The Forgotten Night (6 page)

“The night of the party, you had said your heart was the proof, that you could never hurt Cass. Drew, you haven’t dated at all since your senior year in college. Not since we went on that trip to LA, come to think of it. I should know, I hear it often enough from your buddies. So don’t sit there and tell me bullshit, tell me the truth. Do you love her?”

Andrew stopped at the red light and sighed. He turned to face his sister and looked her in the eyes. “Yes.”

Rachel nodded, obviously unsurprised.

“I have for a long time now. I just didn’t realize it until that trip. Are you mad at me?”

“Drew, why would I be mad at you?”

“She’s your best friend, like your sister. I thought that it might—”

“I’ll admit I was a bit upset at first.”

“At first? What?”

“It wasn’t painstakingly obvious, but I figured it out. So, I was a bit annoyed at first, but really, I couldn’t be happier. My best friend and my brother?”

“I wish you would have told me this before the Christmas party.”

“Do you recall anything?”

“Not really, I think about it often though. It’s like everything I see from that night is blurry and no matter how hard I strain my eyes I can’t seem to make anything out, but I still know I never had sex with Ashley.”

“How do you know that?”

“The dreams I keep having about that night—the images, the emotions—aren’t those of just having raw sex.”

“Eww, I don’t need to know, forget I asked,” she tried to say over him but he finished anyway.

“My dreams, me and this mystery woman, are making love, not just having sex. That’s how I know it wasn’t Ashley.”

Rachel listened to his words, then shook her head and rolled her eyes. “I think the key phrase in there would be ‘making love’. Who the hell do you think it was?”

“I don’t know,” he answered, not sure what his sister was getting at. “I told you I can’t remember.

“What was Cassidy like when you first saw her on New Year’s Eve, before any of the drama?”

“Well, she was at the bar taking a shot and when I spoke in her ear she turned around and had the brightest smile, her eyes were glowing.” He sighed, missing her bright smile.

“Did you talk about the Christmas Party before Ashley showed up?”

“Yeah, up in the room when you went downstairs for drinks. I told her she looked as beautiful as she did at our party but she said I had told her that night. And then she was shocked that I couldn’t remember anything, she sort of got a little upset afterwards. But then, you came in and we headed downstairs and Ashley showed up.”

Rachel looked out of the window, shaking her head again. “You dolt! You broke her heart. You want to know why she’s been avoiding you, why she was so upset that night? It was because she loves you too.”

“What?” Andrew breathed.

“I guess I always figured, but now there’s the proof.”

“She loves me?” Andrew asked again.

“Yes, you idiot! I’m betting for as long as you’ve loved her, maybe longer. You broke her heart that night. That’s why she’s been acting strange.”

“She loves me?” he asked again, still not believing it. All those times he thought he saw the love in her eyes, he had been right. He should have just told her when he knew. He should have told her how he felt then none of this nonsense would be happening.

“I have to tell her,” he said as he pulled the car to a park in front of their house.

“No! You can’t!”

“What? First you’re telling me yes, now no?”

“You can’t tell her now. She’s still mad at you. She still thinks you slept with Ashley. You have to make sure you didn’t.”

Andrew stared at his sister for a long moment. The magnitude of his stupidity hit him like a brick. He’d made love to Cassidy on Christmas Eve. She’d given herself to him, and then he hadn’t even called her the next day. He’d let a whole week go by, then he’d told her he didn’t remember anything that had happened that night. No wonder she’d been so angry with him. Was there anything he could ever do to earn her forgiveness?

Chapter Four

December 24 - Winbright Christmas Party

A
ndrew saw Cassidy the minute she arrived at his parents’ party. He had been sitting in the corner, waiting for her to show up. She looked even more beautiful than the last time he’d seen her as she went directly to the bar and ordered a drink. She wore her red spaghetti-strap A-line dress with a bubble hem skirt that fell just below her knees, complete with black sash. Cassidy had never liked wearing it, but her mother always insisted. He wondered why she wore it tonight. He watched her as she downed the contents of her cup and turned around to leave.

As she slowly made her way out of the living room, he jumped up and followed her, wondering what she was doing. Normally she would have sat down and pulled out her book, but she wasn’t even carrying her clutch. What was going on? She walked across the ballroom and leaned against one of the walls, watching as couples danced. He stepped inside, determined to talk to her, just as a friend. Rachel was right, he needed to wait until he knew exactly what happened that night before confronting her with his feelings. As Andrew stepped closer, he stopped when Cassidy’s attention was drawn by a man who walked up to her.

Cassidy knew Andrew was here somewhere and her heart still beat wildly at the thought. She hated herself for still loving Andrew Winbright, but at the same time knew she would never get over her feelings. She had accepted her fate but would build a wall around her heart that would help her to ignore the sensations he caused every time she even thought of him. She was about to start looking around the room for him when someone touched her forearm.

“Cassidy!”

Cassidy turned to see her boyfriend, Robert Stokes, looking at her with adoring eyes. She tried to mimic his look but thought she probably looked like she was in pain. She didn’t love this man, so why was she with him? Because he took her mind off of Andrew. After Andrew and Rachel had left on their cruise, she’d been determined to find someone else, and Robert had seemed perfect.

Robert bent down to kiss her but before his lips touched hers she turned her head and his lips grazed her cheek.

Andrew felt his insides ignite as he watched Cassidy with someone else. He wanted to rush to Cassidy and push away the guy hovering over her. He watched as the man bent down to bestow a kiss, and almost left the room until he saw her turn her head.

He wanted to smile, but he wouldn’t allow himself to. He had to know. Was this man her boyfriend? Did she love him?

Andrew stalked over to her. “Cassie,” he said, interrupting their conversation.

“Hello, Andrew. Andrew this is my boyfriend Robert. Robert this is my best friend’s brother,” Cassidy said coldly, making the introductions.

Best friend’s brother? Was that all he was to her now? He looked into her eyes. “Your boyfriend?”

“Yes, Robert and I met this summer. Every day, I would walk into the local coffee shop and order something before classes, and Robert would always be there too. So one day he asked to join me and well, here we are today,” she said, averting her gaze from his.

“I have a phone call, I'll be back soon,” Robert said, glancing between them before turning and walking away.

As Andrew’s mind raced, he looked down and noticed she wasn’t wearing the necklace he’d given her all those years ago. She
always
wore it around the holidays. “Cassie, your necklace? The one I gave you, where is it?”

“I—I—” Cassidy couldn’t think. She had promised never to take the necklace off, but Robert had surprised her tonight with his Christmas gift for her. It was a simple diamond necklace. He had insisted she wear it to the party and how was she supposed to refuse?

“Robert, I can’t wear your necklace because I promised my best friend’s brother—my friend—who I happen to be madly in love with—that I would never take it off.”
No, that wouldn’t have worked, so Cassidy was forced to take off the necklace. Her neck felt bare, like a part of her was missing. She had worn it for so long, it had become a part of her, a reminder of Andrew.

“I thought you said you’d never take it off?” Andrew asked, looking visibly hurt.

Cassidy felt the lump rise in her throat and struggled to keep the tears from building up in her eyes. The last thing she needed was to cry in front of Andrew Winbright.

“Robert gave me this as a gift tonight,” she said, fingering the new necklace. “He wanted me to wear it.”

“Whatever, Cassie, you don’t have to wear the other necklace anymore, it was just some stupid promise we made when we were younger, it didn’t mean anything,” he said.

At his words, her heart felt like he had ripped it out for the second time.

Andrew looked down at Cassidy and saw tears rise to the brim of her eyes and knew immediately he had made a mistake. Why didn’t he think before he spoke? “I mean—it meant something to me, but obviously it wasn’t that important to you, so you don’t have to wear it anymore,” he added.

“It meant something to me,” she choked out. “I have to go to the bathroom,” she said and walked out of the room without looking back.

Andrew walked off toward the bar and got a beer, feeling like the biggest idiot who’d ever lived. He’d had such hopes for tonight, had been so sure he could get her to forgive him. If anything, he’d only made matters worse.

“What’s wrong? You see her yet?”

Andrew whirled around and faced his sister. “Why didn’t you tell me?”

“What?” Rachel asked, looking confused.

“Why didn’t you tell me Cassidy had a boyfriend? You didn’t think it would be a smart idea to tell me?”

“Calm down, Drew. I didn’t tell you because I didn’t think it was serious. I didn’t think she would actually invite him here, for winter break, I mean. She didn’t seem that happy, even after she started dating him. I know she doesn’t love him. I don’t even think she really even likes the guy. There's something about him that makes me feel very uncomfortable too. If you ask me, he’s just another way to get her mind off you,” Rachel said.

“You think so?”

“Yes, now don’t drink anything else. I need you fully sober tonight. We have to figure out what happened last year and for that you must play the fool—well okay, I just need you to pretend to be drunk. I’ll tell you when to start laying it on thick,” Rachel said.

“You have a plan?”

“Yeah, sort of, just go with me on this one.”

“Of course.”

Rachel hit her brother’s fist with hers—something they did often—and walked out of the room in search of Ashley.

It didn’t take her long to find the blonde Barbie plastered over one of her father’s rich clients. “Ashley, I need to speak with you, privately,” Rachel said sternly.

“I’m kind of in the middle of something, Rachel,” Ashley said, turning around.

“This can’t wait,” she said, pulling Ashley behind her into the kitchen.

“What are you doing? I was just about to—”

“I don’t care. Now tell me why you lied to my brother.”

“What are you talking about?”

“Why did you lie to my brother last year? You said you two slept—”

“We did!”

“Stop lying and tell me the truth,” Rachel fumed.

Ashley paused a moment and then gave an exasperated sigh. “Fine, I lied, I heard you two talking in the kitchen last year and thought that if Drew believed I was the woman he slept with when he was drunk, he would go out with me.”

“You’re a piece of work, you know that? I can’t believe you would do that.”

“Well, it was only because they lied to me.”

“They? Who’s they?”

“The guys, Brian and the rest of Drew’s friends. They said that they would get him all drunk so I could have a go at him.”

Rachel’s mouth dropped open. “What! I can’t believe them!”

“Well, they didn’t fulfill their deal. I mean, when I went to help Cassidy, he still knew who I was. I waited for Cassidy to come downstairs—I waited by the front door—but she never came. I figured she went around the back to avoid the crowd but I didn't want to risk it without knowing. That’s all I know, honest.”

“You were waiting for Cassidy to leave so you could go up to Drew’s room?”

“Well, I was, but then as I was waiting for her to come down, Brian came by and well, one thing led to another. Since I couldn’t have Drew, I thought I’d take Brian.”

“Are you serious?” Rachel said under her breath.

“Whatever, can I go now?” Ashley asked and walked out.

Rachel went over what Ashley had just told her and slowly things began to fit together.

“Did you find out anything?” Andrew asked, walking into the kitchen.

“Uh, yeah. Well, one thing I do know is that you did not sleep with Ashley,” she said.

“I knew it! Why did she say it in the first place?”

“She liked you, still kind of does, I think, but she thought that if you believed it was her you slept with, you would go out with her.”

“Anything else?”

“Um, you should know—”

“Drew!” Brian Fisher called out. He and the other guys walked inside. “Ready for some fun and games, buddy?”