Just Friends
By Misha
Disclaimer- Not mine. I’m just borrowing them for a little while and will return them when I am done with them.
Author’s Notes- I thought the Caleb turning Emma down scene was so well-handled in High Story and I decided I wanted to follow up on it since my MC has no interest in Caleb. This is an expanded version of tthe “Caleb asking MC to the movies” scene.
Pairing- Unrequited Caleb/MC, hinted Micheal/MC
Rating- PG
Summary- Caleb asks Cassie to the movies and gets a disappointing answer.
Words- 565
Caleb peered at Cassie hopefully after inviting her to go to the movies with him and some of his friends. He really wanted her to say yes. He didn’t know if he was ready to date again yet, at least not officially, but at the same time, he really liked Cassie.
Maybe this was exactly what they needed. An almost-date. They could spend time together, but without the pressure of an actual date.
She bit her lip and he felt his stomach drop. “I’m sorry,” she said after a moment, “I have a lot of homework…”
“That’s ok, I understand,” he said trying to keep the disappointment out of his voice.
He’d remembered how she had flirted with Michael a few minutes earlier, telling him “I’d be your biggest fan”, and wondered if that was the real reason she’d said no.
Did Cassie like Michael? They did seem to be together a lot, even running to the diner to get everyone food during Homecoming committee. Caleb knew it was none of his business. Cassie wasn’t under any obligation to go out with him and she was allowed to like whoever she wanted. She hadn’t made him any promises. Not like Zoey.
He thought back to what Emma had said when he’d turned her down. “You have every right to say no. I don’t want to be with someone who doesn’t me as much as I like them.” The same thing applied here. Cassie had every right not to go out with him if she didn’t want too.
“Another time, then.” He said, hoping he sounded cheerful.
She hesitated again, obviously debating what to say, and then took a deep breath. Caleb steeled himself against what he knew was coming. “I’d love to go to the movies with you sometime,” she told him, “as friends.”
Message received.
She met his eyes. “I mean… I’m not sure if you… I just, I don’t want you to get the wrong idea. I don’t want to hurt you.”
“I appreciate that,” he told her honestly. “I like hanging out with you, Cassie.”
She smiled and it lit up her face, reminding him just how pretty she was. “I like hanging out with you too,” she assured him. “I really do have a lot of homework.”
“I understand,” he told her and he did. He also knew that he wouldn’t be asking her to Homecoming, even though the idea had been floating around in the back of his mind. He had a feeling she would have a different date and he felt a stab of envy towards Michael, wondering if the other boy knew how lucky he was.
“I guess I should be going home,” Cassie said after a moment.
“Yeah,” Caleb agreed.
He watched her walk away and then let out a sigh. He wasn’t even sure that he was ready to date again, but he couldn’t deny that he was disappointed that it wasn’t going to be an option, at least not with Cassie. He liked her a lot. More than he expected to feel for someone so soon after Zoey.
Still, if nothing else, it proved that his heart wouldn’t be broken forever and he would be able to move on from Zoey. He just had to find someone who liked him as much as he liked her, even if right now that seemed impossible.
- End
