Cassie smiles as she fusses with the blankets around me. “Don’t tell her that.”

“She offered to stay for another week.”

“Why didn’t you take her up on it?”

I shrug and lean my head back against the pillow propped up against the headboard of my bed. “Because you hate when I’m a momma’s boy and need her around me.”

Cassie’s face is serious when she looks up at me. “Justin, you had surgery five days ago and if you want your mom here then she should be here. And I don’t hate that you’re close with your mom.”

I smile. “I was kidding, Cass. Mom has stuff she has to do back home and I don’t need her here when I’ve got you.”

Cassie straightens and puts her hand on her hip. “Except I have that meeting I have to go to this afternoon.” Her eyebrows draw together a bit. “Are you going to be okay by yourself?”

Both her and my mom have been treating me like I’m made out of glass. It was actually a relief when Trace came over yesterday, punched me in the arm, and called me a girl for watching Oprah. “I’ll be fine. It’s only like a couple hours you’ll be gone, right?”

She begins to chew on her lip and my stomach drops a bit as I anticipate her next words. “Well the meeting is only supposed to go an hour or two but Kyle invited me out to dinner later with him and some of his friends.”

I don’t bother to hide the emotions going over my face. “Oh.”

Cassie’s eyes move to the window and then back to me. “I can tell him I can’t go,” she says quickly. “You shouldn’t be here all alone. You might need something.”

My first instinct is to just agree with her but my conscience holds me back. I know that it’s been bothering Cassie that she doesn’t know a lot of people in LA and she’s probably looking forward to meeting some new people. Besides, the pain medication I’m taking knocks me out and even if she came over here, I’d probably just be sleeping anyways.

“No, go. If I really need something I’ll just call Rach. I’ll probably end up sleeping all afternoon anyways.”

“Are you sure?”

She looks really concerned at this point and it makes me smile. “Absolutely.” I glance at the clock quickly. “Are you going home before your meeting?”

“I don’t have to.”

I lift up the blankets she’s just tucked around me. “Then get in.”

She smiles and carefully climbs into bed beside me. I put my arm around her shoulders and pull her close to me, her body fitting perfectly against mine. We’re both quiet for a minute before she breaks it.

“I think I’m going to New York in a few weeks.”

I shift a bit before settling back against the pillows. “For what?”

“There’s some fashion shows I really wanted to see going on and I want to meet with some potential buyers there.”

“Are you going alone?”

“Kyle will stay behind to run the store.” She stops and I can tell with a quick glance of her face that she’s struggling with her next words. “Do you want to come?”

It makes me smile when she finally gets them out. She’s always had issues with doing or saying things that are signs of deeper commitment in our relationship. But she’s getting better and loosening up, even if it does sometimes take work to get the words out of her.

“I would have to check my schedule. I would love to go but depends on how much is left with Bridget’s album.”

She doesn’t seem put off by that. “Okay.”

“But I think we should go on vacation.”

She looks over at me and bites on her lip for a second before smiling. “Where?”

“Hawaii, Mexico, Caribean. Somewhere where it’s so hot you’ll just opt to go naked the entire time.”

She begins to laugh and if I wasn’t sporting a whole bunch of stitches, she probably would elbow me in the side. “Perv.”

I keep a straight face. “Seriously. You’d do that, right? We could rent a bungalow on a private beach and it would just be me and you….naked…”

She’s still laughing. “How many drugs have you had today?”

“Not enough.” I move around again, trying to find a comfortable position.

“Have you taken anything this morning?”

“I took a pill when I woke up at nine.”

She looks at her watch. “That was five hours ago. You should take another.”

I start to shake my head but the look she shoots in my direction quickly stops me.

“Stop trying to be all macho and take your dam pills,” she says. “You just had a knife cut through your body and a part of you removed.”

My nose wrinkles a bit. “You really have a way with your words, you know that?”

She gives me a bright smile and then, despite my attempts to keep her still, pulls away from me and crawls out of bed. I close my eyes as she goes to my bathroom and don’t open them again until the smell of cherry blossoms meets my nose once again.

“Pill,” she says simply, handing me my pain killers. “Water.”

I dutifully take it and then grab for her hand again. “Come back to bed.”

She looks like she wants to but a look at her watch prevents it from happening. “I need to go really soon. I have to get gas and stop at the bank.”

I wish I could make laying in bed with me appealing enough but the fact is that I haven’t showered in a couple days and I’ve completely given up on shaving at this point. I should be glad she even laid here with me at all. “Okay.”

“Don’t pout at me like that. You’re going to be asleep within fifteen minutes anyways.”

I let the pathetic look fall from my face since she’s completely right. “So how long will you be out tonight?”

“Um…I’m not exactly sure.”

“Will you come here after? Rach is still in Tennessee and Trace isn’t any help. And now that Mom’s back home I just don’t want to be all alone so-”

Her lips against mine cut me off. “Of course I’m going to come over tonight. Hopefully I’ll be here by like seven or eight.”

“I’ll be awake. And if I’m not, wake me up.”

She nods even though I know she won’t wake me up if I’m sleeping. She kisses me once more, her lips lingering against mine. “I need to go. I’m going to be late.”

I really wish she’d just blow off her meeting and stay but I know there’s no way that’s going to happen. “Okay. Call me if you get bored.”

She nods and gives me a smile. With one last quick kiss, she leaves my room, half shutting the door behind her. I wait until I hear the front door close before moving into a fully laying position on my bed and pulling up the blankets around me. It doesn’t take long for the pill to kick in and within ten minutes I’m asleep.

The medicine completely knocks me out for a good four hours and it’s after six when I wake up. The moment I become conscious I wish I wasn’t. My head is pounding and my neck is sore from how I slept. I make a move to turn onto my side and immediately realize just how much my incision hurts.

“Shit,” I mumble. I squeeze my eyes shut and try to relax the rest of my body. After a few minutes pass and I still feel like crap, I decide the only thing that could possibly help is a hot shower, even though that seems like way too much effort at this point. But after a small pep talk, I manage to get out of bed and make my way to the bathroom.

Although the shower takes a lot of effort, I feel a hundred times better when I emerge. I’m feeling renewed enough to grab my electric razor and shave off the six day stubble that’s covering my face. The final result satisfies me and I know that Cassie will be pleased. She’s been griping about my facial hair ever since I got home from the hospital.

I feel almost human again as I leave the bathroom and find some fresh clothes to put on. I don’t even entertain the thought of getting back in bed. Just looking at the crumpled sheets is making me feel sluggish again and I can’t take one more minute laying there. I’ve been staring at these four walls for the past three days and I’m on the verge of going stir crazy.

I’m really wishing I had someone to keep me company right about now. Cassie’s meeting was at three so she probably ended up going for dinner around five. One hour isn’t enough time for her to be done so I resist calling her cell phone. I’ll call at seven.

My mom made a whole bunch of food before she left so I wouldn’t have to worry about food and I pull out one of the Tupperwear containers of pasta from the fridge. Phone in hand, I sprawl out in front of the TV in the den, eat, and wait for Cassie to either call me or get here.

By seven I’ve exercised enough patience and I pick up the phone to call Cassie’s cell. Some annoyance seeps through me when her voicemail picks up after four rings. I don’t bother leaving a message and with a frown, hang up. She always picks up her phone. What could she possibly be doing that she wouldn’t hear it?

Maybe I’ve just been alone too long and I’m getting paranoid but my brain starts to go into overdrive as I sit there and stare at the TV.

Maybe she’s just choosing to not pick up the phone. Maybe she’s tired of having to take care of me and she thinks that I’m calling her to tell her she has to come here and she’s avoiding me. She’s probably having fun with Kyle and thinks I’m going to ruin it. Kyle.

The frown turns into a scowl. It’s probably just because I’m irritated but suddenly I don’t like the fact that she’s hanging around Kyle. I’ve met him enough times to decide that he’s got some kind of crush on Cassie. It’s obvious the way he looks at her. Before it didn’t matter because I was pretty sure it was just this harmless thing and she would never do anything with him. But now it really matters. I don’t want her hanging around some guy who wants her.

My irritation grows with each passing minute. By time seven thirty hits and the phone still hasn’t rang, I’m completely fed up. I’m sick of being alone.

The phone only rings three times before Cassie’s voice comes over the line.

“Hello?”

She’s laughing as she says it and I can hear people laughing in the background. There’s something about knowing she’s out having fun while I’m stuck sitting here that worsens my mood a bit more. “Are you still at dinner?” I ask, trying to keep the sourness out of my voice.

“Yeah. We’re almost done eating.”

“Why didn’t you pick up before?”

She doesn’t answer right away and instead I hear her laughing with someone. I frown a bit as I wait for her.

“Sorry, what?”

“I called you before and you didn’t pick up.”

“Oh really? I must not have heard it. Did you need something?”

“I just wanted to know when you’d be back.”

“Soon. Maybe half an hour.”

There’s more talking in the background and Cassie is once again distracted for a moment before bringing her attention back on me.

“Okay well we’re going to leave soon and then I’ll come over there.”

“Fine.”

“Bye.”

She hangs up abruptly and I sigh and drop the phone on the couch beside me. Maybe I’m just being selfish but I’m the one who just had surgery and she should be here with me and not out with other people. I should have taken her up on her offer to stay when I had been given the chance. I hate that I’m just sitting in this big, empty house all by myself.

It’s a bit after eight when I hear the sound of the front door closing. I gave Cassie a key to my house a week ago but have yet to receive one back from her. I think that still freaks her out too much.

I don’t bother getting up or even moving as I listen to her move through the house. She calls my name a couple times but responding seems like too much effort at this point. “There you are. Why didn’t you say anything?”

I look away from the TV and to Cassie when she appears in the doorway. I stare at her for a second before shrugging.

“Are you feeling okay? You look better.”

I pull my arm away from her when she touches it. “Have fun with Kyle?” I ask, not being able to hold it in anymore.

She pulls her hand away from me and places it on her hip as she stares at me. “What?”

I don’t respond and instead return my eyes to the TV.

She’s silent for a minute before speaking. “I’m going to put that comment on the fact that you’re tired and not feeling great and not that you would actually ask me that question in that tone of voice otherwise.”

I hate that she doesn’t give in to my obvious attempts to start conflict and is instead a mature adult. It just makes me feel stupid.

“It was just a question,” I mumble, picking up the remote.

“It wasn’t just a question,” she replies and then turns and walks out of the room. I watch her retreating form but make no move to stand. I realize I’m a complete ass for asking her that question in a way to insinuating that she was doing more than just having dinner with Kyle but I couldn’t stop myself. I chalk it up to the fact that I haven’t taken any pain medication since early this afternoon and my side is killing me.

I wait for ten minutes for her to reappear. When it doesn’t happen, I make myself shut off the TV and get up. I slowly walk through the house until I go into the kitchen and through the French doors, see her on the patio outside. She’s simply standing at the railing, her back to me, and her arms wrapped around herself. I stop by the doors and watch her for a minute. Now that I’ve done it, I feel bad for being so rude to her. She’s here to take care of me and I jump down her throat for going out with her friends.

She turns her head when I open the door and doesn’t break eye contact with me as I walk over to her.

“I’m tired and annoyed,” I say when I’m nearer to her. “I wouldn’t have said that otherwise.”

“That’s your excuse?”

I cringe a bit. “It’s not an excuse. I’m just saying.”

“I don’t handle jealousy well,” she says, her arms dropping to her sides. “So don’t start to get upset when I hang around people who aren’t you or Trace or Rachel.”

I silently curse. Is that seriously what she thinks I’m doing? “I’m not upset. It’s just…Kyle.”

“What about him?”

“He likes you. I can tell from the times I’ve been around you and him.”

Her shoulders slump a bit and she shakes her head. “Justin…”

“What? Don’t you see it?”

“We’re business partners.”

“No you’re his boss. And he knows we’re dating.”

She sighs and looks around the yard. “I think that this isn’t the time to be talking about this.”

“You’re skirting around the issue.”

Her eyes meet mine. “You’re right, I am skirting around the issue because I don’t want to go there with you.”

I want to make her see it how I see it but the stubborn look on her face tells me that the subject is closed. And when deciding whether I want to spend the rest of my night fighting with her, the decision isn’t hard.

“Then we won’t talk about it,” I say. “Not now.”

“Good.” She changes the subject abruptly. “Have you taken your pills?”

“Not since you left.”

Shaking her head, she puts her hand on my elbow and pulls me towards the house. “Do you think it makes you look tougher to not take pain medication?”

I smile a bit as we walk into the house. “Absolutely.”

She mumbles something about the male species and then moves ahead of me to go upstairs, leaving me to trail slowly behind her. I’m exhausted by time I reach the top stair and when I get to my bedroom, I go straight to my bed. Cassie comes out of my bathroom with a full glass of water just as I’m getting settled under the covers.

“Are you needing to sleep?” she asks, handing me the water and a pill.

“No. I just need to lay down.” I swallow the pill and then turn my eyes back on Cassie. “You don’t have to, but are you going to stay here tonight?”

She points to the bag sitting in the corner of the room that I’ve somehow missed seeing all day. “I was planning on it.”

“You should change and grab a movie to put in,” I say, praying she’ll agree to do that. After me being a jerk to her, she may not want to hang around me all night.

My prayers are answered when Cassie nods and disappears into the bathroom with her bag. When she reappears, I smile to see her in this pajama short and cami set I picked out for her at Victoria Secret. If I had more energy, I’d say screw the movie. But for now, none of that is possible and I have to be content with her laying beside me, her body curled into mine.

“You didn’t actually put in Sweet Home Alabama, did you?” I ask as the opening credits play across the screen of the TV.

She smiles and kisses the corner of my jaw. “You’re the one who has it in his collection.”

“It’s Rachel’s,” I say with a sigh. “Cass, can’t we watch an action movie or something? This is going to make me fall asleep.”

I can feel her smile against my skin and she kisses me again. “Good. You need your rest.”

I don’t bother protesting anymore. Maybe I’m just whipped, but I guess there are worse things in the world than laying in bed with a gorgeous girl, even if a cheesy chick flick is involved.