“I love how much you love it,” she said, her eyes beaming.

“I wouldn’t play it if I didn’t,” I admitted, grinning at her.

“Do Marc and Ryan have any idea what team is going to try to draft you?” Dean asked while ripping apart a piece of bread.

“If they do, they haven’t told me.”

“So you have no idea where you’ll be going?” He chewed thoughtfully while he waited for my answer.

“Not yet.” I smiled.

“The teams are all over the country, right?” Cassie asked, her expression a mixture of excitement and concern.

“Pretty much.”

“And you just have to go wherever they tell you to?”

“If I want to play ball, I do,” I responded with a playful grin, hoping to lighten the darkening mood.

Gran’s concerned gaze swung between Cassie’s face and mine. “What will you two do when he leaves?”

“Well, we haven’t really talked about it yet, Gran.” I ran my fingers nervously through my hair. Cassie placed her hand under the table on my thigh and I quickly reached for it, grateful for her touch.

“Long distance relationships suck,” Dean commented darkly.

“What the hell do you know about ’em?” I snapped at Dean, suddenly overwhelmed with the reality of the situation with Cassie and me.

“I’ve just heard they suck. And they never last.” He clamped his jaw shut, a little too late for my liking.

“That’s enough, Dean!” Gran swatted him with her napkin. “Long distance relationships can work just as well as any other kind. Sometimes they’re even better.”

“How so?” Cassie asked, our minds clearly on the same page.

“For starters, your relationship becomes less about the physical aspect, obviously,” she said with a laugh, “and more about the things that truly matter in the long run. When you can’t see each other for months at a time, the building blocks of your relationship either flourish or flounder. No relationship can survive without trust, honesty, and communication, no matter how close you are.”

She stopped for a moment, looking at both Cassie and me before continuing. “Long distance means countless hours talking on the phone. And I mean, really talking. Because it’s all you have when you can’t simply get in your car and drive to the other person’s house. You get to really know each other. The bonds you form during that time apart can be as solid as steel beams.”

I found myself completely focused on Gran’s words. “She’s right,” Gramps added with a twinkle in his eyes. “When you only have the telephone or letters, it changes things. All the emotions and feelings are still there, but they’re amplified in a way that’s tough to explain. That’s why the communication part is so important.”

Gran glanced over at him with a dimpled smile. “Because it’s easy to misinterpret things or jump to the wrong conclusion when the person you love is far away. The only way to fix it is to talk about it. So you end up talking…a lot.”

“When were you two apart?” I asked, finally realizing they were both speaking from experience.

“During the war. But I wrote him every day,” Gran said matter-of-factly.

“And I wrote every chance I had.” Gramps grinned. “Called, too.”

“That he did.” They exchanged a loving glance and I squeezed Cassie’s hand.

“Well, that’s enough of that talk for one night. I’m sure the kids don’t want to think about all this stuff right now.” Gran waved a hand in front of her face before rising from the table, followed by Gramps.

“No, it was really nice to hear. Thank you.” Cassie smiled, her hand still holding mine.

“We’ll get the dishes, Gran. Go lie down,” I suggested with a hearty smile.

“Thank you, Jack. We’ll just be in the other room,” she said before slowly making her way into the living room.

“You two are gonna stay together, right?” Dean asked with a wince.

I turned to look at Cassie, whose eyes were piercing into mine. “She’ll probably be sick of me by then.” I couldn’t help but tease Cassie in a weak attempt to hide my fears.

“Most likely,” she kidded back.

At least, I hoped she was kidding.

“You guys seriously haven’t talked about any of this?” Dean questioned in disbelief, leaning back against his chair.

“Not yet.” I tried to be cool, ignoring the irritation rising in my body.

“Dude, June isn’t that far away. And you’ll leave right after the draft. You two are hopeless.”

I rammed my foot into Dean’s shin with force, my temper flaring. “Why don’t you shut the fuck hell up, Dean, and worry about your own love life. Or lack thereof.”

Dean’s chair slid across the kitchen floor with a loud squeak. “Ow, Jack! Jesus! I was just saying you two should probably get your shit together and actually start doing that whole communicating thing Gran was talking about. ’Cause the last time I checked, you sort of sucked at it.”

I stood up from my chair, my breath increasing with each second that passed. “You’re being a real asshole, Dean, you know that?” I seethed, my jaw working as I ground my teeth, trying to control my anger.

Cassie’s hand gripped the bottom of my shirt, pulling it tightly toward her. “Jack! Sit! Down!”

I looked at her face, all pinched with fear, and fell back into my chair, my breathing ragged. After thinking a moment, I shot to my feet again and grabbed her arm. “Let’s go.”

“What? No. We haven’t even done the dishes and…”

“We’re leaving. I’ll do the dishes when I get back,” I demanded, leaving her no choice.

“Night, Dean,” she said grudgingly, two steps behind me.

“Night, Cass. Sorry.”

I stormed into the living room before leaning in to plant a kiss on Gran’s soft cheek. “I’m gonna take Cass home. I’ll be back in a bit and will handle the dishes then. Okay? Thanks for dinner, Gran. It was delicious.”

“Did something happen, dear? What happened?” Gran’s voice echoed her concern.

“Ask your other grandson.” I smiled at her unapologetically, before giving Gramps a hug, inhaling the scent of tobacco lingering on his clothes.

“It was really nice meeting you both. Thank you so much for dinner. It was fantastic.” Cassie smiled softly before leaning in to hug Gramps and then Gran.

“Nice to meet you too, young lady. Good luck with that internship!” Gramps remembered with an enthusiastic smile.

“You’re welcome any time, even after he leaves,” Gran told Cassie, her eyes tired but kind.

“That’s very sweet of you. Thank you so much. I’ll see you both soon.”

I practically dragged Cassie out of the house by her hand before she ripped it from my grip once we were out the door. “Jesus, Jack, enough! Stop pulling me like I’m a fucking dog or something. I don’t even know what you’re so pissed off about!”

I came to a sudden stop on the walkway as guilt immediately mixed with my anger. “Did I hurt you?” I asked, my insides battling.

She cocked her head to one side, assessing me. “No. But don’t do that again. I don’t like it.”

I reached for her hand, but she tucked it behind her back. “I deserve that,” I said with a nod before walking toward my car ahead of her. I opened her door, but didn’t stay to help her up. If she wasn’t going to let me touch her hand, she sure as shit wasn’t going to let me grab her ass.

Once inside, I pulled open the old ashtray, the sound of jingling change filling the air as I dug around for the proper amount. I glanced at Cassie, knowing that she was pissed causing an aching in my chest I couldn’t stand. “Forgive me,” I said, before tossing two quarters into her lap.

She glanced down, the corners of her mouth turning up in a hesitant smile as she shook her head. “I hate you.”

“No you don’t.” Relief spread through me as soon as I realized that it would be okay. We’d be okay.

She narrowed her eyes, releasing a long breath. “Just take me home, Jack. That’s what you ripped me from your house to do, so just do it already.”

My stomach twisted as her tone chased away every ounce of relief I’d just felt. I started the car and we drove in silence the entire way to her apartment, except for the music I chose. As soon as I put the car in park, she hopped out.

“Come on, Kitten. Wait!” I shouted at her retreating back, but she continued walking. “Cassie!”

I realized she had no intention of stopping, so I followed slowly behind her, my mind racing. When I reached her front door, I noticed that it wasn’t closed all the way and my heart literally let out a thankful beat.

“Cass?” I peered around the door into the empty living room. I noticed the light on in her bedroom, so I headed that direction.

I walked in and found her looking in the bathroom mirror as she scrubbed the makeup from her face. She turned to me and sighed before looking back at her reflection. I sat on the edge of her bed, suddenly feeling like the biggest asshole on earth. The problem was, I wasn’t sure what the hell she was even so mad about, but I was certain it was my fault.

I watched as she gathered her long hair into a ponytail, revealing that gorgeous neck she usually hid underneath. I knew I was in trouble with her, but suddenly all I could think about was kissing that neck. I stood up and started to walk toward her, my other head clearly in charge of my actions.

“Don’t,” she snapped and I stopped. No fighting back, no response, no arguing. I simply turned my ass right around and sat back on her bed. If I had a tail, it would sure as shit have been tucked between my legs.

I was one hundred percent not in control of this situation. This girl fucking owned me right now. I sat on that bed waiting for her to give me the time of day. I didn’t necessarily like this feeling, but I suffered through it…for her. I convinced myself that I’d probably suffer through pretty much anything for this girl.

The water turned off and she walked toward me, avoiding my eyes before sitting down as far away from me as possible. “What the fuck is wrong with you?” Her angry tone caught me off guard.

I shrugged my shoulders. “What did I do?”

“You’re kidding, right?” She let out an irritated laugh. I stared at her as she threw her hands up in the air in exasperation. “You flipped out at your grandparents’ house. I thought you were going to hit your own brother!”

“He pissed me off!” I attempted to defend my actions. “I didn’t like the things he was saying about us. I don’t want to hear that shit when it comes to me and you.”

She released a loud breath, her shoulders slouching. “Jack, you can’t get pissed every time someone says something unflattering about us.”

“Yes, I can,” I responded seriously, and she laughed.

“Okay, you cannnn,” she dragged out the word before continuing, “but you shouldn’t. Plus, it’s not like Dean was really wrong.”