Page 35 of Legally Yours
A single tear rolls down her cheek, and I catch it with my thumb. “Let’s eat,” I say. “Just let me look after you. It’ll be okay, I promise.”
We sit down for dinner, hardly saying anything but comfortable in the silence. Over the months, I’ve thrown everything at her to try and win her love. From flowers every day at home and the agency, to serenading her at one of her shows.
The look on her face that night was one of shock. Despite the crowd clapping and cheering, she was speechless, unable to talk. Maybe those aren’t the things that really matter to her and what she needs now.
Gestures can be empty, though the ones I’ve been showering her with certainly haven’t been. What Cassandra needs is to feel real, honest, true love.
It’s a love that I feel for her now. I just need to wait, be patient and hope that she can see and receive it. I can sense the guilt she feels for not returning these feelings, but I respect where she is with it.
I can only hope that one day she will accept my love. Because I’m planning on marrying this woman properly, and I want nothing more than for her to feel the same way. Even though I haven’t told her, I’ve already started to put things in place, and the thought of it not working out is unbearable.
We’re meant to be together. She must see this by now, even if she doesn’t want to admit it to herself or to me. Because the walls around her heart are so high. It’s only natural given what she’s been through.
But I’m desperately aware that each day the clock is ticking. Before we know it, six months will be here and so will the end of our agreement.
30
CASSANDRA
Isit in my office, twirling around in my chair. My inbox is overflowing, and my phone is ringing off the hook. But I can’t think, at least not on business. My mind is flooded with emotions, thoughts, but everything is personal, and everyone is Liam Anderson.
I gaze out my plate-glass window at the New York skyline. The world buzzes all around me, but I feel like I’m standing still.
Liam cares for me greatly. I know that with my heart and soul. But here I am, unable to talk right or act right around him. What’s worse, I can’t seem to reciprocate his affections. Liam, to my embarrassment and shame, bends over backwards to prove his love for me with gestures and gifts, not to mention his undying patience. Yet with everything he says and does, I stay mum.
Why do I still have so many doubts?
“Hm… I’ll grab Leslie. She’s got the art of listening down to a science in this place.”
I leave my office and search for Leslie, finding her in the break room. I walk up beside her and pour myself a coffee. I don’t want a coffee, but I feel I need an excuse.
“Hey, girlfriend, would you have a moment to chat?”
“Sure. What about?”
“Uh, could we take our coffees up to the rooftop garden?”
“Yeah. I could do with a whiff of fresh air. I always get so sleepy by the mid-afternoon. But instead of fresh air, New York air will do. Is this something important?”
“Kind of.” I cast my gaze on the other employees in the room, and Leslie gets the hint.
We take the elevator to the top and through the double glass doors find the Anderson Agency oasis. It’s a rooftop glassed-in conservatory, two stories high and building wide, with tropical plants, palm trees, babbling brooks and swooshing waterfalls.
Throughout the glassed-in microcosm, there are park benches and tables nearby where employees can sit or work while calming the soul. It’s my favorite spot in the entire building. It gives a person a place to think without prying eyes or ears.
We grab a bench near the main waterfall. We each take sips of our coffees. I can tell Leslie is waiting for me to begin. I inhale and voice my fears, hoping none of what I’m about to say will sound silly.
“Leslie?”
“Yeah?”
“It’s about Liam.”
“I figured it was. Did he do something good or bad?”
“That’s the thing. He’s doing everything right.”
“Aw, I hate when that happens.” Leslie flashes me a smirk.