Can't Remember to Forget You

Chapter Seventeen

Owen

"What are you talking about?" She demanded.

I just kept smiling at her confused expression. "I'm waiting on you to finish closing up so we can leave." I told her.

She shook her head and laughed awkwardly. "I am not going anywhere with you." She said. "I am staying here."

I stood up from my chair and looked around. Everyone was either in the back or already gone. I quickly grabbed her and threw her over my shoulder walking out of the club.

"What the heck Owen?! Put me down!! I am not going with you!!" She hollered as she kicked her legs and tried to hit me on my back. She was so weak, I hardly even noticed.

"Sure seems like you are going with me to me." I laughed.

I stopped outside the club and put her on her feet next to my bike. As soon as she had her balance she reared back and slapped me as hard as she could across my cheek. I had to try very hard not to laugh. I can take a hit, but she sure can't throw one. "How dare you!" She yelled.

"Get on the bike." I yelled back.

"You must be insane if you think I am going with you. What are you even thinking?"

"You want to work here, fine that's on you." I said. "But you are not staying here. You need a real place to stay, and you are coming with me like you should have done in the first place."

"No." she said flatly.

"My god, Cassie! Just get on the damn bike."

"No." she said again.

"You are such a pain in my ass!" I hollered.

"And you're one too!" She yelled back.

I had to laugh at her. Cassie trying to be tough was hilarious to me. The old Cassie could pull it off. She was a bitch and she knew it. When she called you out, there was power behind it. When this Cassie tries she is just an angry little kitten. There is just no taking it seriously.

"Cassie, please just let me help you." I tried to say softer. The other approach obviously wasn't working. "You can stay with me, for free, however long you need to. Please just get on the bike."

Her expression was a little softer now. "Owen," She said my name like an angel. "I don't know, wouldn't it be weird?"

I shook my head. "No, it won't." that may be a tiny lie. "I promise you'll have your own space, we won't even have to see each other. You'll just be my temporary roommate. You're making it a bigger deal than it is. Please Cassie."

I could tell I was getting through to her. "Fine." She said. "Let me go back in and get my bag."

She disappeared for a few minutes and then reemerged with a bag on her shoulder and her jack on. I got on the bike and started it up. I reached for her bag and positioned it in front of me, then I turned back to Cassie who was still standing beside me.

"Get on." I told her.

She waivered. "I'm scared." She said chewing on her thumb nail.

I couldn't hold back my fit of laughter. "You're not afraid to take on a city you've never been to, or to work in a strip club with a bunch of creepy men, but you're scared to ride on a motorcycle?"

A small smile danced on her lips. "Well when you say it like that it does sound silly."

"Here," I said handing her the spare helmet. "Let's go, I'm freezing."

She reluctantly slipped the helmet on her head and slung her leg over the bike. I smiled as she tentatively slid her arms around me and then grabbed onto the front of my shirt with a death grip. "Here we go." I said as I pulled the bike off of the sidewalk and we sped down the road. I smiled at the little gasp then laugh she let escape.

She clung to me tightly the entire way back to my place.

I parked on the street and waited for her to get off before following her across the street to my door. "That wasn't so bad was it?" I asked.

She smiled at me. She looked so cute with her helmet hair. "It was actually pretty fun." She admitted.

I unlocked the door and we stepped into the living room. She shifted awkwardly on her feet. "So where should I?"

Oh, right. "Your room and all of your stuff is upstairs."

She looked confused. "My stuff?"

"Yeah, well." I wasn't sure how to put it exactly. "You were kind of living here before..."

She looked at me like I was insane. "What do you mean I was living here?"

I shrugged.

"You told me we had only know each other a few weeks, and now you are saying I was living here?"

"Yeah, so?" I was trying to play it cool.

Her face turned red. "Oh my god!" She yelled. "Did I lose my virginity to YOU?!" She started to breath heavily. "Were we sleeping together?"

I laughed right in her face. "You sure as hell didn't lose it to me!" I was still laughing. I wasn't trying to be hateful. Just seeing her act like she was some holy virgin when she had been with possibly even more people than me, it just made me laugh. I regretted it the second I saw her face. She looked like I had just told her that her puppy was dead. Her eyes filled with tears and she took off up the stairs and I heard a door slam shut.

"Fuck." I said to myself. This is why I keep getting called the asshole. That was so insensitive of me. I can't believe she thought she was still a virgin. This girl really isn't the one who used to live here.

I walked up the stairs and went to her room to try to talk to her but she wasn't in there. I walked down the hall and saw that the door to my room was closed.

"Shit, Cassie that is my room." I said knocking softly on the door.

I could hear a muffled cry coming from inside. I tried the handle but she had locked the door. I knew I could have just pulled a card out of my wallet and broke in within seconds if I wanted to, but I chose to let her have it for the night. I needed to do some work in her room anyway. She wouldn't want to stay in that mess, I have to get rid of all of Donovan's things anyway. I'd have a hard time explaining why all this men's stuff is in her room.

Looks like I know what I am doing tonight.

I sorted through everything. I was at it for most of the night. I put all of Donovan's things in the two hall closets and then unpacked all of Cassie's things. I hung up all of her clothes in the closet, and folded what wouldn't fit into her chest of drawers. I washed all of the bedding and remade the bed. I vacuumed the floor and made sure the room was spotless. I took out some of her photo albums and stacked them on her bedside table. She had a few pictures that were framed and I hung those on the walls.

When I was done and looked back at my handiwork I was pretty proud of the outcome. It actually looked like a nice girl's room.

I really hoped she would like it. I want her to be comfortable here.