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“Take care, Logan.” I want to quench this awakened craving because when I leave, Logan Cade will be someone else’s treasure to be discovered and tamed.
“Perhaps we will meet again, little mouse.”
“We won’t. This was an odd coincidence, Logan. You and me, we should have never met otherwise.” We say our goodbyes in the lobby, holding each other until the last moment.
Finally, taking my small luggage to put in the back of the cab, he comes in for a kiss before letting go. “If you change your mind, you know where to find me.”
Logan Cade leads me to the taxi that will take me to the airport to fly back home.
“Take care, Angel. Maybe next time, we will have more time.”
I climb in, giving him a small smile, and watch his figure move further away. The tears stream down my cheeks, and I silently whisper my heartfelt goodbye.
I am alone again, with the abyss beckoning me in.
Chapter 7
Heartbeats
~Cassandra~
Eight weeks
Joshua keeps endorsing many excellent dining restaurants in Canary Wharf for the romantic dates. He enjoys the finest whiskeys while his wife soaks up the smooth sounds of jazz. They’ve invited me to join them few times, but I refused. I rarely go on the laidback feast on the weekend or after-work drinks with my colleagues, but sometimes I have to. Today, however, he is determined to make me suffer.
“We are going to this new jazz club. Join us today, Cassandra.” Apparently, he is hinting at my antisocial tendencies. Sometimes his charisma makes me yield, but not today. I feel like crap.
“Thank you, boss, but Shirley deserves her husband’s sole attention. I will be the third wheel. Besides, I haven’t seen my sisters in a while,” I lie. My act is convincing, so he lets me go.
On the way to the underground station, I feel my stomach churning with sickness. My forehead and upper lip are dotted with cold sweat, and a chill runs over my overheated skin.
Hold on, breathe, almost there. I try to distract myself as I count steps. Click. Click. Click. Distracted, I bump into some angry lady.
“Watch it!”
Shit, today is not my day. My vision swims, my focus fractures for a second. I breathe through it, using my steps to anchor me back. My skin crawls in irritation, as I have to fight my way through the mass of people.
For the past two weeks, my anxiety has increased to alarming levels until not only couldn’t I eat, but felt sick afterward. Separation from Logan left me with the doom of the company. It’s been a couple months since we said our goodbyes at the hotel, but I still feel such acute sadness. My fragile mind’s not coping well. I’m an idiot!
It was a terrible idea to sample a taste of another human being. One lick, and I have struggled ever since. Now I’m craving everything. The eyes, his scent, the teasing banter, and his sculpted body pressed against mine.
At the station, I grab some bottled water as lately, the trip home gets very difficult. The heat during peak hours and high numbers of people make the carriages feel like a sauna. It is incredibly humid and cramped. On the way back from work, the breeze at the overground train station brings me a short reprieve.
Once I squeeze myself into the train coach, I have a terrible feeling I’m making a mistake. I am stuck with people like a sardine stacked in the can. Five minutes pass on the train, and I grow nauseous, dizzy. Black spots consume my vision and my feet tingle. This is bad!
As my surroundings begin to swim and the noise gets further and further away, I dream. Weightless, I spread my hands like wings to fly. The texture of wheat caressing my body and the bright light is blinding, dragging me into unconsciousness.
I don’t know how much time passes—days, weeks—before someone rouses me from oblivion.
“Miss, can you hear me?” Somebody demands an answer, shining lights into my eyes. “If you do, can you please squeeze my hand?”
The man in the green uniform is pulling
me from the dream. For some time, I can’t grasp what’s going on as the voice gets closer and then further from me. My eyes feel so heavy, I want to close them and let go. The moving vehicle lulls me back to sleep.
I blink and see a worried Raine towering over me, examining me with her blue eyes. I stare at my younger sister. Extended eyelashes flutter over her face, and she raises her head to the ceiling, trying to keep the tears at bay. Her nostrils flare as she tries to contain her emotions.
“You’re in the hospital,” she confirms, so I smile, trying to reassure her. Before I could tell not to worry, she runs out.
