Cassie has a decision to make

The following is written in the perspective of Cassie Jones

You should’ve just gone back home. You wouldn’t have had to worry about this any further. You were getting over him already. Why’d you agree to come back here? Because you did want to come home. This is home. Home will always be where Mr. Craig and Stella are.

You even consider Stella’s bedroom as your actual childhood room rather than your room back at 307. Your mom always came back home late after a night of partying, so you slept in Stella's room way more than yours.

Even if you did just want to come ‘home’, you still hoped coming back here would make you more sure that what you felt for him was nothing but a childish crush. Instead, you’ve fallen far deeper than you’ve ever fallen for him. The moment you saw him through the doorway you knew you were screwed. He was in his underwear, and he looked like he hadn't showered in months, looked like he hadn't slept in months, looked like a homeless person with his beard and long hair… but what you cared about was what you saw underneath all that.

You saw he was lost, hurting, and languishing in depression — and all you wanted to do was take care of him, the way he took care of you for most of your life.

One conversation with Stella later and you see the spark back in his eyes, and you see the man you’ve had a crush on since forever. Not to mention the fact that after he went to the barber, he looked so much hotter than you remember with his beard and trendier hairstyle. Calling it a crush now seems so childish, because what you feel for him seems way more than that now. It’s undeniable, you have the hots for him.

The question is: “What do you plan to do about it?”

“Keep it in your pants, or go all out. There’s no in-between” Stella tells you after you asked her what you should do. You guys were done with your run and are now taking a rest before heading back to the apartment.

“You know we’re talking about your Dad, right?” you ask her.

“Like you’ve ever talked about another guy other than my Dad.” Stella answers you bluntly.

“I’ve talked about my ex-boyfriends with you!” you say defensively, feeling like Stella was basically calling you obsessed; but she already had a comeback, “Boyfriends that you eventually compare to…” she says with a knowing smile.

“Your Dad.” you admit in defeat.

“Hence, EX boyfriends” Stella smugly concludes.

She’s known about your crush on her dad, maybe far longer than you have to be honest. She asked you once back in middle school if you thought her Dad was attractive because she noticed how you look at him differently. You didn’t even really know you looked at him differently until that moment, but you realized she was right; and you admitted to her you did find him attractive... and you still do, now more than ever.

She chalked it up to what she called ‘Daddy Issues’ and told you you’d grow out of it eventually, but when you told her while you guys were cleaning the apartment yesterday how you felt after seeing him again, she just said “Okay.” with no hint of surprise, and you guys haven’t talked about it again until now.

“So you’re okay with me…” you start to ask but couldn’t muster the courage to finish the question, but Stella got the point.

“Banging my Dad?” you blush as she finishes your question for you. “You’re both adults, he’s single now, I have no right to stop either of you from doing what you want”. Stella tells you, but you notice she didn’t really answer your question.

“But will you be okay with it?” and she answers you immediately, “Yeah.” It shocks you how nonchalantly she answered you. “Why?”

“What do you mean ‘why?’, you’re the one I should be asking that” she retorts.

“I mean, wouldn’t it be weird for you?” you inquire.

“Of course it would be weird. You're my best friend and he’s my Dad. But who gives a shit about ‘weird’? If you’re both happy, then that’s doubly good for me, because, well... you’re my best friend and he’s my dad.” Stella answers you with a smile and holding your hand.

“Why are you so calm about this?” you ask her. Stella takes a deep breath, taking a moment to think about the honest answer to that question.

“Because I know both of you, and I love both of you. I know both of you won’t hurt each other, and I know both of you won’t do anything that would hurt me either. So if I’m the only reason stopping both of you from being happy, then I’m neither being a good friend, nor a good daughter. So, go—”, she grips your hand tighter to reassure you that she’s really fine with what you’re asking her. “Be happy”.

You surprise her with a tight hug.

“But you have to do it soon.” she tells you while you squeeze her, which suddenly feels like she’s pressuring you and you let go of your hug to look at her. “Because if you wait too long and it works out, you’ll regret not having done it sooner; then we’ll both be back at college and all you’ll be thinking about is how you could’ve spent more time with him if you just did it sooner.”

“You’re acting as if he’s already comfortable with the idea,” you remark.

“He was muttering your name in his sleep, Cass,” she tells you. You blush, but you don’t want to get your hopes up.

“That could mean anything”, you tell her.

“Oh, I know what it meant.” Stella replies, and proceeds to repeat your name over and over in a fake breathy aroused voice, inserting moans in-between, sounding like a pornstar. You blush beet red, but couldn’t hide the excitement from your face. You’re lucky that no one’s really around your area of the park or she would have made quite the scene.

After asking Stella to stop, she laughs and proceeds to ask you, “You know what that means, right?” Your excitement turns to curiosity as you’re not exactly sure where she’s going with her question. “It means he dreamed about you… AFTER sleeping with another woman”.

Okay, now you’re even more confused where she’s going with this.

“It means when he was fucking her, he was probably thinking about you” poking you above your chest afterwards. You tense up at the idea and just look at the ground, blushing like a fire hydrant. Stella laughs at your embarrassment. “God, you’re so easy to tease.”

“Hey, I wanted to ask, you’re not jealous of her are you?” Stella asks, becoming serious again. You think about it, and you don’t really feel any ill-will against this neighbor Mr. Craig apparently slept with last night. A part of you even feels it was your fault it happened in the first place. You made him uncomfortable by not being able to help yourself. You got too familiar too quickly, and you scared him away. You shake your head to reply to Stella that you weren’t jealous.

“Good, because my next question is going to be a lot harder to answer,” she says, and you give her a look of concern. “If this happens, and you guys start being a ‘couple’...” she pauses, but the idea of being with Mr. Craig clouded your brain a bit too much, that when she did continue the question, you weren’t able to hear it. She snaps you out of your daydream by literally snapping her fingers in front of your face. “Cass!”

“Would you be okay if you and my dad won’t be exclusive?”