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.

way he'd let Cassandra leave him was

won't leave you anymore, Rufus! Don't do this, Rufus! Wake up!' Cassandra

to look for a way to break inside the car. However, they were in a deserted area and no one was even passing by. She started to get desperate.

Rufus's number and hoped that the ringing would wake him

work. Rufus just lay there,

up! Please!

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

keys to try to break the

started to show some cracks, but her hands were already red

gritted teeth. When enough cracks had shown, she took a deep breath and landed a clenched

shivering. She reached inside the car and grabbed Rufus's body in an attempt to drag him

she was short and

was an emergency after all. She gathered all her energy and soon, she was able to

Rufus down on the road and started to resuscitate him—she tried pumping his chest hard and fast with her hands, then blowing air into his mouth.

in her heart that Rufus would open his eyes to look

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

to lose hope. She was crying, scared and

my fault, Rufus! I never should've said all those things to you, I'm so sorry! Open your eyes and look

heart that was filled

that this would happen, she would never have attempted to break up 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 she'd

with me, I'm so

she continued to breathe life

Rufus's chest heaved. Cassandra froze.

and blow air into his mouth. She had

Everything about him felt stuck and frozen as

Cassandra! It was Cassandra's voice! She was here and she was

all his might that he could open his eyes and hold her in his arms. He wanted to tell her,

the energy to do so as he couldn't feel his body anymore.

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

saving me?' Rufus

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

to gaze into her eyes, reach out to touch her hair, and tell her that he loved her so much. He wanted to tell her that everything was going to be okay. Hard as

heart beat quickened when he sensed how

be scared, darling. I'll protect you, I'm here, ' Rufus consoled Cassandra in

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