Charlie sighed and looked hard at Cassie. "I know you don't want a lecture, but I can't help it. If you have feelings for him, you have to either tell him and see if he's open to giving the whole relationship thing a try... or.. you walk away now... before you get hurt." Charlie didn't want to see Cassie heartbroken if it could be avoided. "You know that you can't simply tell your heart how to feel. It doesn't work that way."
The bag scared Charlie too, and he instinctively shot an arm out in front of Cassie, ready to protect her if she slammed on the brakes. Thankfully, Cassie handled the problem well, and Charlie put his hand back in his lap, trying to calm down. "Now are you happy?" he asked, having just demonstrated how much he cared about Cassie and her well being.