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Another chapter, for anyone who's still reading.




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.


“So Dylan.” Luke said as he and Cassie entered her apartment. Luke followed her into the kitchen. 

“What about him?” Cassie asked pulling two bottles of water out of her refrigerator. She placed them next to the food that Luke had set on the counter and went to open one of her cabinets.

“He seemed nice.” Luke continued. He wanted more information about the man he met in the Indian restaurant. However, Cassie did not seem as if she would be forthcoming.

“He is. He’s good at his job.” Cassie said. She pulled two white plates off of the shelf in the cabinet and placed them on the counter.

“That’s all I’m getting?” Luke questioned with raised eyebrows.

“What do you mean ‘that’s all you’re getting’? There really isn’t that much to tell. Dani and I met him the other day at the hotel. We talked about the fundraiser, he showed us around the space and he asked me out.” Cassie shrugged at the last part of her explanation.

“He asked you out?” Luke asked. He tried to hold back his disbelief at how casual Cassie seemed to be about the whole thing. 

“Yes.” Cassie said dragging out the one syllable word. “It wasn’t a big deal; it’s not a big deal.”

“Did you say yes?” 

“Would it matter if I did?” Cassie challenged. She was playing with fire, and she knew it. But for some reason the idea of getting burned did not seem to phase her at the moment. 

“Cassie…” Luke began, but  his friend interrupted him.

“Luke, we aren’t dating.”

“I know.”

“This arrangement we have, it’s just fun. Nothing serious.” Cassie said. She turned around to open a drawer.

“Yeah Cassie, I know that.” Luke sighed quietly. He was quickly becoming tired of whatever it was he and Cassie were doing.  “I’m going to use your bathroom.” Luke said.

Cassie turned around placing forks and knives on the plates she took out earlier. She looked at Luke. “Again?” She asked. “Do you have a bladder problem or something?” She joked.

Luke said nothing as he left the room and found his way to Cassie’s half-bath. It was a small room with a toilet and a sink decorated in shades of teal and blue with hints of brown. He stood with his hands on the sink staring at his reflection in the mirror. “Don’t do this.” Luke said to himself. The day had been perfect up until their run-in with Dylan. Dylan, the man could be a model. Luke thought to himself. He would not blame Cassie for wanting to date the other man, but it hurt for him to think that she wanted to. Especially since she had said time and again she was not ready for anything serious. 

Taking a deep breath, Luke turned on the water in the sink and cupped his hands under its steady flow. He allowed a small pool to form before bringing his hands to his face and splashing the water they held onto his face. He took the hand towel from the rack and patted his face dry. Luke knew he could not hide away all evening in Cassie’s bathroom. He took another deep breath sucking in as much air as his lungs would hold before letting it all out. Cassie can date if she wants,  Luke thought, we both can for that matter. Like she said, nothing serious. 

Luke made up his mind to put Dylan and the possibilities between Dylan and Cassie out of his head. He just wanted to enjoy the rest of the day with his friend. He turned off the light in the bathroom and stepped into the hallway. 

Luke walked towards the kitchen where he assumed Cassie would be. However, he found that she and the food had migrated from the kitchen to the living room. Pushed aside were the books and photo albums on the coffee table, in their place were two containers of Indian food, two plates, two bottles of water and two forks. Cassie sat on the floor with her legs crossed facing the sofa. She looked up when she heard him enter the room. “You’re okay right?” Cassie asked. She had done some thinking of her own while Luke was in the bathroom. She realized that perhaps she should have responded differently to Luke’s questions about Dylan. Cassie did not want to hurt Luke, and for a brief moment she even considered that Dani might have been right about consequences of their current arrangement. But she did not want to think about that and looking at Luke, he seemed to have come to the same conclusion.

“Yeah, everything’s fine.” Luke said. He joined her on the opposite side of the table and leaned back against the sofa. He glanced over to the kitchen where two barstools rested on one side of the island. He then looked over to the modest dining room area. The dark wood table was clear and had placemats sitting on it. 

“Is there something wrong with eating at the table, or in your kitchen?” Luke asked as a way of lightening the mood. He began to pile food onto his plate.

“No, I just prefer to eat in the living room. I haven’t really thought about why.” Cassie said.

“I see.” 

As the pair ate, they talked about the summer weather and plans for the fall. They steered clear of any subjects that would send them back to discussing Dylan and exactly where they stood with each other.  When they finished eating, they continued to sit and talk. The plates remained on the coffee table along with the empty containers.

“So,” Cassie said as the current conversation reached a natural conclusion, “did you enjoy the cemetery?” 

“It was different. I don’t tend to visit graveyards for recreational purposes.” Luke laughed.

“Neither do I, but this place was more than just your average cemetery.” 

“I know you’re right, but could you imagine getting married in a place like that?” Luke asked. The question was out before he could think; he waited with bated breath for Cassie’s reaction. 

The question did not have the effect that Luke assumed it would, and Cassie just shrugged. She had not really thought about it. “The chapel was gorgeous though. I can see how it appeals to people.”

“I guess.” Luke said deciding to continue on with the conversation as if it had no potential to lead to topics neither of them were ready to discuss.

“It also gives a bit of perspective to the term ‘Till death do us part.’” Cassie said.

Luke laughed at Cassie’s observation. 

“Where were you going to get married?” Cassie asked suddenly. The air in the room changed and tension could be felt all around. “You and your fiancé.” Cassie was not sure why she posed the question. But after she said it, she knew she actually wanted to know. She was curious about the woman Luke almost married. 

“Umm… well,” Luke began. He was taken off guard by Cassie’s question. “A botanical garden in Louisiana.” Luke said.

“Louisiana?” Cassie questioned. “That’s quite a ways from here.” 

“That’s an understatement and you know it.” Luke said. “But Sam, my fiancé, was from there. She wanted her family to be able to make it to the wedding. And it wouldn’t be too hard to get my family there as well.” 

Cassie nodded her head. “How close were you to the wedding day when she left?” 

“Why are you asking all of these questions?” Luke asked. He was not trying to accuse Cassie of anything, but their conversation did seem a little odd, especially after the way their earlier conversation went.

“I don’t know. I guess I’m just curious. You don’t talk about it much.”

“You don’t talk about Christian much either.” Luke noted.

Cassie smiled and remained silent.

“We were about 10 weeks out when Sam called it off.” Luke said answering Cassie’s question.

Neither said anything for a moment. Cassie began to gather the plates and trash from their meal. Luke stood to help her. 

While Cassie rinsed off  a plate before loading it into the dishwasher, Luke spoke. “What about you and Christian? I know things ended, and you mentioned it had been a bit rocky, but you were together for a long time. Did you guys ever consider making it more official?” 

Cassie put the plate into the bottom rack of the dishwasher. She stood facing the sink with her back to Luke. She gripped the edge of the sink for a few seconds before she turned around. “Only in my head.” Cassie laughed mirthlessly at the old idea. 

There was no joy or comedy in Cassie’s laugh. It was more desperate than it was anything else, and Luke picked up on that. 

Cassie quietly finished rinsing the rest of their dishes and putting them in the dishwasher. Luke stood and watched not sure what to say.

“Cassie?” Luke said when the door of the dishwasher closed.

“I had this idea.” Cassie said turning around to face Luke. “This idea of what our lives would be like. And over and over again, he seemed to just take a pin and pop all of those dreams.”

Luke remained quiet. There was nothing he could say.

“You know, I wanted a house, maybe a dog and a picket fence. And I know it’s crazy, we live in New York City. Picket fences aren’t exactly practical. But it’s the image I had in my head. It was everything I wanted at some point. He was everything I wanted.” Cassie said. 

“And now?” Luke asked. He was not expecting Cassie to open up as much as she had, but he was happy she did. He wanted to help her feel better. He wanted to help Cassie get back at least a piece of who she was before Christian. The best way for Luke to do that was to just be there and to just listen.

“Now, I don’t know anymore.” Cassie sighed defeated. 

At that moment, Luke’s instinct was to hold Cassie. And that is exactly what he did. He crossed the modest kitchen and pulled her into a hug. Cassie did not resist. She was grateful to have Luke around.

“It’s fine that you don’t know.” Luke said. “You don’t need to know everything right now; you don’t have to plan everything right now.”

“It’d be nice to at least have an idea though.”

“Yeah, it’d be nice, but it’s not a necessity, Cassie.” Luke said. He pulled away and stared down into her eyes and smiled. “Things have a way of working itself out.” Luke said.

Cassie nodded her head as she took a step back from Luke. She leaned back on the kitchen sink, her hands once again gripping the metal behind her.  Cassie took in a deep breath and slowly let it out. “Do you want to see some of the photos from today? We can connect the camera to my television.” Cassie said changing the subject. She needed a distraction.

Luke understood. “That sounds like a plan.” 












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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.