Healing hearts

Chapter twenty

Cassie's pov

I was nervous, and I didn't know why. I was standing in my old bedroom, staring at my reflection in the mirror. I was wearing a black velvet dress that was backless and fell just above my knees. My hair was pulled up in a messy bun, and I had applied just the right amount of makeup. I looked good, I said to myself.

I took a deep breath and grabbed my purse, heading out of the room.

As I reached the top of the stairs, I saw Xander standing in the living room, looking handsome as ever. He was playing with Alex  and making the little boy laugh. His mom was there, too, and she was beaming looking at them both with happiness.

As I walked down the stairs, both Xander and Stella turned to look at me. I felt a jolt of nervousness as Xander's eyes met mine. There was something about the intensity of his gaze that gave me goosebumps. I took a deep breath and went to them.

He gave Alex to his mom, and then he walked towards me. I felt my heart pounding in my chest as he took my hands in his. "You look beautiful," he said, his voice full of emotion. "Thank you," I managed to say.

He smiled at me, his eyes softening. "You're welcome," he said, and I felt myself relax a little. He was dressed in a Jean and shirt , and he looked as handsome as ever.

I turned to Stella and Alex, giving my son a kiss on the forehead. "Thank you for taking care of Alex tonight," I said, my voice soft. "We won't be long, I promise."

"Nonsense, Cassie," Stella said, her eyes twinkling. "Take as much time as you need. He's my grandson, and I love spending time with him." I felt a rush of gratitude towards Stella, and I smiled at her.

"It's time to go, Cassie," Xander said, and I nodded. I gave my son one last kiss  and said goodbye to Stella. We walked to the door and a  limo was waiting for us, and the chauffeur opened the door for us.

"Fancy," I said, as we climbed inside. Xander laughed, and I saw a twinkle in his eyes. "Just for you," he said, and then he handed me a bouquet of flowers. "For you," he said.

"Oh wow," I said, my eyes widening. The flowers were so beautiful, "Thank you, Xander," I said.

"You're welcome," he said, his eyes shining.

The car pulled up to a hotel, and I was surprised to see that we were going to the rooftop. The rooftop top was decorated so nicely, a dinner table in the middle and soft romantic music playing in the background.

I looked at Xander, my heart pounding in my chest. He smiled at me, his eyes crinkling at the corners. He pulled out my chair for me, and I sat down.

"Wow, Xander, this is incredible," I said, still in a bit of shock. "When did you have time to do all of this?"

He just smiled, a little smugly. "I'm very good at getting things done," he said, and I couldn't help but laugh. We were served our meal, and it was exquisite.

I moaned as I took my first bite of food, the flavors exploding on my tongue. As I looked up, I saw that Xander was staring at me, a look of intent on his face. I coughed, trying to cover the awkwardness.

As we ate, we talked about our college days, and how different we were back then. He told me about all the girls he hooked up with in college, how hard he tried to forget about me.

"Why didn't you ever tell me how you felt in high school?" I asked, softly.

"I knew I was going to get rejected ," he said. "And you were so in love with Noah. I knew that confessing my feelings would ruin our friendship, and I couldn't bear to lose you."

I was getting emotional,Before I could respond, he asked me to dance.

I nodded, and he took my hand and led me to the dance floor. We started to slow dance, the music soft and romantic. He held me close, his arms around my waist. I rested my head on his shoulder, and he looked down at me.

"You're so beautiful," he whispered, and I blushed. "Thank you," I said.

Then, he stopped dancing  and looked me in the eyes. "I love you," he said.

I didn't know what to say. I just stood there, staring at him.

He leaned in slowly, his eyes never leaving mine. I could feel my heart pounding in my chest. He was leaning in slowly his eyes asking for permission , and I wasn't sure what to do. As he got closer, my mind flashed back to that night, how he forcefully kissed me after entering me forcefully . I felt my body tense up, and I panicked. When his lips were just about to touch mine, I pushed him away.

He looked at me, and his face was full of regret. "I'm sorry," he said. "I shouldn't have done that. I shouldn't have..." He trailed off, and I could see the pain in his eyes.

"I want to go home," I said, my voice trembling.

"Of course ,but don't you want dessert "he asked.

"No, I just want to go home and be with my son", I said and he nodded.

He took me back to the limo..

There was an uncomfortable silence in the car, and I could feel his eyes on me but I ignored it. When we reached home I got out of the car and went into the house.

I found Stella in the living room , feeding my son. "Oh, Cassie," she said, . "You're home early."

I took my son from her. "I'm going to take him upstairs." I carried him up to his nursery, and I stayed with him until he fell asleep.

I was afraid to go back to the bedroom, and I wasn't sure why. I knew that my old room was still empty, but all of my things were in the room I shared with Xander now.

With a sigh, I put my son in his crib and went to the bedroom. I found Xander standing on the balcony, deep in thought.

I took off my jewelry and got out my nightwear . I headed to the bathroom for a shower, and when I came out, Xander was sitting on the edge of the bed. He stood up as soon as he saw me.

"I'm sorry if I made you uncomfortable," he said after a long silence. "I shouldn't have done that. I'm sorry I ruined our dinner."

I shook my head. "It's not that, Xander," I said. "It's just... I'm dealing with some personal things right now........"

"That i caused" he interrupted and I sighed

"I promise I won't touch you again," he said, his voice breaking. "I'll sleep on the couch tonight." He looked like he was about to cry, and he went to make up the couch in his bedroom. I felt awful, knowing that I had hurt him so much.

I had been working hard to overcome my fears, and I knew that the only way to do that was to face them head-on. But it was so hard, and I felt like I was failing. I went over to Xander and turned him around to face me. I looked into his eyes, and I could see the sadness there. Without thinking, I leaned in and kissed him.

The kiss started out gentle and slow, but then it quickly turned passionate and intense. I was trembling with pleasure, and my body was on fire. I pulled back after a while and looked at him.

"We will get there Xander," I said softly "please be patient with me,  okay" and he nodded.

I took his hand and led him to the bed. "Please stay with me on the bed," I said. "It won't be effective if you're on the couch." He nodded, and we got into the bed. I rested my head on his chest, and his arms wrapped around me and with that, I closed my eyes and drifted off to sleep.