There are times in life when you have to make drastic decisions, decisions that may be right or wrong, but either way, they must be taken. Those kinds of decisions come when there are no other options left. They are the inevitable ones that you can't escape no matter how hard you try. But then again those very decisions could be the turning point of life. They could be the first step to a new beginning. What Cassy said out of the blue about moving back made Lucia pause sipping her Mocha, her beautiful amber eyes lost in confusion. Luca too, stopped to look at Cassy - both waiting for the explanation.

"What do you mean?" Luca asked with his forehead in a frown. The look on Luca's face was that of someone convinced that whatever they heard was a bad idea. But then again Cassy felt like she had to make this decision anyway. She had to do this.

The Santoro siblings, Luca and Lucia, now grown up and seated side by side, looked ethereal in the dimly lit Café room, illuminated by the sunlight filtering through the window. They both, like Cassy, had an attractive olive-coloured skin tone courtesy of their Italian nationality. They blended into the mixed population of the Altadena community perfectly. The Santoros' eyes were mocha brown, mesmerising labyrinths people get lost in, and their hair healthy jet black; the combination made them look divine. The contrasting features made their faces exceptionally beautiful. Cassy was surprised that she just began to notice how attractive her friends were.

However, at the moment their faces were full of concern for what Cassy had to explain. Cassy herself was lost in her train of thoughts that kept chasing one after the other. She kept tracing the handle of her latte mug, her slice of Chocolate sponge untouched. She was thankful for her friends' patience for letting her take her time. Speaking about her deepest thoughts wasn't easy at all. She had never been good at expressing herself. She had always kept her thoughts private, avoiding conversation if the circumstances allowed it. Now she'd rather keep looking at the beautiful view outside from the window nearest to her.

It was a spectacular view. The sun-bathed street right outside the window was busy with people running their errands. The giant bougainvillaea tree just outside the Café's entrance spilt its flowery branches right across the large clear window. The rich magenta-coloured flowers against the brilliant white exterior of the Cafè looked breathtakingly beautiful. This reminded Cassy of the cafés and restaurants on the cobblestoned roads back home.

The view outside and the nostalgic memories of home soothed her, even though it was difficult to speak, she knew that she had to. She had to tell them why she wanted to go back.
She slowly let herself speak.

"I just feel so... lost... so... hopeless." Cassy sighed.

"My job is gone... and I have no place to stay..." she paused, and my boyfriend whom I trusted with my life... cheated on me, that too with my boss!
I mean.. what's left for me here?"
Once she began talking, it felt slightly easier to lay it bare. The thoughts that had been keeping her up these days were spilling out of her mouth.

"I...I think it's best if I go back to my roots... To revisit my dreams and passions... To see where I went wrong," she said softly. It was more of a confirmation of her plan than explaining her decision to her friends.

Luca's stoic demeanour masked a deep sense of empathy, but he didn't interrupt her. Instead, he kept listening to Cassy. Lucia, though, was a different story. She had set her mug on the table. But she didn't speak immediately, as if she was carefully choosing her words, between being to be honest and speaking her mind.

"Oh darling, I understand. But you know this is not your fault. If anything, Pete is the one to blame for all that happened." She reached for Cassy's hand as she said this, giving it a gentle squeeze.

"You're safe Cassy. You have us and you have not lost anything. Sure, you hit a snag but that doesn't mean you should give up on your life." Lucia continued.

Luca was quietly eating his croissant, listening to the ongoing conversation between a determined Cassy and a sister who kept trying to find reason. Cassy had to convince Lucia. She held Lucia's hand in both of hers, "I'm not giving up, Lu. I want to go back home. To rethink. To re-organise. But that doesn't mean I'm giving up on my life. I wouldn't do that for Pete or any other cheating bastard. I know they don't deserve that."

Cassy noticed Lucia's expression soften slightly. She also heard Luca sighing quietly beside her, tapping the smooth surface of the rustic wooden table with his fingertips. After a whole minute, he looked from Lucia to Cassy.

"Maybe it's for the best," he said his gaze fixing on Cassy. Cassy felt relieved to have one of them understand her. Luca then continued,

"It would take her mind off of things, and she could use the time to herself and to focus on things she wants to do."

To this, Cassy nodded, agreeing with Luca because that's exactly what she felt; only Luca explained it better than she ever could, and she appreciated Luca's reassurance.

"Thank you, Luca," she murmured, her voice filled with gratitude. It was good to be understood.

Lucia, however, looked uneasy and impatient. She was now looking at Luca, perhaps wondering why Luca was agreeeing to her idea of flying back home. "But Luca don't you think it's a... what's the word.. dastic thing to do. We're talking about flying back to Italy. That's like 5000 miles!"

Luca chuckled at Lucia's cute mistake, "It's drastic, and yeah, it is, but I still agree with Cassy. A change of atmosphere could help her. " Luca winked at Cassy as he said this. She couldnt help but smile at that. Luca seemed more than okay with her plan.

Finally the frown on Lucia's forehead disappeared, she sighed befire smiling brightly. "Alright, Cassy. If that's truly what you feel is best for you." Smiling, she lifted her mug and took a sip. Glancing at Cassy's still touched cake, she made a face, eyeing it excitedly.

"Now get started on that cake ready. I can hardly look at it without trying to eat it." Her amber eyes gleamed as she said so.

Cassy couldn't stop herself from giggling. Lucia was always the cheerful one, aside from Sofia, her own sister. "Ohh, eat it, Lu." She pushed the piece of cake towards Lucia.

Lucia immediately refused, "No, no I was just kidding. I couldn't eat it anyway. I'm watching my weight"
Lucia's eyebrows danced as she gestured at herself, pushing the cake back to Cassy.

This made both Cassy and Luca laugh. Lucia knew how to lighten the mood, Cassy thought, whatever the situation may be. She felt much better than she did reconnecting with them. Sorrows forgotten, betrayals left behind.

Luca's chair scraped lightly against the wooden floors of the Café when he finally stood up. "Okay, you two. I'm heading out then," he said.

"You guys can enjoy the rest of the evening. I need to get some work done. So I'll see you later. " he had already pushed the chair back into its place and was heading out towards the doors with a little wave.

As they watched Luca push through the doors and disappear down the bustling street, a wave of gratitude washed over Cassy. Despite being unsure of what the future may hold for her, she knew she could rely on the support of her friends.

She looked back at her childhood friend, who had propped her arms on the table, looking around the Café. "Thank you, Lucia," she spoke softly, looking at Lucia who had turned to face her. "For everything." She was feeling much more confident and relaxed. It was good to have them around.

"Anytime, Cassy. We're family, after all." Lucia smiled warmly back at Cassy.

Cassy finally looked down at her plate, poked at her Chocolate Sponge with a fork and took a bite. The Chocolate Sponge tasted amazing, now that she was feeling better in her heart. The sponge itself was very soft and pillowy, whereas the gooey, warm filling of the cake melted inside her mouth, sending sweet sensations through her body.
Food really cheered her up, she thought, smiling at the last of the Chocolate sponge, which had quickly disappeared after the first taste. She enjoyed every bite of it, feeling happy to have waited till the end to taste it. Some delayed gratification it was.

As she took a final sip of her latte, a newfound self-respect gleamed inside her. It may seem unclear now, but something made her sure that she was doing things right.

With that thought in mind, the two of them gathered their belongings and stepped out into the bustling streets of Altadena, ready to embrace whatever the future may hold.

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Hey fam, 👋

I hope you guys like today's episode. I've been coming back for some edits and just finished this one too. I hope you'll like this version too. A big thank you to mariette_fw for her support and love. Thank you for reading and helping me fix my mistakes. Hope you enjoy this.

Like always it would mean so much to have your votes and comments. See you all soon then.

XO Ama ♥️