17 I Won't Do Anything Until I Have To

Casey really was getting more involved with a person than he should, wasn't he? He would never tell Kane that though. He would only give Casey a hard time.

He knew better than anyone that getting involved with others was a bad idea. Maybe it was a good thing he wasn't likely to see her around after tonight. She was finishing up her last windowsill then he would pay her and she would go on her merry way.

That would have been hard enough to deal with before but now he was worried about her. Without seeing her every day, he wouldn't be able to know if she was doing alright and back to her usual cheerful self.

Casey was torn. He knew he should keep his distance but Vera was still more tired and subdued than usual tonight and he didn't like it. He didn't want his last memory of her to be like this but he also really, really shouldn't intervene further.

He felt like an idiot because by the time the windowsill was done and he gave her the check he hadn't come to a conclusion one way or the other so their goodbye was entirely unsatisfactory. She thanked him again for everything he had done helping her with her car then told him she would see him around.

Would she though? Would she really?

With how busy she was, that didn't seem likely unless either one of them purposely decided to seek the other out. He couldn't do that though. Putting himself out there never ended well.

Casey had enjoyed the time she had been working on a house he hated and that surprised him. Being there wasn't nearly as bad as usual because of how much fun he had talking to her. Fun? In that place? Unheard of!

But it had happened. Vera made something that otherwise would have been terrible a good experience. He doubted he would get a repeat experience with the people who had to fix the floors and other issues inside the house that required him to be onsite.

He wished he had said something better than a super lame "yeah" in response to her goodbye but didn't think he would get the chance to change the last thing he said to her so soon. On Sunday his doorbell rang and he was surprised to find a plate of cupcakes covered in plastic wrap with a note on it.

'Casey, I made these earlier and had too many. Take this as repayment for buying me dinner. -Vera'

Casey peered at them uncomprehendingly. Homemade cupcakes. She gave him homemade cupcakes? Because he bought her fast food the other day?

Had he ever had homemade cupcakes before? He wasn't sure. Nobody in his family ever baked. He only had cupcakes if someone brought them to work and they always came from the grocery store.

"What's with you?" Kane asked as he spotted Casey standing stupidly in the doorway.

Lacking words to explain, he held up the cupcake plate and Kane examined it with interest. "Who on earth is Vera and when did you buy her dinner? That sounds an awful lot like a date to me and I thought you swore those off."

"I did! It wasn't a date. Vera is the girl down the hall. I got her food when I gave her a ride the other day because I had to get some for myself and would have felt rude eating in front of her while she was hungry."

Kane laughed. "You're way too soft, Casey. So is she, by the look of it. Who even has time to bake, let alone gives things away to other people?"

Casey was surprised Vera had the time. Sundays were her only days off as far as he knew. He supposed she was the type that couldn't stand not being busy at all times. He couldn't quite get behind that sentiment but he wasn't judging.

He shrugged in response but that wasn't enough to end the conversation. Kane's eyes gleamed with curiosity. He was in for it, wasn't he? That look was never a good thing.

"So. Do you or do you not like this girl? You haven't talked about another human being this much in years."

"I don't!" Casey insisted.

Had he really talked about her that much? He only remembered bringing her up the time he vaguely mentioned her as living down the hall. He hadn't even used her name. Though he supposed this was the second time she was brought up and he really didn't talk about other people all that much.

This might not be about how much he talked about her though. Kane might have picked up on his good moods after coming home from seeing her even though he hated the farmhouse. He did know Casey best, after all.

"Well, if you do, I need to check her out to be sure that she's trustworthy. I'm sure you remember how well things went last time," Kane reminded him.

Casey's heartrate spiked with panic. That was exactly why he never told Kane anything about his feelings! He was the worst sort of wingman. Practically an anti-wingman. Was there a proper term for the opposite of a wingman?

"She doesn't need to be wustorthy—trustworthy!—because I don't like her," Casey said stubbornly.

"Your word fumbling says otherwise," Kane said in a singsong voice. "But I'll let it slide for now. I won't do anything until I have to."

"…when will you have to?"

"When you're properly dating her, of course."

That wouldn't be happening. Ever. Casey was never going to try and get a girlfriend because of what happened the last time he liked someone. If he had to spend the rest of his life living with Kane, so be it.

That was far superior to putting himself out there only to get his heart crushed again. He wouldn't be able to take that a second time.

Who cared if Vera was really nice? Ashley had seemed really nice at first too and then she ghosted him without warning because of something stupid Kane said when he was testing her to see if she was worthy of his precious other half.

It had taken Casey a long time to forgive him for that but what could he do? Kane may be unreliable but at least he tried to have Casey's back. He was the only one who did.