« Cassidy! » She hears the soft call from nearby. There is a sudden move from her chauffeur to stand in front of her and then she notices. The young woman is standing on the other side of her, she asked to meet Cassidy somewhere when they were on the phone so they could talk.
« Sally. » She answers coldly as a hello.
She can't believe the nerve of this woman. She can't understand what she could possibly want.
« I hope I am not bothering you. It was kind of urgent. » Sally says.
« Then don't make me waste my time and tell me. What is it? » Cassidy states with a glare, she has no time for small talks.
« What you saw with Sam... It is not what you think it is, but you have to let me explain. » The redhead lets out almost defeated.
The young woman is wearing a black wrap dress and red flats. She has on a tan Prada coat and her hair is pulled back. She doesn't look like the woman she had met at the hospital years ago.
« Explain what? » Cassidy caves in.
She wonders for a moment if this conversation is not bound to lead nowhere. She doesn't want the kind of "it's not what it looks like.", she trust her eyes and what she saw that day. Maybe it was not meant to be romantic, but it was a kiss, a kiss that meant Samantha had chosen what she wanted; Cassidy to leave her. It was all clear in her mind.
« I would rather explain all of this over coffee?» She says but it really is a question.
Cassidy looks down to her watch, and toward her chauffeur. The door to the Mercedes is open, she could ask Sally to step inside the car. That would be pointless, but she chooses to be polite.
« Come in then. » She instructs and without a word they both glides into traffic in the mercedes.
The elegant coffee shop is a secret for many who simply pass the street but it's a popular place for executives, creatives and politicians who roam the impressive sky scrapers on this street. The coffee is the closest to Vienna coffee, Cassidy has ever tasted outside of Vienna and the atmosphere is full of class and peace.
They sit at a corner booth made of green velvet and the petite brunette waitress takes their order less than 30 seconds after they sit. It takes a full two minutes for the coffee to come back and for Cassidy to lean slightly back.
« So explain then... » She starts.
Sally draws breath.
« I don't know what Samantha told you or Blake told you, but... Samantha and I are not together. » She says.
There is a tension between both women as Cassidy chuckles coldly.
« You say that like I care. » She drops in her usual quiet but frightening tone.
She is afraid to look vulnerable; acting cold is the only thing that can keep her from it.
« I know you do. » Sally answers with an insistant smile. « You might not want to be with Sam anymore but I am sure you want an explanation of what happened. »
Cassidy tilts her head on the side.
« I am going to disappoint but I don't. Samantha and I was a long time ago Sally, it doesn't matter now. I'm not a teenager anymore, I accept it when things are over. I'd rather concentrate on the only things that matter now, my girls and my job. » She explains with confidence.
« Cut the bullshit Cassidy, we both know that it matters. » Sally challenges.
Cassidy raises an eyebrow, her sharp green eyes narrow at the insult and her lips purse; she tilts her head at the vulgarity but chooses not to point it out, it doesn't matter. Peace is hanging in the balance. She shakes her head at the young ginger on the opposite side of the booth. Curiosity is eroding her from inside, what could this woman possibly gain by coming to her? Cassidy hasn't bothered to delve much but she knows that Sally is wealthy, that in a way she formed part of the Gates inner circle now, she is close to Samantha's family as well. She knows there is not a thing Cassidy has that this socialite can not get. Why come? Yes, she was curious but the more she let people around talk about Samantha the less she'd get over it all.
There is a moment of tension until Cassidy breaks it with a sigh.
« You have 5 minutes to explain. » She drops as she rolls her eyes.
Listening to what the young woman has to say can't be that unnecessary. Sally smirks and then starts.
« I imagine you know that Samantha and I were close before the accident, but she made it clear she wanted you. Then the accident happened, and... That kiss when she woke up, it meant nothing. It was nothing. » She stops. « She pulled me into the kiss when she heard you coming. I would never have accepted if she didn't catch me off guard. I promise. » She clarifies with an eyebrow raised, both her hands on the table.
Cassidy listens carefully to the explanations and a million of questions swim into her mind. Her stomach starts to ache as she starts to think that she has failed. She has failed so much in her relationship with Samantha that she couldn't even find the words to tell her she didn't want to be with her and kissed another woman instead to chase her away. How unbelievable is this?
« I see. » She looks away. « She wanted to chase me away so much that she had to kiss someone else to do so. » She scoffs and shakes her head, her ego is lower than it could have ever been.
« You don't understand. She kissed me not because she doesn't love you, but because she loves you so much she only wants the best for you. » Sally clarifies.
Cassidy readjusts her short hair with her hand as she clicks her tongue.
« I understand what you're trying to do, and I truly appreciate it. But she chose to kiss you that day, for whatever reason that was obviously not her love for me. » She states with a deep voice, almost in a whisper as she is hurting.
« She can't walk. » Sally drops suddenly. « Samantha can't walk. »
It slides of her tongue like melted ice cream of a cone. It's soft and harmonious the way the words come together. They are the truth. The truth that had been in the back of her mind for the better part of last year. Sally was about to leave for Paris, she was going to live there for a few years. She was taking yoga classes and she could not leave without clarifying what she should have clarified that day in Milan. It may not be her truth to tell, but it involved her and therefore it became her truth.
« What do you mean by that? » Cassidy asks.
« She found out she couldn't be able to walk the day she kissed me. She pulled me into the kiss because she didn't want you to be stuck with an invalid, her words. » Sally says sadly.
It is with those words that Cassidy understand how much this simple accident has ruined everyone's lives, how things could have been different if it didn't happen. If those five seconds of inattention on the road didn't happen, it would have changed many, many things, starting with their relationship.
« That is ridiculous. » The editor scoffs. « How would that changes what I feel for her? »
« Doctors said her walking properly again could happen but it would be a miracle. She knew you would not want to leave her because you loved her, but she didn't want to be a burden for you or your daughters. She did that because she cares about you. Deeply. »
Cassidy swallows hard with teary eyes, she stares at her cup of coffee almost empty now. She can't believe it. She can't believe how a simple lack of communication between the two women destroyed everything they had.
« Did she send you to tell me that? » She finally asks silently after a long minute of silence.
« No, she doesn't know I am here. We haven't been talking for the past year. » Sally answers as she takes a simp of her coffee.
« Why then? »
Sally looks at her deeply.
« I just thought I should. I am leaving for Paris in a few days and I don't want to live with the guilt of not telling you forever. »
« But you have nothing to gain from that, I mean... »
Cassidy is cut off by the young woman who's sitting next to her.
« I don't care about the gain, Cassidy. I am still seeing Blake sometimes and when she told me how broken Samantha was, it was obvious I had to tell you. Because I care about her and she deserves to be with someone that loves her deeply. »
Sally nods and sips her coffee rapidly. For a few brief moments Cassidy looks at her, her face is pleasant. Her eyes are expressive, they smile even when she doesn't.
Cassidy smiles weakly as she fights hard to hold back the tears that have been threatening to fall for minutes.
« Is she able to walk by now? » She asks.
Sally smirks and frowns.
« That, you have to ask her by yourself. » Sally recommends.
« I'm not sure... » Cassidy argues.
« Call her, or you'll regret it forever. » Sally says with a supportive nod, she knows it is the right thing to do.
« Thank you. » Cassidy whispers with an infinite sincerity and gratitude in her eyes. She is not used to say thank you, but when she does, she means it deeply. « You'll see, living in Paris is an absolute dream. » She then adds as a sign of empathy as she smiles.
Sally smiles back at her, her long lashes pop out as well as her freckles and it makes her look very kind, which she actually is.
« Thank you. Now call her. »

Blake is the one to give Cassidy Samantha's number. The editor first looks at it, then composes it on the phone, then stares at it without calling. She does that every night for a week. She has memorized the number by now. It is not until Friday night that she finally calls as an unknown number, it is heart-wrenching and exciting at the same time.
« Hello? » A voice says on the phone.
That voice; which she has not heard in two years, it is that voice that leaves Cassidy speechless. She opens her mouth to answer, she wants to tell her why she is calling, she wants to tell her that it doesn't matter if she can walk or not. But nothing comes out, silence is her only friend.
« Who's calling? » Samantha repeats again on the phone.
Cassidy quickly hangs up the phone before she has the opportunity to say something. She can't. She'll try again tomorrow.
But she doesn't. Two weeks pass by, each time she is about to call she gets scared and walk away. There's a moment when she decides to get it all together, retiring is enough, she is Cassidy Vaughan for God's sake! A phone call is not going to make her renounce. If she can't make a phone call, then she'll go to Samantha. She asks Blake the address, takes some days off at work and she is ready to fly out of New York. The jet lands in Milan hours after, usually she would stop for a coffee but she does not have time.
« Samantha. » Is the only thing she can let out when she shows up at Samantha's little townhouse and knocks at her door.
It feels like the stars that don't shine very much in the sky are now shining bright when they meet. Those mysterious ocean eyes meet those icy eyes and suddenly it's like they are both brought back to the first time those eyes met a few years back. 
When Samantha opens the door she mumbles a whatever cuss word Cassidy can't hear and stare at the older woman with eyes wide open.
« You're... You're here. »