" Where are you going to?" Mrs Nicholas questioned.
The thought of losing her child forever filled her heart with so much fear.
" Somewhere far away."
Cassidy's voice bore coldness and it lacked human warmth.
" No, you can't leave. Not now."
Tears welled up in her eyes as she glared at her husband and daughter.
Her husband sat unperturbed like a calm sea.
Cassidy was sorry for being her mother's cause of pain previously but she wouldn't be that anymore.
It was time for a change and that change she must embrace.
Cassidy chuckled bitterly and calmly sauntered towards the door that led to the outside world.
****
" A penny for your thoughts?" the stranger smiled broadly.
" Devin?" she called after she raised her face slowly.
She had been feeling down since she left home and decided to come to the popular cafe.
" I'm sorry if I interrupted you but I'm Khalid."
Cassidy stared wide-eyed.
This Khalid had a striking resemblance with Devin.
The only difference was his accent which wasn't the same.
" Can I sit with you?" Khalid requested.
Cassidy, who seemed lost nodded affirmatively.
" Your coffee's cold.
" Should I order something else for you?"
" Don't bother. I'll just finish it."
She smiled uneasily.
" So, what brings a pretty lady to such a place? A date?"
He sipped his coffee and exhaled while looking intently at her.
Cassidy shifted her gaze from her cup and towards Khalid.
" Oh... It's a date. Well, I'm here for that too."
Cassidy didn't speak as she scrutinised him closely.
His leo coloured eyes matched his beige skin.
" Who's your date?"
She coughed to regain composure.
" Eventually, I'm searching for someone."
" Your date?"
She didn't reply.
It sounded rather crazy that they had promised to come back for each other even after death.
Were they really going to cheat death to be with each other?
" He isn't my date," she said flatly.
Khalid sighed deeply.
" I'm sorry if I seemed too forward. I didn't mean it that way."
" I'm also sorry for being unfriendly and hostile towards you," she mumbled indistinctly.
" We're friends now, right?"
" I think so too."
Khalid dropped the cup of coffee on the table.
" What are your hobbies, miss?"
" I'm Cassidy."
She sipped her coffee.
" And I don't think I'm ready to talk about my hobbies."
" Why?"
He crossed his leg over the other.
" ... because it seems personal."
Khalid exploded in a giddy laugh.
" What's funny?" she questioned sternly.
" I'm sorry if you feel bad about my laughter but you really remind me of someone."
" A woman?"
" I see so much of her in you... those smiles, the fighting..."
" So, what happened to her?"
" I can't say exactly but I'm searching for her.. she promised she was going to come back.."
Cassidy patted his back sympathetically.
He was in the same situation as her and it was tiring.
" Why don't we visit some other place? Probably, the amusement park," she suggested.
She wanted to clear her head as she was feeling suffocated inside.
" I'll pay the bill. Please, wait outside."
****
" Taxi...taxi," Cassidy howled.
" What are you calling a taxi for?" Khalid asked as he walked out of the cafe.
" We can use my car," he offered again.
And after that, they drove off in silence.
" Can I see a photo of the person you're searching for?" Khalid asked after what seemed like eternity.
Cassidy pulled out her phone from her bag and searched for the photo.
Khalid glanced at the photo wide-eyed and speechless.
" Don't look at the photo that way. He's the best. Although, you look like him... that's the reason I thought you were him."
" You just can't be anything like him," she mumbled under her breath.
When his crestfallen face caught her sight, she sighed.
" Khalid, I'm sorry if you feel bad because of the things I said... I'm sorry."
He shifted his gaze slowly and continued to drive.
****
Cassidy and Khalid trudged absentmindedly in the park. She had never gone out on a date before - and this was hardly an ideal way to start.
Previously, she used to go out to the amusement park with her mother and brother.
So, she didn't have a clue what to do when on a date.
She shuddered when she felt Khalid take her hand in his.
She wanted to take her hand away from his when his words stopped her.
" Have you ever been on a date before?"
" No."
" Me neither. But, I have an idea," he affirmed.
" What are we going to do?"
She surreptitiously withdrew her hand from his.
Khalid saw that and a sad smile appeared on his face.
" Sometimes when I was young, I used to sit and wonder where the stars went when each night ended. When I learned that they never truly go away, I realized the answer I had really been searching for all along."
Tears welled up in his almond shaped eyes as he sniffed with uneasiness.
Cassidy stared at him in bewilderment.
She hadn't felt so much connection until the very moment she had completed his statement.
Lost in her mind?
She wanted to know.
Was she losing her mind?
Deep down, her unconscious but wide-awake mind wanted to feel one last time.
But what exactly did she want to feel?
She was a totally strange person on her own path.
At this point, she has become somebody else ( someone lost in the dark with no light shown to find her way.)
" Let's go to the popular restaurant," Khalid suggested.
Cassidy only nodded obediently and soon they drove off.
****
" What do you want?" the fair skinned waitress brandished her set of white teeth.
Cassidy admired this waitress's attire.
Jeans always did look good on girls that had such admirable stature.
" Ragu Alla Bolognese with Carpaccio," they chorused and stared at each other.
A mistake?
This couldn't be a coincidence, could it?
" Oh, you two are a great couple. You even know what each other likes. How delightful!"
The waitress grinned and clapped her hands together in glee.
A blush crept on Cassidy's breathless face.
" I'll get it right away," the waitress assured them and walked away briskly.
" I didn't know you love Italian dishes."
Cassidy dropped the menu on the table.
" I didn't know as well because we didn't get enough time to get acquainted with each other," he explained calmly.
They both kept silent when the waitress arrived with the food.
Her cheeks reddened when she got the first bite.
She hummed in delight.
The sauce texture got the right amount of chewiness and the broth was rich and savory.
Just what she had been waiting for!
She smiled shyly when she looked up at Khalid and saw that he was enjoying the food.
She felt strange at this unusual kindness and hissed impatiently to wade off the delusional thought.
He was only being kind to her, she shouldn't begin to read too much into it.