I groan as I try to ignore the noise being created by my sister and friends. They really didn't care if it was after midnight. I hold my pillow over my ears as the noise only seems to grow. After a few minutes and the noise level doesn't go down, I force myself from my bed. I exit my room and head into the living room. I stop in my tracks as my eyes take in the appearance of the nearly nude blonde standing on the coffee table.

I raise my brows, taking in the situation. Duke was visibly annoyed at the sight, so he stood further away with his eyes covered. I quickly turn on my heel and head to my room before anyone notices my presence. I close the door quietly behind me.

Knowing sleep wasn't an option, I pull my phone off the charger. I stare at the last number on my call list and smile. Testing the waters, I press the familiar name in hopes that she would answer.

My smile grows as my wish is granted. "Hey" Kathryn's voice instantly causes my mood to lighten. "Hey, were you about to sleep?" I question as I sit on my bed. My fingers immediately play with the stings on my shorts. 

"No. I was actually kind of anticipating if I should call you or not. But it seems like it didn't matter much since you called instead."

I bite my lip to stop myself from smiling even wider than I already was. Why was I so happy just to talk to her? My cheeks hurt. "I miss you" is the first thing that can come to mind. I scoff at myself feeling clingy. It hadn't even been a week and I was missing her presence. Kathryn doesn't speak for a few seconds causing me to frown.

I was definitely being clingy. Maybe she was already annoyed with me. "Sorry, my family seems to only bother me when I'm on the phone. I miss you too Casey. It's terrible here, come over" the brunette laughs.

I wish. If I had come in my own car maybe I would leave to go see her. Which reminded me, I didn't even know what state she was in, let alone how far of a drive that would be. I frown. I couldn't exactly stop thinking about Kathryn since Friday. I never expected her to be so- "What are you guys doing over there?"

"I'm in my room. Everyone else is in the living room being weird," I answer remembering the sight of a half-nude Diana on the table. I shake my head in disappointment. "What about you? I mean other than being extremely beautiful."

I hear Kathryn chuckle lightly, "I actually look like shit. I'm not really doing much just giving you all my attention." 

"Bullshit Kat! You can never look like shit. I don't believe it, not one bit."

"Yeah, I'll show you and you'll realize how totally incorrect you are." I laugh at her response and wait patiently for the message. As I pull the phone from my ear, I hear a knock on my door causing me to groan. The door opens, without my permission, furthering my irritation. In comes Edwin in only boxers. 

"Someone call for a lap dance" he laughs. I spot Cassandra behind him holding up her phone. I groan in response. "Edwin, don't you dare come near me. I'm allergic to half-naked dudes."

The boy only laughs as he approaches me. He thrusts his junk near me causing me to groan and make gagging noises. He turns around and twerks before jumping onto my bed and throwing his smelly ass in my face. I push him away in annoyance. "You guys are disgusting!" I whine.

My room is filled with laughter from my sister and best friend. Eventually, the couple leaves, and I rush behind them to close and lock the door. I let out a breath and remember I was still on a call. I pick up my phone, seeing I had a message from the beauty on the other line. Immediately I click on it.

My jaw drops as I stare at the picture in shock. "You do look like shit" I joke, pulling the phone back to my ear. "Wow, great way to cheer up your girlfriend" Kathryn laughs.

I laugh, "No but seriously, our definition of 'looking like shit' obviously has two different meanings. Kathryn, you look incredibly breathtaking" I compliment. I pull the phone from my ear to glance at the picture once again. From her bed hair to her thick lashes and brown eyes, I couldn't understand how someone so attractive would ever think they were ugly.

"You're just being nice."

I roll my eyes, "I've been telling you since we met that you're beautiful. Do you think I'm just being nice? It doesn't take brains to notice a gem like you, babe."

The line goes quiet. "Send me another picture. Preferable with cleavage" I joke. Seconds later I receive another picture but totally different from my request. I laugh at the picture of the brunette flicking me off. "You'd want that, huh?"

"Want what?" she questions genuinely confused. I smirk and bite my lip, remembering how nice she felt against my fingers. "For me to fuck you.... again" I tease. Whatever the woman had been drinking is heard being spat out as she heard my comment. "Goddamn Casey, you made me spit out my hot cocoa" she whines. 

I can't help but laugh. Our conversation continues consisting mostly of nothing important. We talk into the night until we eventually fall asleep without hanging up. 

I wake the next morning to whoever was waking Kathryn up. "Sweetie get up! We're going shopping today so you can look nice for Alexander. I'm so excited, he's going to love you." I frown at the sentence. Who the hell is Alexander? Kathryn groans, not responding. Seconds go by before I hear the woman speaking again.

"Who is Casey?" she questions. "What?" Kathryn's groggy voice is heard along with her shifting in bed. Was that her mom or sister? 

"You've been on the phone with Casey for... 10 hours and 34 minutes."

I glance at my phone in surprise. We were sleep majority of that time. I chuckle lightly remembering how our conversation ended last night on slurred words before the both of us fell asleep. "Casey's.... uh, she's just a friend mom" is what I hear from Kathryn before the call is ended. 

I bite down on my lip, just a friend? My heart clenches as the words repeat in my head. Just a friend. 

- - - - -

Hours had passed and Diana was the first to come up with an idea that would get us out of the house. We all complied feeling confined in the walls of the family cabin. Though we loved the isolation, we also despised it. We were all city kids, we were so used to having neighbors within 2 mins from us. 

We were going to go out for dinner and then hit the movies before heading back home. Once everyone was dressed we all headed out the door and into the designated cars. I chose to ride with Diana and Jasmine, having not really forgiven Cass and Edwin from yesterday night. 

I still couldn't get the image of Edwin's ass out of my head. "So, I'm willing to pay for you guys since my recent paycheck was a bonus. But please don't be too expensive" Diana says. I smile at the blonde, "You're too nice Diana. How come Duke's such an asshole?"

The woman laughs, "Don't tell him I said this, but I'm pretty sure he's adopted" she jokes. Jasmine and I laugh, promising not to spill her secret. I pull out my phone, seeing a few notifications from Kathryn but decide to ignore them. I wasn't sure talking to her for the rest of the day was a good idea. Not after hearing her say I was just a friend. 

I was probably being petty, but her words were like a wooden dagger to the heart. The wound still hadn't fully healed yet. I glance up just in time to watch Diana's hand reach over and land on Jasmine's thigh. My brows raise as I watch their interactions. 

Jasmine giggles, completely unaware of my attention. She grabs the blondes' hand and pulls it up to her lips. "Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa... when did you guys get together?" I question glancing between them. 

The brunette jumps at my voice before dropping Diana's hand and glancing my way. "We're not together, we're just flirting."

"Bull shit!" I hiss. I wait for an answer but realize I'm not getting one as we pull into a parking lot. I shake my head and keep my eyes on the two as we get out. They put distance between themselves in hopes that I wouldn't continue with my onslaught. I roll my eyes and let them get away with being touchy for now. We head inside the restaurant and I'm immediately met with the delicious aroma of food.

___

Shopping with my mom and sisters was an absolute disaster. Their idea of 'outfits' was completely different from mine. But what had I expected? They were so closed off to the rest of the world, they barely knew what was trending. Luckily I picked an outfit they somewhat approved. But then again, I wasn't trying to appease anyone.

I just wanted to get this dinner date over with. I've known since I got here that my mother would be playing matchmaker. I guess telling her I broke up with Thomas wasn't such a great idea. But then again, I never told her I wasn't single. So in her defense, she didn't know she was trying to hook Alexander up with a very much so in a relationship woman.

I sigh as I glance at the time on my phone. Today just wasn't my day. Along with being forced to go to this dinner, Casey hadn't replied to a single one of my texts. I didn't know if she was ignoring me or just busy with her friends. Either way, I knew I missed her attention.

My thoughts are halted at the sound of knocking on my door. I groan as I stand from the bed and open the door, coming face to face with my father. He looks me over before smiling. "We're ready to get going. Let's go, you'll be riding with Josh and Sarah."

I nod my head and shove my phone into my back pocket. I really didn't want to go to this dinner.

We arrive at Frank's Restaurant within 15 minutes. "Hi, we reserved a table under the name Howard" my father speaks to the receptionist. The woman nods her head as she grabs several menus and leads us to an empty table. I take a seat next to Sarah, happy I could see the entrance so I could know when to fake my smile for Alexander.

The waitress gets takes our order for drinks before disappearing to get them. Conversation falls around the table. "The Tilson's said they'd be here soon, so we don't have to wait to eat" my mother informs. I nod my head, happy I'd have a few minutes of peace to myself before I would be bombarded with questions.

We get out drinks quickly and my eyes land on the entrance. I really didn't want to be here. "Kathryn, sweetie, don't slump. You're a lady" I hear my mother reprimand. I groan as I sit properly. As my family falls into a steady conversation, I pull my phone out under the table and text Casey once again, hoping for a reply.

Minutes go by and I don't receive an answer. I shake my head as I text Emily instead, in hopes that she would entertain me until the rest of our party showed. However, that goes short-lived. "Amy! It's so great to see you" I hear. My mom stands and brings the older woman into her arms before doing the same with her husband. My eyes land on Alexander and his sister- Riley.

I stand to greet them. I wrap my arms around Alexander, my eyes traveling past him and to the entrance. My brows knit together as a familiar face enters the building. Alexander pulls away, grabbing my attention from the girl. "It's so good to see you, Kathryn, you haven't changed a bit."

I smile kindly at his compliment. "Thanks, Lex, I could say the same to you" I smile. His smile gets wider at the familiarity of his high school nickname. We take our seats and my eyes land on the entrance once more. I was more than likely just imagining it. Why would Casey be here anyways?

The dinner continues. 

"Alexander, I hear you graduated from Princeton, what did you major in?" my mom smiles her eyes trailing to me. Lex clears his throat and smiles, "I majored in Mechanical Engineering."

I hear my mother gasp dramatically. God, I needed to get away from all of this. "Kathryn Graduate from... where did you go, sweetie?" I glance at my mother. "Rice University. History Major."

My mom nods her head, a bit disappointed. Should I have lied instead? Alexander begins telling us about his job and I take this chance to try texting Casey again. I glance around the restaurant in bordem, my eyes stop at a table. I frown. That definitely looked like Casey.

I text her again before glancing back to the table. I watch the girl glance down at her phone before ignoring it. "Kathryn--"

"Uh, would you excuse me? I need to use the ladies' room" I lie. I excuse myself from the table and head over to the girl, in hopes that she was exactly who I wanted her to be. Maybe I was too hopeful. Did I miss Casey so much, I imagined she was someone else? I stop near the table, "Casey?" I question.

The curly-haired girl glances over, her brown eyes landing on me. I smile and my heartbeat picks up. I could see the disbelief in her eyes as she looks me over, not quite believing I was in front of her. I bite my lip, "Can we talk?" I question happily. 

She hesitates but follows me into the restroom. Once the door closes behind us, I wrap my arms around the girl and bury my head into her neck. The familiar scent of her body wash makes me feel more at home than my family ever could. I smile against her neck before pulling away. I could tell she was still a bit surprised to see me.

I look over her face with a smile before leaning in and capturing her lips. It doesn't take her long to give in. She walks me backwards and onto the sink. I let out a soft chuckle against her lips. "I wish I would've known you were in Utah a whole lot earlier."

The corner of her lips curl upwards into a smirk. "I guess this is a small world. I wouldn't have expected to run into you here of all places" Casey says before capturing my lips once again. I moan into the kiss as my hands tangle themselves into her curls. I missed this. After a few seconds, I remove my hands and slap her arms.

"Why the hell were you ignoring my texts?" I question with a small pout. 

The girl frowns. "Well I'm just a friend, so I don't understand why it matters" she spits with attitude. I furrow my brows in confusion. Who the hell ever said she was just a friend? "What?" I question. Casey rolls her eyes. "This morning your mom asked you who I was and you told her I was just a friend."

I frown, I thought I hung up before I said that. I didn't want her to hear that lie leave my lips. My eyes soften at her confession, I pull her into me, my lips kissing her cheeks. I kiss her forehead and her chin and her nose. "I'm sorry baby. You're not just a friend. You're so much more."

She pouts, "Then why lie?"

I sigh, "My family is pretty conservative. In other words homophobic. My parents don't even know I'm bisexual and I kind of don't want to tell them."

The girl eyes me to make sure I'm telling the truth. She gives in and pulls my lips to hers again. "I guess I know why your mom was so ecstatic about this Alexander dude then." I chuckle, "You heard a lot this morning."

Casey hums as she kisses me again. "I heard everything" she whispers against my lips. My hands get tangled in her hair once more as our lips reconnect for the nth time. Casey pulls away, her fingers looping into my jean pockets. "You look really good in these jeans" her lips find mine again.

"Do I really? I wonder if Alexander thought the same" I joke. Casey pauses and tries to move away from me but I keep her held in place with a laugh. "Babe, I'm kidding." The girl chuckles as her hands are brought back to my waist, she pulls me into her pressing her tender kisses against my lips. 

Our moment is cut off when the restroom door opens. Casey and I don't move away fast enough. "Oh my gosh, I-I'm so sorry, the door was unlocked--" the woman starts apologizing.

My eyes meet with Sarah's. Oh damn. She freezes in her tracks before slowly backing out of the restroom. 

"She looked spooked" Casey laughs out. I let out a sigh. Casey's brows raise in confusion as I push her back. "She's my sister-in-law. Goddamit" I hiss. 

The brown-skinned girl frowns at the sound of my voice. She pulls me back into her by the waist, lifting my chin with her pointer finger and thumb. "It's gonna be okay. Just talk to her, make sure this doesn't get out. And if it does you have my number."

I smile at her and place one last kiss on her lips before exiting the restroom. I head back to my table, sitting next to Sarah, in hopes she wouldn't tell anyone about what she'd just seen. I swallow the lump in my throat as I hear my mother call out to me. "You were gone a while, are you alright sweetie?" 

"Y-yes. I was just touching up on my makeup" I lie. Sarah glances at me causing the tension in the atmosphere to thicken. Damn, this wasn't going to be good.