ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
Copyright © 2025 Cassey9
Cassey's POV
Sharing an office with Andrea was starting to irritate the shit out of me. If she wasn't humming our old songs, Andrea was narrating some long forgotten memory from our past. And it was slowly getting under my skin.
I sighed, trying to keep my voice even. Stay professional, Cassey. "Ma'am Andrea, is there anything else I could do for you?"
No response. I looked up to find her completely spaced out once more, her murky gray eyes lost in thought.
I stood from my desk and took a few steps closer towards her. "Ma'am?" I tapped her table lightly. "Do you need me to do something else? I've finished everything you assigned me."
Andrea blinked as if snapping out of a dream. "Huh? Sorry, Cass. I didn't mean to phase out." She hesitated, then reached for something on her desk. "Here."
I took the picture frame from her hands.
"What is this?"
"Just do me a favor," Andra said softly. "Tell me if you recognize it."
Confused, I slowly turned it over. My breath catching at the sight that greeted me.
Two girls stood frozen in time, their smiles wide and their eyes alight with happiness.
Us.
The two of us.
My heart pounded wildly in my chest the longer I stared at the image. How did Andrea still have this? I thought I had destroyed every picture of us. A dizzying wave of disbelief crashed over me as my breathing shallowed.
Andrea was watching me closely, patient and unwavering. That smug, triumphant look on her face too much to bear.
"Cassey Bookner," Andrea murmured, her voice low and steady. "Does this picture jog your somehow lost memory?"
I staggered back toward my desk, gripping the frame tightly. "Huh… what is this?" My voice felt distant, hollow. "Why do you have this?!"
Andrea's expression remained unreadable. "I have it because it's important to me. That's us, Cassey. You and me."
I forced a bitter laugh. No, Andrea wouldn't win, not over me. Not anymore. Taking a deep breath, I mustered all my courage and turned to face Andrea.
"Frankly, I don't get why you keep pushing this old agenda, Ma'am. And why should I believe this picture is real? For all I know, it could be Photoshopped," I squared my shoulders. "I did study photojournalism, you know."
Andrea's eyes darkened. "Damn it, Cass! When did you get this stubborn?" She stood abruptly, sheer frustration written all over her face. "I don't get you! Even in the face of the truth, you refuse to see it!"
I held her gaze, refusing to bend to her whims. "There's nothing to get," I said, casually tossing the frame onto my desk. The sharp clatter against the keyboard slicing through the tension hanging between us.
"You could never lie to me, Cassey," Andrea murmured, her voice dropping to something almost pleading. "Your eyes always speak for you. Back then and even right now."
I shrugged, clearing my throat, "You're seeing thing, Ma'am."
"God! This is like drawing blood from a stone," Andrea muttered, raking a hand through her hair. I was getting to her, it wouldn't be long before Andrea snapped.
I swallowed, shaking my head as if that would erase the tightness in my chest, "Yeah, sure. Whatever you say."
"You know, for your information, Cassey, I don't do Photoshop."
"It seems like we don't have anything more to do for today," I uttered rounding my desk. I moved about, grabbing my belongings in haste. Andrea had managed to break through my walls, to chip away at my carefully built defenses. And I hated her for it. "I'll be leaving. Have a great evening, ma'am."
"Cassey! Wait," Andrea called moving towards me but I was too fast. "Cass! Cass we are not done here."
I bolted out of the office without looking back. Andrea didn't follow me and I was grateful for that.
"Meet me at the Club downtown," I blurted as soon as my best friend answered her phone. "I need a drink."
Stace didn't ask questions. She just said she'd be there. By the time I arrived, she was already crossing the street toward me.
"Hi girl."
"Hi," I muttered defeated.
"Damn, you sounded panicked on the phone," she said, concern flickering in her eyes. "Is everything alright, sweetie?"
"Yeah, I guess so," leaning into her side as our arms intertwined.
We walked into the bar, ordered our drinks, and slid into a booth at the farthest end. I downed my whiskey in one go, savoring the burn as it slipped down my throat. Maybe if I drank enough, I could erase that damn picture from my mind.
Stacy watched me, her brows raised. "Are you okay? What happened today?"
I signaled the waiter and ordered two more glasses. With Stace, there was no point in pretending I was fine.
"Remember when I told you about my boss and our past?" I asked, my voice thick. The more I spent time with Andrea, the more she kept coming up in my thoughts and conversation
Stace nodded, sipping on her drink, "Yes. What about her? Did your boss do something? Do want to finally talk about her?"
Nodding, I exhaled sharply. "Yes. Andrea was... she was my first girlfriend, Stace Actually, my only girlfriend. I don't know how or why, but I fell for her and... and she just left. She left me, Stace! With no warning! No explanation. Nothing! I woke up one day, to find that she had disappeared from my life. I... I thought she loved me. I thought we had something special together but... but I was wrong. I was stupid!"
Stacy didn't interrupt, just held my hand as I I downed the second glass in a single go.
"And today," I continued, my voice rising, "she had the audacity to dig up old wounds. She showed me a picture of us! Why would she do that! Why would she bring that up, why, Stace? Why? It's in the past, we are in the past! So why now?" My laugh came out bitter. "I fucking hate that bitch."
"Cassey..."
"Yes! I do, Stace," I countered back. "I hate her so much! Do you know how much she hurt me!" Tears were now spilling down my cheeks, burning and unrelenting. Once more, I was crying because of her and I could do nothing about it.
Stace didn't say anything. The truth was already written in the way my hands trembled around the glass. Stace moved to sit beside me and pulled me into a tight hug.
By the time Stace paid the bill and dragged me home, I was drunk to a stupor and exhausted. But at least, I had forgotten all about her.
______
I walked into the office, my head still pounding from last night's drinking. Andrea, of course, looked annoyingly striking at her desk.
"Good morning, Miss Cassey. How's your day starting?" Andrea greeted as I took a seat at my desk.
Why was she so damn chirpy? I forced a polite smile her way before replying, "Morning, Ma'am. My day's starting great. Thanks for asking."
Setting down my handbag, I rummaged for my notepad, ready to go over today's schedule with her and when I glanced up, Andrea was watching me.
Not just watching. She was looking at me expectantly.
I frowned. "Do you need something?"
Her lips parted slightly, hesitation flickering in her gray eyes. Then she pointed at the wall beside my desk.
"Do you like it?" she asked quietly.
I blinked. "Huh?"
She stepped closer. "What do you think? Beautiful isn't it, Cass?"
My stomach flipped at the sound of my nickname. The way she used to say it, so soft and intimate made something inside me flutter.
I turned my head slowly, following her hand. Then, my heart stopped.
Hanging boldly on the wall was another picture of us, enlarged, vivid, and impossible to ignore.
No!
Not this again!
Where was she getting this photos. Did she still have some with her.
I sucked in a sharp breath. "You kept them?"
Andrea stood and moved towards me. "Of course, I kept them all," she said softly. "They're an important part of my life. Memories I hold onto, ones I keep close to my heart."
I couldn't move. I couldn't speak. I just watched as she rounded my small desk, coming to lean against the table beside me.
All I knew was that the past I had fought so hard to bury was no longer buried at all. Andrea was digging it up piece by piece, and resisting her felt like a losing battle.