Chapter 18

Cassie's POV 

Crap. Why was Ledger here? I had only seen Alison, and her fiancé in the car. Was he in the backseat? Ah… Freaking tinted windows.

Alison shot me a knowing smirk. 

How devious. I could see how they could be siblings. The similarities between them was obvious now that I was aware.

“Great. I’ll leave you two to it,” she said cheerfully, handing over the plastic bag to Ledger.

I could only watch hopelessly as Ledger took the bag from her. Now, I had no choice but to listen to him.

 “Fine, come in.” I said, resigned. I stepped aside to let him in and he walked inside quickly before I could have a change of heart. 

I watched as Alison walked back to her car with a light skip to her steps. Probably congratulating herself for a job well done. The sneak.

I shut the door in annoyance.

I realized a beat later than I was alone with Ledger in an empty house. My heart began to beat a little faster, but I tried to calm myself. 

I focused on Ledger as he glanced around the house, searching. “Where's your mum and Quentin?”

I cast him a thoughtful look, wondering how much I should reveal. 

Oh, whatever. “Quentin started attending a boarding school last year. So, mum went home to prepare him for school, then drop him off. She'll stay with me for a few days more before returning home.” My gaze turned somber. “She gets lonely sometimes.” I added softly.

“I understand.” Ledger replied.

Ugh, why did I tell him all that? 

I cleared my throat, crossing my arms. “Anyway, say what you have to say.”

Ledger shifted his gaze towards me, and only then did I notice how haggard he looked. Like he wasn't sleeping all that well. He still looked good, but in a rugged way. 

“Are you alright?” I asked before I could think twice about it.

“Not really.” Ledger admitted. “I can't help but think that I screwed things up between us.” He sounded so vulnerable that some part of me wanted to reach out to him and comfort him, tell him that it wasn't his fault. “Look, I'm sorry for not telling you about Otto's… sleazy behaviour, but I…”

“It's okay… It was unfair of me to pin all the blame on you.” I said. It was the truth. “I guess I needed someone to blame and you were the closest person I could find.”

“I get it, but please let me finish.” Ledger said, not unkindly though. I said nothing, letting him continue. “It's alright if you want to blame me. I don't mind bearing the brunt of your hurt or anger, but the worst part about your absence was not being able to see you or talk to you at all.” 

Ledger looked so vulnerable as he spoke. There was so much emotion in his voice that it was hard to think it was all fake.

I swallowed, emotion beginning to clog my throat. “But why? You haven't known me for that long.”

“Well, I don't think you need to know someone for long to build a connection with them.” He pointed out. 

True. Jade and I had known each other for a long time and yet our friendship had broken, and I heard Kylian had asked Alison out the first day they had met and now, after three years, they were engaged.

“Besides,” Ledger continued. “The night at the party wasn't the first time I saw you. Freshman year, during homecoming, you called a senior out for plagiarizing a classmate’s article and trying to pass it off as his own.”

Oh. But, that was such a long time ago. “I remember we had just lost the homecoming game. I should have been pissed, but then I heard you laughing with your friends. I wasn't able to stop watching you, and then I witnessed you calling out the senior. You didn’t care that he was popular or older. You just... did it.”

My breath caught.

“I kept seeing you after that. Around campus. In classes. But I never had the guts to talk to you. Then the party happened. And now here we are.”

His gaze was suddenly focused as he faced me. “I'm still tryna figure stuff out, but all I know is that I like being around you, Cassie. Things that should be difficult become easier when you're near. So, I want you around as much as possible.” Something flickered in his expression then. Something raw.

 

I sighed. “I’ve had some time to think these past few days… and while I still want to make Otto pay—more than that—I want to start living my life for me.”

My voice felt steadier than I expected.

“I held back from doing a lot of things because Otto didn’t like them. I thought that was love. I thought compromising meant I was being supportive.” I gave a dry laugh, mostly at myself. “I was such an idiot.”

Ledger said nothing, but I could feel him listening. Like, really listening.

“In any case, I’m done with that. Done holding back. If I want something, I'm gonna just go for it.” 

I ran a hand through my hair. “And, to be honest… I can't do this alone.”

I looked up at him. “You said it yourself. You’re in the right position to help me. Especially now that I know your sister’s the student council president. So… this might sound selfish, but—” I hesitated, then forced the words out. “Is the offer to use you still on the table?”

“Yes,” Ledger said immediately. No pause, no doubt. “As much as you want.”

That should’ve felt transactional. It didn’t.

“But,” he added, and now his mouth curled into that familiar grin, “I’ve got one condition.”

I arched a brow. I could guess what the condition was. “You want me to stay around you as much as possible.”

Ledger grinned. “That's right.”

“Fine.” I answered. “But no more secrets.” 

Ledger's smile faltered briefly. It was so brief that I wondered if I had imagined it. “No more secrets.” He echoed.