Tempting my Billionaire

Crossing Her Lines

★Nathan★

I had every intention of catching her alone at lunch on Sunday. But the moment she walked into that dining room, poised and self-contained, it was like the rest of the world blurred. She sat beside her mother, perfectly composed, and barely looked my way. And every time I had tried to start a conversation, someone else would interrupt, and the moment was lost. While I had finally gotten a small sneak peek into her life, it wasn’t what I had been after. By the time I got back home, I realized that Cassandra had successfully managed to avoid me completely. I should have admired her for it. But instead, it only made me more determined. That’s why three days later, I found myself standing outside Coral Residences. I looked at the building's soft light that glowed against the early evening sky. Cassandra’s condo was modern, elegant, and private. Which was exactly like her. I wasn’t going to lie to myself, I was here to see her. The only problem is that she wasn’t home.

“Where are you?” I muttered as I walked away from her front door. Frustration simmered in my chest as I headed back to my car. I wasn’t sure if I wanted to wait for her or just leave. I glanced around and noticed something happening up the street. I decided to check it out. It wasn’t as if I had anything better to do. The closer I got, I saw that it was a café, and the place was jam-packed. Its string lights glowed like fireflies, and laughter carried through the open windows and large double doors. Something about the place drew me closer. Maybe it was the sound. Or maybe it was the rumble in my tummy that reminded me I hadn’t eaten since this morning. But as I approached the café, I slowed as I squinted slightly. Was that Cassandra? I smiled when I saw that it was in fact the woman I had been looking for. She sat at an outdoor table, with the fading sunlight across her face. A half-finished plate of food sat in front of her with a glass of white wine. She looked relaxed, and I couldn’t help but smile. She was a beautiful woman. Her hair hung loosely around her shoulders, and she was dressed so casually that I was taken aback. She was busy on her phone, and I took the opportunity to slip into the seat across from her. She looked up, and her eyes went wide.

“Nathan…” her voice was filled with a mix of disbelief and annoyance.

“Cassandra,” I said as I smiled. She blinked, still surprised. But before she could say anything, a server appeared and handed me a menu.

“Good evening, sir. Would you like something to drink?” he asked.

“Yes, please,” I said easily, as I took the menu and scanned through it. It wasn’t a large menu, so it didn’t take me long to decide. “I will have whatever she is eating and a glass of bourbon,”

“Coming right up,” he said before he hurried back inside. I turned to Cassandra, and I swear, if looks could kill, I would be dead.

“What are you doing here?”

“Having dinner,” I replied. “Looks like you have good taste in cafés,” her eyes narrowed as she studied me closely.

“You do not come here,”

“Sure, I do,” I said as I rubbed my sweaty palm on my pants. “I come here all the time,” she raised a brow, clearly unimpressed.

“Oh, is that so? Well, name one thing on the menu,” I hesitated for a split second.

“Fine. I have never been here before,” I admitted. Her lips curved slightly, though it wasn’t quite a smile.

“Then what are you doing here, Nathan?” she questioned, and it was a valid question. I could lie, but the look on her face stopped me. It was like a silent warning not to insult her intelligence.

“I stopped by your place,” I said, and she stilled.

“You…what?”

“I thought you would be at home,”

“Why?” she asked. Another valid question. I leaned forward.

“To talk,”

“To talk? About what? We are not friends, Nathan,” she said, and that stung more than I cared to admit.

“Not friends?” I repeated. “After all the years our families have spent together?” Cassandra shook her head.

“You are my brother’s best friend. Our parents are friends…but you and I…we barely know each other,”

“Ah, now come on, Cassy, that isn’t true,” I argued.

“It is,” she said just as the server returned with my glass of bourbon.

“I’ll be back with the food,” he said. But I barely paid him any attention as I stared at Cassandra.

“Look, Nathan. It’s been ten years since I last saw you. And…you might remember a girl who used to follow you and Tim around…but that girl is gone. You do not know me now,” I looked at her closely, really looked. There was something in her eyes, a flicker of pain she tried to bury beneath her calm. She wanted me to believe that distance had erased everything, that the space between then and now meant she owed me nothing. Maybe she was right. But it didn’t matter.

“Then I suppose we should fix that,” I said quietly. Her fork stilled.

“Fix what?”

“Not knowing each other,”

“You can’t be serious,”

“Oh, but I am,” I said. The server returned and placed a plate in front of me before he hurried off. I glanced down and frowned.

“It’s spicy garlic prawns with fettuccine,” she said, and I nodded as I picked up the fork. I ate in silence for a minute, even though I could feel her watching me. “It’s not that simple, Nathan,” she then said, and I looked over at her before I set my fork aside and took a sip of my drink. “I mean, you can’t just decide that we should suddenly become friends,”

“Well, why not?” I asked. Cassandra scoffed as she gently pushed her plate aside.

“You aren’t going to let this go, are you?”

“Nope,” I said. I turned my attention back to my food. The pasta was perfectly cooked, and the prawns were insanely seasoned with garlic and chili. But it was creamy and delicious. Cassandra sighed loudly, but I ignored it.

“You are impossible,”

“So, I have been told,”

“This is ridiculous,” she suddenly said. “I don’t know how you can just sit here like nothing happened,”

“What happened?” I asked curiously.

“Ten years, Nathan. That is what happened. You cannot just show up and act like you can rewrite the past,”

“I am not trying to rewrite anything,” I said before I took another bite. Cassandra leaned back in her seat as I watched her closely. “I am trying to understand why you are treating me like I did something unforgivable,” her gaze met mine, but her expression was unreadable.

“Maybe you did,” she said softly, and her words hit harder than I ever could have imagined. Before I could question her or say anything more, Cassandra got to her feet. “I’m going home. Goodbye, Nathan,” she turned to head inside to pay, but I reached out and grabbed her wrist.

“Cassandra, wait,”

“No, Nathan,” she said as she looked down at me. “We aren’t friends, ok?”

“We can be,” I urged, but she shook her head as she pulled from my grip. I watched her head inside and sighed. I knew there was more to her than this, but I wasn’t a fool. I also knew I couldn’t push too hard.

★★★