Pleased to meet you... again

Ten

"Hello" Xander half mumbled embarrassed that the first impression Casey's father would have of them was with a black eye.

"You must be Xander." The man ran their eyes over the brunette. He looked less than impressed. "John Hollinder"

"Pleased to meet you sir."

He nodded and moved on. "Casey!"

The blonde followed her Dad into his home office.

"How's school going?"

"Yeah good Daddy."

"Excellent. Now I want you to line up an internship for next summer. I've called in a few favors so there is a choice. There is Barnes and Coolidge in Chicago, their family law specialist is an old college buddy of mine David Durham. Or Galway Fraser in New York they work large class action suits Gail Galway is quite the force to be reckoned with on the East Coast."

"Thanks I will call them both and set up meetings." The blonde tried to sound enthusiastic.

"It's arranged. I will email you the zoom details. These are friends of mine. Don't show me up."

Casey smiled, "I won't. Thank you Daddy."

"Now tell me, are you living with a thug?"

Casey looked blankly for a second, "no Hunter never meant to push me."

"I'm not talking about Hunter, your roommate, they look like a thug."

Casey laughed. "No Daddy, it was a volleyball accident."

"Good. Now go and I'll see you at dinner."

Casey left the office and saw Xander talking to Juls in the kitchen. She didn't like seeing Juls paw them. She hadn't been able to stop thinking about the pool house and how she wished the brunette was talking about her. Xander made her feel a whole host of things she shouldn't and right now jealousy was top of the list.

"Hey." Xander smiled. "You okay?"

"Not really. Can we go somewhere?" The blonde asked.

"Sure."

"Don't be long, babe. I'll miss you." Juls added to the conversation.

Xander gave the black haired woman a look and a half smile as they followed the blonde. Up the stairs and into their room.

"My Dad wants me to go do an internship in the summer," she said as she sat down on her bed. "I really really don't want to be a lawyer. I know that he wants me to run the firm one day. It's just not where my heart lies." Casey was tearful.

"Come here." The soccer player sat down next to her roommate and pulled her into their arms. They held her close. Before they sat close in each other's arms. Xander moved Casey's hair from her face and gently wiped the tears from her eyes. They wanted so much to kiss her, but knew this wasn't the time. "I had to have the same conversation with my mum. There was this expectation I'd take over the farm. You only get one go at getting it right. It's your life. Don't be too scared to live it."

Casey broke the gaze momentarily and looked up at the ceiling. Before returning her blue eyes in line with Xander's emerald stare. "There are so many things I'd change. I want. I don't know where to begin."

"Well, start by doing one thing."

Casey looked again at the soccer player's lips. She knew one of the things she wanted was to kiss the human in front of her. See if what she was feeling was real or some infatuation. She moved closer, pressing her forehead against the brunette's, just looking at them feeling their breath on their face.

"Hey" The pair jumped apart as Casey's mother entered the room. She gave them both a look. Before holding eye contact with her daughter. We're going to order pizza and get some games out. "It's nice to see you again Xander." The older blonde said as she walked away.

Casey stood up quickly and moved to the door. "I think we better go down." She said avoiding all contact with the brunette still seated on the bed.

"Yeah." Xander looked at the floor. Still reeling they were sure without the interruption the blonde was going to kiss them. Maybe just maybe Casey felt the same way. They smiled inwardly. Feeling the buzz in their gut grow and burst. She likes me. Maybe I'm one of her wants.

They all sat around a table. Playing Monopoly with another family is always something; they all had their specific tokens, their own rules as Xander found out when they tried to purchase something.

"No" Juls said, "you can only buy the high valued colors when all the other color are gone."

"That's not the rules"

"They're our rules." Casey smiled as she took all of the goodies sitting in free parking with her next turn.

Xander exhaled. They were usually pretty ruthless at the game; they had a strategy that had never failed them until tonight.

The game finished with Casey's mom heading to bed and her dad heading to his office. "Xander, I've made up an occasional bed in Casey's room. I hope you don't mind." The older blonde who was said as she left the room.

"No, thank you Joyce, that's great. Good night."

"You could always share with me," Juls whispered into their ear while stroking the soccer player's thigh.

Casey looked on, the anger almost spilling out over their face. "Xander is my guest. They'll be sharing with me. Besides, isn't your husband home tomorrow."

Xander looked at the raven haired woman. Shocked.

"He is, but that's tomorrow and tonight is tonight."

"Yeah" Xander smiled, finally finding an out, that wouldn't offend the cousin. "I don't sleep with married women. Kinda a rule of mine." She winked.

Juls headed to her room. Brent who'd been on his cell all night with his headphones on looked up before shuffling off without a goodnight.

Casey started lifting the empty glasses from the table. Xander moved over to lend a hand. "Would you have slept with her? You know if she wasn't married."

"No. I told you earlier I am interested in someone else."

"Even if you can't have them."

"Even if I never get a chance. I'm pretty sure I'll think about them for the rest of my life."

"That's sad."

"Maybe. Even if I move on and end up loving someone else. I'm pretty sure that she'll always be in my thoughts and dreams."

"You sound like a character in one of my stories."

"Ah yes your stories. You still have to let me read something." Xander handed Casey the last few glasses for the dishwasher.

The blonde loaded the last of the items and stood up. "We'll see. You want to head upstairs? We could maybe watch a film or something?"

"Yeah. I am sorry in advance though I kinda assumed I'd have my own room. I've only got my boxers to sleep in and that old T that I used on my nose earlier."

"I'm sure we'll be fine. I can lend you a vest or something. You always live in shorts anyway it's not as if I haven't seen your legs before." The blonde smiled.

They headed upstairs and Casey went to her bathroom to change, she exited still with her toothbrush, "sorry I forgot," she threw xander a vest before returning to the bathroom to rinse her mouth. When she returned she watched as the brunette finished pulling the vest over her head, they were facing away but Casey was struck looking at her roommates back. The strong muscles of thier shoulders and the smoothness of their skin. Xander turned and smiled at the blonde. The law student smiled back. She loved when the soccer player looked at her like she did now.