-thirty-seven

Long arms encircled Cassie's waist.

Ricky's long arms encircled Cassie's waist.

He leaned in a bit as he stared down at her. She tried to pry herself loose and when she did, she motioned for his hand, the one that had a white bandage wrapped around it. He held it high and then higher when she reached for it. His other hand was still on her lower back.

I chugged the last of my beer.

Ricky's face was almost on hers when I looked back up. She'd stopped trying to get his hand and she was saying something to him. My heart, for some reason, skipped a beat when I saw it, the corners of his lips tugging up.

He smiled.

Ricky Young was actually smiling.

He leaned in more as if to kiss her and she curled over his hand and shifted away from him til she could probably see the kitchen upside down. His lips ended up on her neck.

She laughed.