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?"

his voice. The rain streamed across his face, and the wind ripped the words

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

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

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

and the cold had seeped deep into

to turn. She needed to get away from Rufus, but

And she couldn't go back either. Cassandra kept

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

were turning, and her body was trembling so much

dangerous this weather would be. In desperation she ran to find

the rain, but why

the frightened look on Cassandra's face.

tidy

looked empty and unfocused, and she

hand to wipe the water from her face, and nearly drew back

It's okay," the man tried to reassure her and himself.

corpse, and the

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

stir a little, and her eyes looked momentarily up at

that he couldn't waste another second asking her

her arms, lifting her gently and cradling her head against his chest. He brought her carefully to the passenger seat of his car, buckled her in and brushed some of the hair out of her face. He wished he had a blanket to give her. He drove to his house, as fast as he could through

secret from his family, spending nights here at times instead of

but stylishly decorated, expensive but not luxurious. It was spacious, but tidy

tears had dried on Cassandra's face, but her body still trembled all

recently come out of the hospital, and feared that her time in the rain would make her sick again. His heart

could stop you from acting out?" Rufus scolded her, but with no real anger behind his

the warmth in the gentle way that he handled

helped her peel off her ruined clothing, and lowered

heat of the water seemed to calm her; she gradually stopped quivering

'Oh

hand, Rufus trickled some water over her

to return to her face, and as the mirrors steamed up in the

last, she spoke softly, "I can do

look at the man

so rare that the little woman didn't firmly resist. He would definitely take the chance to serve the

there were many women who would love this kind of treatment from him, but he would only do this for