Chapter 9: Restless Nights ( Olivia Cassidy's POV )
1077 Words
I didn’t sleep much that night.
No matter how many times I buried my face in my pillow, pulled the blanket over my head, or squeezed my eyes shut until they ached, my mind kept replaying the same scene, his lips, his hand, his voice.
Seth Millers.
My boyfriend.
The genius who didn’t seem to care about anything in this world… except maybe naps. And me.
My chest fluttered, but it also ached, because the more I replayed it, the more restless I felt.
His lips had been hot against mine, his tongue teasing, tangling with mine until I was dizzy. And when he touched me there, just for a second and I thought I’d explode.
I rolled onto my back, staring at the ceiling, and pressed my fingers to my lips. They still tingled.
“…What’s wrong with me?” I whispered to no one.
I’d been the one to kiss him first. Again.
And this time, I hadn’t been satisfied with just lips.
My whole body burned remembering how his palm had fit against my chest, how my heart had nearly leapt out of it.
I groaned, shoving my face back into the pillow. I am hopeless. Absolutely hopeless.
The next morning, my reflection in the mirror wasn’t much better. I looked pale, with bags under my eyes, but my cheeks were suspiciously pink.
Claire caught me right away.
“You didn’t sleep, did you?” she asked, smirking as we walked to school together.
“I-I did!” I protested, a little too quickly.
She raised an eyebrow. “Oh? Then why are you glowing?”
“I am not glowing!”
“You sure are. Spill the beans Cassidy, you cant hide anything from your bestie.”
I clutched my bag tighter. There was no way I was telling her the details. She already teased me mercilessly when Seth and I first started dating. If she knew about… well, last night… I’d never hear the end of it.
But Claire wasn’t stupid. When we got to class and saw Seth already there leaning back in his chair, eyes closed like he’d been born to nap through life, she gasped dramatically.
“Oh. My. God.”
“What?” I whispered, panicked.
Claire pointed. “On his neck.”
I froze.
There it was. Faint, but definitely there. Marks.
I slapped my hands over my face, heat rushing to my cheeks. I did that.
I’d left those marks.
Claire leaned over, whispering in my ear, “So it’s true. You two are—”
“Shut up!” I hissed, smacking her arm.
Seth stirred then, opening one lazy eye to look at us. “You’re loud,” he muttered.
“Good morning, Seth,” Claire sing-songed, smirking at me.
“Sup,” he grunted, closing his eyes again.
I wanted to disappear.
The whole day, I couldn’t focus. Every time I glanced at him, I saw it, those little bruises on his neck that practically screamed claimed.
And every time I saw it, my stomach twisted, a strange mix of pride and embarrassment swirling inside me.
He didn’t even bother covering it.
Was he… not ashamed?
Did he want people to see?
My thoughts spiraled until I realized I was staring. Again.
Seth cracked one eye open, catching me. “What?”
I jolted, whipping my head away. “N-Nothing!”
He chuckled softly, closing his eyes again. “You’re restless today, Cassidy.”
Restless.
If only he knew.
By the time classes ended, I was a mess.
Claire waved goodbye, whispering, “Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do!” before skipping off.
That left me alone with Seth in the classroom, the air between us thick with everything unsaid.
He leaned against a desk, arms crossed, looking at me with that unreadable, half-lazy expression.
“You’ve been staring at me all day,” he said bluntly.
“I-I have not!”
“Yes, you have.” He smirked faintly. “You’re still staring.”
I covered my face with my hands. “Ugh, you’re impossible!”
He chuckled again, the sound low and warm, and before I could react, he tugged my hands down, leaning close.
“You want to kiss me, don’t you?”
My breath hitched.
I wanted to deny it. To shove him away and pretend I wasn’t the one who couldn’t stop thinking about his lips all night.
But the truth slipped out anyway. “…Yes.”
Seth’s smirk deepened. “Then do it.”
I didn’t need more encouragement.
I leaned up and kissed him hard.
Our lips met in a wet clash, my tongue slipping past his without hesitation this time. Seth responded immediately, his hand cupping my face, the other pulling me closer by the waist.
It was messy, needy. Saliva slicked between us as our tongues tangled, the sounds of our kiss filling the empty classroom.
He groaned softly against my mouth, the sound sending shivers down my spine.
I clung to him, fingers digging into his blazer, desperate to feel closer. My chest pressed against his, and when his hand slid lower to grip my hip, I thought I’d melt into him completely.
When I finally pulled back, panting, his lips were red, glistening with spit.
He looked at me with hooded eyes, smirking lazily. “…desperate, huh?”
I blushed furiously, shoving at his chest. “Shut up!”
But when he leaned down again, kissing me slower, deeper, I melted.
Because restless or not… I wanted more.
We stayed like that longer than I expected, kissing until my lips ached, until my legs felt weak. Every time I tried to pull away, he’d chase me with another kiss, teasing, smirking, as if he knew exactly what he was doing to me.
At some point, I stopped resisting and let myself drown in it.
The taste of him. The warmth of his hands. The way his tongue slid against mine, leaving me breathless.
By the time we finally separated, the sun was low, painting the classroom gold.
I was flushed, trembling, my lips swollen.
And Seth, Seth just looked at me with that maddening calm, as if I hadn’t just kissed him like I needed him to breathe.
“See you tomorrow, Cassidy,” he said, almost casually, before walking off.
I stood there, frozen, my heart still racing, and realized something terrifying.
I didn’t just like him.
I was falling.
Hard.
- Writer
