Cassie by E. L. Todd Page A

him to walk away. There was nothing to say.
    “Are you seeing anyone?”
    I didn’t know what answer I should give. I was seeing someone but he was a secret. And I didn’t know if he would ever not be a secret. He was standing in this very bar but I couldn’t acknowledge him as such. “No.”
    He eyes shined a little brighter. “Are you still a fashion designer?”
    For now. “Yes.”
    “That good to hear.”
    “How are you and Emily?”
    He averted his gaze when I said her name.
    “She had to come up at some point, right?”
    “She and I broke up a few months ago.”
    “Oh,” I said. “I’m sorry.” Actually, I wasn’t sorry. But I felt like a bitch saying that.
    “She left me for someone else.”
    “Karma’s a bitch, isn’t it?” It flew out of my mouth before I could stop it.
    “I deserved that,” he said quietly.
    “So, who are you dating now?”
    “No one,” he said. “I’ve been single for a while.”
    I stared at my empty glass.
    “Can I get you another?”
    “No, I’ve had enough.”
    “Are you alone?” he asked.
    “No, I’m here with my friends. I just wanted to take a break from their chit-chat.”
    “You know, I would love to take you to coffee,” he said. “I feel like we never really had a chance to talk after—you know.”
    “My number hasn’t changed,” I said. “You could have called me whenever you wanted.”
    His eyes sagged. “I know.”
    “So, I don’t think there’s anything for us to talk about.”
    “I would still love to see you.”
    “I’ve been nice this long, but my politeness is wearing thin, Danny. I’ll never give you a second chance. And if your request is genuine and you want to spend time with me as a friend, I don’t want that either. You obviously have no respect for me after what you did.”
    He nodded. “That’s fair.”
    “So just go, please.”
    Danny didn’t move.
    Tony came to my side and wrapped his arm around me. The heat from his hand almost burned my skin. He came close to me, touching me possessively. I felt the intimidation leak out of him. His eyes burned with hatred. “Baby, is this guy bothering you?”
    Danny moved away slightly.
    “No,” I said.
    Danny looked relieved.
    “It didn’t look like it,” he said. He kept glaring at Danny. “Get the fuck away from her.”
    A few people at the bar turned toward us.
    Danny looked at him. “She said she doesn’t have a boyfriend, so you’re obviously the one bothering her.”
    Tony looked at me. “You said that?”
    “Well…I didn’t know what to say. Janet is here…”
    Tony didn’t look pleased. “I’ll repeat myself on e time. Get the hell away from her or I’ll beat the shit out of you.”
    Danny stood up then brushed Tony’s shoulder as he passed. He turned around and looked at me. “I’ll call you.”
    Tony threw a punch quicker than I could see.
    Danny was on the ground, gripping his nose as the blood came out.
    “What did you say?” Tony said as he stood over him.
    Danny got to his feet. “Fuck you, asshole.”
    “If you contact her, I’ll kill you.”
    Danny left the bar. It was quiet for a moment before people starting talking again. Tony came back to me, the look of anger still etched on his face.
    “What the fuck was that about? You were going to date him?”
    “No!”
    “Then why would you say you’re single?”
    “I already said why.”
    Janet came over to us. “What was that about?”
    Tony dropped his hand from my side. “Nothing.”
    “But you punched—”
    “Shut up, Janet.”
    She flinched at the hostility in his voice.
    Tony marched out of the bar without looking back.

7
    I understood why Tony was mad, but I didn’t have a chance to explain myself, especially with Janet standing there. A part of me was angry at him because the incident wouldn’t have happened if we weren’t keeping our relationship a secret.
    I called him a few times but he didn’t answer. I would have gone to his apartment but I didn’t know where he