Lexi's Final Year

Chapter 30

Once Lexi left The Bean's Knees, Cassie stuck around to work on an assignment. Her talk with the San Diego native had left a warm smile on her face. It was nice that she had been able to learn more about Lexi, as well as clear the air on other matters. While they weren't close to being friends and Lexi still seemed a bit nervous around her, things had improved between the two of them. It was a small victory that Cassie was all too happy to claim.

After working on her paper for a while longer, she polished off her black coffee and scanned her surroundings. The Bean's Knees was still as busy as before, with students and other people filling up many tables. There was a constant stream of people buying their food and drinks to have either inside or to-go. The sounds of people talking over the Top 40 music playing inside filled Cassie's ears while the smell of freshly brewed coffee hit her nose.

"Hey, stranger."

Cassie jumped at the sound of a young man speaking close to her. She looked to her left to find Johnathan standing beside her with two cups in his hand.

"Hey, Johnathan," she greeted while trying to calm her now racing heart.

"Sorry for scaring you," he said with his signature boyish grin. "Here's a coffee to make it up to you."

He offered one of the coffee cups in Cassie's direction, which she accepted. "Thanks," she replied, her voice surprisingly soft.

"You look lovely, by the way. Do you mind if I sit here?" Johnathan asked while glancing at the empty chair. "I'll be nice, I promise."

Cassie blushed while she snickered. "Sure."

Johnathan took the seat with a grateful nod. Cassie watched as he grabbed his black gaming laptop from his backpack. He turned it on and waited for it to boot up.

"What are you working on?" she asked with curiosity.

"A paper about whether or not video games cause violence," Johnathan replied. "I'm arguing that they don't."

"That sounds like something right up your alley," Cassie said with a laugh.

"Yeah, we had to write a persuasive paper concerning the positive or negative effects of a controversial issue concerning children," Johnathan explained.

"That's cool! I'm just finishing up a paper concerning eating disorders in adolescents."

"Love that. Did I already tell you that you look lovely, by the way?"

Cassie rolled her eyes. "Yes, you did. Thanks."

"Just checking," Johnathan said in a teasing manner.

For a while, they worked on their assignments in between making small talk. Cassie wasn't one to work with others unless it was specifically on a group project. She would much rather work on papers or study for tests alone. But she knew how Johnathan worked due to the few times they had paired up on projects during their time at New York University. He presented himself as a gaming nerd, but he was incredibly hardworking and refused to slack off.

They weren't taking any of the same classes this semester, so Cassie hadn't spoken to Johnathan much since returning from winter break. They had only exchanged a few texts off and on and had a couple of in-person encounters. But that had been the extent of their interactions during the current semester.

Despite this, it felt as though not much time had passed as they spoke. The two of them had caught up on their classes and their social lives. She noticed how his eyes lingered on her long after she finished speaking.

"I've hung out with my friends here and there at The Bean's Knees," Cassie revealed. "That's all I've been doing outside of school." She didn't bother getting into the Lexi situation; it wasn't any of Johnathan's business, and she didn't want any advice from him about it.