A second chance: Sequel of Against all odds (14 page)

“
Hello,”
she told her.

“
Hi
Mu.. Cassidy. I'm Kylie,” she said extending her hand.

Cassidy shook her hand and
invited her to sit down.

“
Oh
David, she's adorable,” she said when I reached them.

“
Glad
you like her.”

“
So
Kylie tell me something about yourself,”she invited her. “Do
you have friends and what subjects you like at school?”

“
Oh
yes, I have a lot of friends, There's Bethany, Moira and Josh. Josh
is very naughty sometimes he  grabs my hair and pulls it.
Bethany says it's because he likes me. What do you think?”

I smiled while the two of
them chatted, and I had to make an effort to keep my tears back. It
was so nice to see them together again. How I wished we could be a
family. I looked at her face; she was so beautiful, she had makeup on
and her blonde hair was tied in a frail chignon at her neck. Her face
had a healthy colour, the paleness I had seen in the last weeks had
disappeared. I felt so relieved that she was fine.

“
So
what do you think Dad? Dad...Dad!”

I looked at her.

“
What?”

Cassidy and Kylie giggled.

“
He
was looking at you,” she told Cassidy. Cassidy blushed. She was
lovely and all I wanted right now was to pull her in my arms and kiss
her.

“
Dad
I'm thirsty.”

“
Amm
oh yeah. Here take these, go there and buy something OK,”I said
giving her some money.

“
OK.”
Kylie jumped up from the chair and took the money and then walked
towards the bar. I was left alone with Cassidy. She was looking at me
and smiling.

“
You
look beautiful,” I told her as I grabbed her hand. She
shivered.

“
Thank
you.. David.. you have a lovely daughter.”

“
Thank
you.”

“
David..erm...I'll
be out next Monday,”she informed me then.

“
Oh,
that's fantastic Cassidy. I'm so glad,” I said happily.

“
Yeah...
listen..will you continue to visit me when I'm out of here? I'm going
home with my mum. I wish to continue seeing you,” she said
looking down at the table. She seemed embarrassed. I smiled, it
seemed to go back to 8 years earlier when we had had coffee in the
bar of the gym. She was tensed that time. It was the beginning of our
story. Was this another beginning for us?

“
Without
any doubt. I'll have to bring Kylie to your mum's home sometime.”

“
Oh,
that's great.”

At that moment, Kylie
returned back and sat down drinking her water.

“
Dad
I've brought a  bottle of water for you as well.”

“
Oh,
thank you honey.”

Kylie began to talk with
Cassidy again. She kept talking till it was time for us to leave. I
hadn't talked to her a lot, but I was happy as she and Kylie seemed
to go along well.

“
It's
been so nice to get to know you, hope you'll come again.”
Cassidy told her when we were going. 

Kylie got up and
unexpectedly threw her arms around Cassidy's neck and hugged her. For
a moment Cassidy froze but then she smiled and hugged Kylie back. She
looked at me and smiled surprised. I smiled back at her.. 

“
Yes
I will, right Dad?” She said looking at me.

“
Yes
honey. We have to go Cas now. Kylie has still to finish her
homework.” 

“
OK,”
She seemed sad. She stood up and grabbed my hand.

“
David.”

“
Yes.”

“
Ahm...Can
I hug you?” She asked me blushing more than before.

I didn't reply but wrapped
my arm around her waist and pulled her to me. I felt her trembling in
my arms, it was such a beautiful feeling. Her head rested in the
crook of my neck. I could have stayed like that forever inhaling the
fruity scent of her hair if I didn't hear Kylie giggle. We parted
slowly....

“
See
you tomorrow Cassidy.”

She smiled shyly at me and I
grabbed Kylie's hand and began to walk away.

“
I
think this new mum loves you dad,” she said with a big smile on
her face. 

“
What?
Oh no Kylie.”

“
Yes
she does and I'm happy. I love this new mum best.” She said
jumping happily.

I was stunned.

“
Why?”

“
She's
different, she's happy now. The other mum was always so sad.”

“
Was
she?” I asked surprised.

“
Yes.
Dad do you think we can be a family now? She loves you, maybe now you
can marry her,”she said. Oh, how I wish things were that easy.
Kylie was only a child, she didn't know how complicated things were.
Cassidy didn't love me. She liked me but probably only because she
had forgotten Tyler.

“
Kylie
I can't marry your mum,” I said sadly. I knew I was going to
kill her hope, but it was better to that now. I didn't want her to be
deluded.

“
Why?
You don't love her anymore?”

“
Of
course I do. But she is still married to Tyler,” I tried to
explain.

“
But
now she doesn't remember him and she will leave him I'm sure.”

“
Listen
Kylie it doesn't work like that, I don't know if your mum will leave
Tyler or not, she hasn't even seen him yet. Sweetheart there isn't
anything in the world I wish more than to marry your mum, but I don't
want you to think that it will happen,”I said as gently as
possible.

“
But
why?”

“
Because
I don't want you to be deluded if it doesn't happen.” I hoped
that my seven-year-old daughter understood.

“
OK,
Dad but I really wish it does and I'm sure that this time it will
happen.”

I wished and hoped that too.

CHAPTER 13

Cassidy's POV

I was so happy. Finally,
Monday arrived and I got out of hospital. When I looked out I felt
strange, all the world was new to me, all the places, all the
streets, everything that surrounded me. I was impressed. The strange
thing is that I knew what the things were such as the trees and the
sea, but I couldn't remember ever seeing them in reality. It was like
I had seen them in a book or something and now I was experiencing the
real thing. I kept gasping at the tall buildings, at the beautiful
houses we kept passing in front of. David was sitting near me. He had
come with mum to pick me up. I glanced secretly at him every now and
then and looked at his beautiful profile. He turned around sometimes
and caught me staring. Each time I felt like I was going to die, I
couldn't even describe the feelings I had inside. Was this love? Had
I experienced this before with him or with someone else? I was so
curious. When we arrived home, I was stunned. This house was so big
and beautiful, I couldn't believe I was going to live there. I got
down and took a look around. It was a beautiful area with a lot of
greenery.

“
Oh,
mum this is wonderful,” I said happily.

“
I'm
glad you like it. Yes it's very nice, I fell in love with this house
as soon as I saw it.” 

“
So
I didn't use to live here before?” I asked.

“
No
honey, this I bought recently after your accident. Before I used to
live in another state,”she explained.

“
Oh.”

My mum opened the door and
we went in. The interior was as much as nice as the exterior. I moved
around touching everything. I couldn't understand why, but I felt it
was something I needed to do. I wanted to feel the texture of things.
I was feeling curious, probably like a baby seeing things for the
first time. I wanted to get the feeling that I belonged there, but it
was stupid since in reality I had never really been there before. I
turned around and saw David leaning against the door looking at me
with that sexy look of his. I felt my stomach contract. He was
gorgeous. I couldn't control what I was feeling, I simply couldn't
help it. Why I was so attracted to this guy? We stood there looking
at each other as if we were in another world that belonged just to
the two of us. There was no need to talk, our eyes said everything. I
felt the urge to go to him and lose myself in his arms. I felt the
urge to touch him and to kiss hm. What the hell was happening to me?
We would have looked at each other for eternity if my mum hadn't
interrupted us.

“
Do
you want a cup of...” she stopped and her gaze travelled first
on me than on him.

“
I..
no thank you.. Actually I have to leave Angela, I have a lesson in an
hour,” David said.

I felt disappointed. He was
already leaving.

“
OK
David, thanks for coming with us. I'll take you home,”she
offered.

“
Oh
no, there is no need thank you. I'll jog. Cassidy I have to go. But
I'll come to see you soon I promise. You know Kylie keeps on talking
about you.”

“
Really?”

“
Yes.”

My mum went back in the
kitchen leaving us alone. I went near him and walked with him outside
till the gate.

“
David.”
I said feeling my heart pounding.

“
Yes?”

“
I...”

I didn't know what to say
actually. I just felt nervous. I just wanted him to stay although I
knew this was not possible.

“
I
promised that I'll come again and I will,” he said as if he had
read my mind. “You don't remember, but I'm a guy who tends to
keep promises,” he added without waiting for me to say
anything. He looked in my eyes and I shivered. They were deep and
intense. His hand rested on my shoulder as he pulled me slowly to
him. For a moment my heart stopped, I thought he was going to kiss
me. And he did but on my forehead.

“
Take
care OK. See you soon.”

And then he left. I stood
there staring at him like an idiot while he ran away. I was still
trying to catch my breath. That contact, although innocent had
provoked in me strange sensations. My God, I was 25 years old, I
couldn't act like a school girl. But maybe that's how I felt, like a
girl feels when she experience her first crush. For me, it was the
first crush.

“
Cassidy
will you stay there all day?” I heard my mum saying from behind
me.

“
Am...
yeah I'm coming.” I went in, my mum looked at me with narrowed
eyes. She didn't seem pleased at all.

“
What's
wrong?” I asked her.

“
Cassidy,
you can't keep doing what you're doing,” she said then in a
strange tone which I didn't like.

“
Doing
what?”

“
You
melt every time you see David.” She said annoyed.

I blushed, was I making it
that obvious?

“
I'm...
I'm sorry, but I like him so much. Mum I'm falling for him. I know
it's stupid and that it happened in such a short time, but I feel
like I've known him for ages. It's a strange feeling. I can't
explain, I'm so attracted to him.”

My mum looked at me in
silence, then she sat down on the sofa.

“
Honey,
I promised the doctor not to talk about the past but I can't let you
do this.” I took a deep indrawn of breath as I waited for her
to continue. Her expression didn't promise anything good.