A Graduation Gift

Cassandra stood at the side of the road, holding the phone in her hand and dumbfounded. She didn't know what had just happened.

She heard something loud. Where could it have come from?

Suddenly, she had a good guess on what had happened so she turned around and ran back to the Garden Villa immediately.

The wind blew across her face as she breathed heavily and quickened her pace.

Her heart was beating rapidly and she could only see darkness but she held on to the one person who was keeping her going.

It was Rufus! Rufus!

Rufus could feel his body aching all over when the terrible car accident happened. But nothing could compare to the ache his heart was nursing.

"Cassandra..."

Rufus murmured the little woman's name. A glimpse of a familiar figure was suddenly running towards him.

Was it Cassandra? Or an illusion?

Rufus couldn't tell who the figure was because he couldn't even open his eyes. Before he knew it, he had already fainted.

Cassandra saw Rufus's Range Rover crash into a wall from a distance—the front of the car looked quite damaged.

Her chest tightened at what she'd seen; her heart began to beat so fast that she felt it would jump out of her chest anytime soon.

She ran and ran until she'd closed the distance between them.

When she arrived at the car, she saw Rufus slumping over the wheel. His legs were stuck inside the car and he looked terrible. It was hard to digest the entire scene.

Cassandra felt as if someone had grabbed her heart and crushed it—she couldn't breathe.

She tried to ram the door open but it was locked and she couldn't break it from the outside.

She then tried to smack the window hoping that Rufus would wake up to the noise but he didn't even flinch. He wasn't moving at all. Did he just faint or was he...dead already?

Cassandra was crying and shrieking, "Rufus, wake up! Don't leave me! Rufus!"

What Rufus had said before came true.

he'd let Cassandra leave him

this, Rufus! Wake up!' Cassandra shouted in her

However, they were in a deserted area and no one

Rufus's number and hoped that

didn't work. Rufus just lay

up! Please! You're

through tears as she tried futilely open the car. She was starting to get worried as Rufus had already stayed in an oxygen-deprived space

to

show some cracks,

continued to hit the window through gritted teeth. When enough cracks had shown, she took a deep breath

while, her hand was shivering. She reached inside the car and grabbed Rufus's body

she was short and slim—she wasn't

after all. She gathered all her energy

the road and started to resuscitate him—she tried pumping his

continued doing this as she wished in her heart that Rufus would open his eyes to look

rolled down her cheeks and into her mouth; she fought through the bitter taste in her mouth; she fought through the

was starting to lose hope. She was crying, scared

I'm so sorry! Open your eyes and look at me!

in her heart that was filled with

with him. She thought she was doing the right thing. She'd been thinking over this break up for quite awhile—now she just wished

Stay with me,

to breathe

Rufus's chest heaved.

pump his chest and blow air into his

cold, dark place. Everything about him felt stuck and frozen as if

hear a familiar voice. Cassandra! It was Cassandra's voice! She

open his eyes and hold her in his arms. He

he didn't have the energy to do so as he couldn't feel his body

did feel it when he was dragged out from where he was and someone started resuscitating him. Someone was pumping his chest and blowing air into his mouth. Rufus could tell that it was Cassandra's lips that had touched his cold ones; as soon

you saving me?' Rufus thought to himself.

that ran in Cassandra's mouth. He couldn't help but feel his heart ache at the thought of Cassandra

hair, and tell her that he loved her so much. He wanted to tell her that everything was going to be okay. Hard

heart beat quickened when he sensed how

darling. I'll protect you, I'm here, ' Rufus

push his body more—he wanted to speak to her, feel her, and hold her.