Cassie was now feeling somewhat dejected. Earlier, she had sneaked out of the clinic for the day with her roommate Katie so she could deliver a farewell letter to Sid. While she was with Katie, she was happy because her friend was entertaining company. She had smiled a lot, particularly when she bought Katie some fish and chips. She did shed a little tear when she left the letter on Sid's pillow but it was now evening and she was waiting outside the Restoration clinic for a taxi to take her to her parents. She was leaving Bristol and Sid behind to live in Northern Scotland because her parents felt that things were not going right for her in Bristol. She really liked Sid. In fact she more than liked him. Despite Sid's rather clumsy handling of the relationship, she was very much in love with him.
Sid was desperate. He had now realised that he was in love with Cassie and wanted to tell her. He'd had a rather less happy day. He had written a note to Cassie declaring his love for her. On a sudden impulse, he had dressed too quickly and run all the way to the clinic without the note or his house keys. He arrived at the clinic breathless and incoherent and spent most of the rest of the day in a padded cell. He had missed Cassie by less than two seconds. In the evening, he was rescued by Tony, who had collected some more suitable clothing and both letters. Tony gave Cassie's letter to Sid, whose heart was shattered when he read it. Tony also gave Sid's letter to Cassie, who was now somewhat concerned for Sid when she read it.
Cassie thought about the contents of Sid's note. She now realised that her letter would break his heart. When she wrote it, she did not realise how strongly he felt about her. In fact, she thought he was playing a 'silly game' with her.
The taxi arrived. Cassie asked the driver to take her to Brandon Hill and wait for her outside the park. She got out, entered the park, and went to her favourite bench. Something in her heart had told her that Sid would look for her there.
Sid, after recovering from the initial shock of reading Cassie's letter came out from the mayhem that was Anwar's party and caught a bus, which would take him to Brandon Hill. He trudged up the path from the road, not knowing what he would find there. He walked along the mid-level path until he saw Cassie's golden hair shining in the moonlight. He sat down next to her and linked his hand in hers. A warm feeling spread through him as he held her hand.
"Hi!" said Cassie.
"Hi!" replied Sid.
After they had greeted each other, Sid kissed Cassie's cheek. Without saying anything, she turned towards him and held him so tightly that he could hardly breathe. She rested her head on his shoulder and started sobbing convulsively. Sid was not sure how to react to this. He embraced her, tenderly caressing and patting her back. This only made her cry even more as she loved the feel of Sid's gentle hands. Sid held her gently until her sobs subsided enough for her to speak. Cassie's tears caused Sid to cry as well.
"This is why I didn't want to speak to you." sobbed Cassie. "I knew I would cry in front of you and I didn't want you to see me crying."
"Oh my sweet and gentle Cassie." said Sid through his own tears. "There's nothing at all wrong with crying."
"I don't like to cry and I try very hard not to." said Cassie. "If I cry, I've lost control of my emotions. It means I'm weak."
"I did read somewhere that crying releases emotional tensions." said Sid. "so it's nothing to be ashamed of. It's not always a sign of weakness. You do really need to cry sometimes."
"I'm crying because I love you Sid, and I'm losing you." Cassie suddenly blurted out. "I've been in love with you pretty well since I met you at Abigail's party." She started crying again. Sid gently stroked her back until she had recovered enough to speak again. "The end of love is always so heartbreaking." she said through sobs.
"This doesn't have to be the end." said Sid. "We can still be in contact."
"Wh-what do you mean." said Cassie, still sobbing slightly. "I'm going to be over 500 miles away from you."
"We can still talk on the phone, and there is e-mail." said Sid. "We're both on the internet."
"It's not the same as being with you, Sid." said Cassie. "I like it when you are close to me and I can see you and touch you."
"I do admit I'll miss your lovely smile and those beautiful brown eyes," said Sid. "but at least I will hear your voice and you can send me pictures. Also I can come and visit you now and then. You might even be able to come back to Bristol to see me."
"That would be so lovely." said Cassie. "I hope that we can see each other again. I know things have not gone well between us but I will really miss you, Sid."
"I'll miss you too, Cassie." said Sid. "Losing you just as I realise I'm in love with you is so tragic. I do really love you, Cass. You mean a lot to me."
"I'm so sorry it's had to happen this way." said Cassie. "But you should have let me know how you felt about me earlier. As it is, I do have to go away for a while to keep my folks happy. They think that taking me away from here will help me. I don't know whether it will. Being in love with you does complicate things."
"Please find a way of coming back to me." said Sid. "It's going to be a long cold lonely winter without you."
"I can't promise anything Sid, but I'll try to come back to you." said Cassie. "Maybe in the Summer holidays."
"That would be marvellous." said Sid. "I really do love you so much."
"I love you too Sid." said Cassie. "I know I said that I didn't want to talk to you in my letter, but I'm glad you came. I loved the way you held me when I was crying. Your arms are so comforting and your hands are so soothing. I'm sorry I tried to avoid saying goodbye to you in person, but your reaction to my tears showed me a new side to you. It was so lovely and consoling. I love you even more after that. I really will try to come back to you."
They embraced and kissed each other again before getting up from the bench. They walked hand in hand to Cassie's taxi. Sid rode with Cassie to her house. They enjoyed a long, sad, tearful farewell kiss in the back of the cab. Cassie was still crying a little when she got out. They agreed to keep in touch. After he had said his final melancholy goodbye to Cassie, Sid made use of the cab for his cheerless journey home.