Stay by Jennifer Sucevic Page A

solving.
    And I don’t like that either.  I don’t like the way it makes me feel.
    I… I need to go.  I can’t do this.  My eyes dart to Brooklyn.  She’ll be just fine on her own tonight.  For God’s sake, she still has her legs wrapped around… damn, but I can’t remember what his name is.  Whoever he is, he’ll take good care of her.  He’ll make sure she gets back to the dorms tonight.  Or, at the very least, he’ll make sure she goes home with him.
    “You ready to go, Cass?”  Brooklyn, who is finally standing on her own two feet, meets my eyes as she loops her arm through number fifty-five’s.  “I’m going to ride with Austin, okay?”  Her eyes shift speculatively to Cole before she smirks, “do you want to ride with us or are you going to-”
    I start shaking my head because all I want at this point is to head back to the dorms.  Back to where my heart doesn’t feel like it’s going to jackhammer right out of my chest.
    “I-”
    Cole quickly waves them off as everyone starts leaving the arena.  “Don’t worry about Cassidy, I’ll make sure she gets there.”
    Eyes wide, nerves spark along my skin as I spin towards him.  “But I don’t want to go to the bar anymore,” I whisper.  Thick tendrils of anxiety are already wrapping themselves around me.  “I’m just going to head home.”  I need to get out of here before I seriously lose my shit.
    “Okay, then I’ll take you home,” Cole murmurs easily.  He doesn’t even try talking me into going to the bar and for some reason that only makes matters worse.  I don’t want Cole giving me a ride home.  I don’t want to spend any more time with him.
    Because I’m starting to like him.
    Too much.
    Dr. Thompson is right.  I’m not ready for this.  I almost laugh.  I’m nowhere near ready for this .  I’m a complete mess.  Even if he doesn’t see it yet… I am.
    Reaching up, his hand slides its way under my chin before tipping it up so that he can scrutinize my eyes which I imagine are flaring wide with panic.  My body stiffens with the contact.
    Gulping, I try tamping down the rising anxiety.  Already my body feels as if it’s humming with nerves.  My chest feels like someone is squeezing it with their fist.  Pressing my eyes tightly shut, I do the only thing I can.  I inhale a shaky breath through my nose before exhaling it slowly out of my mouth.  And I keep doing that until I can feel the vise squeezing my chest slowly begin to loosen.
    Until I can breathe again.
    When I finally open my eyes, I realize that the lights in the arena have dimmed and we’re standing alone in the now quiet lobby.  The sound of our breathing echoes off the blue painted cement walls.  My face instantly flames with hot licks of embarrassment.  His hand is still holding my chin.  His eyes are locked on mine even as he breaks the physical contact between us by taking a small step away from me.
    God, I am such a freak.
    Worse than that?
    He has to realize it by now.  I mean, just look at me… I’m a fucking mess.  Standing in the empty lobby of the arena, I just want to die of humiliation.
    I certainly won’t have to worry about him flirting with me anymore.  And maybe that’s for the best.  What am I saying?  Of course it’s for the best.
    “Are you ready to go?”  His voice is soft and gentle, which only makes me feel like an even bigger loser.  Seriously, why does he have to be so nice?
    “Yeah.” I need to get out of here before I completely fall apart.
    “Come on.”  This time he’s careful not to touch me.  I have no idea what he’s thinking but I’m relieved that he doesn’t try to hold my hand or put an arm around my shoulders.  Even more than that, I’m grateful that he doesn’t ask any questions because it’s doubtful I would be able to answer them.  “I’ll take you home now.”
    Unable to speak, I nod as we leave the darkened arena behind us.  The parking lot is practically deserted