Cassie Huwit

The repetition that lasts forever.

Start at 9am, finish at 4.30pm everyday for the last four days. I'm waking up on time every morning; kitchen, bathroom, bedroom and back again - Every. Single. Morning.

Luke and Michael are a comedic act, they dance, sing and sometimes do their job but most of the time just poke their beaks into my life.

"What's it like being so old.",

"Got a boyfriend at home Cas?"

Or my personal favorite "Do chihuahuas see you as like a distant cousin?"

" Get it, because she's short."

Vanessa is always on the phone to suppliers, Winston speeds around on the forklift then goes home, and Sam, Sam, continues to act like I don't exist.

The only contact we have made is when he pushed past me a couple days ago, now he avoids me like the plague. I don't know what his problem is with me, I mean he's a quiet man barely whispers a word to the boys; the most I've seen him talk to anyone is Vanessa but that's only ever about work.

Winston and I have become close.

We talked about all sorts, but we ended up talking about how I struggled to get a job and that I moved to get away from family and sour opportunities, how money is tight and that I'm struggling to find enough money to get food or pay rent that's due in a couple weeks.  Eventually he began to share his lunch with me and tell me stories about how he met his soulmate.

"Oh heavens she was stunning, still is." he says pointing his fork towards my chest like I would disagree with him. He continues to talk while handing me half of his chicken salad sandwich.

"I saw her walking down the street and I knew I was in love, long flowing hair in the summer breeze, her sun dress was different everyday - hats too." Winston's eyes curled up when he smiled, reminiscing on the times he first saw his wife, made me realize true love does exist and it's not just in books written by lonely men and women.

Sam walked by us many times but never once glancing at me.

Winston and I got back after our lunch break outside to find all the boxes unpacked and pallets empty.

I saw Sam wiping his hands with a rag, I wanted to ask him how he finished all the work two hours before we are meant to finish but Winston beat me to it.

"We were only gone for a hour and you managed a three man job."

Sam looked over to me for the second time since meeting him.

"Guess I did." Was all he said before bee lining towards Vanessa's office.

I could see them talking but couldn't make out the words until Vanessa came out to say we could all go home early seeing as Sam finished the work for the day.

Sam collected his belongings from his locker and just left without a second thought, leaving Winston and I in shock.

That was yesterday.

Waking up today feels weird like my body knows the events of the day before my mind does. Kitchen to bathroom to bedroom, the routine is consistent.

The morning air makes the streets of New York feel even more stuffy than usual, people pushed and shoved, groaning and groveling. It's a Thursday yet people are acting like its a Monday.

I woke up earlier this morning so I decided to take the long way to work.

There's florist shop on the way selling beautiful carnations - my favorite - I stop to smell them, taking in their sweet nectar scent when I got the strangest feeling like I was being watched, I turned around and when I turned back to the plants, a man jumped out in front of me with 'Minton's Flowers' written on his apron, "Ah carnations are a popular one", he reaches out to touch me and I step back - scared. He turned and walked back inside.

Creepy much?

The journey wasn't bad besides the flourist giving me the creeps.

Sam nor Vanessa are in yet but the boys and Winston are, they had started to unload the truck that just pulled in.

I quickly threw open my locker when Sam appeared behind me, damn near giving me a heart attack.

"Didn't mean to scare you Cassie."

I don't know what's going to put me six feet under first, Sam jumpscaring me or the fact he just spoke to me and is now staring at me like he's waiting for a response. I stammer to get the words out, sounding like a shaken doll, nice going Cassie.

"Uh you didn't, don't worry." He smirked and walked off like he enjoys me being flustered. Just great.

Luke and Michael lugged the trolleys around after unloading the first truck. Winston left just before lunch as he and the forklift were no longer needed for the day and Vanessa had only shown up an hour ago apologizing that she was stuck in traffic. Sam and I are on other sides of the room, cutting open box after box.

The morning has been going slow the only sound heard is coming from Vanessa on the phone and customers walking by the entrance that goes into the back.

I look up to see Sam focused on cutting through the tape on the boxes and a sharp pain in my hand followed by the sound of dripping.

I look down at the box in front of me to see I had mindlessly sliced through the flesh of my left palm and my blood is dripping down onto the box, flowing through the porous cardboard.

My brain is flipping between keeping it quiet and asking Sam for help - I couldn't ask Vanessa, she's on the phone with important suppliers, she doesn't need my small cut bothering her.

The cut is swallowed by the copious amounts of blood to the point that its getting hard to hide.

I walk past Sam cupping my right hand beneath my left to prevent the evidence spilling out, there is a small sink by the lockers that I hover my slippery hand over, I reach for a towel at the same time a hand grabs my shoulder, sending me out of my skin.

He reaches for my hand, twisting and turning it at my wrist, his brows furrow making me nervous. He takes a towel and wraps my hand, tight, I pulled back with a wince and he just stares at me; reluctantly I hold my hand out to him.

Sam drags me by my wrist close to Vanessa's office.

I dig my heels in and just shake my head at him hoping he'd understand I don't want to bother her. The towel is becoming soaked in red solution; he just stares at me again. He drops my wrist and leaps towards Vanessa's office, fist tight against the, half opened, door, two hard thuds land solid, she looks up and sees the towel dripping onto the floor.

"Oh my. What happened?" Vanessa tries to take a closer look but Sam is stood in her way.

"Cassie cut her hand. Can you take her to the hospital?" I'd be hurt at how dull his response was if my hand wasn't taking president in my mind.

"Fuck, I can't leave here, you're going to have to take her?" Sam nodded yet didn't move.

They stare at each other like I'm not here.

Vanessa mumbled to herself before turning around and back again picking up her car keys in the process and hurtling them at Sam.

Sam dragged me by my wrist a second time.

Opening the blue, dented Ford Focus at its passenger door and moving to the side; a silent gesture to get in.

He leans over me, click, he smells like cedar and whiskey with a hint of sweet nectar. He walks around the car in quick lunges, pulling the drivers door open, he looks right at my seatbelt like he is checking he put it on correctly.

He is fast which if I wasn't bleeding and in pain I would have asked him to slow down. The journey to the hospital was dead. No radio, no talking, nothing but the hum of the engine and the passing vehicles; the towel is an anger red now spreading onto my black pants transforming into a deep shade.

I wince in pain every time the suspension on the car failed us, I noticed whenever my agony broke the air, Sam's knuckles became a broad white around the curve of the steering wheel.

I assume it's because he is sick of my whining.

We pulled into the hospital parking.

Sam was quick to throw open his door and rush to mine, he lifts me, by my arm, out of the blue carrier and holds me steady by my waist. His touch makes my skin hot, every nudge of his finger across me; my ribs, my back, everywhere.

I was so focused on his graze that I didn't notice him staring at me, "Can you walk?" He said it so gruff, so different to his normal voice. I only nodded back at him and he let go of his hold on me.

Sam trailed behind me and it wasn't until the front desk he stood in front of me in what seems like a protective stance, God you're going insane Cassie, I could hear him talking to the woman at reception but I was far more focused on the remnants of his touch that lingered on my skin, I could almost taste the pressure that his fingers left against my shirt, imprinting the fabric onto my welcoming skin.

"Cassie.. Cassie!" I look up at him and he hands me a clipboard

"I said do you think you can fill it in or do you need help?" That's the most he has ever said to me.

"Cassie! Where are you right now?"

"Ah I'm here, sorry I was just thinking about.. stuff." He looks at me like my head is upside down but still guides me to sit on cold metal seats.

I expected him to pull his phone out while waiting for me to fill in the form but he just glares at those walking in, surveying them like they are threats to me or him.

Weird.

Where is the pain?

When did this happen/start?

The blood began to soak the paper.

What is your name?

What is your age?

Male or female?

?

?

"Hey Cassie... Cassie! Cassie open your eyes"

The lights are so bright but a shadow reaches over. Sam? "Hey Cassie" He dragged the 'e' out, I know that voice.

"Cassie dear I know you're hiding." Squeezing my eyes shut as hard as they can go never makes him go away.

The blood drips, drips, and drips; it's inescapable.

"Found you" His hands wrap around my biceps and tighten, and bruise, and shake me.

"Wake up Cassie"

"Don't hide from me girl."

"Cassie"

"Cassie please wake up!"

I open my eyes to see nurses and Sam holding me up.

"Hmpp." I can barely hear myself but I can tell Sam did. Sam looked at me knowingly, but I refused to let him know what just happened in my head.

The nurses got me a wheelchair, saying I had lost blood and on top of only eating breakfast - I was weak and passed out. They took me into a room with purple and pink elephants dancing along the wall and pictures with writing on them to far to make out.

"Sorry the kids room was the only one available."

The nurse, a short lady with slicked back blonde hair, flicks through the forms I half filled. "Do you have insurance?" My heart dropped knowing I don't, my eyes bowed - I didn't dare look up at her.

"Yes" Sam looks down at me and just nods.

He can't use his to cover for my clumsiness.

I was just about to argue with him but he holds a stern look so I just smile up at him; but I don't know if it even looked like a smile or more like a stroke.

'Tessa' Her badge had a blue cat with a curly tail next to her name.

Tessa stated she's gonna have to take a look at the cut, carefully peeling off the towel but I didn't care, I was too busy observing Sam.

His hands covered each other in a fist on top his lap, showing off the black shades down his arm contrasting his skin, gotta love a man with tattoos.

His brows furrow like they often do but only this time I noticed a faint scar across his right eyebrow, and on his left cheekbone, a small one down his chin, a deep line against his neck just below his right ear, and a raised score intersecting his lips. Sam and I make eye contact just as Tessa says "Yea It's gonna need stitches honey."

No, no, no I can't get stitches. Sam leans forward and I take his right hand in mine.

"It's ok, it won't hurt." He whispers down to me.

His cologne took over my thinking, made me believe in his blatant lie.

The stitches hurt like I knew they would but Sam held my hand the whole time, It wasn't until Tessa asked how long we had been together that Sam dropped my hand and went back to acting like I don't exist.

Tessa bandaged my hand and explained when to come back to get the stitches removed and how to take care of them. Sam waited by the exit after Tessa made her comment, I don't know who to be more mad at; Tessa for asking and clearly ruining the mood or myself for getting comfortable with Sam's kind side.

I should have known it wouldn't last forever.

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AUTHOR'S NOTE

I've notice the way I write on like word or something is showing how I write it but on wattpad it is making all the paragraphs into one lump.

Please let me know if this is hard for you to read formatted like that and I will try my best to fix it :)