Cassandra sat in her room staring out the window. She'd spent most of the night lying awake in bed because Blaine hadn't come home and even now she felt sick over it. She wasn't worried about his safety, she knew he was alright, but she also knew that he was with Reese. Something significant had happened, that much she was certain about, and she was overcome with a overwhelming feeling of loss.
She turned her head as she heard the front door open and barely picked up the sound of Blaine and Reese's cheerful voices downstairs.
Part of her wanted to run downstairs and confront them, but knowing she had no grounds to complain, she went with her other impulse and stayed hidden in her room. She hoped they would come and go without her having to see them at all.
She listened as footsteps came up the stairs. She expected them to go directly into Blaine's room, but instead there was a knock on her bedroom door. Reluctantly she got up to open it and found Blaine standing on the other side with Reese waiting behind him.
"Hey, Cassie. I've got some news."
Her eyes flitted from Blaine to Reese and back, but she said nothing. She knew whatever he was going to say next was going to be bad news for her.
"I just told your mom on the way in, I'm moving out sooner than I expected. Reese asked me to move in with her."
"Oh," Cassandra said stoically.
"Thanks for letting me stay here though. I really appreciate it and I had a lot of fun living here with you and your mom."
"Yeah, it was nice having you here."
Blaine frowned. He hated seeing her so disappointed about the news. "We'll have to keep hanging out though. If you ever feel like having another movie night call me and we'll come over."
When he said "we," Cassie glanced quickly at Reese, who seemed as unhappy about the suggestion as she was.
"I'll do that . . ." Cassie said. She looked at Reese as she spoke, her confidence starting to return. "And if you ever need a place to stay again, you're always welcome here."
"Thanks," he said, offering her a friendly hug.
Cassie sighed. Feeling him next to her, that instant connection she felt for him came across even stronger. As he let go and backed away from her, she knew she couldn't give up on him.
"We're just going to get my stuff," he said.
Cassie watched as he turned to Reese with a gentle, intimate smile, took her hand and walked with her down the hall to his bedroom.
After a brief moment of hesitation, Cassie bolted down the stairs and headed for the kitchen.
Zara hesitated a moment before entering the kitchen. Thomas and Sheila were seated at the kitchen table engaged in what looked like an intense conversation. Of course, with Thomas everything seemed intense. Even now, from a distance, Zara noticed the penetrating stare he focused on Sheila as they spoke and the decisive hand gestures he used to emphasize his point. She could tell without even hearing his words that he was speaking intelligently and passionately about his beliefs as he tried to convince Sheila of his point of view.
Sheila's body language, as she leaned towards Thomas, nodding enthusiastically and batting her eyelashes, said to Zara that she was more interested in the color of Thomas' eyes than the passion in them or the shape of his lips, rather than the words they were trying to convey. Disgusted, Zara no longer worried about interrupting and walked through the room to get a drink out of the fridge.
Sheila didn't even look up as Zara entered, still staring into Thomas' eyes. "I think you're so sweet for caring so much for all the cute little animals."
Zara rolled her eyes and tried to stifle a groan as she turned her back on them and opened her can of juice.
"It's not just the cute ones that matter," Thomas replied. "We have a duty to protect all living organisms in our ecosystem, by any means necessary. I have some pamphlets that might help you understand the importance of what I'm talking about."
He moved so suddenly that Sheila, who had been leaning towards him, was nearly thrown off balance.
"But you explain things so well," she called after him, too late. His quick purposeful strides had already taken him out of the room.
Sheila watched after him with a dreamy sigh before standing up and walking towards Zara.
"Thomas is hot, don't you think?"
Zara tried hard not to grimace. Was that all she thought about? He was certainly attractive, but that wasn't his best quality. More than that, he was intelligent, dedicated, passionate. It was those qualities about him that impressed Zara, not his looks.
Sheila continued talking, not noticing that Zara hadn't answered her question. "I wonder if he likes me."
With an exasperated look, Zara said nothing and walked away.
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