we disappeared into the crowd.
I took a sip, enjoying the way the cold bubbles fizzled down my throat. In the loud environment, there was no pressure to talk. I think that helped put us both at ease. We were able to simply enjoy the music and being there together.
People continued to pack into the place until it was a mass of bodies. We hung back, keeping our distance from the stage. Everyone close to the front was jumping around, creating a mosh pit. Too rough for me.
I was having a good time. Being with Casper in a low-key environment felt nice. Different than being on campus or at one of the graveyard parties. Nothing like the haunted house. I was able to unleash some of the tension that had been holding my spine stiff. Relaxing in the moment.
As the night went on people drank more, their antics growing more chaotic. Neither of us had more than the one beer. I liked that we both stayed sober. Unfortunately, most of the people around us were drunk as hell.
A few guys shoving through jostled me, almost knocking me to the floor. Casper grabbed my arm, keeping me upright. He silently snarled at the guys, but they were gone already, totally oblivious.
Sliding his hand down my arm to my hand, Casper threaded his fingers through mine. Excitement zapped through me. Something about the way he firmly but gently held my much smaller hand in his made me feel warm and tingly inside.
I smiled up at him. Our eyes locked, and for a moment, we didn’t need words at all.
Since my time with Jace, I’d learned to trust my gut. To listen when it warned me. I hadn’t listened to it back then. I’d been young and naïve, wanting to believe he was my forever. Now I knew better.
Now my gut told me that Casper was worth a chance. One chance. Somehow Storm and Codie had found love with a Graveyard King. That didn’t guarantee me anything, but I knew neither of them would have settled for less than what they deserved.
“Love the dress.” A guy with a buzzed head and several piercings shouted over the music. He looked me up and down with a lecherous grin. “I bet it looks even better on the floor.”
I felt Casper tense beside me. He squeezed my hand tighter.
When it became clear the guy wasn’t going to simply move on, I said, “Okay, well, I’m here with someone.”
The guy’s gaze flicked to Casper, his expression unimpressed. “This guy? So what? He can have you back after I’m done.”
Casper didn’t hesitate. His fist was a blur as he slammed it into the jerk’s face. The guy stumbled back a few feet, clearly dazed. A second punch knocked him out cold. He went down hard on the floor, crashing into people on his way.
Pulling away from me, Casper didn’t stop there. He followed up with a brutal kick to the guy’s ribs. I wondered if he would have beaten the unconscious jerk to death if security hadn’t stopped him.
I guess I would never know.
CHAPTER ELEVEN
LUNA
