Aprils POV
The next few days passed in a blur, filled with the usual hum of conversations, clinking glasses, and bursts of laughter. The bar was my haven, my place to blend in and let the ordinary drown out the extraordinary reality of who I was. But since Cassian’s arrival, that comfort had taken on an edge-an awareness that lingered like a storm on the horizon.
It wasn’t long before he returned. This time, he slipped in quietly, blending into the crowd with the practiced ease of someone used to moving unnoticed. But I noticed. Every muscle in my body tensed as he claimed a seat at the far end of the bar, his eyes finding mine with an ease that made my skin prickle.
“Stay calm,” Snow whispered. Her voice, though steady, held a hint of worry that only I could hear.
I took a breath, wiped my hands on a rag, and approached him, forcing my face into a mask of professional indifference. “Back again?” I asked my voice light, betraying nothing of the anxiety churning inside me.
Cassian’s lips curved into that same infuriating smirk. “Can you blame me? The service here is unmatched.”
He was joking, right?
I rolled my eyes, but a smile threatened to break free despite myself. “Flattery won’t get you a free drink,” I said, setting a glass of whiskey down in front of him.
He chuckled a deep sound that sent a shiver down my spine. “Good thing I’m not here for free drinks, then.”
Damn, Was he here for me then? I tried to push the thought away because there was no way, right? Or was there?
I busied myself with polishing a glass, anything to keep my hands occupied and my heartbeat steady. “What brings you here, then?” I asked, the question casual, though I knew it wasn’t.
Some part of me wanted him to say that he only frequented this bar for me, and the fact that I wanted him to say that really surprised me. Why would I want him to say that? Ugh.
Cassian took a sip, his gaze never wavering. “Maybe I like a good mystery,” he said, his eyes flickering with something I couldn’t quite place.
Snow bristled, a low growl in my mind. “Careful, April. He’s probing.”
“I know, Snow. Don’t worry.” I assure her because, despite my intrigue, I have to put us first.
“I got us. “I added as I nodded imperceptibly, taking in the way his gaze swept over me, searching, calculating.
“Mysteries are overrated,” I said with a shrug. “People are usually just what they seem.”
Ha! Even I did not believe that; the words felt so wrong rolling off my tongue.
He set his glass down, leaning forward just enough that the world around us seemed to dim. “And what do you seem like, April?”
The way he said my name felt intimate, like a secret exchanged in the dead of night. It caught me off guard and made my breath hitch. I hesitated, a beat too long, before giving him a practiced smile. “I don’t know, an open book?” I replied, hoping the lie sounded convincing.
Cassian’s eyes narrowed, his smile fading into something more serious. “No, you’re not.”
“What makes you say that?” I asked boldly.
“Just a feeling,” He said while licking his lips.
My eyes held his, and I was mesmerized. Fuck! I was really attracted to the Alpha; I mean, he was built like a Greek god; could you blame me?
After all, I am just a girl.
“Just a girl, huh?” Snow started. I wonder if that will be written on our gravestone,” she added sarcastically, and I ignored her as I fought the urge to roll my eyes.
I just found the guy attractive, that was all.
“That is how it always starts April,”
“Come on, Snow, Can’t I have some fun and just enjoy the moment? ”
“You can, but just be careful,” Snow says in a softer tone.
“I will. Now, will you stop being such a buzz kill?”
“Only for now,” she says.
Thank Goddess!
The air between us crackled, the unspoken tension palpable. I wanted to step back, to break the magnetic pull, but I couldn’t. Snow shifted restlessly in my mind, her hackles raised. “Get away from him, April,” she warned.
What happened to her not being a buzz kill?
But I stayed, trapped in the gravity of Cassian’s stare. It was only when a loud shout erupted from across the room, followed by the crash of a dropped glass, that the spell was broken. I blinked, stepping back and inhaling sharply as the noise of the bar came rushing back.
Cassian’s eyes lingered on me for a moment longer before he leaned back, the moment passing as if it hadn’t happened at all. But I felt it-the danger, the intrigue, and the undeniable heat that simmered beneath the surface.
“See you around,” he said, his voice a promise and a threat all in one. He stood and walked out, leaving me with a heart that pounded and questions I wasn’t sure I wanted answered.
Snow’s voice cut through the fog of my thoughts. “We’re playing with fire.”
I exhaled, steadying myself as I whispered back, “I know.” And for the first time in a long while, I didn’t know if I wanted to run or stay and see just how close I could get before the flames consumed me.