26. A Night With Casey

Noah's POV

I could see the helplessness in Casey's eyes, even though she was trying to play it cool. The guilt was eating her up, and it was making me seriously uncomfortable. I held out my good hand, it was a bit of a struggle, to be honest. The pain was still gnarly, but I hate being pitied. I hate looking weak.

"You're doing too much," I said, taking the food from her.

She just stared at me, waiting for me to take a bite. Her look was soft, but it made me feel super intimidated. So, I dug in. Food isn't a big deal to me. I'm not picky, I just eat to kill the hunger. I put a spoonful in my mouth and started chewing. Suddenly, something just hit me. My eyes went wide as I kept chewing. It had been so long since I'd tasted something like this. Simple home cooking that instantly gave me flashbacks.

"What's with that face? Is it bad?" Casey sounded curious and worried.

"Who made this?"

"My mom. Noah, seriously, what's wrong?"

"This is amazing," I said. "I haven't had food like this since my mom left."

I didn't even realize I was shoveling it into my mouth. The taste was so simple, but I just couldn't stop. Casey looked at me, confused.

"What?" I asked, flipping the question back on her.

"You finished it all," she said. "And I haven't even had dinner yet, by the way."

"Idiot! Why didn't you say something? Did you do that on purpose to make me look like a jerk?"

"What are you even talking about, Noah? It's fine. It's just food. I'll eat whatever's around here," Casey said, glancing around the room.

The kitchen in this place is basically never used, even though there's food in the fridge.

"I don't get you, Casey. You just keep making me think about you."

She looked at me. Her clear, amber-flecked brown eyes just locked me in. How could this clueless, naive girl be such a problem for me? I know the guys in the gang have an agreement to stay out of trouble. My dad hates biker gangs and has some pretty strict rules. James is focused on his bar and living a chill life now. But I couldn't just let Becky get his hands on Casey on the side of the road. I knew I should've stayed out of Becky's business, but I couldn't stand the thought of Becky touching Casey. She's mine.

Silence fell between us again. Man, not again. This is such a pain.

"What's your deal with James and Sherly?" Casey suddenly asked.

"Curious?"

"I heard about the threesome..."

"Don't even worry about it. It was a dumb fantasy."

"You said you only had sex with one woman, but I'm pretty sure you've done it with Sherly a bunch of times. When you took me to the bar, I knew you had sex with her in the back room."

I couldn't believe Casey was paying that much attention. I mean, is she actually into me? Oh, no. She can't fall for a scumbag like me. I don't want a messy commitment.

"Well, it's a little complicated. James is our leader, and Sherly is his woman. James is crazy about Sherly. He'll do anything to make her happy. So..."

"You were forced into the threesome?"

I took a deep breath, not wanting to answer.

"'Forced' is a bad word, Casey. It's more like I'm grateful to James. Thanks to him, my life has more purpose."

Casey moved closer to me, her eyes full of concern.

"Noah, this is wrong..."

"Nah, nah. Don't lecture me, Casey. I know what I'm doing with my life."

Casey sighed, her words dying on her lips. She lay back on the sofa.

"You could just live off your dad's money; that's enough. Why get involved with a biker gang and mess everything up?" she muttered.

"Mess up? I'm not hurting anyone. I don't rape women, I don't rob people. I'm just living my life with more freedom."

Casey just shook her head, not buying my defense. Everyone else always thinks biker gangs are just a bunch of losers who need to be taken out. Well, they're not completely wrong, but James never asked me to do anything. In fact, he's the one who stops me from going too far. I know James sticks up for me because of my dad.

The awkward silence returned. Casey yawned. Looks like she's getting sleepy. I'm not used to sleeping with someone else around, but I can't just leave her.

"Go inside. You can have the bed."

"No, no, no. It's fine. I'll sleep on the couch. You take the bed."

"I'm not going anywhere," I replied.

Casey was quiet for a second, then stood up.

"Okay. I'll go to bed." She just walked into the room, leaving me alone, even though I couldn't really stand up on my own.

I let out a sigh of relief after Casey left. I rubbed the back of my neck.

"Why is this so awkward?" I mumbled. I don't know what to say to her. But honestly, I want to know more about her. We see each other all the time and we go to the same college, but she's so closed off. I hardly ever see her hanging out with other students besides Lucas. I know Lucas wants Casey. That loser has an agenda. I don't believe guys and girls can just be friends. My dad and Rebecca are a perfect example of how a professional relationship can turn erotic the second the wall comes down.

Unfortunately, the night wasn't over. I was in crazy pain all night. The painkillers Joseph gave me wore off. My arm felt like it was on fire. The pain was unbearable. My body was sweating from the agony.

I tried to stand up to grab the painkillers Joseph left for me, but it was a struggle. My hip was still stiff.

"Aahhh!" I couldn't help but groan. But I didn't want anyone to know how much pain I was in.

I heard the bedroom door open. Casey came out. She was probably heading to the bathroom. I tried to cover my mouth to keep quiet, but when she turned around, she saw me.

"Noah!" Casey immediately bent down. "Are you okay?"

"Grab the shot from the room, Casey. There's a painkiller in there. Bring it here."

"Alright!"

Casey rushed back to the room. She came back a moment later, but she looked confused about how to use the needle.

"Give it to me."

"You sure?"

I nodded. Casey handed me the syringe. I plunged it into my thigh. I felt a little better. After a few minutes, the pain started to ease up, though I also felt a little numb.

Casey hugged me. This is ridiculous. Why is she hugging me?

"Let's just go to the hospital, Noah. I don't know how to take care of you."

"Are you crying? Oh. No, Casey. Don't be ridiculous."

Was Casey actually crying? Why? Why would she cry for a dirtbag like me?

"I'm sorry, Noah. I'm so sorry. You shouldn't be in this much pain. I messed everything up for you.”