Cassidy Peters chewed her favorite cappuccino biscuits with the hot coffee, perfect for the chilly morning.
Each time the doorbell rang, she gazed at the door in anticipation but disappoinment always hit her in the face when he wasn't the one at the door.
Even if he was a million miles away, she could still feel him near her.
She could still hear his voice inside her head.
Why wasn't he here?
Hadn't he promised he wouldn't leave her alone with her pains?
He was supposed to keep that promise till the very end.
Her hands limped beside her body weakly.
She dreaded to believe that he was gone and won't return.
If she was alive and well, then he should be too.
They both had been given another chance in this life.
She closed her eyes but nothing came to her mind.
She tucked her hair behind her ears while putting on her best smile.
She felt the need to be optimistic about the whole situation.
Besides, she still had a few hours before the day ended.
There wasn't any need mulling over it at the moment.
She joined her brother in hanging the balloons on the ribbons.
Time passed quickly when you enjoyed it.
In the blink of an eye, the sky darkened.
The fact that Devin couldn't show up didn't dissuade her.
Asides that, she'd made plans to go to the eatery where they had first met the next day.
With this on her mind, she huddled under the covers of her bed, gripped the sheets, and smiled with contentment as the breeze brushed past the curtains.
She closed her eyes and fell into deep unconsciousness.
****
Cassidy woke up with a fresh feeling to the chirping of birds.
The relaxed air around the room made her give a faint smile ( and she flung the bedsheet energetically.)
It was another day to begin her search.
After the shower, she prowled out of the house dressed in a dark blue hoodie and a pair of jeans trousers with a pair of black sneakers.
The car skidded to a stop as she'd ordered.
She opened the door and stepped out.
She raised her face to the sunny sky ( soaking up the sun in simple bliss.)
And for a moment, she felt a wave of panic seize her.
She hissed to wade off the delusional thoughts.
She'd to be positive and only that if this was ever going to work.
After paying the cab driver, she strutted into the eatery.
Everything seemed to bring back old memories.
The scene looked familiar.
They had met here for the first time when she was crying for something she couldn't recall.
He'd walked up to her and tried to cheer her up.
He'd talked to her calmly and lovingly that she couldn't help but fall in love with him immediately.
She ordered a meal on the menu to buy time for herself.
She had barely begun to eat when the aroma of Devin's favorite coffee wafted through her nose.
There was a hint of excitement on her face as she ordered that the coffee should be added.
She continued eating her Italian dish with the clinking sound of the spoon on the plate as she glued her eyes to her phone.
Time ticked by and Devin didn't show up.
" Miss, it's 7pm already and it's past our closing hours," the waitress spoke softly, exposing her white teeth.
A big frown etched on her pale face.
She gurgled softly but mostly in disappointment as she pulled her purse and galloped out of the eatery.
She hailed a cab as tears trickled on her cheeks.
" Crescent," she muttered and entered the cab.
The music playing in the cab caught her attention.
It was Alicia Keys' ' try sleeping with a broken heart'.
And she loved the music at the moment because it was the same with her current situation.
' And all the time, you were telling me lies.
So tonight, I'm gonna find a way to make it without you.
Tonight, I'm gonna hold on to the times that we had.'
While the song continued, she trailed off in her thoughts.
The cab driver turned down the volume of the song.
" Beautiful lady."
He flashed his white teeth in the dark and glanced at her slyly through the centre mirror.
His flirtatious eyes scanned her body through the centre mirror.
Cassidy turned her gaze from the window and stared at the man with a blank expression.
" Are you okay? You look lost," he continued.
She wiped her tears with the back of her hand and sniffed.
" I'm fine."
" No, you're not. Do you mind sharing your thoughts?" he said again.
Cassidy turned away from his gaze.
She flipped the window open.
The beautiful lights that shimmered in the dark caught her attention.
" I know you love the lights," he added after scrutinising her countenance closely.
His lustful gaze refused to go away.
She had smiled softly immediately she saw the light.
" I'll alight at Crescent," she reminded him.
He continued to drive but this time it was faster and he was colliding into large tins on the way.
" Did you hear me, sir? You've passed Crescent."
He didn't give a reply.
A wave of terror welled up from her stomach.
Thoughts were bouncing in her head.
She didn't want to believe that the worst was just about to happen.
A pained whimper escaped her lips as she tried to scream for help but they had driven past the areas where help could come easily.
The car was hurriedly running along a road with no habitations around.
Just when she had made her first plan to escape, the car roughly skidded to a stop, and the driver threw open the door.
He clenched his fists tightly and pressed his lips together.
" Well, that was a collosal waste of time."
He pulled Cassidy who shrank back and trembled roughly and threw her to the ground.
She fell with a thud and bruised her elbow.
" What are you doing?"
He laughed hoarsely and bent over towards her body.
He ran his fingers through her smooth face and licked his lips.
" There isn't any need to wail your balls out for help because we're far away from help.
" If you do what I want you to, then I'll take it easy on you, I promise."
Cassidy choked on her breath as tears welled up in her eyes.
It hit her rudely in her face that she was about to be brutally raped and there was no escape route for her.
The glint of light on the broken glasses on the ground wasn't bright enough for her to know how to attack the hoodlum.