p class="MsoNormal"uChapter 6: Cassie/u/p
p class="MsoNormal"Distracted was a very mild word for what I was the next day at work. Fridays were usually a little bit busier, so I was working with a guy called Tom. He was friendly enough, but we never really talked much. He had a new girlfriend who he was crazy about, which was sweet, but she was all he talked and thought about. He was serving customers while I was replenishing stock and making gift baskets again- all of the gift baskets I had made prior had been sold very quickly. I found myself making supernatural gift baskets, featuring classics such as Dracula or Frankenstein, with a few mythology books and some candles and dark chocolate./p
p class="MsoNormal"I hadn't been able to stop thinking about vampires. They were meant to be evil, bloodsucking creatures of the night, a danger to all humans. And yet, Carlisle was my savior of the night. He, and his family, did not drink human blood. How could vampire legends be so wrong? I chuckled to myself at the absurdity of it all. Last night with Carlisle had ignited a small spark within me. Since my parents' passing, I had become very lonely. I had isolated myself, withdrawing from social activities, as though my youth was stolen. But with Carlisle, I didn't feel as lonely./p
p class="MsoNormal"Damn I was rushing too quickly. I was leading with my heart rather than my head. Was that a bad thing though?/p
p class="MsoNormal"I did not regret kissing him. I don't think I could ever regret that. It was the only thing I could think of doing when I saw the saddened, distressed look on his face. It felt right. For our first (and hopefully not last) kiss, it was perfect to me. Although, the only thing I wished, was that I had waited longer to kiss him. I didn't want to be another woman to him, that was endlessly infatuated and wished to seduce him on sight. Because I knew I was different to the nurses at his work, to the gossipy ladies in town. I'd never talked badly or gossiped about the Cullens. I never thought about seducing Carlisle or trying to kiss him the moment I saw him. Of course, I found him attractive, but I respected him as a human…. Or vampire now I supposed. I wanted to get to know him, to know his secrets, to know what brought him joy, to know his past, his wishes and hopes. I wished I could have gotten to know him more before I kissed him. I was worried he'd think differently of me because of how soon I kissed him./p
p class="MsoNormal"Putting more books on the shelves in alphabetical order, I sighed heavily. My mind was a wreck./p
p class="MsoNormal"I struggled to eat lunch. I think the past week had just caught up with me again. Everything still felt a little surreal and it made me nauseous. Interacting with the lovely customers that came in helped distract me from my thoughts of everything that had happened./p
p class="MsoNormal"The afternoon plodded along slower than usual. My anxiety started to increase as I saw the murky grey Forks sky slowly turn to black, the clouds blocking the stars and moon as night descended. I tried to swallow back my fear as Tom and I cleaned the shop and cashed up in companionable silence. I grabbed my jacket and messaged Carlisle./p
p class="MsoNormal"emLeaving work now. Hope work is going well – Cass/em/p
p class="MsoNormal"I put my phone in my pocket as Tom and I left the shop, locking up behind us. He lived in the opposite direction to me, so we say goodbye and parted ways./p
p class="MsoNormal"My pace was brisk along the concreted streets. My heart was hammering in my chest, and I tried to keep my breathing under control. I kept my eyes alert, looking constantly around me. But not many people were around. Suddenly, a few drops of rain landed on my face before a steady drizzle poured from the sky. Huffing, I upped my pace. I saw a few couples walking together under umbrellas. And occasionally a lone person walking in the opposite direction. No-one bothered me on my way home. I felt relief flood through me when I saw the door to my home. Breathing out a sigh, I felt my heart rate slow back down as the anxiety ebbed./p
p class="MsoNormal"emI'm home now – Cass/em/p
p class="MsoNormal"I assumed that Carlisle must have been busy at work, but I let him know I was home anyway./p
p class="MsoNormal"I had just finished eating dinner when I received a text back:/p
p class="MsoNormal"emSorry, I was in surgery. Tonight feels like it will be busy at work. Glad to hear you're home – Carlisle/em/p
p class="MsoNormal"I smiled but didn't reply. I didn't want to bother him at work. Instead, I decided to play a game on my PlayStation. With a smirk, I took out a game called Vampyr. I chuckled to myself. I'd not had a chance to play the game yet, but why not try it now? As I waited for it to install, my phone started to ring./p
p class="MsoNormal""Hello?" I answered./p
p class="MsoNormal""Cassie," Carlisle's voice was a surprise to hear./p
p class="MsoNormal""Hey Carlisle, I didn't expect to hear from you!"/p
p class="MsoNormal""Well I've been forced to take a break like a normal human. So, I'm in my office pretending to have a coffee break." He sighed./p
p class="MsoNormal""Oh, how boring for you." I laughed./p
p class="MsoNormal""I'm actually calling to arrange plans for tomorrow." Carlisle said. "I was thinking of taking you to Seattle for the day if that is okay with you?"/p
p class="MsoNormal""Wow, yeah that would be great!" I was excited. "I don't have a car here, so I haven't been able to really get out. I haven't been to Seattle before."/p
p class="MsoNormal""Great," Carlisle sounded pleased, "It's about a three hour or so drive, so if I pick you up at seven in the morning so we have the full day?"/p
p class="MsoNormal""Sounds perfect."/p
p class="MsoNormal""Sorry Cassie I have to go; my pager is buzzing." Carlisle sounded apologetic./p
p class="MsoNormal""No worries, go save some lives and I'll see you in the morning." I laughed./p
p class="MsoNormal""Goodnight Cassie."/p
p class="MsoNormal"I grinned as we hung up. I was really looking forward to the day trip out. How long had it been since I'd gone out with someone to have fun? Vampyr had finished installing, so I grabbed the controller and started to play, trying not to laugh when I found out the main character was also a vampire doctor./p
p class="MsoNormal"Distracted was a very mild word for what I was the next day at work. Fridays were usually a little bit busier, so I was working with a guy called Tom. He was friendly enough, but we never really talked much. He had a new girlfriend who he was crazy about, which was sweet, but she was all he talked and thought about. He was serving customers while I was replenishing stock and making gift baskets again- all of the gift baskets I had made prior had been sold very quickly. I found myself making supernatural gift baskets, featuring classics such as Dracula or Frankenstein, with a few mythology books and some candles and dark chocolate./p
p class="MsoNormal"I hadn't been able to stop thinking about vampires. They were meant to be evil, bloodsucking creatures of the night, a danger to all humans. And yet, Carlisle was my savior of the night. He, and his family, did not drink human blood. How could vampire legends be so wrong? I chuckled to myself at the absurdity of it all. Last night with Carlisle had ignited a small spark within me. Since my parents' passing, I had become very lonely. I had isolated myself, withdrawing from social activities, as though my youth was stolen. But with Carlisle, I didn't feel as lonely./p
p class="MsoNormal"Damn I was rushing too quickly. I was leading with my heart rather than my head. Was that a bad thing though?/p
p class="MsoNormal"I did not regret kissing him. I don't think I could ever regret that. It was the only thing I could think of doing when I saw the saddened, distressed look on his face. It felt right. For our first (and hopefully not last) kiss, it was perfect to me. Although, the only thing I wished, was that I had waited longer to kiss him. I didn't want to be another woman to him, that was endlessly infatuated and wished to seduce him on sight. Because I knew I was different to the nurses at his work, to the gossipy ladies in town. I'd never talked badly or gossiped about the Cullens. I never thought about seducing Carlisle or trying to kiss him the moment I saw him. Of course, I found him attractive, but I respected him as a human…. Or vampire now I supposed. I wanted to get to know him, to know his secrets, to know what brought him joy, to know his past, his wishes and hopes. I wished I could have gotten to know him more before I kissed him. I was worried he'd think differently of me because of how soon I kissed him./p
p class="MsoNormal"Putting more books on the shelves in alphabetical order, I sighed heavily. My mind was a wreck./p
p class="MsoNormal"I struggled to eat lunch. I think the past week had just caught up with me again. Everything still felt a little surreal and it made me nauseous. Interacting with the lovely customers that came in helped distract me from my thoughts of everything that had happened./p
p class="MsoNormal"The afternoon plodded along slower than usual. My anxiety started to increase as I saw the murky grey Forks sky slowly turn to black, the clouds blocking the stars and moon as night descended. I tried to swallow back my fear as Tom and I cleaned the shop and cashed up in companionable silence. I grabbed my jacket and messaged Carlisle./p
p class="MsoNormal"emLeaving work now. Hope work is going well – Cass/em/p
p class="MsoNormal"I put my phone in my pocket as Tom and I left the shop, locking up behind us. He lived in the opposite direction to me, so we say goodbye and parted ways./p
p class="MsoNormal"My pace was brisk along the concreted streets. My heart was hammering in my chest, and I tried to keep my breathing under control. I kept my eyes alert, looking constantly around me. But not many people were around. Suddenly, a few drops of rain landed on my face before a steady drizzle poured from the sky. Huffing, I upped my pace. I saw a few couples walking together under umbrellas. And occasionally a lone person walking in the opposite direction. No-one bothered me on my way home. I felt relief flood through me when I saw the door to my home. Breathing out a sigh, I felt my heart rate slow back down as the anxiety ebbed./p
p class="MsoNormal"emI'm home now – Cass/em/p
p class="MsoNormal"I assumed that Carlisle must have been busy at work, but I let him know I was home anyway./p
p class="MsoNormal"I had just finished eating dinner when I received a text back:/p
p class="MsoNormal"emSorry, I was in surgery. Tonight feels like it will be busy at work. Glad to hear you're home – Carlisle/em/p
p class="MsoNormal"I smiled but didn't reply. I didn't want to bother him at work. Instead, I decided to play a game on my PlayStation. With a smirk, I took out a game called Vampyr. I chuckled to myself. I'd not had a chance to play the game yet, but why not try it now? As I waited for it to install, my phone started to ring./p
p class="MsoNormal""Hello?" I answered./p
p class="MsoNormal""Cassie," Carlisle's voice was a surprise to hear./p
p class="MsoNormal""Hey Carlisle, I didn't expect to hear from you!"/p
p class="MsoNormal""Well I've been forced to take a break like a normal human. So, I'm in my office pretending to have a coffee break." He sighed./p
p class="MsoNormal""Oh, how boring for you." I laughed./p
p class="MsoNormal""I'm actually calling to arrange plans for tomorrow." Carlisle said. "I was thinking of taking you to Seattle for the day if that is okay with you?"/p
p class="MsoNormal""Wow, yeah that would be great!" I was excited. "I don't have a car here, so I haven't been able to really get out. I haven't been to Seattle before."/p
p class="MsoNormal""Great," Carlisle sounded pleased, "It's about a three hour or so drive, so if I pick you up at seven in the morning so we have the full day?"/p
p class="MsoNormal""Sounds perfect."/p
p class="MsoNormal""Sorry Cassie I have to go; my pager is buzzing." Carlisle sounded apologetic./p
p class="MsoNormal""No worries, go save some lives and I'll see you in the morning." I laughed./p
p class="MsoNormal""Goodnight Cassie."/p
p class="MsoNormal"I grinned as we hung up. I was really looking forward to the day trip out. How long had it been since I'd gone out with someone to have fun? Vampyr had finished installing, so I grabbed the controller and started to play, trying not to laugh when I found out the main character was also a vampire doctor./p