Stranger Danger

Part 8

Later that night, an hour after everyone had gone to bed on a full stomach, Cassidy silently slipped out of her room into the dark hall. Her back against the closed door and her heart pounding, she waited a few seconds for her eyes to adjust to the darkness. After a few deep breaths and briefly closing her eyes, she looked around, seeing that every door was closed. Including Ruby's. She stared at it. Was it closed? she thought. Was Aaron in there again? She shook her head, realizing that it was none of her business and she had no time to worry about it.

She crossed the hall and opened the door to Tyler's room. After closing it she leaned against it, taking another deep breath. "T- Tyler?"

A figure moved on the bed and sat up. "Cassidy? Come here." His voice was soft and sleepy, but also incredibly attractive. Cassidy slowly approached him. "So, you think it's been an hour?" he asked.

"I know it's been an hour." Cassidy held up a white watch in the dark. "I found this watch in the small pocket of my suitcase. It's a good thing I had it."

"Yeah. Now it'll help us wait the other hour."

"Yeah." Brief silence.

Tyler sat up straighter. "Come on. Come sit or lie down or something."

"Okay." Cassidy went to sit on the other side of the bed, bringing her legs up. Tyler lifted the covers and she slid her legs underneath. Sitting next to him, she felt nice and cozy but also nervous as ever. He managed to ease her discomfort by keeping a nice conversation going for a bit.

Twenty minutes later, he was lying on his side, propped up by his right arm, staring at Cassidy - who was sitting up, her back against the headboard. "You know, I'm not happy that we got stuck here, but I'm glad it was with you." Cassidy smiled and lowered her eyes. Tyler moved closer. "I mean it. I really wanna get to know you." Cassidy looked up at him, not believing what she was hearing. Not every girl got to hear her crush say those words. She never thought she'd be one of the lucky ones. "You're so pretty," Tyler said softly, holding her gaze.

He reached up and lightly caressed her cheek. Cassidy froze, forgetting how to breathe for a moment. Tyler sat up slowly and kissed her. After a few seconds he gently pulled back as Cassidy blinked, feeling shocked and not believing what was happening. Tyler kissed her again, deeper this time. She pulled back when she felt like she needed a minute to breathe. "What?" Tyler asked, breathing hard. "Was that okay?" Cassidy nodded slowly, feeling speechless as she was still trying to process what was happening. Tyler touched her face again. "Kiss me."

Her heart rate quickening, Cassidy closed the space between them. Tyler kissed back with passion, pressing her into the headboard. He then firmly grabbed her hips and pulled her down so that she was lying flat on the bed. Her eyes widened as he positioned himself on top of her, smiling and going back to kissing her. Cassidy tried to relax and reminded herself that things didn't need to escalate further. Soon, her worries were replaced by excited shivers as she wondered if it would be a good time to reveal her feelings. She knew she had to pounce on her chance. Pulling away, she looked him in the eyes and said, "You know, I've always liked you."

"I know." Tyler went back to kissing her.

Cassidy pulled away. "Wait. You knew?" Tyler nodded, focussing on her lips. "How?"

He sighed and looked at her. "I saw the way you looked and acted around me. My friends too."

"Oh... Was I that obvious?"

Tyler smiled. "Don't worry about it. I've always liked you too."

Cassidy's heart skipped a beat as her eyes widened. "Really?"