[to all who believe in the chances to improve, meet, and love each day.]
• • • •
"You did not say that," the young brunette mumbled in shock, her words seeping into her phone as she talked to the discontent socialite through it.
"I did. And I wish I could say I regretted it, but regret is the last thing I'm feeling right now." Ryan's words echoed into Cassandra's ear as she set the phone down, avidly switching it on to speaker as it rested on the small table next to the grand canvas.
The artist couldn't help but grimace towards his words. She wished she could do anything to aid in making his relationship with his parents improve, but there was no doubt the dynamic between the family was heavily strained. A deep exhale escaped her lips as she dipped the paintbrush into a vivid pile of blue, the same hue that would ultimately meet the white canvas in mere seconds. Her living room was nothing but a mess currently, crumpled paper in every corner along with stacks of pencils and brushes everywhere she could lay her eyes on.
"Well, it's not like I would regret saying the truth either if I were you," she opted after careful consideration.
"Yeah, and get this... Shay sort of defended me," he added with detectable confusion as pure awe radiated off of his words. He hadn't talk to her since then, no matter how much he had considered it. And while the moment lingered in his mind, he knew her sudden defense didn't change her disdain towards their fight weeks ago.
Cassandra's dark brows lifted in surprise as she listened to the words echoing in her small apartment, genuinely astonished at Shay's willingness to defend her brother after so long of proclaiming she would never do such a thing. The artist wiped her face, pushing off a strand of her chestnut hair away from it, only to smear a small amount of blue paint across her skin. "She does care about you, Ryan. It doesn't matter how she shows that but it's obvious she has your back when it comes to your parents."
"Apparently," Ryan breathed. "I just hope she won't slaughter me if I ever even attempt to talk about it. But after listening to her say she was actually with that jerk hours before going to dinner..." his trailed off with incredulity as he shook his head, mirroring Cassandra's own appalled reaction as she listened. "I was just ready to slaughter him instead."
"Why would she even consider talking to him again? What could he possibly be saying for her to take him back?" she groaned angrily, all while noticing the evident force she was applying on the paintbrush.
"She's like a walking wad of cash for him," Ryan remarked bitterly. "He isn't the first to talk his way into her heart. Trust me."
Cassandra could feel her heart drop. The mere thought of Shay going through the deceit more than once pained her beyond belief. She probably gave the guy a second chance, all while hoping that this would be different in someway, somehow. It was no wonder why the blonde was so guarded sometimes, even when she didn't mean to be. How could she possibly trust anyone when she had such terrible experiences with lies and deceit? And yet despite that, Shay had gone out of her way to give the jerk another try regardless of the consequences.
"She's used to this?" Cassandra mumbled. The deafening silence on the other end of the call spoke volumes, making the artist lower her paintbrush from the canvas and stare at it aimlessly with a wave of sadness now draping over her.
"Sorry if I'm dumping all of this on you," he harped, "this isn't something I could technically talk to Shay herself about."
"No, don't worry about it. I'm glad you came to me," she admitted with a weak smile. "But I guess you shouldn't talk to me about all these injustices while I'm painting. I'm pretty sure I was close to snapping my paintbrush in half."
Their airy laughs echoed for a few moments as Cassandra gave up on the painting for now, dipping the brush into the murky water as she took the phone into her hand once again and against her ear. It had been almost a whole week since that horrid family dinner Ryan was talking about happened, and it was indeed the same day he had said goodbye to her, she might add. Regardless of the constant calls exchanged between them, accepting the fact that he was so far away after that kiss proved to be ten times harder. Although, she would never admit that to herself, of course.
It wasn't long before Cassandra heard a muffled knock against her door as she smiled. Swift embarrassment engulfed her shortly after at the mess she had created before inviting Emilia over for some tea. The realization aided in prompting her to clean up her art supplies as fast as possible while still pinching the phone in between her cheek and shoulder. She was excited to talk to Emilia. Ever since she had mentioned the possibility of a first kiss, the older blonde demanded a day to meet and talk about the special moment. The artist laughed at the blonde's excitement once she mentioned it, and it was easy to see there was nothing that could ease her impatience.
"Okay, well I'm just going for a quick jog," Ryan announced through the phone. Cassandra acknowledged his plans, declaring Emilia was already on the other side of the door before preparing herself to say goodbye.
"I'll talk to you later then," she mumbled with a swift grin as she collected the random pieces of crumpled paper from the floor. It was easy for her to make a mess when it came to creating a new sketch and all, easily frustrated and prone to just throw away useless attempts of what she had in mind.
"Don't brag about me too much," he teased, only to cause Cassandra's face to be overtaken with a quick heat wave- a sharp contrast to the challenged expression on it as she listened to his pompous remark.
"Don't flatter yourself, Eckhardt."
"Don't deny it, Amherst." His words held evident humor as he retaliated, giving Cassandra another reason to let an airy chuckle to escape her lips without strain. They ultimately said their goodbyes as she hung up, only to then swing the door open to reveal Emilia on the other side.
"Your door is not soundproof," she snickered as she walked past Cassandra with a smirk.
"Oh?" Cassandra challenged with a suggestive lift of her brows, watching the prideful blonde enter her home as she closed the door with a coy grin. No matter how much their relationship had evolved, the young brunette would never get use to Emilia's teasing.
"Just heard that cute conversation after standing out there for almost 15 minutes," she emphasized. "But I guess if you kissed the guy it's only logical to have a hard time saying goodbye."
"I feel so bad for the day one of your daughters gets a boyfriend. The teasing will not stop," Cassandra retaliated.
"Well, they'll have to deal with it. And so do you," she chirped with a quick lift of her shoulder, turning her head innocently. The young mom sat in one of the chairs, her eyes trailing over to the large canvas in the middle of the small living room. She never considered how she pictured Cassandra's apartment, but once she entered, there was no denying it was indeed her home. It was modest and simple, much like the artistic brunette's character.
"I guess so," Cassandra laughed, promptly placing a hot cup of tea in front of Emilia as she noticed the blonde's inspection of the random canvas in the middle of her home.
"... Are you done with it?" Emilia asked with caution, swift hesitation etched in her face.
"No!" Cassandra laughed incredulously. "You think a simple blue streak shows that this is done? Don't insult me."
The women laughed effortlessly before finally sitting down face to face, much like every other session they seemed to categorize as something traditional between them. Then, as expected, the final goodbye at the airport became a topic of discussion. Cassandra shared the painful yet reassuring feeling in her heart throughout the farewell, all while not leaving out the comforting sensation she had felt once she had acknowledged the whole situation was indeed worth believing. Ryan was undoubtably what she never knew she had been waiting for, and the thought alone made her smile instinctively.
"Have you had more dreams?"
"I have," Cassandra muttered. Truth be told, if it weren't for Emilia's question, she would've forgotten the strange occurrence that had clearly draped confusion over her for the past week. "It was really weird this time, though. It was sort of like the same dream I had of Ryan and I..."
"The ones where there's more than one person in it?" Emilia asked, easing the brunette's worries the minute she had asked.
"Yes! Those exactly," the artist breathed. She couldn't help but grimace as she thought back to it, the way she felt mere seconds after waking up from the dream. The weird gift had its perks, but feeling like she was intruding in people's lives was most definitely not one of them.
"I've had those. Not as often but I get it," Emilia admitted. "And you'll be pretty shocked to hear what happened after I had them."
The curiosity and subtle fear seemed to nip on Cassandra's skin once she heard that. The blonde's lips pressed into a thin line as she looked up at the artist, not really sure how she could explain the situation without giving the brunette new reasons to be appalled by this ability they both possessed.
"Well, let's just say typically when there's two people in a dream, whether it's two different people or you as one of them, it means they'll be quite significant in your life. Or at least, people you'll encounter more than once. "
"This just gets creepier by the minute, huh?" The young brunette rested her head on her hand stoically, waiting for yet another explanation from the one woman who seemed to categorize these occurrences as part of her daily life now.
"The couple was actually Daniel's brother and his wife, which I met not long after dating him for about a year."
"Okay, but I'm pretty sure these two people aren't related to Ryan in anyway," Cassandra refuted. "And they were both in some restaurant, fighting like you wouldn't believe."
"Well, like married couple fighting?" Emilia teased.
"I don't know, honestly. All I know is that the woman had incredibly pretty auburn hair and the guy really dark hair, along with the bluest eyes I've ever seen in my life. I mean, none of that sounds like something that would remind you of Ryan, right?"
Emilia shook her head despondently. It wasn't long before Cassandra sighed as she looked down at her cup, wishing her dreams didn't give her such a personal look at the lives of complete strangers. Regardless of the fact that the fight seemed to be a casual one anyone else would have, the artist was sure of the fact that the restaurant they were in was in no way related to anything she had seen in Seattle or Chicago. She didn't know how to feel about the weird shift in her dreams sometimes, especially when it came to having two people instead of one in them. But after accepting the fact that she was enslaved by this gift, she did what she would have done anyways and drew them both. Truth be told, Cassandra has laughed a bit after the sketch, adding the title 'feisty couple' across the top of the page. They were quite the characters, despite the rather uncomfortable way she had come to realize that.
"So I have a surprise for you," Emilia warned with a sheepish smile, bringing Cassandra out of her trance. "And you better not refuse it because I want nothing more than for you to use it."
The blonde slid a small paper across the table, only to then see the artist's face morph from genuine confusion to pure astonishment. She held the paper in her hands with incredulity before looking back at Emilia. It was a plane ticket to Chicago, and by far the best way Emilia thought of spending the money she had currently saved up.
"I can't take this," Cassandra mumbled with tears in her eyes, shaking her head vehemently towards the incredibly sweet gesture.
"You can and you will. It would be different if I thought this was some silly crush, Cass. I think we both know this is the real deal," she reassured with a kind hand over the artist's own. "Go."
"I don't want charity, Em. I mean I know it's obvious I'd love to see him again but I can earn it myself. You know, like some commissions here and there. I could earn it."
"Consider this the earliest engagement gift ever then," Emilia laughed. "I need you to take it. I'll never forgive myself if you don't. I want to show you that I truly support this, and even though having these dreams suck, it doesn't change the amazing moments and people it has placed along your path. Take it."
After unrelenting insistence from Emilia, Cassandra had relented, immediately engulfed with gratitude as she sobbed on the blonde's shoulder. The flight was merely hours away, seeping incredible excitement into the artist's heart as she hugged Emilia with all her might. She didn't know what she had done to deserve such an amazing friend, and she would spend the rest of her life trying to find that answer. As they packed Cassandra's belongings for the impromptu 4 day trip to Chicago, the artist didn't stop in promising Emilia about the countless things she would give to repay her- including her own money. Emilia refused vehemently, nearly slapping Cassandra's arm at the appalling promise. She wanted nothing in return, except to be the maid of honor at the wedding, she probed with a laugh.
And on that very same restless night, Cassandra tossed and turned with a grin on her face towards what awaited her. She promised herself to mirror Ryan's actions when he first visited, which basically consisted of only calling once she was indeed in Chicago. Thankfully, he had mentioned his address during their short hangouts as she did the same, a smart move by both of them in order to avoid any future mortifying attempts in surprising each other. The thought continued to make her smile even throughout the flight- the most exciting one yet. Nearly everything reminded her of him, including her brazen decision in keeping the window wide open on her second flight ever.
Her chest heaved as she stepped onto the front steps of his home, a wide grin sprawled across her face. The smile was impossible to suppress as her ruby lips lifted without fail, already feeling subtle pain starting to spread across her cheeks from the immense happiness. She held onto her purse's strap as she tilted her head giddily. The short moment of her waiting for him after ringing the door bell seemed to be an eternity. But nevertheless, it didn't diminish her smile. It was then that the sound of the door opening lingered and it revealed the man Cassandra had missed so much. The smile grew instinctively, her pearly whites exposed as she caught a glimpse of Ryan Eckhardt merely feet away from her.
"Hi."
• • • •
such a lame ending huh? ;)
but it's obvious i pick my gifs for specific reasons, babes. xD #epicgifhunts
okay but seriously each chapter seems to get longer for this story and i apologize bahahah but there's just a lot going on.
and it all had to happen in order to start the long awaited drama you guys are suppose to be ready for hehehe
you have been warned. it starts on the next chapter!!! like legit tho... this isn't a game. wait for it. let's do thisssssss
is it cruel if i decide to update on sunday again? ... just to leave y'all with the suspense the rest of the week? ;) yes it is.
xoxo
-Kayyyy