28

Aprils pov
It had been two weeks since the night Cassius and I almost kissed. Two weeks of silence.
I had not seen him since then.
Could it be I turned him off or something? Ugh, I hated feeling this. Why did I even fucking care?
On Goddess, this was frustrating as fuck!
The bar was quieter than usual that night, the kind of quiet that made me feel every shift in the air, every creak of the old wood floors beneath my boots. I wasn’t used to this kind of stillness. The customers trickled in, including a few locals and a couple of regulars. Still, there was no laughter or lively chatter. Just a hum in the background that I barely noticed.
My eyes kept flicking to the door, irrationally waiting for him.
I hated myself for doing that, but I could not help it.
The absence of Cassius in those two weeks had gnawed at me in ways I wasn’t prepared for. It wasn’t like I cared-at least, that’s what I told myself. He was just a regular, a customer. I had no business getting attached, no reason to even think about him. But then why did I keep checking the door every time it opened? Why did my heart skip when I caught a glimpse of a tall, broad figure walking past the windows, only for my chest to deflate when I realized it wasn’t him?
I wasn’t sure what to call what had happened between us. Maybe it was nothing. Perhaps it was just two people caught in a moment, two people who were too close to stop themselves from feeling something, even if neither of us was ready to admit it. But the thought of him, his dark eyes, that almost smile, the way his fingers brushed against my skin as if he had every right to-those things wouldn’t leave me.
He hadn’t come by since that night. Not once. I feel like I’m repeating myself but fuck it, I cannot help it. I’m ranting, so please just let me be.
The door jingled, and I looked up automatically, my heart leaping into my throat. But it wasn’t Cassius. It was just a couple of drunk guys stumbling into the bar, laughing obnoxiously, their voices grating on my nerves. I sighed and turned back to the counter, wiping down a glass for the hundredth time.
I had to stop doing this to myself. It was not healthy.
I tried to convince myself that he was just a customer, nothing more. And yet, If I was being honest with myself, I knew I was just trying to suppress the feelings I had somehow developed for him.
I felt the familiar buzz of energy in the air as the door opened again, and I looked up, but this time, I didn’t let my hope rise. It wasn’t Cassius.
The man who entered was older, a local who came in occasionally. He was already looking over the menu as I made my way to him, trying to push the thoughts of the Alpha out of my head.
For the next half hour, I served drinks and exchanged pleasantries, my mind constantly drifting back to that night with Cassius. I hadn’t been able to shake the way he had looked at me, the way his hand had almost reached for me, the way I’d nearly given in. It had been a near-miss, but it had also been an awakening.
He’d made me feel something I hadn’t felt ever-like I wasn’t just a ghost walking through the motions of life. His presence had brought me alive in a way I hadn’t realized was possible. And that was what scared me.
I had never even dated, and well, you all know how it went with that monster of an ex-mate. Ugh, I don’t even want to go there. It just makes me so fucking mad.
I have not even had my first kiss, and with everything happening with Cassius, I just don’t know. I don’t have a mate anymore. Would it be so wrong of me to explore this connection and attraction and just see where this goes, as I still hide out in this town?
“It’s dangerous to think like that,” Snow whispered in my mind.
“I know, “I said, but I honestly did not fucking care, and that scared me.
By the time the clock struck midnight, the bar was mostly empty, save for the usual handful of regulars. I was tired, my feet aching from standing for so long, but I couldn’t bring myself too close just yet.
I stood behind the counter, mindlessly cleaning, my thoughts still circling around Cassius. What did he want from me? Why had he stayed away for two weeks without a word? Was he thinking of me the way I was thinking of him? If he was, then why had he not come to find me? After all, he knew where to find me.
I tried to convince myself it didn’t matter that I didn’t care, but the tightness in my chest and the hollow ache in my stomach told me otherwise.
I was busy getting lost in my thoughts when I heard the door chime again. This time, my heart didn’t leap. I didn’t even look up at first. But when I heard the unmistakable sound of heavy boots hitting the floor and the scent of whiskey and leather wafting through the air, I froze.
It was him.
Cassius.
I didn’t dare look at him at first, afraid that if I did, I would be wrong, but the more his scent hit me, the more I knew it was him.
I dared not look back, even more afraid he’d see right through me. I kept my eyes trained on the rag in my hand, wiping the counter with purpose, pretending I was unaffected by his presence. But I knew better.
“You’re still here?” His voice was smooth, rich, and deep, like a dark river flowing through my veins.
I glanced up then, and sure enough, he stood by the door. His dark eyes were trained on me, but there was no sign of his usual cocky grin. Instead, he looked… serious.
“Did you come to find me?” I asked, my voice rougher than I intended.
He shrugged, but there was something guarded about him now. “Maybe.”
I forced myself to look away, focusing on putting the glasses away. The silence stretched out between us, thick and heavy, as if both of us were too afraid to say what was on our minds.
“Two weeks, Cassius,” I finally said, unable to hold it in anymore. “Two weeks, and you didn’t come by. What’s that about?” I hated that I could not control myself and stop myself from asking these questions.
It was not in my place to know or feel this way, but I wanted to know, and I already felt some type of way about him disappearing.
He didn’t answer right away. Instead, he walked toward the counter, the familiar weight of his presence filling the space between us. I could feel the electricity in the air, the charge that had always been there, but now it felt more like a storm building.
“I was giving you space,” he said after a long pause. “You seemed… distant. Like you wanted me to stay away.”
“Maybe I did,” I muttered, but even as I said it, I knew it wasn’t true. I didn’t want him to stay away. I wanted him here, but I couldn’t bring myself to admit that.
“You’re lying again.”
I glanced up, and his gaze was unwavering as if he could see right through my defenses.
“I’m not,” I said, though my words lacked conviction.
He leaned forward, his hands bracing against the counter, his eyes never leaving mine. “April,” he said softly, almost too softly. “You don’t have to keep pretending.”
I swallowed hard, trying to control my emotions. But the pull between us was undeniable, and I felt it in every fiber of my being. The ache, the desire, and the confusion were all too much.
“Why does it matter to you?” I asked before I could stop myself. “Why are you here?”
He was quiet for a moment, his jaw clenched as if he was weighing his words carefully. Finally, he spoke.
“I’m here because I can’t stay away from you,” he said, his voice low, a raw honesty in his tone that sent a rush of heat to my cheeks. “And because I know you feel it too.”
I opened my mouth to say something, anything, but the words caught in my throat. There was nothing I could say.
He was waiting for me to respond, his eyes steady on mine as if he knew the storm raging inside me. And as much as I wanted to fight it, I couldn’t.
Before I could blink, he closed the space between us, and my heart was hammering in my chest. He stared right into my eyes, but it felt like he was looking into my soul. Then, he pressed his soft lips onto mine. Feeling the shock of it, my body tensed for a split second, then relaxed. I closed my eyes as I enjoyed the sensation of his lips on mine.
The kiss was slow at first, hesitant, as if neither of us wanted to admit how much we needed it. But then, as Cassius’ hand slid to the back of my neck, pulling me closer, it deepened. And that was when I realized-this wasn’t just a kiss. This was everything.
And I had no idea how I was going to survive it.
Also, I was having my first kiss with a hot Alpha who had somehow caught my attention.