~Raven~
I stayed until the last of them left... until the music died down and the crowd thinned to a few stubborn night-owls nursing the dregs of whiskey... until Ryder and Tessa disappeared into the back of a car like they belonged to each other and the whole world could burn around them.
Cassie grabbed my arm as I hit the door... “You coming?” she asked, breathless, cheeks flushed from too much vodka and too little sleep... “Crash at mine. We’ll stitch the world back together in the morning.”
I laughed, a tight sound that didn’t reach my eyes... “Yeah. Good idea.”
Her little apartment smelled of takeout and too-strong coffee when we crashed into it... we didn’t bother with anything quiet.
Cassie left the kettle on and the TV muttering old sitcoms as background noise... I sat with th
