Chapter 55: The One I Couldn’t Ignore

Cassian’s POV

The music was still loud, mixed with people laughing, shouting, and talking over each other. The beach house felt packed. Everywhere I looked, someone was drinking, dancing, or yelling near the bonfire outside.

Asher had just walked away from me, heading down toward the beach.

I watched him disappear into the crowd, remembering how different, things used to be between us. Months ago, I hated him. Every time I looked at him, all I could think about was my brother and the anger was eating me alive. I wanted someone to blame for everything.

But somewhere along the way, I got tired of carrying all that hate around.

I finally let it go.

I forgave him because I didn’t want to become the kind of monster I spent years hating. And for the first time in a long while, my head actually felt quiet.

The moment Asher disappeared down the shoreline, my eyes found Daphne instantly.

She stood near the edge of the deck alone, staring out at the water. The wind moved softly through her hair while the lights from the party glowed behind her.

Without thinking much about it, I walked over and leaned my arms against the wooden railing beside her.

“Hey,” I said quietly.

She turned toward me, clearly surprised to see me there. A small smile touched her lips.

“Hey, Cassian. I didn’t see you there.”

“Just needed some air,” I replied, glancing toward the ocean. “You hiding from the crowd too?”

Daphne laughed softly. “A little bit. Tonight is just… loud. Everyone’s acting like summer means all that matters.”

“Yeah,” I murmured.

For a few seconds, we both stood there listening to the waves crash against the shore below.

Then I looked over at her again. “Have you thought about college yet?”

She sighed softly before nodding. “Kind of. I know I want to go, but I still don’t know what I actually want to study.” She leaned against the railing beside me. “Everyone else already has a plan. Schools. Careers. Their whole future mapped out. Meanwhile, I’m just trying to survive Senior year.”

I smirked a little. “Sounds normal to me.”

She smiled faintly“What about you? Still focused on hockey?”

“Yeah,” I answered honestly. “I want to keep playing after high school. Scouts still haven’t noticed me much, but I’m trying not to think about it too hard. I’ll just keep working and see what happens.”

“It must be nice,” she said quietly.

I frowned slightly. “What is?”

“To care about something that much.”

I looked at her. “Hockey keeps my head straight,” I admitted. “Without it, I’d probably lose my mind.”

Daphne looked down at her hands for a second before speaking again. “Maybe that’s why you stay away from relationships.”

I let out a small laugh. “I guess.”

“I mean it,” she continued softly. “Dating here seems messy. Especially when you like someone who doesn’t even notice you.”

The words hung heavily between us. I knew exactly who she was talking about Asher. I wasn’t blind. I saw the way she looked at him sometimes. The way her face changed whenever he walked into a room.

Still, hearing her actually say it out loud made something sharp twist painfully in my chest.

The silence between us suddenly felt too heavy. The distance we usually kept between each other disappeared completely. I stared at her longer than I probably should have.

And the more I looked at her, the harder it became to ignore what I’d been feeling for months.

Daphne finally broke eye contact first. as she glanced down at my cup. “Do you want another drink?” she asked quietly.

I kept my eyes on her. “Yeah,” I answered. “I do.”

“Okay.” She nodded quickly. “I’ll grab some from the kitchen.”

She turned toward the sliding door.

I followed her immediately. My focus stayed completely on Daphne as she walked ahead of me into the kitchen.

She opened the refrigerator door and bent slightly to grab a few bottles from the bottom shelf.

I stood a few feet behind her, watching quietly. Every feeling I’d buried for months suddenly felt impossible to control. The way my chest tightened every time another guy talked to her. I was tired of pretending none of it existed.

Daphne grabbed the drinks and closed the refrigerator door. The second she turned around, I stepped directly in front of her, blocking her path.

Her eyes widened immediately. “Cassian?”

I didn't answer with words. I leaned down and kissed her.

It was a pure, heat-of-the-moment reaction. Months of bottled-up pining and hidden attraction exploded all at once. For a second, her body went completely stiff with shock.

Then, a soft gasp escaped her lips. Her hands came up, her fingers tangling tightly into my shirt, and Daphne kissed me back.

The kiss was fast, intense, and completely reckless. It felt like a perfect, we were completely wrapped up in each other,

But then, Daphne suddenly pulled away from me, her breath uneven, and she stumbled backwards against the counter. The bottles clinked loudly.

The soft, romantic look in her eyes instantly vanished, replaced by a flash of panic and deep regret.

"I... I can't," she whispered, her voice shaking as she stared at me. "Cassian, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to do that. I really didn't mean to."

The words felt like a physical blow to my chest. "Daphne, wait. It's okay.."

"No, please," she interrupted quickly, her hands trembling as she pushed past me. She wouldn't even look me in the eye. "Just... please don't tell your friends about this. Don't tell anyone."

Before I could even reach out to her and tell her my feelings were real, she turned around and left the kitchen, leaving me completely alone.

A sharp ache settled deep in my throat. The rejection hurt, but what hurt even more was the realisation that she wanted to hide me.