A Graduation Gift

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?"

the anger and fear out of his voice. The rain streamed across his face,

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

moment. She was almost knocked flat by the storm, but her need to escape pushed her forward.

clung to her face, getting in her eyes and mouth and entwining

the cold had seeped deep into her flesh and

turn. She needed to get away from Rufus, but she had nowhere to run in such

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

the rain, she tripped and fell to her knees. When she lifted her hands she found them covered in dirt and mud, and

unaware of how blue they were turning, and her body was trembling

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

like a hero from the rain, but

the

take you to tidy

looked empty and

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

worry. It's okay," the man tried to reassure

so much like a corpse, and the lifelessness in her eyes sent a

him, he tried to use his

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

another second asking her how she was

her carefully to the passenger seat of his car, buckled her in and brushed

kept this place a secret from his family, spending nights here at times instead of at

stylishly decorated, expensive but not luxurious. It was spacious, but tidy and well-maintained. Cassandra wondered why Rufus would have such a secret space

dried on Cassandra's face, but her body still trembled all over.

had just recently come out of the hospital, and feared that her time in the rain would make

possessed you to run out in the rain like that? What, not even a typhoon could stop you from acting out?" Rufus scolded her, but with no real

the gentle way that he

could not move, he respectfully helped her peel

the water seemed to calm her; she gradually stopped quivering and began to come to

that…he had just... 'Oh

his uninjured hand, Rufus trickled some water over her

started to return to her face, and as the mirrors steamed up in the room, a blush rose to her cheeks.

spoke softly, "I can do it

she whispered, she didn't dare turn her head back to look at the man behind her. Rufus just ignored

firmly resist. He would definitely take the chance to serve the

love this kind of treatment from him, but he would