Arielle's POV
After Cassian left, I felt… alone. Or maybe the right word is unsatisfied.
As I lay in bed, my mind kept replaying what had just happened. My cheeks grew hot, and my body reacted again to the memory of his every move.
It was my first real encounter with a man — though I don't think Cassian realized it. Honestly, I loved that he didn't. If he had known, he might have been gentler with me, and I didn't want that. I wanted him to be natural.
If Naomi hadn't walked in, we might have never stopped… and—
Wait.
Naomi.
I needed to talk to her.
I jumped out of bed and hurried to her room.
KNOCK KNOCK.
"Yeah, come in," she answered casually. She was on her phone, probably chatting with a friend.
"We need to talk, NayNay," I said, sitting down on her bed.
"If it's about what I saw, I don't wanna," she said, wrinkling her nose playfully.
"NayNay, it was nothing… we were just talking and, uh… hugging too and—"
"Stop!" she cut me off, laughing. "Riri, I'm not a kid, you know. I might be just fourteen, but I understand things. They even teach us about that in school. Next time, get a room. I don't wanna bring a friend over and have him see my naked sister!" She giggled, and I laughed too.
"I don't know how you act so mature at your age," I said, smiling.
She just grinned proudly at me.
I wished her goodnight and went back to my room, finally feeling relieved that things were cleared between us.
I grabbed my phone and quickly dialed Nelly. The moment she picked up, I spilled everything — every heated, breathless detail.
"Girl, what??? How was it?!" she squealed.
"Amazing," I confessed, blushing all over again. "It felt so good… just that we couldn't, you know, finish because of Naomi."
"Yeah, I get it," she said with a laugh. "But wait — when are you coming back to classes? You've missed days now."
I sighed. I knew she was right. Between work and spending so much time with Cardan, I had completely neglected school.
"I'll come tomorrow. I promise," I said.
"Ah, finally! And you haven't even come to see Lily since you met Mr. Mystery Man," she teased.
Lily — Nelly's baby girl. I'd been there for her from day one, and now I felt guilty for being so caught up in my new world.
"I'll come see her tomorrow too," I promised.
We wished each other goodnight, and after the call ended, I checked my messages, hoping to see something from Cassian.
And there it was.
"Hi princess… I sent your new laptop. It should arrive tomorrow. I added a little gift too — hope you enjoy it. And by the way… we're not done yet. I'm sure you know that."
I laughed, feeling my heart flutter wildly. I texted back:
"Thank you for the laptop, though it wasn't necessary. And about what we haven't finished… I have classes tomorrow, so I don't know."
His reply came quickly:
"Don't worry about that, princess."
He ended it with a heart emoji.
God, this man made my whole body melt.
The next morning came too fast.
I barely slept — my mind kept drifting to Cassian's text, his touch, the things we almost did.
When my alarm blared at 7 AM, I groaned, dragging myself out of bed.
School.
Right.
Normal life.
I showered, dressed in jeans and a hoodie, and tied my hair up into a messy bun. Anything to hide how exhausted — and secretly giddy — I felt.
By the time I stepped out of my room, Naomi was already halfway through a bowl of cereal at the kitchen table. She raised an eyebrow at me but didn't say anything.
Thank God.
I wasn't ready for round two of "Riri, get a room."
Grabbing a piece of toast, I kissed Naomi's head and hurried out the door.
The bus ride to school felt different — like I was floating, separated from the rest of the world. Everyone looked the same. The noise, the chatter, the chaos.
But I was different.
Cassian had changed something in me.
At school, Nelly practically tackled me the moment she saw me.
"Finally! Miss I-got-a-man returns!" she squealed, squeezing me tight.
I laughed, embarrassed and happy at the same time.
"I missed you too, Nel."
"And Lily misses her godmother, don't forget that," she said, mock stern.
The final lecture of the day seemed to drag on forever.
No matter how hard I tried to focus, my mind kept slipping back to Cassian — his voice, his touch, the way he made me feel like I was the only girl in the world.
I twirled my pen between my fingers, staring at the clock above the whiteboard.
Five more minutes.
Just five.
I tapped my foot under the desk, practically vibrating with impatience.
Finally, the professor dismissed us with a wave of his hand.
I shoved my notebook into my bag and practically bolted out of the lecture hall.
Nelly, who had been sitting beside me the whole time, laughed as she jogged to catch up.
"Wow, someone's in a hurry," she teased.
I shrugged, trying to play it cool.
"I just… have plans," I said vaguely.
As we stepped outside into the bright afternoon sun, I immediately spotted it.
The car.
A sleek, matte black Audi R8, parked neatly along the curb.
It looked almost out of place among the dusty campus cars and motorbikes.
Clean. Powerful. Untouchable.
Nelly followed my gaze — and froze.
"Hold up," she said, grabbing my wrist. "Tell me that's not for you."
Before I could answer, the passenger door opened smoothly — and Cassian stepped out.
He wore dark jeans, a black button-up shirt, and sunglasses, looking effortlessly dangerous and breathtaking all at once.
He leaned casually against the car, one hand slipping into his pocket as he spotted me.
A small, private smile played at his lips.
Nelly's jaw practically hit the floor.
"Girl…" she whispered. "Girl, who is he?"
I just smiled.
"He is Mr mysterious" I said coyly, feeling my cheeks flush.
Cassian pushed off the car and walked toward us.
He moved like a predator — slow, confident, lethal.
When he reached me, he dipped his head slightly and murmured, "Hey, princess."
His voice sent a warm shiver down my spine.
"Hey," I said, trying not to sound breathless.
Cassian's eyes flicked to Nelly for a second, polite but distant.
"And who's this?" he asked.
"This is my best friend, Nelly," I said quickly.
Nelly, still staring at him like he was made of gold, managed a small wave.
"H-hi," she stammered.
Cassian gave her a polite nod, then turned his full attention back to me.
"You ready?" he asked.
I nodded, already feeling butterflies erupt in my stomach.
He opened the passenger door for me like a gentleman, waiting as I slid in.
Before he closed the door, he leaned down slightly and whispered just for me to hear,
"You look beautiful today."
I swear my heart almost stopped.
As he walked around to the driver's side, I caught Nelly's face — still frozen in total shock — through the windshield.
I laughed under my breath.
Today was already perfect, and it hadn't even truly started yet.