Counting Stars • [Casey x Izzie]

Answers & Questioning

Izzie

I opened my eyes to the sound of muffled yelling through the walls. Then as I reached out to the other side of the bed, I remembered that I wasn't in my own.

The flood of sensations and images rushed through my mind, causing my body shiver at the thought of Casey and I having each other completely. I mean, both her and I have had sex in the past but last night... it truly felt like the first proper time.

My thoughts were ripped back to the present when I recognized one of the voices coming from downstairs to be my girlfriends, and the other...

Oh no....

I rushed to put my clothes on. However once I did, I contemplated going downstairs and interfering.

I carefully closed the door behind me and tiptoed down each step, making sure I wasn't seen. The voices got louder and louder until I could make out the conversation. I paused, hiding before I reached the bottom.

"Okay, you have to go." Casey demanded.

"No, I'm not leaving until we talk." Evan refused.

"We will!" Casey assured. "Just not now."

"Why not now?" Evan persisted, losing patience.

"Evan." Casey's voice softened, almost pleading with him. "Not now."

It went quiet for a moment. From where I hid I could feel the dense air they were breathing.

And without a word. I heard the door slam shut.

Once I was sure that he was gone I walked into the dining room where Casey was sat with her head in her hands.

"Casey." I gently called out.

Her head snapped up with a sort of relief that I always saw whenever she looked at me. However, now it was amplified.

My first instinct was to rush over and wrap my arms around her. As soon as I did, Casey had fallen into me as if I was a retreat, a safe place inside a nightmare.

I held her; held her like she was going to seep through my fingertips if I didn't hold on tight enough to keep her together.

I hushed her as I ran my hand through her short hair. She wasn't crying. It just felt like she wanted to feel safe, to have her heartbeat calm down from the rapid pound that I was feeling on my chest too.

"Why was he here?" I asked after a while of silence.

She pulled back, allowing me to see the pain in her eyes.

"He wanted to talk about him and I..." She looked at the floor. "I was going to tell him about us but..."

Then she looked at me, the sincerity leaking from her irises.

She reached out and cupped my face with her hands. My eyes fell shut for a second as I immediately melted into her touch.

"I didn't want to tell him with you upstairs. If he reacted in the wrong way I couldn't—" Her voice faltered. "I had to make sure you were safe and away before I told him."

Despite the situation, I smiled. When else was I going to find someone that put my safety before everything. Someone whose heart beat at the same pace and had eyes that saw me in every situation.

I didn't even want to think about anyone else.

I wrapped my arms around her neck to reassure her.

"I couldn't give him a reason that satisfied him apparently and he got angry." She continued. "I just hoped that he wouldn't wake you up."

"Hey, we're okay." I consoled, interlocking my hands behind her neck. "No angry hetero male is going to scare me away from you."