Cassian’s POV
I stayed in the car long after Arielle had closed the door behind her. The echo of her laughter still lingered in my ears, haunting me—warm and cruel at the same time.
My fingers gripped the steering wheel tightly as I stared at the dark windshield sadly.
The night had ended, but everything inside me still burned. The way it felt to freely talk to her and open my heart to her was like a dream—a dream that I had had ever since I was a teenager.
In all my life, there had never been a time or day when I went out on a date that I enjoyed. Even if our little chat meant nothing to her, to me it meant the world. I got to know a few things about her and share some of my family's secrets, which I had never done with any woman.
And when we were about to get into the car, I felt th
