“Enzo.”
I’ve only heard that name once, and it was from The Vampire Diaries.
Enzo who?
Cassia shakes her head. “I can’t give you more information without clearing it with him.” She gets up and walks to the fridge, opening it to look inside. “What are we going to eat?”
As I climb to my feet, she says, “Oooh, the cravings are starting early. Do you have crackers?”
I check the pantry quickly and pull out a box of lightly salted crackers.
“Those will go great with the creamy ricotta and cherries. What do you think?”
I shrug because I’ve never had it before, and I’m not so sure about mixing cherries and cheese.
Cassia places everything on the island and begins to smear the cream cheese over the crackers, while I grab a butter knife and start helping.
She takes the pits out of the cherries, and when her fingertips stain red, I quickly wave my hand for her to stop so I can take over. I don’t want her ruining her pretty nails, which have an artful design painted on them. It probably cost her a lot and took hours to get them done like that.
By the time there are twelve crackers on a plate and my finger tips are stained, Cassia grins happily.
As I wash my hands at the sink, she asks, “What do you want to drink?”
I dry my hands and join her by the fridge, picking up a tin of soda.
“Hmm…I should probably stick to water,” Cassia says. “But I’m going to have one of those as well.”
We carry our sodas and the plate to the living room, and when I sit down, Cassia takes the seat beside me.
“Taste one.”
Yeah, I still don’t know about cherries and cheese on salty crackers.
I pick one up and take a cautious bite, then I’m surprised when the little snack hits all the spots.
Gosh, it’s actually delicious.
She grins at me. “Good, right?”
I nod and pop the rest of the cracker into my mouth while I reach for the remote.
Choosing the first K-drama I watched that made me fall in love with them, I press play on episode one. We eat until the plate is empty, and I set it down on the coffee table.
I have to suppress a yawn when we’re halfway through the episode, and then suddenly I startle awake when a phone starts ringing.
“Shit,” Cassia whispers as she darts to her feet and runs to the kitchen. “Hey, what’s up?” A few seconds pass, then she says, “We’re watching TV.” She pauses again, probably listening to whoever called her. “No, you’re the one who woke her up. I was letting her sleep.” Cassia lets out a huff. “You’re being impossible, Enzo.” My head snaps to the side. “Fine, but you need to tone down the overprotectiveness. It’s a bit much.”
When I hear her heels tapping on the tiled floor, I quickly close my eyes and pretend to be asleep.
Cassia moves carefully around me as she switches off the TV, then a few seconds later, she takes hold of my shoulders and whispers, “Lie down, sweetheart.”
I let her move me, and when she covers me with a light blanket, I can’t keep pretending and open my eyes. Looking at her as she tucks me in, it feels as if she actually cares about me.
My lips part, and it takes a few seconds before the sound comes, soft and hoarse, “Thank you, Cassia.”
Her eyes snap to my face, shock tightening her features, then she sits down on the side of the couch and brushes her hand over my ponytail.
“You’re welcome. Get some sleep. I’ll check in on you again tomorrow. Okay?”
