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I'm sorry I've been AWOL. I have no excuses, just me avoiding what I need to complete. Also I've revised this chapter a bit (me and not being able to count did that. Also I uploaded a chapter i forgot to add (8.0) Next one should be up soon.




Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.


The rest of the evening went much like the beginning, with jokes and teasing all around. Everyone at the table took their turn on stage. Overall the night was a success. The friends did not stay too late though. Dani and Alex had to relieve their babysitter. And Carmen, who somehow ended up flirting with the bartender all evening, left shortly after the other woman’s shift ended at midnight. Sean and Jade left together as well, leaving Luke and Cassie the only ones remaining of the party.

“Do you think they did that on purpose?” Luke asked as the two walked side by side toward the exit.

“This time, no. But it was awfully easy for them to do. I still can’t believe Carmen picked up the bar tender tonight.” Cassie said.

“That surprised me too.” Luke laughed. “Can I ask you a question?” 

“Sure.” Cassie said she turned her head to the side to get a better look at Luke.

“What was going on with Jade?”

Cassie turned to Luke, “What do you mean?”

“You’re telling me you didn’t notice Jade eyeing Carmen all night and then staring her down while she was flirting with the bar tender?” Luke asked.

Cassie did not say anything. The truth was she noticed, and she was sure Carmen had too. But she did not realize anyone else had as well. “It’s not really something to talk about here.” Cassie said avoiding the conversation. 

Luke took the hint and let the conversation drop. 

“So are you heading home?” Luke asked instead as he pushed open the door to the bar.  He held the door open allowing Cassie to easily pass by him and walk out the door. 

“Of course. You should come by.” Cassie said.

Letting the door go, Luke raised his eyebrows.

“I found that album we were talking about last week.” Cassie explained.

“Really? Then lead the way.” Luke said. He followed Cassie. She led them down the sidewalk toward the nearest subway stop.

 

Cassie unlocked her apartment door, and Luke followed her inside. She threw her bag by the door and flung her light jacket onto the arm of the couch.

“You can have a seat on the couch. Let me go and get the album.” Cassie instructed.  She disappeared into the back of the apartment. 

Luke took Cassie’s suggestion and sat down. Though the two had spent a good amount of time together in the past couple of months, it was Luke’s first time in her home. They stuck to public meeting places. He almost felt as if he were invading Cassie’s space as he made himself comfortable on her couch. His eyes roamed the room before landing on the coffee table in front of him. Luke noticed a stack of photo albums sitting on top of the furniture. “Are these from your travels abroad?” He asked curiously as he began to flip through the one on top.

When Cassie came back out, she was holding a record in her hand.

“Yeah, I kind of got into taking photos while I was away. There was so much beauty and tragedy that I had to capture it all.” Cassie said as she made her way back into the room.  “And here it is,  The Jackson Five, ’Third Album.’” Cassie said waving the vinyl record back and forth. She walked over to the side table that sat next to her piano. She lifted the top to reveal a record player. Cassie pulled the album out of its protective sleeve and put it on the turn table and started the record to play.

“I still can’t believe you have that.” Luke said in disbelief. In one of their many earlier conversations, Luke mentioned how he enjoyed spending time with his uncle as a child. The man maintained a massive record collection that included the album now playing in Cassie’s apartment.

Cassie smiled. “I stole it from my dad years ago. He has a huge collection that he never listens to. I doubt he even noticed that it’s gone missing” She laughed.

“Kind of like the one I was telling you my uncle had.”

“Yeah, I guess so.” Cassie laughed

“Did you steal anything else of his?” Luke asked. He wondered if Cassie had any other albums that took him back to his childhood.

“The Nat King Cole Christmas album. There’s just something about listening to ‘The Christmas Song’ on the record player during the holidays.” Cassie said. “I’m going to grab something to drink from the kitchen.” She walked through her apartment to her kitchen.

Mixed in with the voices of the Jackson Five were sounds from Cassie opening the refrigerator and her kitchen cabinets. While she was gone, Luke continued to flip through her photo album.

“Do you want anything to drink as well? I have wine.”

Cassie came to the threshold between the living room and the kitchen. Luke looked up. She was holding a bottle of fine red wine in one hand and two empty glasses in the other. 

“No that’s alright.”

“Are you sure? I really don’t have much else. I don’t drink beer. Your other choices are lemonade, apple juice and water.” Cassie explained.

“Water is fine.”

Cassie nodded her head before heading back into the kitchen to pour herself a glass of wine and to fetch Luke bottled water. She came back out and handed the bottle of water to Luke and placed her own glass down on a coaster. 

“These photos are great.” Luke said.

“Thanks, it’s just a hobby.”

“You’re very talented, a songwriter and a photographer.”

Cassie laughed, “I wouldn’t consider myself a photographer. As I said, it’s a hobby. Just something I picked up while seeing the world. I wanted something tangible that I could look at from my adventures, something more than just souvenirs. You know?”

“Did you have any, adventures I mean?” Luke asked. From their previous conversations he had gleaned that her boyfriend’s death closed her off from trying new things. And after a year, Luke could tell Cassie was still not able to completely let go.

Cassie shrugged her shoulders, “A few I guess. I think the whole trip was one big adventure. I started out in London, then headed to Paris, Champagne, Madrid and Barcelona. I got to visit Rome and Milan. And at one point, I managed to find myself in this small Greek town.”

“I imagine you stuck out,” Luke said.

Cassie laughed, “You think?” She sobered up slightly, “I had fun though. Or at least I tried to.” Changing the subject, Cassie pointed to Luke’s now opened bottled water. “Are you sure you don’t want anything else? You should really try this wine.”

“No, I don’t drink.” 

“Oh.” Cassie said. She was not expecting that. Luke was a well-put together person. He was successful—maybe a workaholic—and had friends who, Cassie had come to realize, obviously cared deeply about him. She could not fathom how the man sitting before her could be an alcoholic.

Luke watched her reaction. He could see the wheels turning in her head. “You can ask.”

“What?”

“I know you want to know. Everyone always does, so you can ask.” Luke said.

“I don’t…”

Luke raised an eyebrow.

“Okay, I guess. How long have you…”

“Have I been sober?”

Cassie nodded her head.

“Six years. I take each day one at a time.”

“Can I ask what happened?” 

“What happened that now I’m sober?” Luke asked confused.

“No, I mean what made you start…I think I’m going about this wrong.” Cassie said. She was frustrated. She wanted to know what happened, but she did not want to pry.

“There wasn’t anything that made me start drinking. College and easy access to alcohol, I guess, is where it began. I think it got out of control after law school when I started my first job trying to keep up with the big shots. It got to a point where I was ruining relationships and burning bridges. But somehow I was able to still excel at my job. I didn’t really think there was a problem. Everyone around me drank after work. It’s not uncommon for some of the senior partners to stash a bottle of Scotch in their office. The catalyst, my reason for wanting to get sober, was the end of my engagement. My fiancé left. She couldn’t deal with it anymore.” Luke said.

“I didn’t know.” Cassie said, not really sure what else she could say.

“It’s okay. It’s not something I talk about. The people who’ve known me the longest are really the only ones who know. And I’m truly amazed that they decided to stick around with me through everything. I have the best friends.” 

Luke and Cassie sat in a silence that was a mix between awkward and comfortable. The only sound came from the record player as a new song began. Cassie sipped her wine and Luke started flipping through the photo album again. 

“How did you end up in Iceland last when you went to Europe first?” Luke asked returning to their earlier conversation.

Cassie laughed. “I’m somewhat impulsive.”

“I never would have guessed.” Luke said. “Where were you before Iceland?”

“Germany. I didn’t get a chance to do Germany before I headed to Africa. After Greece it was Egypt, Israel, Kenya and South Africa then back up to Dubai. I then went on to almost every country in South East Asia and then Australia. From Australia it was back to Europe.”

“You did a lot.” 

“I had a year.”

“Did it help?” Luke asked.

“Jade would say nothing has changed with me.”

“What do you think?”

“I don’t know.”

“Maybe it didn’t change things. Maybe your trip was just to put some distance between you and what happened. Maybe it was something to prepare you for whatever’s up next in your life.” Luke suggested.

“And maybe you’re right. But I doubt it.”

“Why is that?”

“Because I don’t know what’s up next in my life.”

“I don’t think you’re supposed to know Cassie. I don’t think anyone ever really knows what’s next. You can’t control life.”

“Don’t you wish you could? Don’t you wish you could control life, control what happens?” Cassie asked. There was a hint of desperation in her questions

Luke shook his head. “No. Then there’d be no mystery to it, no fun.”

“You’re telling me that if you could, you wouldn’t have wanted to control your past, to stop your fiancé from leaving.”

“No.”

“You wouldn’t want to prevent the pain it caused you?” Cassie asked.

“No I wouldn’t. It hurt, yeah, but the pain let’s us know we’re still alive Cassie. Besides, I think everything happens for a reason despite how pointless it all seems.” Luke explained.

“I don’t believe that. I don’t think things happen for a reason; I don’t believe in fate.” Cassie said.

“So you’ve said. But did you ever stop to think that maybe you’re lying to yourself?”

Cassie was quiet. She didn’t have an answer for him. At one time she did believe in fate, in everything happening for one reason or another. She believed in fairytales and happy endings, but then life happened. Things changed. 

Luke stood up, “I should go. I have an early morning.”

Cassie stood up with him. She was not ready for him to leave, but she had no reason for him to stay longer. She enjoyed his company and their conversation to some extent. With Luke around, her apartment felt a little less lonely.

“You always have an early morning. And tomorrow’s Sunday, what could you possibly have to do on Sunday.” Cassie noted as she followed him to the door.

“I’m a busy man.” Luke said as he opened the door and stepped out into the hallway. “The firm’s got an account with a very wealthy client who’s closing on a deal early next week. I’m going through all of the paperwork one last time to make sure everything’s in order. I’m also shifting to a pretty big case that’s heading to trial. So…”

“Right.” Cassie nodded. “I think you’re a workaholic.” Cassie teased.

“Now you’re starting to sound like Dani.” Luke said.

Cassie scrunched up her nose. “Don’t tell me that.” She laughed.

“I’ll call you later this week.” Luke said as he started to go.

Cassie reached out and grabbed Luke’s arm to stop him from leaving. Luke looked at her with his eyebrows raised, questioning her actions. He was not sure what she was doing. 

On impulse, Cassie stood on her toes and pulled his head to hers. Their lips met briefly. Before Luke could really process what was happening it was over.

Cassie pulled away and lowered herself back to her usual height. “Goodnight.” She said as she took a step back and closed her door. 

 

Stupid Cassie, just stupid. She thought to herself as she leaned against the door. 












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Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.