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Arriving back at Jake's flat, they quickly hop out of the cab and quickly dart into the dryness of his home. They are both cold and soaked to the bone.
"Damn it", Jake mutters.
Cassie goes over to the sink and wrings out her shirt, her nose crinkling as she can't help but shiver. "I guess we should have paid attention to the forecast. Stupid..."
"Yeah, you could say that again", he sighs and looks over at her. "You're shivering."
"That's what people do when they're cold, Jake", she raises an eyebrow. "I'll warm up soon."
"Well...we should throw our stuff in the dryer. It's not healthy to stay in soaking wet clothes."
"Yeah, except you're forgetting that I didn't come here to sleep over, so I don't have another set of clothes."
"Maybe not, but I do. You're a tomboy anyway, so it shouldn't bother you to borrow some for a bit", he chuckles.
Cassie blushes slightly and shrugs. "If you have clothes that will fit me, I guess."
"Sure, I'll go grab some sweats and a t-shirt. They'll be big but you have a hair tie around your wrist so you can tie it on the side for the time being. And I have never met an oversized tee you didn’t like", he laughs softly.
She smirks and crosses her arms. "That's true. But can you blame me? They're comfortable!"
"I don’t blame you at all, I know they are. Plus, why do you think I was so shocked to see you actually chose a dress for prom? I've known you for twelve years and I don't think I had ever seen you in a dress until that night."
"Mhh, you should've seen your face", she snorts.
Jake chuckles and nudges her a bit. "Yeah, yeah. Let me go change and grab you some clothes, ok?"
"Okay", Cas replies, looking over at him. Their eyes lock for a moment until he swallows and tears himself away, going into his room to change.
Cassie sighs softly, wondering if she's being as dumb as her dad was when he tried to deny his feelings for Molly for all those years. They had technically begun as friends and in not wanting to damage that, Sherlock had pushed her away so many times that he had nearly lost her for good. It was only when he had finally realized that loving her was better than losing her, that he had given in to his feelings and they had gotten together, making each other happier than they had even thought possible.
He had never thought himself to be a man of sentimentality and relationships, especially everything that entailed, and Cassie doesn't believe herself to be either, but the more time she spends with Jake, seeing him in this new light, the more she wonders if she is actually delaying the inevitable.
Cas had decided years ago in her tween years that she would never have time for boyfriends or relationships and would certainly never want to be married or have children. She held her freedom tightly and refused to give it up for anyone; she wanted to be a free spirit for her entire life, not needing to consult with anyone or have anyone holding her back with feelings.
The thing is, the moment her heart began speeding up when she saw Jake or her stomach would fill with the unfamiliar feelings of butterflies when he smiled at her or made her laugh, something changed. Something clicked in her mind and in her heart. Something that told her that all those things may not be so bad as long as they were with Jake. Her best friend. The one person she could depend on for anything and everything. Her person. Her Jake. Suddenly, she could imagine having a life with him, having him by her side, holding her back with feelings in the best way. And she could imagine coming home to him after a long day of work and crawling into his arms knowing he had a long day too. Her heart knows what it wants, but her mind isn't so quick to let go of what she had held true to belief for all these years, not wanting or needing anyone.
"Cas!?"
Hearing her name, Cassie snaps out of it and shakes her head. "Huh?", she questions, looking up and seeing Jake in front of her, holding out some sweats and a t-shirt for her.
He snorts and rolls his eyes. "You were in one of your thinking trances again."
"Oh, sorry", she smiles sheepishly, taking the outfit from him. "Thanks."
"No prob", he grins. "Go change and we can watch a movie or something."
"Sure, sounds good."
Jake grabs some snacks for them as Cassie changes and she comes out in his clothes, laughing.
He looks over and grins as she walks in, his sweats ties around her waist but very long on her, and she's practically swimming in his t-shirt. "Oh my God, that's hilarious."
"Jakeeee", she whines.
Laughing he goes over and kneels down, rolling up the pants for her as she watches, her cheeks burning pink. "I could've done that."
"I know, I just wanted to help."
"Oh, okay. Thank you."
"Of course", he blushes, stealing a glance up at her. Clearing his throat, he gets up and goes back over to the couch. "I have some crisps for the movie."
"Nice", she replies, flopping down next to him and munching on one.
Halfway through the movie, he notices that she still has goosebumps all over her arms. Seeing him looking at her, she turns to look at him and raises an eyebrow. "What's up?"
"Nothing, you just...you still look cold."
"Oh...uh, I guess just a little. No big deal though."
Jake rolls his eyes and pops up from the sofa, walking over to his hall closet. He yanks his favorite hoodie off of the hanger and playfully throws it at her. "Put it on, dummy. You could've just told me you were cold."
Cassie chuckles and shrugs. "Well you let me borrow clothes already, I didn't want to sound rude."
"Cas", he says annoyedly, looking at her. "We've been best friends for over a decade. I don't care if you're a little rude. You're my person. I'm completely comfortable with you, and I hope you still are with me. And...I hate that anything has changed enough for you to think you can't tell me something as minor as the fact that you're cold."
Feeling ashamed, she bites her lip and looks down, slipping his hoodie on. It smells like him, which immediately makes her warmer and cozier, being wrapped in it. "You're right. I'm sorry. I'm being stupid and annoying and it's not fair."
"Luckily I always forgive you", he smirks softly and sits back down.
Without processing what she's doing, she immediately scoots closer to him and wraps her arms around his side, laying her head on his shoulder. "I hope you always do. I have a habit of acting well, irritating. I know I'm not the easiest person to be friends with and I want you to know how much I appreciate you. I always have. Thanks for sticking with me. I know we always will for each other and you're special to me, okay? No matter what."
Jake turns red and hugs her back, wrapping an arm around her. "I feel the same way, Cas. I don't want anything to come between us. I don't care what our 'status' is, as long as you're in my life. I also know that you probably feel conflicted about some things, and I'd never push you into anything. I want you to take your time and think about everything because that's when you're at your best. When you think things through. I'll still be here."
Cassie looks up at him and gently kisses his cheek, causing his face to flush redder. "Thank you."
"Always, Cas", he murmurs, kissing the top of her head before they both turn their attention to the telly to finish their movie.