A Graduation Gift novel Chapter 62

A heavy silence permeated the elevator. Cassandra glanced at the redness spreading over Rufus' hand, and felt her heart squeeze in pain.

She tried to keep the tears in her eyes from running down her face.

"Rufus… You… You asshole!"

The words burst from her. She struggled to get her emotions under control, barely noticing that her fingernails were dug into her palms. Her voice trembled with emotion.

Her reaction made Rufus's face soften.

He looked away from her, wanting to conceal the swirl of emotions in his nebulous eyes.

Each droplet of tears that escaped from her eyes splashed straight onto his heart.

His heart became heavier and heavier.

As soon as the lift doors opened, Cassandra rushed out. After a second Rufus realized that she was heading not toward the carpark, but towards the exit.

While he stood there stunned, Cassandra disappeared into the heavy rain.

He dashed to the main gate, but Cassandra was nowhere to be seen.

The swirling sky above him, was dark as ink. A traffic light stood out in the storm, a beacon in the night.

He stood for a second, and then spun back toward the carpark. Climbed into his car, he sped out of the building right away.

The car seared through the thundering weather; the wipers screeching hopelessly against the downpour. He peered through the rain, barely able to see the road. He had no idea how he would find Cassandra.

But Rufus was determined. Slowly, he circled around the block, driving back and forth for some time before finally spotting a bedraggled woman at the corner of the street.

She was huddled under a ledge outside of a darkened shop. The ledge barely kept the rain from her, with water lashing at her on either side.

As he parked the car and leapt out of the door, he saw her sitting on haunches and staring blankly at the rain.

He ripped his coat off and covered her with it.

He crouched down and put his arms around her, almost flinching as he felt how cold and drenched she was.

"What were you thinking? Do you know how severe this typhoon is?"

Rufus tried to keep the anger and fear out of his voice. The rain streamed across his face, and the wind ripped the words from out of his mouth.

Cassandra gave no indication that she had heard him. The tears streaming out of her eyes mingled with the rain pouring down her scalp.

Just now, she leapt into the rain at the spur of the moment. She was almost knocked flat by the storm, but her need to escape pushed her forward.

Her hair clung to her face, getting in her eyes and mouth and entwining around her throat.

Her clothes were soaked and heavy, and the cold had seeped deep into her flesh and bones.

Cassandra didn't know where to turn. She needed to get away from Rufus, but she had nowhere to run in such a storm.

She couldn't see a way forward. And she couldn't go back either. Cassandra kept running.

Blinded by the rain, she tripped and fell to her knees. When she lifted her hands she found them covered in dirt and mud, and after standing up she saw her clothes just as filthy.

She pressed her lips together, unaware of how blue they were turning, and her body was trembling so much that she could barely stand.

She hadn't thought about the cold when she ran out of the carpark nor realized how dangerous this weather would be. In desperation she ran to find some kind of shelter. This was when Rufus found her.

It was him again, now, emerging like a hero from the rain, but why did the sight of him not fill her with relief?

Rufus went furious when he saw the frightened look on Cassandra's face.

"Stop crying. Let me take you to tidy yourself up," the man ordered firmly.

But nothing Rufus said could provoke anything more than just cry more tears. Her eyes looked empty and unfocused, and she seemed to lack the strength to lift her limbs.

Rufus grew more worried. He reached out a hand to wipe the water from her face, and nearly drew back in shock when he felt how cold she was.

"What happened to you? I'm with you. Don't worry. It's okay," the man tried to reassure her and himself.

He had never seen her look so much like a corpse, and the lifelessness in her eyes sent a chill down Rufus's spine.

Hugging her close to him, he tried to use his body to shelter her from the rain.

Finally, he felt her stir a little, and her eyes looked momentarily up at him, and then away.