The following week, Cassian was back at the bar, up to his usual routine of staring at me from outside and then coming in to order a gin and tonic. The months had changed yet again, time flying faster and faster. It was now summer, and we were in a huge heatwave that left everyone glistening and shiny with a thin sheen of sweat on their skin.
Most people were walking around in shorts and light t-shirts, a lot of the thinner girls opting for nothing more than biker shorts and a sports bra. Summer in the city was always like this, all rules about being modestly covered in public went out the window, sacrificed for a bit of comfort in the scorching heat that claimed the city.
Living next door to the bar, somehow the secret got out that I had a pool at my apartment. It was an incredibly nice pool for where I lived and was a big reason why I chose my apartment over a couple others. No one used it much besides me, and I did my best to keep it clean, and more importantly, private.
Occasionally, drunk people from the bar would sneak over and try to swim, which was a liability for many reasons. The landlord had put up cameras and lights that were motion activated, but if you were actually in the pool, you were out of the range of the lights and without the lights, the cameras really didn't pick up anything. Needless to say, it was quite private, and people got away with a lot of activities out there because of the poor security setup.
Having a private pool available in the middle of the heatwave was a luxury that was comparable to few. In a city where pools were already rare, having one that I didn't even have to pay for or maintain myself was one of the best things about my living situation, even though I still did sleep in the dark basement that was my apartment.
I had been at the bar incredibly too late, and for no real reason other than hoping that Cassian would show up. It was one in the morning and I was nursing my last beer when I felt a familiar pair of eyes looking at me from outside. Cassian glanced at me from the windows and then opened the door, cruising into the bar to sit next to me. He gave me a quick hug and ordered his usual drink, checking his phone for a second while I looked at him. He looked handsome as always, his black suit crisp and pressed even in the heatwave, his hair long and straight, framing his rough but charming face. I looked away and sipped my beer, waiting for him to make the first move.
"Hey, Claude." He finally locked his phone and slipped it back into his pocket, showing me that his attention was now on our conversation. "How have you been? I haven't seen you in a long time." He seemed genuinely interested in knowing how I was doing. The bartender slid him his drink and he took a long sip. It must have been a rough day for him at work.
"I'm good. Probably gonna head home after this drink." I picked up my beer and nodded to it. "It's getting pretty late and I know JJ said he wants to try and close early." JJ was the bartender working that night. At this point, I had gotten to know all of the staff at the tavern and was friendly with all of them.
"You don't want to sit and hang out with me?" Cassian asked me, that damned smile plastered across his face. He made it impossible to say no.
"I may be convinced to stay for one more drink" I responded coolly. The truth was I wanted him to grovel, wanted him to beg me to spend time with him. This answer seemed to satisfy him and he ordered me my usual beer without even asking what I wanted, throwing his seemingly limitless money onto the bar.
As we sat and talked, my conversation with Violet replayed in my mind. It suddenly occurred to me how little I actually knew about Cassian. We talked a lot but he only shared about certain aspects of his life, mainly his work. He knew so much about me and the things that I had been through, but I could hardly say the same about him.
We sat and talked until the clock struck two in the morning, and JJ started yelling that it was last call. I was quite tipsy at this point and wasn't ready to say goodbye to Cassian yet. I could tell that he was thinking the same thing.
"You know, as you have been told before I do live next door. I have a pool over there." I don't know why I said it or really even the person that I had become, because the normal Claudia would not have ever offered to invite a man over to her apartment. Alone. At two am. I decided it was definitely the alcohol, but I didn't care. I wanted to spend more time with Cassian. I liked the way he talked, the way he asked me about myself and how I could share anything with him. I knew he lived in the night and I was starting too as well, two a.m. being nothing but an early start with the promise of more dares and risks to take in the coming dark and secret hours.
"Yeah, that actually sounds great. This heat wave has been brutal." I was surprised that Cassian had agreed so quickly. He still hadn't brought up his girlfriend, and as much as I wanted to and tried to, I couldn't make myself confront him about it either. If I could pretend that I didn't know, and Cassian was content with not telling me, then it was almost like it wasn't true. Almost.
