After the shopping, after dinner, and after a long walk home in the rain Casey and Cappie made it back to her apartment. They were soaked from head to toe, and grinning.
"Cap, why couldn't we have taken a cab?" Casey asked. She wasn't upset but she was curious.
"I like walking. Especially in the rain."
Casey remembered how he used to take strolls past ZBZ in rainstorms back during their college years. She'd be on the porch drinking tea and see Cappie walk by. He'd always give a small wave and keep going.
"So what now?"
"Well, I'm taking a shower." Casey said setting down her bags and purse. "You're welcome to stay if you want."
"Okay."
"Okay, I'll be out in a few."
"A few what? Seconds, minutes, hours?" Cappie joked.
Casey shrugged. "I'm not sure." Then she smiled at him and turned to go into the bathroom. Cappie decided sitting on the couch was boring and he got up to look around. He began in the main room where most of Casey's displays were. The first thing he examined was the bookshelf that sat in the corner near the French doors. He ran his finger over the spines of a few hardcover novels. Dracula, Little Women, Twilight, Pride and Prejudice. Casey's taste in books hadn't changed since college. Next he looked at the shelves of pictures next to the fire place. The ones of her as a child made him laugh. The ones of her and Rusty made him remember the good old days of college. There were a few of her and Ashleigh laughing and making silly faces. Those made him long for her even more. Then there was one of her and Evan. He put that one face down on the shelf. On one wall was a picture of the ZBZ convention she went to junior year. The frame was stained a nice rose color. Of course. On the opposite wall was her graduation cap and diploma. Now bored with the main room he made his way to the guest bedroom.
The room was a nice soft yellow. The quilt on the bed had lavender and pale yellow flowers dancing around it. Next to the bed was a small chestnut colored night table with a yellow phone resting on it. On the other side was a lamp with a pale purple shade. A matching chestnut bureau was parked across from the bed, up against the wall. The one window looked out into central park. If it was light out, the room would be dazzling.
His curiosity was pulling him into Casey's room, but he knew he probably shouldn't go in. He didn't hear the shower running and he assumed Casey could hear everything he was doing.
But Cappie was never one to follow the rules—or listen to his conscious. He walked out of the room and across the short hall to the next room. The door was closed, so he quietly pushed it open.
The walls of this room were pink. And not just pink…PINK! Electric pink.
Her bed wasn't a bed…it was a mattress in the center of the floor with pink and orange stripped and polka dotted sheets. The comforter was the same colors, and reversible. Her closet was painted the same orange as on the sheets, so was her vanity and dresser. The room was modern and clean. Cappie took a few steps in. He noticed a window seat below the huge window. The blinds were the same pattern and color as the stripped sheets, the window seat was the same at the polka dots. And orange and a pink pillow sat on either side.
Casey's room looked like a spread in one of her magazines.
Cappie moseyed over to the dresser. There were more pictures. One of ZBZ on graduation day. The picture consisted of only ten or twelve original members. The other twenty girls were pledges. Cappie remembered all about the drama Frannie had caused with her new sorority and all…
Another picture was of her leaning against her car—the small red hybrid—with her cap and gown on. The picture was a bit blurred, and Cappie knew instantly that Rusty must have taken it.
The last picture on the dresser was Casey and Max. Once again, jealousy jolted through his body and he set that one facedown too. He whirled around, upset that Casey didn't have any memories of him anywhere, when the vanity caught his eye.
He stumbled over and looked at the mirror in disbelief.
Around it were several pictures of him and her. The strip taken in the photo booth. The picture of them curled up on the couch. The snapshot of him smashing cake in her face on her birthday. All the wonderful times they had were here on the mirror shrine.
Cappie was so absorbed in the pictures he didn't hear the shower running or Casey's soft hums. When he realized it was happening he thought to himself She just got in the shower?
Then he wondered if she hadn't been listening. If she maybe wanted him to examine her house, then eventually find the mirror. Cappie stood up. He left her room, not bothering to close the door. As he made his way to the bathroom he stripped his clothes.
Casey felt the warm water falling on her face. She hummed her favorite song as she relaxed.
For a split second the water stopped, then cool hands rested on her shoulders. She shrugged her shoulders up to feel them against her face.
"I missed you Case." Cappie whispered.
"I missed you too Cap. I missed you two…"