Off guard

monday ; 13:41pm

We stroll through the garden. It's raining. He holds an umbrella on top of us.

"What happened?"
I look at him.
"What do you mean?"
I ask. He's asking questions out of nowhere after an hour of silence.
"We used to be close-"
I burst out laughing. Close?
"No we weren't. We were forced to meet through awkward encounters."
He chuckles.
"I remember begging my dad for you to come over. He constantly refused, he did it harshly. I'm still unsure why."
"What about that birthday party?"
"My dad allowed you to come, but we weren't allowed to talk. I craved for your attention, so-"
"You pushed me into a cake, wow."
I roll my eyes.

"Can't we just get along?"
He mentions.
"Ugh as if."
He chuckles.
"Why not?"
I stop and turn to him.
"I've known you as the self absorbed ass with millions of dollars for doing absolutely nothing for a while. You think I can snap out of it just like that?"

"I can try to snap you out of it."
I chuckle.
"You can try."

We continue walking. His garden is beautiful, a sunny day would make this a heavenly location. My family is rich, but through the hard work of my father and my mother, not through a couple of lucky casino wins and drugs.

As we return, he follows me to my room.
"If you need anything, use the main phone on your bed side table. But if you need me, just shout, I'm just the hall way and available all night-"
I close the door.

When I eventually get bored out of my mind, I check the main phone. There is one message saved. It has been saved for over a decade. Jesus.
I listen to it.

"Hey Cassie,  I'm so sorry I couldn't get to you sooner, God I can't believe this happened. Are you okay? I'm sorry I'm so held up in Miami. I'll be home Monday. I knew I should've stayed here. Looked after you. I heard you're staying with the Malkovs, make sure they take good care of you. I called Nick, he said it'll be fine for you to stay longer. I miss you and I love you and I'll pick you up soon. This stupid accident wouldn't have happened if I was around. I blame myself. I love you. Goodnight darling."

I put down the phone.