Dear Niklaus

Chapter 7: Carpe Diem

The next morning I woke to the sun shining brightly in my face and the smell of bacon and coffee, which are my two addictions. My limbs were quite sore from lying on the uncomfortable couch, but not enough to hinder me from getting to my bacon and coffee. I looked everywhere for my phone except the obvious place, the coffee table. It was exactly 9:53 am on a Sunday morning. I dragged myself towards the kitchen, headed straight to the cupboard, and grabbed a mug. I noticed two figures sitting at the kitchen island, but they were nothing, but two huge blobs. I continued my way to the coffee also grabbing the sugar and cream from their cupboards. Luckily for me I didn't have to go through the trouble of reheating the coffee; too much hassle. After adding my desired amount of sugar and cream, I took a sip and it tasted like heaven, however that taste. As I continued to sip from the mug of wonderful delight, my vision seemed to come into focus since now I could clearly see Mr. and Mrs. Chen. They scared me and nearly made me drop my heaven. The smiles they wore showed how amused they were and I could tell they were watching me since I stepped into the kitchen.  

"Good Morning." I said with a shy smile.  

"Good Morning sweetie," Mrs. Chen said.  

"Morning Honeybunch," Mr. Chen said using my nickname, he has had for me since I was little.  

"Ya'll are back earlier then Cassie said."  

"The people running the retreat were actually ahead of schedule, so we were able to come back earlier than expected." Mrs. Chen explained.  

I nodded and then noticed Cassie wasn't anywhere around, so I went on a hunt to find her. I made sure to check outside in the driveway for her car first and thankfully, she was still in the house somewhere. I bounded up the stairs and practically burst in her room without knocking. She wasn't in her bed, so I figured she was in her bathroom considering I heard the shower running. I poked my head inside the bathroom door and the steam practically knocked me unconscious. I never understood how she was able to take showers in such hot water. I'm quite sure she was burning her skin, but not enough to harm her or show any sign.

She must still be devastated from what happened yesterday. The simple thought of Wes almost raping Cassie makes me furious. He seemed like such a nice person, but now my entire perception of him has changed. I was caught up in my own thoughts that I didn't notice she had stepped out of the shower. Instead of her being naked, she had her towel wrapped around her and for that, I was glad. She looked like a wrapped lobster and the thought of her being a lobster nearly made me want to burst out laughing, but now was not the right time to be laughing especially not in her condition. She saw me from her peripheral vision and nearly jumped from her skin.  

"What are you doing in here? You scared me half to death." She said clearing the steam from her mirror. 

"I was coming to check on you and make sure you were doing alright. I was caught up in my thoughts. I didn't notice you stepping out the shower. How are you feeling?" 

She broke her gaze with me and stared at her reflection with a blank look. The pain and hurt in her eyes flashed for a second and they were gone before it was noticeable. I wanted badly to comfort her and tell her everything would be alright, but the truth is it might not be. She put her trust in that pathetic excuse of a man, no I correct myself boy and he ended up letting her down. Her luck with the guys never was the best in the world. The douche bags seem to be attracted to her, which is odd. A girl like her does not deserve the treatment she receives from the male race whatsoever. 

Taking my earlier urges, I embraced her and that exact moment she broke down. Every tear, scream, and breathless moment poured from her like a never-ending rainfall. She tried to communicate with me by mumbling broken sentences. I just held her tighter and whispered comforting words. The little phrases filling her head were not helping her mood. With each passing second, her screams and sobs became louder and I began to worry her parents could hear her. The last thing she would want is for her parents to know about her almost rape. With how strict they are sometimes, I'm surprised they let her stay alone for an entire weekend. If her parents found out about the situation, she will be under their thumb until she leaves their house.