Sixteen Our Time Together

The Snow

5:00 pm
Rolling up papers of important data printed on them into a cone, he announced to the whole office with his clear voice putting the cone up to his mouth, "Birthday party for Charlie is tomorrow, so please bring presents for him! It doesn't need to be something expensive, a box of chocolates would be amazing!" While he was interfering everybody from work Charlie was already in his car ready to head back home alone but Cassandra abruptly appeared and sat into the passengers seat before he started the engine to leave. "Not today Cassandra." He said lowering his voice. "Yes, today because it's your birthday and I'm your girlfriend." she said stubbornly even though she knew today was a day that wasn't good to mess around with him. "Cassandra, I want to spend today on my own." He reinforced the importance of this day, but she gave no consideration of moving away or out. "I need you to take me home." She said persistently hanging onto his temper. "Stop acting like a child." He sighed irritably but Cassandra blabbered on why he needs to spend time with her. "Your boss." He calmly interrupted. "Get Mr. Carter to take you home today." and he jumped out of his truck and headed towards the exit with Cassandra following after him. "What do you mean by that?" She tried to stop him grabbing his arm but he kept walking and locked his car pointing the key behind. "You know exactly what I mean Cassandra!" "No. I don't!" "I spent time with you yesterday and I'll spend it with you tomorrow if you would just leave me alone today." He scratched his head and walked faster so she couldn't catch up in her heels. "Why not today?" "CASSANDRA!" He shouted sternly and she froze. "I need to be alone today." He mumbled and walked out into the snowy town, leaving the hollow crying voice behind.

When he stepped out to the white out, the city was raining with snow covering him in snow in seconds. He kept his hand in his pockets and walked down the snowy street lifting his shoulders to keep his neck warm. He hopped on the train at rush hour, crowded and claustrophobic. He stood holding onto the rails, staring out to the cloudy and dark city with a faint touch of blue in the clouds like it was avfiltered photo. He pushed his way through to the exit of the train at the station one before he planned to get off.
As the strong wind pushed him out of the station, he stopped his fast walking legs in front of an empty shop with filled with a variety of cakes. His legs led him into the door to the small shop with a small chandelier on the ceiling. A bell rung as he opened the door and he saw the show case filled with small cakes to a whole cake, colourful and pretty. He looked into the glass case and one whole cake that caught his eyes.

"On three, say your favourite cake okay?"
"Okay?"
"One, two..."
"CHEESECAKE!" They shout together looking at each other in surprise filled in their eyes and they made their best hi-five.

He bought a whole cheesecake with four strawberries in the middle and a mint leaf on top. He carried the box carefully by his side in the snow for five miles. His hair was wet and his expensive clothes were drenched but that didn't bother him at all. It was dark and only a pitch black sky held above covering every light away behind the thick clouds. Hardly anyone was walking down the streets now which reminded him of the bare streets in the small town he once lived.

Charlie walked around the corners he always drove and the same road he would see through the window. He kept his head down as he walked down, feeling a little dazed and warm. He felt his eyelids heaving down from the lack of sleep. He took his steps slower walking in to the car park of his apartment. The exhaustion from walking five miles in the snow, made him acknowledge that he was no longer young as he thought he was. He pressed the button of the elevator of his floor and dropped his head on the corner of the elevator as he again looked out deadly out nowhere. He stepped out the elevator slowly losing his senses and consciousness. He leaned all his weight on the rough textured wall and dragged himself past five doors until he saw a pair of bare feet by his door. He sighed from the thought of guessing that it was Cassandra pushing it too far but he wasn't cruel enough to leave his cling and cheating girlfriend in the cold.

He took one step further and looked down at the girl who lay at his door in bare feet and in a summer dress, mid-winter.