DISCLAIMER: Someday, we'll all look back on this, laugh nervously, and
change the topic. Chris Carter is The Creator. I am just a measly
Carterian. Go fig.
"Shit! Shit! Shit!"
Cassidy nearly tumbled out of the cab after scrambling to release her seat belt. She reached inside her jean jacket pocket and fished out change for the driver. The driver clasped the medley of coins and gave the girl an admonishing look. She only smiled.
"The sun shines down in D.C." Cassidy closed the door and ran to the other side of the street. The rain had begun to pour down almost half an hour ago as she had surveyed the scenery outside of the J. Edgar Hoover building. Only five minutes from then, she had scavenged through her voice messages on her cell phone. She had almost choked on her gum when she heard Ben's voice, asking her to join him for an early dinner, if she could. Could she ever. She had turned crimson as she gave the cab driver her change of plans. The driver only mumbled under his breath, leaving Cassidy to worry in the backseat. Sure, early dinner. Early dinner epitomizing friendship, right? Right?
"Shit!" She shrieked again, as she reached the sidewalk in front of the seafood restaurant, Teddy's. She couldn't help but smile as the rain slid down her skin and hair. She opened the two entrance doors and looked about. Ben took a short intake of breathe and stood up, giving a small nod to her. The rain had dampened her hair and left her flowing black peasant skirt clinging to her legs. As she walked towards his table, he noticed small beads of rain trickling down her face. He paused and her smile disappeared.
"What's the matter? You look like you were expecting someone else."
"Well." Ben stepped out behind his chair and grinned again, a bit more cynically. He motioned the height difference. "I think I was expecting someone 3 inches taller."
"Oh! Not funny. You know it was the heels at the wedding." Cassidy smiled and gave him a shove. They both sat down and shook their heads laughing. "You can insult me on anything except my height. But don't give me ammo. I could always rag on that Southern Carolina drawl."
"Well, thank you, little lady. Four foot eight inches, eight foot four inches, you still look..you look.." Ben took a sip of his water. "Anyways, I thought it was generous of you to lend me your sleeping quarters for the night and I wanted to thank you. Ah wait!" He motioned for her to retract the statement she was just going to make. "Yes, it is necessary."
"How quaint of you to read my mind." She grinned as the waitress poured her a glass of water. Cassidy folded her napkin and missed the sudden look of discomfort on Ben's face. He chortled and snapped out of it.
"So on a scale of one to ten, how apparent is my good ol' Southern Carolina drawl, as you put it."
"A..twelve?"
"You don't mean that."
"I don't mean that." The two took a moment to peruse the menu, tell the waitress their orders and continue to chatter away. Suddenly, Cassidy's wrist caught Ben's attention. A scar?
"What's that?" Ben motioned to her arm. Cassidy looked done. "My bracelet?" Cassidy offered her wrist to Ben and he shook his head. Nothing. Did he imagine it? And I've only had a glass of water, he thought. My alcohol tolerance has reached an all-time low.
"A penny for your thoughts." Cassidy whispered as she clasped her hands together.
"That's one cent more than they're worth." Ben quipped.
"You're funny, Mr. Harris." Cassidy nodded her thanks to the waitress who brought them their drinks and quickly took a sip of her shirley temple. Ben looked at her for a moment and couldn't help but smile.
"I'm funny? I'm funny. That's a relief. Over a decade of my parent's worrying I grow up to be a sociopath and now I'm funny."
"Rough childhood?"
There was silence.
"You could say that." He took a sip of his Coors. "Oh no, not rough, rough. I was .I was a very introverted kid. Very quiet. And my parents. My father was a businessman and my mother, a socialite. So heaven forbid their only son is afraid of his own shadow. They'd introduce my sister and I as 'Christine, The Fun One, and Ben, The Quiet One'. I guess I supplied them with enough ammo, as you'd say."
Cassidy looked down at her drink.
"I can't imagine the Hofiats doing that. 'This is Jenna, Our Rebel, and this is Andrew, Our Little boy and .and this is Cassidy, She's Not Even Ours." She let out a rueful laugh as Ben raised his head.
"Not theirs?"
"Yeah. I was adopted at ten, I think." Her body language became more defensive with each word. "I don't.I don't really like to talk abou-"
"Oh! No, I understand." Ben nodded vigorously. He knew. He knew more than she did and he hated himself for it.
"So is Christine older or younger?"
"Older. By twenty-seven seconds. She's my twin. Fraternal, not identical. And before you ask, she's the evil one." They both laughed. "She's set up shop in Charleston with a flower boutique. She always had a talent for arranging average things and making them look beautiful. She's a good woman."
"It's nice to know some siblings get along." Cassidy said, almost apathetically. Ben was going to ask what she meant when the waitress came, balancing their food on a tray.
The night continued well, interspersed with light conversation. In the span of a couple of hours, the two had gotten to know everything from the very basic to the very random about each other.
"Okay, pop quiz." Cassidy grinned as the waitress removed their plates from the table. "Sudden cage-death match. Superman versus Spiderman. Who would come out victorious?"
"Oh, please. Don't gauge Superman's prowess," Ben laughed. "He could just bend the cage bars and fly himself home in time just to catch The Late Show."
"Not unless Spiderman caught him up in his.web.thingy." Cassidy looked unsure of herself and laughed.
"Did you even watch the Spidey reruns?"
"Okay, you caught me. I just think his theme song is catchier."
"Then we can agree to disagree."
"I agree." Cassidy smiled.
As he drove her home, he couldn't help but steal glance at her and then immediately scorn himself for acting so childish. He knew everything about her, even things she didn't mention. And yet, she still intrigued him.
"So tell me, who's the better bartender, you or Andrew?"
"Aw, Cassidy." Ben shook his head as she giggled. "That's a horrible question. Do you know what a cruel inquiry that really is?..Me, of course," he teased and wiggled his eyebrows to make her laugh even more.
"But you've got to have a better game plan than he does..."Cassidy leaned against the side door and looked at him.
"Am I not marriage material?"
"You know what I mean! Andrew, spontaneous Andrew, sets his eyes on marine biology since ten years old, as I'm told repeatedly, and now, after years of being quite the bachelor, which I'm told repeatedly as well, he marries young and the only bachelor term associated with him anymore is the English degree he's working for. I don't know, I guess..I guess I'm just nosy." She grinned. He sighed and rubbed his eyes.
"I wanted to save the world." Cassidy sat up.
"You what?"
"I wanted to save the world. Every creature. I had already seen enough bad in the world and I just wanted to end it. So when my dreams of being the next Superman-"
"Spiderman!"
"-well, the next action hero let's put it, when those...those ideas fell through.I just decided, hey, I like animals, they're a lot more compliant than humans, what the heck, I think I'll be a vet." He turned to her quickly to see her reaction. She was in awe.
"You're studying to be a veterinarian? That's..that's wonderful."
"Yeah, it was."
"Was?" She looked surprised. He didn't miss a beat.
"Yeah, now I'm trying for an English degree." Ben chuckled and winked at her. Cassidy's jaw dropped and she laughed. She threw her hands up in the air.
"Ugh! Men!" She shrieked in exasperation.
When the silver BMW stopped in her driveway, Ben hopped out and opened her door. Ben chuckled at her "Southern Hospitality" joke, took her arm and walked her to the door. There was an awkward pause, and in an instance, Cassidy's cheery expression was gone. She looked down, as if defeated. Ben tilted his head.
"Well what's the trouble, little lady?" He forced his accent out as much as possible, thinking how much he sounded like a complete jackass. She raised her head, with a small smile.
"No, I,.I um, I had a really fantastic time tonight. Thank you, so, so much. But.I'll completely understand if you don't.call or show or---" Ben put his hands on her waist and shook his head.
"Well hold on there, I'll have you know you're not getting rid of me yet, l'il lady." He grinned as she laughed at his over-the-top accent. He looked her in the eyes and began to talk normally. "Seriously though, I had a fantastic time and I would love to see you again sometime." She brightened.
"Actually, my band is have a performance this Saturday at the Arts Center. You're welcome to come! I mean, if you're not busy pouring drinks or reading Faulkner..." she trailed off with a grin.
"It's a date." Ben brought her hand to his lips and gently kissed them. He nodded and walked back to his car. Cassidy flopped down on the porch swing and waved as he drove off. She sighed happily.
"It's a date."
"Shit! Shit! Shit!"
Cassidy nearly tumbled out of the cab after scrambling to release her seat belt. She reached inside her jean jacket pocket and fished out change for the driver. The driver clasped the medley of coins and gave the girl an admonishing look. She only smiled.
"The sun shines down in D.C." Cassidy closed the door and ran to the other side of the street. The rain had begun to pour down almost half an hour ago as she had surveyed the scenery outside of the J. Edgar Hoover building. Only five minutes from then, she had scavenged through her voice messages on her cell phone. She had almost choked on her gum when she heard Ben's voice, asking her to join him for an early dinner, if she could. Could she ever. She had turned crimson as she gave the cab driver her change of plans. The driver only mumbled under his breath, leaving Cassidy to worry in the backseat. Sure, early dinner. Early dinner epitomizing friendship, right? Right?
"Shit!" She shrieked again, as she reached the sidewalk in front of the seafood restaurant, Teddy's. She couldn't help but smile as the rain slid down her skin and hair. She opened the two entrance doors and looked about. Ben took a short intake of breathe and stood up, giving a small nod to her. The rain had dampened her hair and left her flowing black peasant skirt clinging to her legs. As she walked towards his table, he noticed small beads of rain trickling down her face. He paused and her smile disappeared.
"What's the matter? You look like you were expecting someone else."
"Well." Ben stepped out behind his chair and grinned again, a bit more cynically. He motioned the height difference. "I think I was expecting someone 3 inches taller."
"Oh! Not funny. You know it was the heels at the wedding." Cassidy smiled and gave him a shove. They both sat down and shook their heads laughing. "You can insult me on anything except my height. But don't give me ammo. I could always rag on that Southern Carolina drawl."
"Well, thank you, little lady. Four foot eight inches, eight foot four inches, you still look..you look.." Ben took a sip of his water. "Anyways, I thought it was generous of you to lend me your sleeping quarters for the night and I wanted to thank you. Ah wait!" He motioned for her to retract the statement she was just going to make. "Yes, it is necessary."
"How quaint of you to read my mind." She grinned as the waitress poured her a glass of water. Cassidy folded her napkin and missed the sudden look of discomfort on Ben's face. He chortled and snapped out of it.
"So on a scale of one to ten, how apparent is my good ol' Southern Carolina drawl, as you put it."
"A..twelve?"
"You don't mean that."
"I don't mean that." The two took a moment to peruse the menu, tell the waitress their orders and continue to chatter away. Suddenly, Cassidy's wrist caught Ben's attention. A scar?
"What's that?" Ben motioned to her arm. Cassidy looked done. "My bracelet?" Cassidy offered her wrist to Ben and he shook his head. Nothing. Did he imagine it? And I've only had a glass of water, he thought. My alcohol tolerance has reached an all-time low.
"A penny for your thoughts." Cassidy whispered as she clasped her hands together.
"That's one cent more than they're worth." Ben quipped.
"You're funny, Mr. Harris." Cassidy nodded her thanks to the waitress who brought them their drinks and quickly took a sip of her shirley temple. Ben looked at her for a moment and couldn't help but smile.
"I'm funny? I'm funny. That's a relief. Over a decade of my parent's worrying I grow up to be a sociopath and now I'm funny."
"Rough childhood?"
There was silence.
"You could say that." He took a sip of his Coors. "Oh no, not rough, rough. I was .I was a very introverted kid. Very quiet. And my parents. My father was a businessman and my mother, a socialite. So heaven forbid their only son is afraid of his own shadow. They'd introduce my sister and I as 'Christine, The Fun One, and Ben, The Quiet One'. I guess I supplied them with enough ammo, as you'd say."
Cassidy looked down at her drink.
"I can't imagine the Hofiats doing that. 'This is Jenna, Our Rebel, and this is Andrew, Our Little boy and .and this is Cassidy, She's Not Even Ours." She let out a rueful laugh as Ben raised his head.
"Not theirs?"
"Yeah. I was adopted at ten, I think." Her body language became more defensive with each word. "I don't.I don't really like to talk abou-"
"Oh! No, I understand." Ben nodded vigorously. He knew. He knew more than she did and he hated himself for it.
"So is Christine older or younger?"
"Older. By twenty-seven seconds. She's my twin. Fraternal, not identical. And before you ask, she's the evil one." They both laughed. "She's set up shop in Charleston with a flower boutique. She always had a talent for arranging average things and making them look beautiful. She's a good woman."
"It's nice to know some siblings get along." Cassidy said, almost apathetically. Ben was going to ask what she meant when the waitress came, balancing their food on a tray.
The night continued well, interspersed with light conversation. In the span of a couple of hours, the two had gotten to know everything from the very basic to the very random about each other.
"Okay, pop quiz." Cassidy grinned as the waitress removed their plates from the table. "Sudden cage-death match. Superman versus Spiderman. Who would come out victorious?"
"Oh, please. Don't gauge Superman's prowess," Ben laughed. "He could just bend the cage bars and fly himself home in time just to catch The Late Show."
"Not unless Spiderman caught him up in his.web.thingy." Cassidy looked unsure of herself and laughed.
"Did you even watch the Spidey reruns?"
"Okay, you caught me. I just think his theme song is catchier."
"Then we can agree to disagree."
"I agree." Cassidy smiled.
As he drove her home, he couldn't help but steal glance at her and then immediately scorn himself for acting so childish. He knew everything about her, even things she didn't mention. And yet, she still intrigued him.
"So tell me, who's the better bartender, you or Andrew?"
"Aw, Cassidy." Ben shook his head as she giggled. "That's a horrible question. Do you know what a cruel inquiry that really is?..Me, of course," he teased and wiggled his eyebrows to make her laugh even more.
"But you've got to have a better game plan than he does..."Cassidy leaned against the side door and looked at him.
"Am I not marriage material?"
"You know what I mean! Andrew, spontaneous Andrew, sets his eyes on marine biology since ten years old, as I'm told repeatedly, and now, after years of being quite the bachelor, which I'm told repeatedly as well, he marries young and the only bachelor term associated with him anymore is the English degree he's working for. I don't know, I guess..I guess I'm just nosy." She grinned. He sighed and rubbed his eyes.
"I wanted to save the world." Cassidy sat up.
"You what?"
"I wanted to save the world. Every creature. I had already seen enough bad in the world and I just wanted to end it. So when my dreams of being the next Superman-"
"Spiderman!"
"-well, the next action hero let's put it, when those...those ideas fell through.I just decided, hey, I like animals, they're a lot more compliant than humans, what the heck, I think I'll be a vet." He turned to her quickly to see her reaction. She was in awe.
"You're studying to be a veterinarian? That's..that's wonderful."
"Yeah, it was."
"Was?" She looked surprised. He didn't miss a beat.
"Yeah, now I'm trying for an English degree." Ben chuckled and winked at her. Cassidy's jaw dropped and she laughed. She threw her hands up in the air.
"Ugh! Men!" She shrieked in exasperation.
When the silver BMW stopped in her driveway, Ben hopped out and opened her door. Ben chuckled at her "Southern Hospitality" joke, took her arm and walked her to the door. There was an awkward pause, and in an instance, Cassidy's cheery expression was gone. She looked down, as if defeated. Ben tilted his head.
"Well what's the trouble, little lady?" He forced his accent out as much as possible, thinking how much he sounded like a complete jackass. She raised her head, with a small smile.
"No, I,.I um, I had a really fantastic time tonight. Thank you, so, so much. But.I'll completely understand if you don't.call or show or---" Ben put his hands on her waist and shook his head.
"Well hold on there, I'll have you know you're not getting rid of me yet, l'il lady." He grinned as she laughed at his over-the-top accent. He looked her in the eyes and began to talk normally. "Seriously though, I had a fantastic time and I would love to see you again sometime." She brightened.
"Actually, my band is have a performance this Saturday at the Arts Center. You're welcome to come! I mean, if you're not busy pouring drinks or reading Faulkner..." she trailed off with a grin.
"It's a date." Ben brought her hand to his lips and gently kissed them. He nodded and walked back to his car. Cassidy flopped down on the porch swing and waved as he drove off. She sighed happily.
"It's a date."