Chapter 7
936 Words
There wasn't much Cass wouldn't have done to save her little brother. She had loved him to no end and their bond had held lots of value to her. She hadn't been close to her cousins, but ever since she and her brother had lost their parents, they grew closer.
One of her cousins, Jennifer, always told her she could do better than Andrew. Only Cass was comfortable in her relationship with the bad gangster. Sure, he had his faults but so did she. She therefore found herself drown in a relationship of push and pull that was toxic to her. Each time she told herself she had had enough of him, he'd do something sweet to go back in her favors.
So, yes, they argued a lot but at least they weren't indifferent… or so she told herself.
When she woke up in his arms that day, she found it almost impossible to breathe. Why did she always forgive him? Why couldn't she remain angry and finally break up with him for good?
For one brief moment, she pictured herself with the handsome Adrian, and smiled at the thought before frowning in dismay. She should not be thinking about him.
She looked at the alarm and it read 7:30. She still had plenty of time before her shift started. Maybe she could use the time to talk to Andrew.
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Later, when she was preparing breakfast for the both of them, she suddenly felt a hand at her waist and a small kiss was deposited on her neck. She relaxed in his embrace for a moment before steeling her resolve. She should not let herself be seduced into forgiveness.
“Smells delicious,” he whispered huskily.
“Let's eat,” she told him firmly.
“Okay.”
They ate their pancakes in silence. When Cass finally finished her cup of tea, she decided it was time to have a chat with her boyfriend.
“We need to talk,” she told him seriously, her finger circling the cup absentmindedly.
Andrew frowned at that and put his fork down. “About what?”
“I don't think I can do this anymore.”
“Do what exactly?” He questioned a little harshly before using a softer tone to add, “If it's about breakfast, I could have prepared it. You should have just asked.”
“It's not about breakfast,” she rolled her eyes at him, knowing it unnerved him to no end, “I don't think I can be with you anymore.”
“What do you mean?”
“What I said exactly. I don't think it's healthy to stay with you.”
“Is it about my ex? I already apologized for that,” he tried to reach out for her hand but she recoiled from his touch as if it stung.
“It's not about her. It's about us. Our relationship is hardly perfect.” She rose to her feet, the chair making a loud scraping sound.
He, too, rose to his feet, so she would not tower over him.
“Let's be real here. No relationship is perfect,” he told her in a light tone, in an attempt to dissipate his girlfriend's contained anger.
“No relationship is perfect, true, but ours is just toxic,” she countered, unyielding.
Andrew was about to say something when the doorbell rang.
Cass went to answer, perplexed as to whom it could be. It turned out to be a flower delivery – or to be more precise, a roses’ delivery. She looked at the card, it only had one letter A. A for Adrian, of that she was sure. She thanked the delivery guy and smelt the beautiful red roses.
They gave her strength for some reason.
“Who are these from? Is it that guy?” Andrew questioned angrily. “Is this what this is all about?”
“It's not about him,” she told him on a sigh.
“Sure it's not.” He retorted sarcastically while making his neck and shoulder articulation crack.
“It's about us. Our relationship is toxic. I'm not the only one who thinks that.”
“Your friends are just jealous of you,” he spat out, shaking his head in denial.
“You're a gangster for God's sake, hardly the perfect boyfriend material,” she was glad she had finally said what she always thought out loud.
“It didn't bother you before.”
“I tried to overlook the fact for far too long. I can't anymore,” she let out calmly, “Especially when you act like a brute.”
“I'll let you time to think about this. I'll be at the restaurant this evening as always. We'll talk then.” Was it just her or did he just not listen to a word she said?
“My work place is hardly the place to settle this. I'm telling you it's over, Andrew. Get that into your thick head.”
“Whatever,” he spat out before exiting her flat.
Cass closed the door behind him with a small sigh. Now, that could have gone better. She looked at the roses that were still in her hands and went inside to put them into a vase. Adrian sure was sweet. But even he wasn't the perfect boyfriend material. He was younger than her. And God only knew what he could have seen in her. She couldn't let herself be seduced into his bed.
She'd have to resist his British charm… or so she told herself.
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