Chapter 11.
Casey took a deep breath and knocked on the oak front door of the Kappa Tau house. She didn't want to be there and her stomach twisted. Her palms felt clammy and she felt like running as far away as her heeled sandals would carry her. She started to back away but before she could make it to the first step a very serious faced Beaver opened the door.
"Oh, Casey it's you," Beaver said as some of the tension drained from his body. He looked like he was ready to punch something and Casey felt a bit of relief that she wasn't the one he was expecting when he opened the door.
"Hey. What's going on?" Casey asked as she stepped into the house. It was quiet, eerily quiet. The guys were all packed into the living room, each as silent and stony faced as Beaver. Neither Rusty nor Cappie were there.
"Have you heard from Rusty?"
"Not since last night," Casey answered, feeling a knot tie itself in her stomach. "What's going on?"
Beaver looked toward Wade, who stood on the opposite side of the room next to the fireplace. He gave Beaver a quick nod and said, "She can help."
"I can help what?" Casey asked as she looked around at the concerned faces. Each one of them seemed to look hopeful all at once as if she could deliver a miracle. "Did something happen to Rusty?"
Beaver ignored her question and tugged her towards the stairs. She followed him up the stairs and onto the familiar landing. The door at the very end of the hall was closed, loud music seeping out from the cracks, disturbing the odd hush that filled the rest of the house. A wooden chair she recognized was propped up against the wall, broken and splintered. As they neared the door Beaver slowed to a halt, letting Casey go the last two feet alone.
"Keep calling Rusty. I'm sure he'd want to be here," Casey said over her shoulder before she knocked on the door.
There was a lot of noise coming from inside and Casey didn't think that Cappie had heard her knock. She wasn't sure if she should knock again and turned to look at Beaver. He stood behind her with his feet planted and arms crossed over his broad chest and it looked like it would take an F5 tornado to make him move. Casey raised her fist to knock again but the music cut off suddenly and the door swung open. Cappie stood on the other side looking mused and wild eyed. His gray tee shirt and jeans were rumpled and his hair stood up at odd angles at the back of his head.
"Hey," Casey mumbled, not really knowing why she was even there.
"Hey," he said, his gaze hard and shooting over her head at Beaver. Whatever Cappie saw behind her seemed to do the trick because he lowered his eyes to look into hers.
"You look nice," he said threw gritted teeth.
Casey looked down at herself. She had just come from her interview and was still wearing her grey cotton skirt that hit her just above the knee. She had taken off the matching blazer, revealing the black lace tank top that she had worn underneath. She had used her curling iron to place soft loose curls in her hair before she left the house. She was well aware of how she looked and the fact that Cappie noticed made her smile.
"Thanks. Are you going to let me in?" She asked although she knew she shouldn't.
Cappie's eyes shot over her head again before he stepped aside, letting her into the room and closing the door behind her with a bang.
Cappie's room was a mess as usual; the only exception being that there was not a lace thong or a naughty nurse outfit to be seen, and the chair that used to be next to the desk was missing. Casey stood close to the door, keeping her distance, while Cappie moved to sit down on the end of the bed.
"What happened?" Casey asked, although she had a pretty good idea already.
"Nothing," he said, his gaze sliding down her bare legs to her black sling back sandals and the red polish on her toenails. Casey pushed heat that shot into her abdomen away.
"Did something happen with Rebecca?"
"I thought you weren't talking to me. What are you doing here?"
Casey sighed at his change of subject and moved a little closer to him. Wade had said that she could help but she wasn't sure what she was supposed to do.
"Rusty called me selfish."
That got Cappie to look up and at least look slightly curious.
"He came to me last night asking for my help and I said I couldn't do it."
Cappie let out a sigh of his own and let his face drop into his palms.
"I'm such a douche," he said into his hands. It was so muffled, Casey had to strain to hear him.
"You'll make it right. You always do."
Silence filled the room and Casey debated whether she should crawl into Cappie's lap or quietly slip out of the room. He was hurt, she could see it in his eyes, and she wanted him to say that he needed her to hold him. She wanted him to say that he needed her to be there for him like he had been there for her. Despite the warning bells that always seemed to pop off in her head when he was around she realized that she wanted to be there for him, she had always wanted to be there for him. Casey let out a shakey breath and moved closer, letting one hand slip into his hair. The silky feel of it sent tingles up her arm and over her chest. Cappie picked his head up and a tangle of emotions flowed through his clear blue eyes. Casey brushed her fingertips down his temple and cheek before dropping her hand.
"What happened Cap?"
Cappie looked up at Casey and he couldn't believe the amount of emotions flowing through him all at once. He especially couldn't believe that all he wanted to do was bury his face in Casey's chest, even as he was ready to punch a hole in his door. He'd already broken his chair today and a hole in the door didn't seem like such a bad idea. Casey had asked him what happened, all while looking like sex incarnate, but he had no intention of talking about it with her. Rebecca had screwed him, or Evan rather, and he wasn't about to tell Casey that it stung more than he cared to admit.
Cappie had thought that Rebecca was different from the girl that everyone else saw. He believed her so much that he had probably screwed up his relationship with Rusty. Deep down he knew the truth. That's why while Rebecca had been in the shower this morning he had checked her phone. He hadn't seen anything out of the ordinary, no weird text messages or recent phone calls. Nothing but Evan's cell phone number in her contacts list, but that didn't mean anything. His number had been there for nearly a year. She had gotten it before she'd slept with him on rush night. That's what she'd told Cappie when he'd first discovered it. Back then they hadn't been public with their relationship and he had no right to ask her to delete it. He had pressed send and lost it when Evan had answered on the second ring.
"I thought last night was a one time deal," he had said, his tone suggesting otherwise.
Casey sat down on the bed next to him and her skirt rode up to reveal more of her creamy smooth legs. Cappie knew what would happen if he ran his tongue along the inside of her thigh and he fought really hard not to sink down to his knees and do just that.
"Rebecca cheated on you didn't she?"
"Yes." Damn it, he hadn't meant to answer her. He looked into her eyes and felt his chest tighten. Her eyes were saturated with pity, like she felt sorry for him. Like she knew what he was going through.
"I'm sorry Cap. I know it's hard." Yep, that's exactly what she thought. He wanted to wipe that pity look off her face. He could do it too. He could tell her that she couldn't feel bad for him because for the past few weeks all he's wanted to do was slip himself inside her slick, juicy center. He could tell her all the things he has thought about doing to her, starting with sucking on the tips of those perfect breasts that were threatening to pop out of her shirt.
"You don't know anything," Cappie said, launching himself off the bed. He was either going to kiss her or hit something and he knew neither of those things could be a reality.
"Evan cheated on me too. With Rebecca," she reminded him as if he could forget. No he couldn't forget that. It's the whole reason why he remembered how hot and wet she could get for him all too clearly. If it hadn't been for good old Evan it would have been a two year old memory and not a barely 7 month old memory.
"Evan is a douche and I wasn't surprised," Cappie spat back, standing with his back to her. He couldn't look at her and have this conversation. "Rebecca was...she was..."
"A spoiled brat who throws a temper tantrum when she doesn't get exactly what she wants," Casey said to his back. "You had a fight, you stormed off, and she got even. Cap, she got you right were she knew it would hurt the most."
Cappie stayed silent. That wasn't true and he knew that but there was no point in discussing it further. His relationship with Rebecca had been going no where and she had the courage to finally end it.