The following day, they met early in the morning as it has become a routine; talking about whatever came to mind. This time, Cassidy was more open to talk about her personal life, and even mentioned why she didn't talk much with her father.
The man, who was one to talk about loving his children, was never really present throughout her life.
He always had an excuse to help her mother pay Cassidy's school or even pay anything related to her. And to add more to it, he had a child with another woman as well.
Which was an interesting story, because Cassidy's mother found out about his affair because his mistress called her herself and told her she had a baby with him.
Cassidy was around three years old, so she couldn't particularly remember anything about those times. She could remember her father's vicious words against her mother, though, crying over the phone as he swore her mother tore their family apart.
The few times he actually went looking for her for vacation trips, he would whine about how her mother was so selfish, she couldn't even bother asking him about selling their old house. One her mother bought with her own money.
It took Cassidy a couple of years and a good therapist to get over his poisonous words, and the only thing she could do to protect herself, was to create a thick wall around her; not letting many people in, as she could hardly trust others.
Kyle got the time to listen to her story, feeling bad about how he pushed her the other day.
He couldn't blame her. It was just a way to deal with her father's disappointment.
Her story, though, motioned something inside of him. For some reason, the fact that she thought every man in the world was like that pissed him off. Of course, she didn't know him enough to know he could be trusted.
Kyle knew that, but it also bothered him that the whole thing got to him. It's not like he was there to be her prince charming and beg her to trust him, but he low-key hoped she did on her own.
Was it possible? He wondered, but tossed the idea away as it was, actually, none of his business.
He found himself wondering about her, though, every time a little more.
Every time she talked about how she saw the world, how her words were always heavy and well thought, or even her mere point of view, made him curious.
She was more mature than he thought, perhaps after everything that happened with her father. And he liked that. He liked smart girls.
There was a time when he didn't care as long as they were hot; thinking being hot was a synonym of being nice. He learned it the wrong way that that's not the case.
Kyle also had the chance to talk about himself and why he hated his place that much. He was always alone there when Allen was not there to hang out. And being alone sometimes felt too overwhelming for him.
He rambled about it for a while, wondering if that was the reason he talked so much.
Because yes, he knew he was quite talkative.
Cassidy had a great time laughing about him, and how little he thought things before speaking or the way he overreacted about things.
They seemed to be opposites: one that talked too much and was eager to get to know other people all the time, and the other that was pretty sassy and didn't trust people right away.
And, even though they were indeed very different, they somehow managed to set a common ground: flirting.
That was, basically, Kyle's true nature. Flirty. But Cassidy enjoyed flirting with men she wouldn't even think about dating; she would do it just for fun.
So the moment Kyle flirted his way with her out of joke, she couldn't just stand down and let him have all the fun. A game they much enjoyed throughout the whole day, until Friday finally arrived.
"Say, Cass." Kyle said as he took one of his favorite candies inside his mouth. "Why don't you teach me?"
Cassidy looked at him with one eyebrow up.
"Show you what?"
"What you said the other day. As I seem to not know what I'm doing when it comes to dating, maybe you can help me out." He smiled innocently.
At first, his words twisted a knot inside her belly. He spoke so casually about it, her brain couldn't help but feel triggered, ignoring what her gut was telling her.
Cassidy snorted. "Really? Is that a move?"
"No," Kyle said, moving his hands. "I'm just saying it's not a bad idea… Or you do have a boyfriend you haven-t told me yet."
She shook her head. "If I did, I wouldn't be talking to you, probably."
"Why's that?"
"Cause fidelity is something I take seriously. Even though I'm not into the guy that much."
"You usually date guys you don't like?"
Cassidy shrugged. "I guess I date much with my brains rather than my heart." She looked at him, a defeated smile on her face. "I rather have that than being played with."
The blonde man shook his head, clicking his tongue in disapproval. "No do, sunshine. What's the point if the heart is not involved?"
"Not getting hurt?" She said, faintly rolling her eyes.
"But that's the beauty in it, isn't it?" He said, straightening his back as excitement flashed through his face. "The thrill of letting your feelings go. You cannot say you've had a relationship if you haven't let your feeling loose."
"You sound like a hippie." She pointed out with a laugh.
"They were right in some things." He tilted his head, a charming smile on his face. "So? I'm not gonna disappoint."
Cassidy snorted. "Right…"
"Is that a yes?" He pushed.
Her brown eyes looked around her as she shook her head in disbelief. He was being too adamant about it, something that normally would have just pissed her off, but now she couldn't help but laugh.
"Whatever." She narrowed her eyes. "I'm just gonna kept my expectations low… So low, they might meet our ancestors."
Kyle laughed loud, but nodded.
"This will more like an exchange. I teach you how to let loose, you teach me how to settle down." He scowled. "Not that I haven't tried… But you know what I meant."
Cassidy looked at him, faking suspicion, and hummed.
"That's not a good start."
"Maybe… But you know what is?" He left the question hanging, right before quickly kissing her cheek. A wide, smug smile spreading across his face.
All she could do, was look at him dead in the eye for a second as she processed the information.
Internally, his sudden move made her heart flutter. She hated how sly he could be and how easily he could get those kinds of reactions from her, but she'd be dead first before admitting to that.
So, in the surface, she only pressed her lips together and rolled her eyes.
"That was an improvement, indeed." She said, sarcastically. "Is that supposed to make me want to 'let loose'"
"You'll warm to it eventually, trust me." He winked, even though his smile was not sassy at all.
"It works every time?" Cassidy joked, turning his face into a weird combination of offended and surprised.
She laughed it off, hard, letting him know she was messing around.
But little did she know that, in fact, he was starting to take it very… very seriously.