She Will Be Loved- Ben Tyler Cook

Chapter 54

Kasey's POV

September 25, 2020

The rest of the summer went by quickly, and life was pretty quiet. August was spent recuperating from the first couple months of summer. I worked on my mental health and spent more time alone, and focused on getting myself back to feeling good. And it was working, I found myself being able to go out with my friends without feeling weird, and I was able to spend time by myself without feeling like there was something missing. I still had a lot of work to do, but I was actually feeling good for pretty much the first time all year. For the first time in awhile I actually felt a sense of identity. When you date someone for so long, sometimes you lose yourself in that and don't know who you are when you're just you. When that happens, it's hard to be happy by yourself. I had a good perception of my self-identity for the most part, but I think towards the end of things I lost myself in "us" and was clinging to all I'd know for the past few years. I'll still miss Ben for the rest of my life I think, but I know who I am and I know I can be happy by myself. 

My contract for Moulin Rouge was ending soon, and I was still deciding if I wanted to stay there or not. My agent was encouraging me to audition for some more important roles like leads in other shows, and I think I was leaning more towards that. So I was starting to prepare audition pieces and I had even already gone to a few casting calls. It was a stressful process that I somehow enjoyed sometimes, despite this probably being every actor's least favorite thing to do. I knew that when I started getting rejections I'd definitely stop enjoying it. 

Besides broadway and auditions, Milo was keeping me busy. He was a shy kitten at first, but as he grew used to our little household he was now practically bouncing off the walls with energy. And despite accidentally knocking over some glasses, I could never be mad at him. Spontaneously deciding to get a cat turned out to be one of the best decisions I'd ever made. He also enjoyed cuddling just as much as I did, which was a daily activity now. Milo also never wanted to leave my side which was a blessing and a curse. He always slept in my bed which was great at night, but when morning came he'd sometimes wake me up by sitting on my face. When I showered, he refused to leave the bathroom and sometimes he'd even try to get in. He would meow loudly when I left the apartment and try to come with me by clawing at my leg. And right now, he was sitting on top of the kitchen table as I ate lunch, trying to eat like I did. 

"This bagel is mine," I raised my eyebrows as Milo eyed the bagel in my mind. I laughed and shook my head. 

"You have food right over there!" I protested, pointing to his food bowl on the ground. He let out a meow. I sighed and got up from my chair to bring his food bowl to the table where he is perched. This seemed to satisfy him, as he now started to eat and left my bagel alone. I chuckled and scratched his head. 

Overall though, I was enjoying every second of being a cat owner. I finished eating and as I began to put my dishes in the sink, there was a loud and vigorous knocking on my door. I froze, wondering who it was and why it was so urgent. I went over to the door and looked through the peephole, seeing it was Dan. I opened the door and he practically burst through the door and into my apartment to the living room. 

"Woah woah-"

"Kasey I-don't-know-your-middle-name Hartley!" Dan asserted, a little out of breath as if he had just ran here. 

"It's... Isabella," I said with a laugh, crossing my arms. I was intrigued. 

"Right. Kasey Isabella Hartley!"

"Full name, am I in trouble?"

"Yes. Because I just found out from a little birdie that you aren't coming to our Newsboys Variety Show!" Dan blurted out, exasperated.