The city was alive with the midday rush—people moving in every direction, conversations blending into the distant hum of car engines and honking horns. The weather was nice, cool but not biting, and Cassie found herself enjoying the simple act of walking beside Emmett.
She stole a glance at him as they weaved through the crowds. He looked… lighter. Not happy, exactly, but not drowning the way he had been last night.
Good.
She wanted to keep him in this space, somewhere between distraction and something real. Somewhere that kept him from thinking about her.
Emmett suddenly stopped in front of a shop window. Cassie followed his gaze, brows furrowing.
“A bookstore?” she asked, amused. “Didn’t take you for the reading type.”
Emmett smirked. “I have layers.”
Cassie scoffed but followed h
