“Seriously? Get. Off,” she demanded, gasping as she exaggerated her inability to breathe.
“I thought I just did. ”
Cassie rolled her eyes, shoving me with all her strength. “OK, OK. I’ll move. ” I wrapped my hands around her shoulders and rolled us both over. I pulled her naked body against mine, refusing to let her go.
“Now I’m hungry again. ” She kissed the top of my nose. “And ready for the rest of the story. ”
“You’re bossy. ”
“You like it. ”
I’ll Never Leave You Again
Jack
I waited for Cassie on the couch in the tiny living room. Looking around, I surveyed the small apartment and thought to myself that we’d need a bigger place soon. And I needed a gym. But we could deal with that later. She walked out in her pajamas, grabbed one of the boxes of pizza, and tossed it on the coffee table near our legs.
“I’m ready now. ”
I walked into the lobby of Cassie’s apartment building and was immediately greeted by an older gentleman in a dark gray suit and black bow tie. The doorman’s kind face almost set my rattled nerves at ease. Almost.
“Good evening, sir. May I help you?” he asked, eyeing the packages in my arms curiously.
“Yes. ” I forced a smile before asking, “I was wondering if you could help me out?” I moved toward him and placed the packages carefully on the tiled floor. His eyes raced between my now revealed Mets jersey and the boxes at my feet. I could sense he was nervous, or maybe it was caution I picked up on, but I immediately wanted to put him at ease.
“These are for Cassie Andrews. She lives here. ”
A large grin covered his face, replacing the uncertainty. “I know Miss Andrews. Lovely girl. Talented, too. ”
I knew that tone. It was pride, and even the doorman in Cassie’s apartment building felt it for her. “Yes, she is. ”
I extended my hand toward him. “I’m Jack. ”
“Fred. How can I help you, Jack?” he asked, gripping my hand with more strength than I expected.
I sat for a moment wondering just how much to tell this stranger and how. “Long story short, Cassie was my girl. But I fucked everything up and lost her. ” I eyed him apologetically after swearing. If Gran heard me talk like that to an older person, she’d smack me upside the head. “Sorry for the f-word. ”
“It’s fine. Go on. ” Fred leaned against the reception desk, his eyes sparkling with interest.
“I’m here to get her back. Each one of these packages is a different gift. I need to get them to her, but I can’t be the one to do it. ” My voice shook as I tried to explain. “Am I making any sense?”
“Yes. ” He smiled again. “Do they all go at once?”
I threw my hands in the air, thankful for his question. “No!” I shouted a little too aggressively. “Sorry. They go separately. There’s an order to them. ”
“Do you know which gift goes first?”
I looked down at my feet. “Yeah. It’s really heavy, though. ”
“That’s OK. Here, let’s hide the rest behind the desk. Just in case she wants to come down and get the first one. ”
“OK, so what’s the plan?” I stared at the man I now found myself depending on.
“I’ll call her and let her know that a package arrived. She can decide if she wants to come down to get it or if I should bring it up. We’ll go from there. ”
“Sounds good,” I said, before cracking my knuckles and pacing nervously.
Fred pressed a button and began speaking. “Miss Andrews, there’s a package down here for you. Do you want me to bring it up, or would you like to come get it?” His eyes met mine as we both waited for her response.