~The Forbidden Fruit~

Chapter Thirty-Seven

Casey pov.

Naiomi had been hanging out with me a lot more than usual as of late. I was positive it had to do with the fact that she was no longer hanging around with that Colby guy and completely ignoring Andy. Though I didn't mind the company because she was my best friend and it was reminiscent of old times, I wondered why she wasn't spending her free time with Jemma. From the many conversations we'd had over the phone concerning the entire blow out at the beach weeks ago, she held no ill feelings towards Jemma because she was as much of a victim as Naiomi was. I avoided inquiring about it since we had finally moved past that subject and gotten back into our normal swing of things.

It was friday and we had recently arrived home from House of Dance, Naiomi was sleeping over and we were lounging in my room in our pajamas. She had taken the liberty of entertaining herself with my book of poetry, reciting it out loud and then sighing with an airy smile.

"You're such a romantic Case, seriously the stuff you write is gold and could legit make a girl swoon."

I snorted and snatched my red leather book from her hands, tucking it safely in the top drawer of my nightstand before flopping back down on my bed.

"Swooning would only happen if the words were being recited with an acoustic guitar and the voice of an angel. Neither of which I have."

Naiomi's brown eyes regarded me closely and as a faint smile turned up on her lips, "I could see it, yeah, get yourself some bangs and wear beanies all the time and you could definitely pull off the whole brooding, urban musician thing."

"Absolutely, because every girl loves that."

She bobbed her head up and down in affirmation, "Tis' true..." She grabbed up a pillow and lied down on her stomach next to me. Propping herself up with the cushion. "Speaking of girls, are you seeing any?"

There was a subject I was hesitant to touch on because I wanted to boast about the wonderful woman who had stolen my heart and continuously made my days brighter. However that gorgeous lady happened to be the one person Naiomi was most angry with at the moment, and the very same person who asked that we keep our relationship a secret from her. I could very well speak about her without dropping her name but knowing Naiomi she would want to know who it was. I knew all too well the lengths she would go to and the guilt trip she would use to get the answer. I followed my gut and uttered nothing of it.

"All is quiet on the Tatum front," I sighed, shrugging it off to the best of my ability.

She narrowed her eyes at me studying me with scrupulous intent, I began to grow apprehensive. This wasn't some nobody who couldn't tell a smile from a grimace, this was Naiomi Travis who had known me since the seventh grade and could read me like no one else.

"You're lying," she gasped with wide eyes, "Casey! You're dating someone!"

My face lit up like a grease fire with my cheeks flaming bright red, "I am not lying!"

"Yes you are! You're red as a tomato right now, why don't you want to tell me?" She laughed clearly amused by my blushing.

I grappled for something to say- anything that would throw her off of my number one tell for when I am bluffing. I refused to break the promise I made to Andy to keep this thing going on between us under wraps, she trusted me and I was not going to provide her with any reason not to. Suddenly a light bulb went off in my head and the face of the only girl that would be a plausible candidate for a secret relationship with me, was the one Naiomi all but forced me to go out with; Kayla.

"Okay, okay I've been hanging out with Kayla! There you caught me." I grumbled frowning my face up to really sell it to her. I felt terrible for lying to her about this, after all she was being fed lies for lord knows how long by that Colby, she deserved better than that.