Come Around

The sun was starting to set when Alex walked into Cassie's room, not bothering to knock. She was sitting on the bed in nothing but a towel, her hair damp and wavy. She looked at him as he shut the door and leaned against it, staring back at her.

"Flyzik's been here for about an hour and a half," he said.

Cassie shrugged, "I'm not really in the mood for company," she said, a yawn escaping her.

"Are you still mad?" he asked.

"You threw me in the pool, Alex," she said.

He sighed, "Do you have any idea how ridiculous your behavior was?" he asked.

"Don't talk to me like I'm a child," she said, her eyes narrowing.

"Dude," he said, "You were throwing a temper tantrum. You were yelling and hitting me, and I didn't even do anything. I get that you're tired and stressed, but that's really no excuse. I'm not going to accept the blame for whatever is going on that has you so stressed unless you come out and say that it's something I've done or haven't done."

"You haven't been around," she said quietly.

"Neither have you," he said, "But I'm here now. And I really want you to talk to me."

Cassie sighed and turned her head away from him, refocusing her gaze on the floor in front of her. Her thoughts raced and she closed her eyes. The bed next to her dipped as Alex sat down, finding her hand and squeezing it gently in his own.

"Please. I'm begging you Cassandra. Tell me what's bugging you."

She sighed again, "You're going to get mad," she said softly.

"Why would I get mad?" he asked.

"Because," she said, pausing for a good thirty seconds before continuing, "I'm attracted to Matt." She bit her lip, still not looking at Alex.

"Flyzik?" he asked, and she nodded, "That's okay," he said, shrugging.

Finally, Cassie turned to look at Alex, confusion written all over her face, "Why is that okay?" she asked.

"Well, I mean, you're not going to act on it, right?"

"I'm not planning on it, no," she said.

"That's exactly why it's okay," Alex said, "And besides, Flyzik is a good looking guy. It's to be expected that you would notice and appreciate that fact."

A small smile broke across Cassie's face and she leaned on Alex, resting her head on his shoulder, "You're a goof," she said, "You're really not mad?"

"I'm really not," he said, kissing the top of her head, "Is that all that was bothering you?"

She shrugged and mumbled, "I guess."

"That means no. What else?"

"It's just work. I love my job, don't get me wrong. But I don't love having to do everyone else's jobs. And I don't love how behind I am because of it," she said, "And then, for the last two weeks, mostly this past week when it was really bad, you were always drunk so I couldn't even vent to you about how frustrated I was."

"I know. I'm sorry. I'm not good at being a boyfriend. But I'm going to try harder now," he said.

Cassie nodded, "Then throw in the whole Matt thing, and I'd say that pretty much sums everything up."

"So, just to make sure we're on the same page, you're not so much mad that I haven't told Flyzik that we're together. It's more that the fact that you're attracted to him was bothering you and you were angry at me already for something else so you just, kind of, projected?"

"I, yeah, I guess that sounds about right," she said.

Alex wrapped his arms around Cassie, pulling her close, "You're a lot of work, Miss Black," he said, "I don't know what it is about you..." he trailed off.

"You're one to talk, Gaskarth," she said, hugging him tightly, her face pressed against his neck and he laughed quietly, "I do want you to tell Matt though. I mean, he's your friend and he should know, don't you think?"

"I do," Alex said, "And I'm going to tell him. I promise."

"Good," she said and sighed, "I still don't know what to do about work."

"Give everyone else's work back to them," Alex said simply.

"They don't know how to do it. That's why they give it to me," she said.

"Show them, Cassandra. They're never going to learn if you just keep doing it for them."

She groaned, "I know. It just seems so much easier if I just do it," she said.

"But that's not fair to you, you know? Seriously, how many hours did you work last week?" he asked.

Cassie shrugged, "Somewhere around a hundred, I think," she said.

"That's insane," Alex said, his eyes growing wide, "That's more than two weeks of work for most people."

"I'm not most people."

"I'm well aware of that. But still," he said.

She sighed, "I know. I'll figure something out," she said, pulling out of the embrace and looking at Alex, "Can I have you to myself tomorrow?" she asked.

"Of course you can," he said, "What did you have in mind?"

"I don't know. I just want to get away from everyone and everything and relax."

Alex nodded, "I think we can work that out," he said, kissing the tip of her nose, "Can we get naked later?" he asked.

She laughed, "I'm naked now," she said.

"Actually, you're wearing a towel," he replied.

"Which is easily removed."

"But what about our friends?" he asked.

"I already said I wasn't in the mood for company," she said.

Alex grinned and leaned in. Just before their lips met, the bedroom door opened and Angie appeared.

"The boys are hungry so we're going to go get some food," she said, "Oh, there you are Alex. Did you guys want to come along?" she asked.

"Actually, we were just about to make up," Alex said.

"Oh, I see. I guess this was pretty good timing then," she said and looked at Cassie, "I'll just tell them that you're sleeping and I couldn't find Alex. And then we'll get out of here because none of us want to hear what's about to take place," she said, walking out of the room and closing the door behind her.

A few seconds later the door opened again and Angie poked her head inside the room, "Use protection this time," she said before disappearing.

They both laughed, and Alex looked at Cassie, "Should I-"

"Lock the door," she finished for him.

He stood and walked across the room, turning the lock on the door so they wouldn't be bothered again before returning to his spot next to Cassie. Without a word, he leaned in and pressed his lips hard against hers. She responded with force while her fingers quickly found the hem of his shirt. Alex grinned against her lips, parting from her only long enough for his shirt to be removed and dropped on the floor. Immediately, he attached himself to her neck, gently biting and kissing her smooth skin.

"If you leave a mark where anyone can see it, I will end you," she said, warningly.

He bit down on her neck a little harder than before, a gasp escaping her lips and her nails digging into his back, before slowly making his way back to her lips. He rested his hand rested on her thigh and as their kiss intensified, he slowly slid his hand up her thigh and underneath her towel, his fingers tickling her bare skin.

Her hands wandered down his back as he carefully pushed her down, swiftly straddling her hips as her back made contact with the bed, never breaking the seal their lips had created. She slowly dragged her fingers across his skin until she found what she was looking for. Fumbling a little, she unbuttoned his jeans. As she removed them, along with his underwear, he pulled at her towel and tossed it on the floor, leaving both of them completely exposed. Alex pulled away slowly, staring down at her naked body beneath him.

"You are so beautiful, Cassandra," he said after a moment, slowly lowering himself down and closing the space between them.