Meant To Be

One Thing

can't help but wonder what she's thinking

she's got faraway eyes and a mona lisa smile

and i want to know, i want to know, yeah,

i want to know her

- Hey You, from FOUR's first album, Nights Like These

"Okay," I say. "Explain." I'm sitting on my bed, fully clothed (thank god) with my wet hair dripping on my neck. Holland is sitting in my desk chair, looking very uncomfortable.

Good.

"I - " he starts, and then stops. "I had to - do something today. For work. We were - "

I cut him off, because it's actually painful to watch him try to talk his way around whatever he clearly can't tell me. "It's fine, I don't need details. Just - why were you in my house?"

He looks relieved. "Sorry. Thanks. Er - I was given an address? For this thing? I knocked on the door but no one answered, and it wasn't locked. I was already late, so..."

"What address?" I ask. Unless one of the girls is hiding a very big secret, I have no idea why Holland would be coming here.

He pulls out his phone, and after a couple of seconds, hands it to me. I look at it and immediately sigh, shaking my head.

"1, 2154 Evercross Rd," I say.

Holland looks confused. "Yes?"

"We're 2, 2154 Evercross Rd," I explain. "This used to be one property, but the owner subdivided it. The other house is just behind it, but the driveway's kind of hard to see."

He blushes, taking his phone back. "God," he says. "I am so sorry. That makes so much sense."

"It's alright," I say. "We were getting # 2's mail for like, the first two months. I'm - a lot less mad, now."

"No," he says, shaking his head and leaning forwards. "It's not. It's -" he breaks off. "Sorry. I just realized I don't know your name."

"It's Cassandra," I say. "But most people call me - "

"Cass?" He says, the name a question on his lips.

My mouth is frozen around the familiar "Cassie". That's what everyone's called me, since I was little and couldn't manage Cassandra.

But I like the way he says Cass, the way it rolls off his tongue. The way it sounds new and special and - like it has meaning.

It's the same name, but - somehow it sounds like me.

I nod, unable to find any words.

"Cool," he says. "It's nice to meet you, Cass."

"Nice to meet you, Holland," I say, shaking his outstretched hand after only a moment of hesitation. He smiles, and I can see that this has put him at ease. This - semblance of normalcy between us, like we really did just meet normally. Like we're starting over. Like he hasn't seen me in my towel or (kinda) broken into my house.

He's opening his mouth to talk when his phone buzzes. He glances down at the screen and his eyes widen. "Shit. I am - so, so impossibly late. Okay." He looks back up at me. "Um. I am so sorry, once again. I have to - I have to go. Yep."

I can't help but smile. "It's okay. Like I said, it was a mistake. Um - if you're facing the road, the driveway you want is on the left." I'm about to say 'you can't miss it' but considering the events that lead us to this moment, that seems like it might not be true.