I was fucking jealous. 

When I overheard Casper's friend ask him out, a wave of envy washed over me. I couldn't bring myself to voice my feelings. Even when he called to check on me, I felt compelled to lie to him. I couldn't admit I chose to visit Mick instead, just to escape the thought of him going out with someone else; that's not me. 

Deep down, I wanted to tell him not to go, but how could I? We weren't in a relationship, so what rights do I have? I wasn't sure whether he still had feelings for me. What if they were gone? 

Upon arriving home, I didn't reach out to him. I wanted to, but I couldn't. I stayed indoors, lost in my thoughts. I was surprised when he mentioned that Matt had told him I had a crush on him back in high school. I had no idea they talked. But why would Matt bring that up? After I confessed, we never discussed it again, so I'm confused on why he would tell Casper that. 

Does Casper believe I still have feelings for Matt? 

As that thought crossed my mind, I sat up in realization. I could easily see him thinking that. I never even liked Matt to begin with. I really need to clarify things with him. 

I scrolled through his social media, hoping to catch a glimpse of his date. But there was nothing. Should I text him while he's still on his date? Would that be ? Ah, fuck it. I shot him a quick "Hey" text and waited. Twenty long minutes passed without a reply. 

Of course, I wouldn’t hear back. He’s out on a date, likely having a great time without a moment to glance at his phone.

Casper's POV 

I didn’t let my encounter with Jess affect me too much. As soon as I got home, I called Darla to fill her in on the situation. She wasn’t shocked; she knew he schooled around but didn’t care to keep tabs on his whereabouts. I plan to reach out to the group later to find out if Jess actually asked them for my number. 

I’m not worried about Austin handing my number over to him. Given how much he despises Jess, I’m pretty sure he wouldn’t do that. Jess hasn’t changed a bit, which explains Austin's animosity toward him. I feel bad for the girl he’s been seeing. 

Right now, my thoughts are all about Rex. He texted me, but I was too busy venting about Jess to notice right away. When I finally checked the time, I saw he had messaged me about thirty-five minutes ago. 

I decided to call him instead, and he answered on the first ring. “Hi,” I greeted. 

“Hey,” he responded. “Are you back?” 

“Uh, yeah,” I replied. 

“I have something I want to talk to you about, so you want to come over?” he asked. 

“I’ll be there in a minute,” I said. 

“Okay,” he said before hanging up. 

I quickly tidied my hair as I made my way to his room. I went to knock but found the door slightly ajar. With a smile, I entered. He was sitting on the couch with his phone in hand. As I sat down, he switched off his phone and placed it on the table. 

He extended his hand toward me. “Your phone.” 

I handed it to him, puzzled. He turned it off as well and set it down next to mine. “Now we won’t be interrupted. I’ve got a lot I want to ask you.” 

“Same here,” I admitted. 

He smiled at me. “Want to go first?” 

I shook my head. “No, you go ahead.” 

"Okay, so you knew I had a crush on Matt in high school because he mentioned it to you?" 

Ah, so he wanted to discuss Matt. 

I nodded. "Yeah, it was after that night we had drinks at that bar." 

"That long ago? But why would he mention it to you?" 

I shrugged. "He just brought it up casually." 

"I’m curious why he’d share that with you. Do you think I still have feelings for him?" 

"Well, wasn't he the reason you switched to a business administration major?" 

"What? No! Did he actually say that to you?" 

I nodded again. So Rex didn’t transfer here because of Matt? It was all just a mix-up? 

"And I don’t have feelings for him, I never did." He sighed, "That’s a whole other subject." 

"Oh..." I murmured. Does this mean I might have a chance? He’s not interested in anyone else, is he? 

"I do like someone else, though," he said, almost as if he could read my thoughts. 

"Oh? Who is it?" 

He leaned in, his hands gently cradling my neck, and brought my lips to his. I instinctively kissed him back, moving closer. 

He pulled back slightly. "I like you, Casper." 

"You like me? Since when?" I exclaimed, a bit louder than intended. 

He laughed softly, "I can’t pinpoint when it started, but… yeah." 

I felt my cheeks warm as I glanced down at my hands. I was overjoyed—how had I misread this whole situation? Rex actually has feelings for me. 

"Uh, what about you?" he asked. 

"Huh?" 

"The date—would you go on another date with your friend?" he asked. 

"What? With Austin? No way." I answered quickly. Wait a minute. 

"That wasn’t an actual date. I didn’t really go out with Austin; I just went along because he had a double date with his best friend and needed someone." 

"Oh, so—" 

Leaning in, I placed my hands on the couch and kissed him. "Of course I like you, Rex. I've had feelings for you since high school." 

As he kissed me again, his tongue danced with mine, and I felt a shiver of pleasure. I climbed onto his lap, straddling him as our kisses deepened. His lips found my neck, and he sucked gently, drawing a soft moan from me. 

I ground against him, desperate for some friction as my arousal heightened. "Rex," I gasped. 

He intensified his kisses on my neck, biting down just enough to make me tilt my head back, releasing a soft moan. After a moment, he pulled back slightly, pressing a quick kiss to my lips before asking, "Will you be my boyfriend?" 

I nodded eagerly, speechless as warmth flooded my cheeks. 

He kissed my nose gently. "Let’s go on a date. I’ll pick you up at three, okay?" I nodded again, and he smiled, resting his head on my shoulder and sighing contentedly. We stayed like that for about a minute.

"Is that it?" I asked, unable to hide the hint of disappointment in my voice. 

"Hmn?"

"I'm hard," I said with warm cheeks.