One of Them Girls by Cala Riley (the gingerbread man read aloud txt) 📕

to find out she’s luring me to her den. Maybe I should be the one worried.”

She lets out a full-body laugh, shaking from the intensity. Making me laugh with her.

“That’s a good one.” She reaches out to pat my arm.

“You can never be too careful. I mean, you have a crazy ex that I had to save you from. Who’s to say he isn’t following us, waiting to beat my ass then rob me?”

This time she lets out a small laugh, looking a little uncomfortable. “He’s not my ex,” she repeats. “He’s my brother’s best friend. It’s a really long and complicated story I’d prefer not to get into.”

Baggage.

She has a lot of emotional baggage. I get that. I don’t really want to get into my shit either, so I change the subject.

“Ah. I see. Little sister has guards. Guess I should be more careful around you. They could pop out from anywhere.” I jump as if I saw something in the shadows, pushing her in front of me as a shield.

She lets out another genuine laugh. “How chivalrous. Push me in the way.”

I hold up my hands in surrender. “Hey. They’re your bodyguards. They’re unlikely to hurt you. I’m trying to preserve this pretty face.”

As she laughs, I watch as the last bit of sadness leaves her body.

“No bodyguards. Just trying to get him to realize I’m a big girl. I can take care of myself. He’s having a problem seeing that.”

“Ah, that I understand,” I reply, thinking of Tinsley and her brothers.

My phone buzzes in my pocket, but I make no move to look at it.

“You can answer it, you know. It might be important.”

I pull out my phone and see a video message from Tinsley.

Speak of the devil.

I swipe the screen, starting the video.

“It’s so beautiful here. You would love it. Wish you were here.”

“But kinda glad you’re not.”

“Finley! Love you, X! Have fun!”

The video stops and I laugh, shoving my phone back into my pocket.

“Girlfriend?” Cassandra asks, side-eyeing me as we walk.

“Nah, not my girlfriend. It was my best friend, Tinsley, and her man Finley.” I shrug.

“Anything ever happen between you two?” she asks, looking forward.

“Nah, not really. Her heart always belonged to Fin, and it was obvious to everyone but him.”

“So a guy can really be friends with a girl without falling in love with her, huh?”

“I guess so.”

We fall into silence as we walk side-by-side. I think about the girl I lost.

Can you really lose someone when they were never yours to begin with?

“So, tell me something about yourself Cassandra?” I say, breaking the silence.

“What do you want to know?”

“How old are you? Have you figured out a major yet? The typical stuff.”

“Well, I’m eighteen. I’m from a small town nearby and I’m not completely set on a major yet. You?”

“Eighteen, from New York but moved from the Chicago area, and I’m majoring in education.”

“Long way from home,” she teases, making me laugh.

“Yeah, it’s a little different here than what I’m used to.” I rub my jaw.

“Well.” Cassandra slows her pace. “This is me.” She points to the building next to me.

“Then it looks like I got you home safe.”

“You did, such a gentleman.” She smiles. “Maybe I’ll see you around sometime,” she says, walking backward toward her building.

“You probably will.” I shove my hands into my pockets and nod at the door. “I’ll walk away once you’re inside.”

“Nice meeting you, Xavier,” she calls over her shoulder, stepping inside the building.

“Nice meeting you too, Cassandra,” I murmur to myself.

As I walk home, I think about the pretty blonde girl and not once do I think about the one who usually consumes my thoughts.

Cassi

“Where did you disappear off to last night?” Rebecca, my roommate, asks as soon as I come in from my classes.

“Jared was being an asshole, so I left,” I tell her.

“From what I hear, you have a new boyfriend you left with,” she teases.

“More like some poor sap that got sucked into my drama with Jared.”

“Tell me everything. Jared was pissed when you left. Then Samantha said she saw you leave with that yummy guy from out east.”

I roll my eyes. Of course, Samantha knows about Xavier. She’s always on the hunt for her next great romance. The hotter, the better, and Xavier’s the embodiment of hot as fuck.

“Jared was on my case about dating again. I told him I was seeing someone else. He didn’t believe me and I was just so sick and tired of his bitching, so I told him I was meeting my date at the party. That turned into me walking up to a stranger and pretending he was my date. Thank goodness he was kind enough to play along with it.”

She laughs. “So Mr. Hottie agreed to pretend to be dating you. Maybe he is interested in dating you.” She wiggles her eyebrows at me.

“He probably thinks I’m crazy or a loser after last night,” I grumble.

I don’t hate the idea of dating Xavier, but after last night, I’m sure he finds me certifiable.

“He left the party with you right?”

“Yeah. He offered to walk me home.”

“See, maybe he was into you.”

“I don’t know, the whole thing was crazy. And I can’t even blame alcohol because I hadn’t even drunk anything.”

She whistles. “You know how to go big, babe.”

“I know, right? Now Jared is going to be hounding me about him, and what can I even say? Pretend I’m still dating him when I’m sure he will turn the other way anytime we meet?”

“I don’t know why you put up with Jared’s bullshit.” Rebecca shakes her head.

My heart pangs. “You know why.”

She rolls her eyes. “I get it, but eventually that conversation needs to happen.”

“I know,” I sigh loudly. “Not yet though. Change of subject, what kind of trouble did you stir up last night?”

-

2

Xavier

I can’t get her out of my head.

Cassandra.

It was refreshing to meet such an honest girl so comfortable with herself. I’m kicking myself for not asking for her number, but