A couple, stuck in a warm and cheesy embrace, were on the stools next to where Cassandra Vilmont sat at the bar. Contrary to what others might have thought, it was hard not to be distracted by their quaint love speeches to each other with the added effect of a smooch on the lips here and there. It wasn’t any of Cassandra’s business to eavesdrop on their conversations, but given the fact that Cassandra never really had that experience with a guy in her life before, it was understandable that she was cold and bitter about the whole situation.

As much as she wanted to hide the fact that she was clearly annoyed from their lovey-dovey pursuit, her expressions seem to betray that, and the couple who had been enjoying their time at the bar soon left shortly after noticing that someone was bothered by their actions. Cassandra felt slightly bad killing the mood, but wouldn’t anyone else be a little fussed by it too?

The showing of public affection was almost offensive to Cassandra, as if that couple had been showing off their relationship to her and adding to that – she felt like she was being made fun of for showing up to a bar without a partner. She was truly alone. Alienated in a city she had never visited before. Suddenly she felt like throwing up. She had visited bars before, but that was with friends and at a time she was actually happy. Her face was growing duller as each day progressed, and her spirit was no longer what it once was before her desire to move to Chicago.

Looking back to the day she decided to fly to the city where she thought she would be better suited in pursuing her dreams of becoming a movie actress, Cassandra felt silly thinking she ever had such a thought. Home was where her mother and father were, meanwhile being here in Chicago made her feel like a lost puppy searching for a home in hopes to relive the joy she got from being around people who truly loved her. In fact, she didn’t even have a home, besides a room in an expensive hotel. She was reluctant to pay such a high price for a room, in a city she wasn’t even sure she liked yet, but she figured that she should just take the key and go knowing that she’d be staying here for a while in case any of the companies she auditioned for would call her back. It would be a hassle having to audition, going back home, then coming back to Chicago if she got a call back. Back and forth movement. Annoying.

Cassandra was not in the right mood as she sat in the bar that night, and seeing the couple only worsened her condition. She wasn’t sick or tired or hazy, even being a lightweight, all that alcohol seemed to only turn her actions full of bile and hatred. Cassandra’s body language was positioned in a way that made her look like she didn’t want to interact with anyone, at all, but even with her efforts to not look anyone in the eye, she was met by a charismatic young man standing next to her.

“Is this seat taken?”

There is an interesting vibe of tranquillity in his voice. It sounded like waves gently rocking against a moss shore, and it had done a good job at attracting her attention, to which she replied in a surprised manner. Just before she said anything though, she stole a few seconds to look him up and down and he didn’t seem to mind. Cassandra suddenly felt irritated that he didn’t even flinch as she was staring him down like a hawk. The idea that he thought of himself too much as a handsome daring man got to her head and she rolled her eyes in a subtle manner as she turned her head away.

“I have to wake up very early tomorrow. Can I help you with something?”

Cassandra went back to take a sip of her drink. The man beside her didn’t flinch – again – and continued to remain unfazed and chilled by her distant attitude. It almost attracted him too, and he saw it as her playing hard to get. Admittedly, he liked the chase as it would do wonders for his ego when the woman would finally subject herself to him. The victory, for him, allowed him to bask in his own pride. It was sickening – despite his efforts to deny it.

“No…”

Just like always, another form of denial voiced by him in an attempt to not give the wrong idea. But of course, Cassandra always expected the worst things in every first encounter. She gave a half shrug and continued.

“Well it’s getting late.”

“So?” - The man was quick to ask as his face formed into a smirk.

“So, I’m leaving. Unless you want to engage me in a conversation. But I really should get going.”

Her efforts to leave his suffocating presence proved to be a failure, as his body was now trapping her against the bar. Cassandra eyed him again quickly before going back to her drink to play the tension off, not wanting to give anything away through her eyes, desperate for an escape. After she took a sip of her fruity cocktail, she let out a harsh cough. That man still had a smirk on his face but this time it grew bigger than ever before.

“Not used to the alcohol? I don’t really find you to be the alcohol type. A lightweight, maybe.” Now he took a seat and ordered a drink for himself, but his attention was still on her.

“Oh… I’m fine. I don’t usually get this, so I’m just not used to it, I guess.” Cassandra shrugged and twirled the liquid in her drink around.

The man questioned her with the smirk still visible on his face. “You guess? You sound unsure.”

A couple, stuck in a warm and cheesy embrace, were on the stools next to where Cassandra Vilmont sat at the bar. Contrary to what others might have thought, it was hard not to be distracted by their quaint love speeches to each other with the added effect of a smooch on the lips here and there. It wasn’t any of Cassandra’s business to eavesdrop on their conversations, but given the fact that Cassandra never really had that experience with a guy in her life before, it was understandable that she was cold and bitter about the whole situation.

As much as she wanted to hide the fact that she was clearly annoyed from their lovey-dovey pursuit, her expressions seem to betray that, and the couple who had been enjoying their time at the bar soon left shortly after noticing that someone was bothered by their actions. Cassandra felt slightly bad killing the mood, but wouldn’t anyone else be a little fussed by it too?

The showing of public affection was almost offensive to Cassandra, as if that couple had been showing off their relationship to her and adding to that – she felt like she was being made fun of for showing up to a bar without a man. She was truly alone. Alienated in a city she had never visited before. Suddenly she felt like throwing up. She had visited bars before, but that was with friends and at a time she was actually happy. Her face was growing duller as each day progressed, and her spirit was no longer what it once was before her desire to move to Chicago.

Looking back to the day she decided to fly to the city where she thought she would be better suited in pursuing her dreams of becoming a movie actress, Cassandra felt silly thinking she ever had such a thought. Home was where her mother and father were, meanwhile being here in Chicago made her feel like a lost puppy searching for a home in hopes to relive the joy she got from being around people who truly loved her. In fact, she didn’t even have a home, besides a room in an expensive hotel. She was reluctant to pay such a high price for a room, in a city she wasn’t even sure she liked yet, but she figured that she should just take the key and go knowing that she’d be staying here for a while in case any of the companies she auditioned for would call her back. It would be a hassle having to audition, going back home, then coming back to Chicago if she got a call back. Back and forth movement. Annoying.

Cassandra was not in the right mood as she sat in the bar that night, and seeing the couple only worsened her condition. She wasn’t sick or tired or hazy, even being a lightweight, all that alcohol seemed to only turn her actions full of bile and hatred. Cassandra’s body language was positioned in a way that made her look like she didn’t want to interact with anyone, at all, but even with her efforts to not look anyone in the eye, she was met by a charismatic young man standing next to her.

“Is this seat taken?”

There is an interesting vibe of tranquillity in his voice. It sounded like waves gently rocking against a moss shore, and it had done a good job at attracting her attention, to which she replied in a surprised manner. Just before she said anything though, she stole a few seconds to look him up and down and he didn’t seem to mind. Cassandra suddenly felt irritated that he didn’t even flinch as she was staring him down like a hawk. The idea that he thought of himself too much as a handsome daring man got to her head and she rolled her eyes in a subtle manner as she turned her head away.

“I have to wake up very early tomorrow. Can I help you with something?”

Cassandra went back to take a sip of her drink. The man beside her didn’t flinch – again – and continued to remain unfazed and chilled by her distant attitude. It almost attracted him too, and he saw it as her playing hard to get. Admittedly, he liked the chase as it would do wonders for his ego when the woman would finally subject herself to him. The victory, for him, allowed him to bask in his own pride. It was sickening – despite his efforts to deny it.

“No…”

Just like always, another form of denial voiced by him in an attempt to not give the wrong idea. But of course, Cassandra always expected the worst things in every first encounter. She gave a half shrug and continued.

“Well it’s getting late.”

“So?” - The man was quick to ask as his face formed into a smirk.

“So, I’m leaving. Unless you want to engage me in a conversation. But I really should get going.”

Her efforts to leave his suffocating presence proved to be a failure, as his body was now trapping her against the bar. Cassandra eyed him again quickly before going back to her drink to play the tension off, not wanting to give anything away through her eyes, desperate for an escape. After she took a sip of her fruity cocktail, she let out a harsh cough. That man still had a smirk on his face but this time it grew bigger than ever before.

“Not used to the alcohol? I don’t really find you to be the alcohol type. A lightweight, maybe.” Now he took a seat and ordered a drink for himself, but his attention was still on her.

“Oh… I’m fine. I don’t usually get this, so I’m just not used to it, I guess.” Cassandra shrugged and twirled the liquid in her drink around.

The man questioned her with the smirk still visible on his face. “You guess? You sound unsure.”

Cassandra was not actually used to the alcohol, nor hanging in bars despite visiting more than a couple back in her hometown. Actually – no matter how hard she tried to fit in with her friends that were like wild party goers, Cassandra felt most comfortable in libraries. In small, quiet places where she didn’t have to speak too loudly to talk to someone over the loud overbearing music usually heard in night clubs. At least in a library she only had to whisper, and even the gentle whispers were as soothing as listening to the rain patter against the window.

She didn’t want him to see through her, but his analysis had quickly made herself conscious to the fact that he wasn’t being tricked by her façade. But if he thought she was going to give up so easily like that, then he was very wrong – wrong indeed. Not only did he approach her in such a forward and direct manner, but now he was making assumptions.

The balls on him!

Cassandra’s eyes stayed on her beverage in front of her as the liquid swished harshly within the sides of the glass like a mini hurricane occurring.

“…It’s getting late.” Cassandra had hope – for a quick second – because as she lifted herself up off the stool, he did not show any sign of betrayal. She wanted to make sure that this was real and not just him playing a trick on her, so she grabbed her sparkly pink evening clutch as well and positioned her body towards the exit. That prick. Oh, he was smart. He probably wasn’t thinking that, but Cassandra was.

Rain.

It started to pour. So hard that some of the people had gathered their attention towards the large window pane at the front of the bar. Heavy downfall of rain splattered against the roads outside; the trees’ branches not stable enough to keep still. Surely the frown on her face was enough to satisfy the man, evident by the smug look he was now holding so proudly.

“Come on. I’ll give you a ride,” he said as his smirk turned into a warm smile. Cassandra bet the ladies went crazy for that flashy smile – the perfect row of little white teeth that girls probably wished were biting into their necks. Such thoughts Cassandra didn’t condone, but here she was – imagining the dissolute scenes lurking in the back of her head. Getting a ride from him, even though it would save her from the unstoppable water gushing down from the sky, meant that she would have to spend even more time with him. She had just been thinking about him biting into a girl’s neck so her being with him more would just further those thoughts, and she didn’t want it to go any more further than that. Not now, not ever.

“No. Please. I can walk. I’ll just make sure to not get out from under the covers,” Cassandra said in a patronizing voice while her eyes stared deep into those dark orbs he possessed.

“It’s raining. Pretty hard.” The man was persistent and calm, and in fact annoyed Cassandra because she was ready to leave. Without him and his pride getting in the way. She followed his gaze out the window and saw a look of worry plastered on his face, which genuinely surprised her that he actually meant to give her a ride. The rain looked pretty awful. Eventually she gave in and let him have her. If this was real kindness, she didn’t want to be rude and pass the offer up.

“Alright,” she sighed, “thank goodness I don’t live too far though.” Realization dawned on her skinny pale face. “Actually – I don’t even live that far. I’m staying at the Emerald Hotel.”

The man raised his eyebrows and let out an ‘ohhhhhh’ as he started to remember where that was located. She was right. It wasn’t that far. Just a few buildings from the bar. Just turn a corner and – boom – you’re there. At Emerald Hotel. The man began to think she had expensive taste, as it really was only meant for upper class individuals and the like. Little did he know that Cassandra had spent most of her previous years saving up just for this trip. She wasn’t that worried about the price unless he wanted to stay over, then that would be a problem. She was planning to order room service for one person only, not two.

He gave a short nod and gestured his hand towards the waiter. “I’ll just the pay the bill and we can leave.”

Cassandra waited at the foot of the entrance for him, all the while staring out fearfully into the open air. Just her luck that it started to rain that night. The past few days had been undeniably dry and sticky so it was definitely a change.

The bartender gets a hold of his cheque for him and hands it over, then he pays for it and thanks him. “Thanks Jeremy. Will have to tip you next time. I’m in a bit of a rush right now.” He glanced over to Cassandra then back to Jeremy, whom he noticed already even before he came in, but nodded anyway and gave a smirk.

“Too busy trying to impress the diamond on your arm?” He said as he laid his eyes on her, letting it wonder over the daring parts of her body. At the same time Jeremy was cleaning a wine glass with a cloth, but only noticed shortly after that it was already super clean and didn’t need more drying.

“Just for tonight. But she doesn’t know that.” Jeremy knew that Remington always frequented this bar whenever he flew in to Chicago from Los Angeles, and to this day it disturbed him whenever he would find a pretty lady he admired and to stay the night with them only to abandon them in the morning. In fact, Jeremy thought of him a total jackass and a heartbreaker, but he didn’t want to run into any trouble with him. Not after the knowledge he got about his ties to an underground, powerful mob.

It was starting to become apparent on his face that Jeremy was growing uneasy to his sneaky approach, so he swiftly changed the subject. “First time I’ve seen her here actually. I take it she’s not accustomed to the nightlife here. Or anywhere. Seemed disoriented.”

“But she’s cute.”

Remington’s response back to Jeremy was again, a selfish move. But it was Rem, after all. He wasn’t exactly the long-term relationship type. Jeremy liked for there to be a balance in a friendship anyway. While Remington was the romantic backstabber, Jeremy was the sweet faithful guy that would cross the ocean first to let you know if it’s safe or not to travel on. That was just his personality, growing up in a household with lots of siblings didn’t exactly let him grow up to be so careless and driven by a woman’s lust.

Jeremy finally finished up on the wine glass and hung it on the hanging wine glass rack at the other end of the bar counter, then goes back to Remington and shoots a concerned glare at him. He leans forward, in case Cassandra could hear them even over the rain and music.

“Whatever you’re doing, don’t do it.” Jeremy warned.

It was only met by his dismissal of Jeremy’s concern, which annoyed Jeremy to the max, but he controlled his composure. He was still a little worried though, obviously, by the shake and stutter in his voice. “Man, I don’t have a good feeling ab-“,  Jeremy scratched the back of his head as his eyes flickered between Cassandra and Remington. He knew what was going to happen now between them, if they planned on staying the night together, then Jeremy only hoped that Cassandra had a tough interior.

“Anyways. I’ll catch you later. Have a good night.” Remington was enjoying the look of fear on Jeremy’s face, and only prompted him to continue on with his plans of seduction rather than doing the opposite. He got up from his seat, smirks in Jeremy’s direction and chugged down the remaining content of his shot glass.

“It’s just for one night. Life’s too short.” Jeremy stared at the back of his head in disbelief as he walked away with that confident strut he always had. It annoyed Jeremy, but by no means he was to interrupt him. After that day when he found out that Remington was an underboss for a family, it spooked Jeremy out for a bit – but at least thought of him as like an acting bodyguard for the bar whenever he visited, which did good in soothing Jeremy’s fears. As Cassandra sensed his presence slowly approaching, she turned to him, although her gaze slightly off as she shared a private glance with the bartender. She saw that he looked troubled and immediately put the man in front of her in question.

“You guys seemed deep in conversation. I-is everything okay?” Cassandra’s body tensed as she waited for an answer.

This left no sign of worry on Remington’s face as he raised his eyebrow and tried to reassure her that it was no big deal. He just didn’t want Jeremy ruining what experience Remington was wishing for. “What are you worrying your pretty little head for? Shall we?”

Remington holds out his arm in anticipation, waiting for when she would submit to his sense of authority, and submit she did.

“So cold,” she finally said as they both stepped out on to the pavement. The rain slowly stopped now, but mini pools of water surrounded their feet.

“I’m willing to sacrifice my jacket for the lady. Turn your back to me.” He insisted on giving up his own sense of comfort for her, if that meant it would give her a better impression of him. Cassandra was obviously naïve to the fact that he was only trying to impress her, and even though she was eager to accept, shyness was taking over.

“Seriously, you don’t have to…”

This game of cat and mouse was starting to cause nuisance for Cassandra and kept on feeling guilty about him trying to do everything in his command to protect her and she didn’t grow up to have things spoon fed to her. It was a weird sensation to be treated in such a high manner.

“No. I have to.” The cat insisted again, to which he reacted in a deep and luring voice that sent shivers down Cassandra’s spine, like electricity waves sending shock through to her body.

“You’re shivering,” Remington says playfully as he doesn’t fail to notice her body shakes and goose bumps covering her neck, “I have a shirt under this suit jacket while you have nothing under that dress.” His voice was loud and clear and began to embarrass her as she then playfully slapped his arm.

“Hey!” She gasped. “Seriously?”

This back and forth conversation between them, although painfully hard to keep up, was giving Remington the benefit of the doubt that her shocked statements were flirty remarks instead. It was a classic move for narcissistic-like people, opting to believe their assumptions rather than face the truth.

“What? Did I say something wrong?” Remington didn’t know if she was being sarcastic or not but decided to play along with her and act as if he wasn’t aware of the impact of his words.

“You are unbelievable. Do you think before you speak?” It was made clearer to Remington now that she obviously was a little heated, well, offended by the way he talked to her like that. Cassandra could only tolerate such things to an extent.

“Do I? I get nervous around gorgeous women like you.” Remington thought that maybe this smooth compliment would work with her, but only gave the opposite reaction as she burst into a fit of laughter that mocked his charming abilities.

“Is this how you get the ladies? With your eccentric charm and quaint lines?” She held his gaze and shook her head disappointingly. Cassandra’s impatience and urgency to get back to her hotel room grew more and chose to walk ahead of him, hoping to drown out his voice by the loud wind. He stayed glued to his spot in disbelief, but the corners of his mouth lifted up into a smirk.

“Oh, I hate to see you go… but I love to watch you leave.”

 He hoped to get back a reaction out of her, but it didn’t do any good either and he hardened his features. “I’ll get you. Come back here!”

Remington took off quickly on his leather shoes and finally caught up beside her only to splash a rain puddle in front of her, resulting in a wet patch on her silky tight dress. It was probably not enjoyable for Cassandra, but he let out a hearty chuckle after trying hard to suppress it.

Cassandra responded to his playful gesture with a loud squeal that seemed to react some of the other people walking along the foot path, but it was only for a brief second before they looked away again, probably thinking they were just two silly lovers fooling around, which they were for the most part except for the lovers thing.

“My dress!” Her slight annoyance since the first time he uttered a word to her, had not changed, but he was at least satisfied by the reaction. He was trying hard not to imagine what it would sound like in bed, but he pushed the thought away and kept on teasing her.

“I’m sure you have plenty of other ones. No big deal, right?” He tried to comfort her through an alternative solution seeing that there was no other way to alleviate the wet patch on her clothes. It was going to get any drier. Small droplets of rain were still coming down and this was her favourite outfit of all the other ones she had tightly packed into her suitcase. Cassandra smoothed down her dress in annoyance then rubbed her temples to massage the headache she was about to receive.

“Um, yes, it is a big deal! This is my favourite dress, prick.” Sympathy is not what Cassandra wanted but there was no harm in a simple apology. Anything else would be too much to ask for, it seemed. He didn’t want to leave her alone back at the bar even after her annoyed expressions, so asking for sympathy from him seemed so unlike him.

“Guess you’re going to have to get revenge on me now, huh?” He prowled on her like a lion seeking its prey hoping that time and luck would be on his side. But instead of chasing her, he decides to want to get chased instead so he sprints away from her and turns into a corner on the right.

This caused Cassandra to follow behind him in a fit of mad anger after she took off her heels so that she wouldn’t suddenly slip and fall smack down on her face. This was just for safety precautions, and she didn’t want to get made fun of by the other people walking down on the street, who were already looking at her with a weird look on their faces.

“Ughhhh!” She quickly does the same thing, turning the corner, but a look of surprise from Remington made her scream as she bumps into his chest – hard. The redness on her cheeks showed that she was slightly embarrassed from the tumble and she tried to quickly regain her composure.

However, he didn’t seem to mind it at all. In fact, it was almost a good thing that it happened because now it allowed some time for them to actually loosen up and get comfortable. They both start to laugh hysterically, and Cassandra welcomed it, despite her reluctance.

Time was moving in a slow pattern, and as slow as it was, Cassandra felt sentimental and most of all – relaxed. After his many tries of getting her to abandon her bitterness towards men for just one night, Cassandra did just that. She couldn’t deny that it felt good to finally share some humour with someone, and if that someone was particularly handsome too – she wasn’t going to mind at all.

“I have never met a girl as beautiful as you. I know, I know. I can get corny, alright?” Remington articulated the words he spoke just to make sure she caught what he said, and he quietly hoped that it would get out another reaction from her. Perhaps instead of a squeal, it could be a kiss – to seal the night. But the night was still young, and their mutual feelings for each other was obvious that their time together wasn’t over.

“Say something.” He continued as he started to feel impatient and worried that he might have said something out of her favour again. Oddly enough, her next response was completely unrelated – maybe due to the fact that it must have been awkward to receive such a straightforward compliment after their back and forth insults.

“…We’re here.” She quietly expressed in her sweet, warm tone – such a drastic change from the bitter personality he had met in the bar, but it was nonetheless amusing to Remington and sparked his desire further. Her attention was not even on Remington at the time but was on a big flashy sign behind him that read: Emerald Hotel. A look of confusion transforms his face, before he realizes his lack of discernment.

“Ah. That’s right. You really weren’t joking when you mentioned you’re not staying too far from the bar.” He admits to his own forgetfulness, even after frequenting this particular part of the city for a while now; he still wasn’t used the haunts that would often be teeming with tourists and rich bitches.

“You’ll stay a little longer?” Vulnerable and naïve was the word to perfectly describe her, but it was exactly what Remington was wanting her to be all along, however cruel that may be.

“Now, is that a question or a statement?” This time, it was his turn to play a little hard to get – but he just wanted to make sure that this wasn’t her just being playful.

“It’s up to you,” she says quietly, “I won’t hold you accountable for it.”

A moment of silence is shared between Cassandra and Remington, but from thereon out it was a game of who would make the first move.

“Then hold me accountable for this.” He leaned forward and gently held up her chin towards him with his thumb and index finger, her face resting perfectly as if their close physical connection were like two puzzle pieces finally coming together. A kiss – to seal the night – just like how he wanted it to be.

After a soft touch on lips, there was a little hesitation from Cassandra’s end, but even after trying to pull off his grip on her – it was almost impossible to back out now. Instead, she gives in to the temptation and returns the passionate gesture, which she never thought of doing until a few seconds ago.

Their night ended, them pausing their make out session briefly in the elevator to hurry to her hotel room and then, Cassandra, with her best efforts to get out of her dress – did so.

***

It was the early morning now and the blinds were slightly raised as well to let a little sunlight in the seemingly colourless hotel apartment, thanks to Remington. But just like Remington, the sun left quickly and quietly. The window was open too. As much as Remington wanted to let Cassandra decide for herself if she wanted to open it herself or not, the stuffy temperature in the room was difficult to not be bothered by it.

Cassandra’s naked body is sprawled across the bed, twisted in the white blankets and sheets like someone had left her for dead. Her ass cheek, failing to stay put in the fabric, was exposed – and the wind brushed against it making her reach for more of the blanket to cover herself up. Although she failed to do so once she realized that the blanket only had such limited fabric for her to be covered.

She opened her eyes slightly, turning into slits as they looked directly out into the open sky. However long it took her to realize that she had slept with someone that night, she started to search for his body that had been lying sound asleep beside her.

“I had such a great time last night. I never caught your name though,” her embarrassment at the situation caused her cheeks to burn, and, she waits for that familiar deep voice that, not too long ago, was whispering sweet nothings to her ear.

Cassandra froze in her position as she couldn’t feel him beside her. After several seconds of waiting, she finally turns her head – feeling stupid that she had been talking to herself since she woke up.

“Huh?” Anger travelled through her brain, but most of all it was complete disappointment that numbed her thoughts. She had fallen for someone in such a naïve way, and she was too blind to notice that he was only after her body, and not the personality that Cassandra thought he found increasingly fond of. Especially last night, their attraction towards each other became close to being a relationship bond, but it was just her luck that everything meant nothing at all. He manipulated her, and she fell for it. The dumb girl she was – fell, hard and fast.

After lying awake for another ten minutes in a completely unstable state of mind, she sits upright in the bed and contemplates her next move – but she doesn’t even have to decide as she notices a written note left for her on the beside table.

She reads it aloud:

‘If you are reading this, you already know that I’ve left. I don’t plan to meet with you again, but if there’s some chance that we bump into each other on the streets, it would most likely be extremely awkward and tense. More for me than you. I’m not actually a local here. I’ve probably touched down in New York by the time you’ve finished this letter. Or before the time you’ve picked it up. Anyways, thank you for last night. I really did mean everything I said. You are a gorgeous woman, intelligent, and a starlet that should be cherished – by someone that isn’t me. I couldn’t say ‘I love you’ that night. I saw the hurt in your eyes when I didn’t say it back. But that would be selfish of me, knowing that I planned last night to just be a one-night stand, no? Goodbye Cassandra. I got your name from your ID.’

Cassandra’s eyes travel to the open wallet on her kitchen counter, then leaves the letter on the bed to put back her credit card in one of the pockets. She paused for a moment to reflect on what the -fuck- just happened. She walked back to her bed and collapsed on the soft mattress, then rolls around, and stops finally when her face is buried in the mountain of pillows at the head of the bed.

Silence.

Then a high-pitched scream busted out from her tiny mouth, probably causing the people staying next door to her, to wake up abruptly. Cassandra had undoubtedly made the mistake of even going to the bar that night, when initially, she was going to just stay in her room to practice her script and now she felt unmotivated to focus anymore. Not even on the main thing that made her move to Chicago; which was auditions – being the pinnacle of Cassandra’s list of priorities.

“Why me… why!” Her outburst was nothing close to a dramatic performance, but it was pretty good practice for her emotional acting. Cassandra acted like this for a few more minutes, then she stopped, sat up again and ran her fingers through her hair in a frustrating manner. She makes a trip to the bathroom, limping – as normal as it was after a night of fun. When she gets to the bathroom, she doesn’t even care about how dishevelled her appearance is, but she does take careful notice of a smile that slowly emerged on her face.

It was a simple, yet powerful reminder – that words could manipulate, twist your bones, and hurt you – but it would take a boulder and a powerful tornado to get in the way of someone’s ability to realize their worth. Cassandra smiled back at the reflection in the mirror. Even though being heartbroken was upset and disheartening and sick and all of that, she was at least open to the fact that it could be treated as a learning experience.

Hopefully though – he really meant what he said about not planning to meet her again. Cassandra quickly got over him quickly, as if she was just pestered by a mosquito. Then she got ready, had breakfast, and headed outside – even greeting Jeremy on her way. He loved stories. Oh yes, he did.

Cassandra, a kitten begging for warmth, was exactly how she acted on the night of Remington's approach - and although he thought that he could get away the morning after - he would soon find out that she had a way of making it back into people's lives. For better or for worst, who knew?

Directly related to her story about how she got recruited into MGM Inc. Coming soon. <3