I Don't Know What to Do About You
Cassie/Sam. AU. Set pre-movies. Serious, well-read Sam Radford is finishing up medical school and thinking about the future. Grabbing a coffee between sessions in the library, Sam unexpectedly runs into Cassandra Nightingale. He has never met a woman like her before, and they are about to turn each other's worlds upside down.
I know I should be finishing my other Good Witch story (and I will!) but the idea for this one just wouldn't leave me alone. Hope you like it and please leave a review :)
Obviously I don't own the characters, but any mistakes are all mine!
Chapter 1: Strangers
Sam Radford couldn't remember the last time he had slept for more than a handful of hours at a time. Ever since he had come back to medical after Christmas break in his home state of Montana, Sam had been working around the clock. If he wasn't at the hospital shadowing the doctors and surgeons, he was in the apartment he shared with three other students studying for his exams. His schedule didn't allow for much of a social life, so aside from his roommates, the baristas at the local coffee shop and the pizza delivery guy, Sam rarely met any new people. He didn't even want to think about how long it had been since he had last gone on a date. There had been a girl back home he had been quite interested in, and they had shared a kiss under the mistletoe when he had been in Montana at Christmastime but he didn't think he could juggle a long distance romance at this point.
He had been awake until four am, highlighting his already meticulous notes. He had worked hard throughout school and college, and he was determined not to fail now that he was so close to finally becoming a doctor. He had finally given in to the need for sleep and now, just before nine o'clock, he felt refreshed if not well-rested. Sam knew he needed a hot shower and a gallon of coffee before he could even face looking at another medical text book. He took care of the former first, relishing the fact that the apartment was empty and there was no one banging on the bathroom door telling him not to use all the hot water. The steamy shower helped his muscles, tense from being bent over his desk for hours at a time, relax a little and he felt better for slipping on a clean dark red t-shirt and jeans. The amount of clothes in his closet was decreasing and he knew that before too long he would have to take some time out of his busy schedule to do some laundry.
Picking up his wallet and cell phone, Sam headed out into the early spring morning. There was still a bit of a chill in the air, but he didn't bother with a jacket. Hopefully the fresh breeze would help to clear his head some more. Perhaps, if it stayed dry, he might take his books outside later in the afternoon. He always frequented the same coffee shop, it was smaller and friendlier than the chain shops that were dotted around campus. Those shops might have been cheaper and the service a little faster, but Sam liked forming a rapport with the baristas. It was probably his small town upbringing.
Sam pushed open the door and a little bell tinkled; something else that he liked about the place. It reminded him of the high street shops back home. The café was about half full, tables occupied by people of a range of ages. He spotted some students he recognised but whose names he didn't know. There were young moms with babies, older couples sitting opposite each other and, at table in the far corner of the room where she wouldn't be disturbed, was the most beautiful woman Sam Radford had ever seen in his entire twenty five years of living.
She seemed to notice him at the same moment, looking up and across at him with the eyes that were both shy and confident at the same time. Sam was enthralled; so much so that he had barely noticed that the line at the counter was moving. He didn't want to break eye contact with her, but it wasn't exactly polite to stare at a woman he had never met before, in public. He was also pretty sure it was evident to her exactly what he was thinking.
He managed to get through ordering his coffee, paying for it and collecting it in his normal fashion but he couldn't deny that his heart felt like it was beating twice as fast as normal. Even though he was looking at the barista, the same guy who served him most days for the past two years, in his mind all Sam could see was the gorgeous raven haired beauty at the back table. He wanted to approach the table and try to start up a conversation with her, but she might be waiting for her boyfriend and he wasn't sure he could stand to see her with another guy. He knew he was being ridiculous; he didn't know a thing about her. For all he knew she could be an awful, hateful person but he couldn't believe that.
On his way out of the coffee shop, his large takeaway cup gripped firmly in one hand, Sam couldn't resist one more glance back at her. He hoped she'd be there tomorrow, too. By then he might have summoned the courage to say hello to her. He couldn't bear the idea that he might never see her again.
Cassandra Nightingale thought she was going to like this area of Baltimore. The people she had met were friendly and she already knew she was going to love her course. After backpacking through China and Vietnam, Cassie was looking forward to being back in the states for a while. She was grateful too, that Johns Hopkins was letting her study with their anthropology department for a semester. She hoped to learn a lot, and that she would be able to bring some of her own unique travel experiences into the mix.
As much as she liked being alone and having time to immerse herself in her thoughts, Cassie was starting to feel lonely. Her first class wasn't until later that afternoon and she hadn't met any of her fellow students yet. If she was honest, she was missing her friend and travel partner John Dover. When they had parted, John had been vague about where he was headed next but he had been certain that he wasn't ready to return home with Cassie. Although Cassie loved travelling, especially backpacking through different countries and cultures, she was more than ready to be back on familiar territory. Nowhere in particular was home to Cassie, but she felt a certain relationship between herself and America. It was where her parents had been born after all, and perhaps losing them at such a young age had made her bond with the country stronger.
Cassie hadn't been in town long, but she had found time to explore the town. She was happy to see that there plenty of small, independent stores; she had even found a new age shop that had enable her to stock up on candles, incense and herbs. Money was a little short at the moment, so Cassie hoped that she might be able to get a part time job in the little shop or as a barista in one of the cafes. She had fallen in love with a cute little coffee shop on the edge of a small park. It was in a generally student-occupied area of the town, but the patrons were an interesting mix of ages and backgrounds.
Cassie had settled in to a table near the back of the room where she was away from the noise and chatter of other people's conversations and hiss of the milk steamer. Despite it being a coffee shop, Cassie had ordered an organic blend of tea and a lemon and poppy seed muffin. She knew that a lot of people relied on coffee to wake them up in the morning and keep them going all day, but Cassie had always preferred tea – especially when she got the chance to brew some herself. The coffee shop made a lovely loose leaf peppermint tea though, so she was sure she would be returning.
Although she'd bought a stack of books and a notepad with her, Cassie had to admit that she was really doing more people-watching and soaking up the atmosphere than actual studying. She was pouring herself another cup of tea from the china teapot when she felt compelled to look up; she could all but feel a pair of eyes boring into her. She raised her head, her long raven hair spilling back over her shoulders. The tea cup shook once in her hand before she steadied herself. Cassie was no stranger to feelings, in fact she felt and knew more than most people ever could. Just one look at this young man had her reeling though, but she couldn't understand why. Yes, he was attractive. He was tall and broad through the shoulders, his skin still showing the glow of a summer tan even though it was early spring and his golden brown hair stood up at all angles as if he had towelled it dry and then abandoned it.
They made eye contact and their gazes locked, neither of them wanting to be the first to look away. Cassie had never felt anything as intense as that moment between them. She was suddenly aware that she was holding her breath; her entire body frozen in the chair. As quickly as it had started, it was over. Before Cassie had her breathing back under control, he was gone and the coffee shop door has swished shut behind him, sending the bell tinkling again. Cassie sighed and set her tea cup down on its saucer. Her hands were still a little unsteady as she wondered whether their paths would ever cross again. She had a funny feeling, like she did from time to time, that she and the mystery stranger would not remain strangers for very long.