Author's Note:
If you're just joining me now you should probably go here first: http://www.literotica.com/s/your-hand-in-mine-ch-01
You know, when I started this little distraction project I thought it would be easy. I was very wrong. I'm finding Cassie's character quite hard to write. I can't really say why here without giving away what happens in this chapter, safe to say it's more difficult that I thought it would be.
All comments and criticism welcome, thanks for viewing.
WriterMonkey
Your Hand In Mine – Chapter Two.
Cassie was stood outside the Student's Union waiting for Darcy, she was cold but it wasn't raining, which considering it was early November in England qualified it as a nice day. Cassie lived over a mile from the campus and hadn't had chance to go home and change since her lecture so she was dressed in a pair of jeans that she thought made her bum look good, a purple t-shirt and her red coat. She hoped Darcy didn't have anywhere nice in mind for lunch or she wouldn't be able to afford it, plus she'd probably be underdressed. She knew she should have suggested where to get lunch so she could make sure she could afford it. Cassie checked her watch, one twenty five, still five minutes until Darcy was supposed to turn up, still chance to leave and make up some excuse. God, it would be embarrassing if it turned out she couldn't afford the place Darcy had in mind. What should she talk about? Should she try to be witty? What if they had nothing in common? Besides, they'd got everything in the wrong order, you were supposed to sleep with someone after you dated them, not the other way around. She'd just decided to leave and give Darcy some weak excuse when her phone buzzed. It was from Louisa.
Relax, deep breaths, you'll be fine.
Lou. X
Cassie quickly hammered out her reply:
Great timing, I was just about to stand her up.
As Cassie put her phone back in her pocket she heard someone call her name, she turned around and saw Darcy walking towards her. One less thing to worry about, Darcy was dressed casually too, she wore a denim skirt and a white sweater. Her long blonde hair spilled down over her shoulders and she was smiling. She was beautiful. Cassie wondered again what she'd done to attract Darcy. Some huge guy, easily six feet tall and almost as wide by the looks of him wasn't looking where he was going and bumped into Darcy. She stumbled, then swore at him. Cassie laughed, she could tell she was going to like Darcy.
"Hi, Darcy," Cassie said, she smiled, Darcy smiled back and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear.
"Hey, how are you?"
"Good, cold but good." Cassie said, and nervous as hell she added mentally. "You?"
"Yeah, I'm alright, had a long morning though, sat in a lecture theatre with a broken heater that was stuck on the inferno setting."
"Wow, that sucks!" Cassie said.
"Right," Darcy said, checking her watch, "we need to get moving, I booked us a table for two at Andiamo. That alright?"
Cassie's heart sunk and she tasted bile, it was some cosmic joke, it had to be. Or karma getting her back for the time she stole some chewing gum. Andiamo was a small Italian restaurant not far from campus, Cassie had been once before she remembered the food being good, the atmosphere being nice, the service being excellent and the bill being downright scary.
"Err, yeah, that's fine." Cassie said, trying to hide the fact that she really couldn't afford it.
"You sure?" Darcy asked, clearly not convinced by Cassie's performance. "Don't you like Italian?"
"No I love Italian food," Cassie said, it was true, she did, she just didn't like paying extortionate amounts for it.
"Okay, lets go then." Darcy said, Cassie could hear the worry linger in her voice.
Andiamo was busy when they got there, almost all of the tables were taken, most of them by important looking people wearing expensive looking suits. Most of the furniture was rosewood, the tables, the chairs the bar, even the podium by the door was rosewood. There were four booths in the centre of the room arranged in a two by two square and other tables arrayed around them. The bar was against the back wall, the wall behind the bar was covered in different coloured glass bottles. The servers were buzzing around looking harassed but from what Cassie could hear their perfect manners never faltered.
Cassie took a menu from the podium and saw that the prices had become even more exorbitant. She started thinking about what she'd have to do in the coming week to afford eating here today. Pizza night with Louisa would have to go, and she wouldn't be going out on friday either. Damn. Her foot started tapping as it did every time she got frustrated, she didn't notice it, but Darcy did.
"Cassie, what's wrong, you don't want to be here do you?" Darcy said, not hiding the hurt in her voice well.
Cassie took a deep breath, put the menu back and said, "I can't afford this place, Darcy." Her words fell out in a rush, she felt heat in her cheeks and stared intently at her shoes fearing Darcy's reaction.
"Table for two?" Cassie heard. It was a thick Italian accent.
"No thanks," Darcy said, "change of plans." She grabbed Cassie's hand, squeezed gently and led her out of the restaurant. "What about the coffee shop on campus?"
"Sorry, Darcy,-" Cassie started, she didn't know what she was going to say but as it turned out she didn't need to as Darcy interrupted.
"No need to apologise, if anyone should it's me. I only suggested that place to make you think I was sophisticated... It was silly of me."
Cassie looked over at Darcy for the first time since her admission, she could see the cogs going round in the blonde's head. Adjusting expectations maybe? Perhaps making a note to 'loose' Cassie's number after this date. Cassie mentally slapped herself, why was she being so insecure? This wasn't her, she never used to worry what people thought of her and now she was in a spin because she couldn't afford over priced pasta.
***
Darcy looked down at the tiny redhead worriedly, she knew she'd come off as presumptuous and possibly a little vain, but she'd just wanted to make a good impression. She just hoped she hadn't gone down too far in Cassie's estimation for embarrassing her like that. She'd wanted Cassie since she first noticed her in a music law lecture she attended six months ago. Darcy was studying Law and when she was told they had a guest lecturer speaking about copyright law and how it relates to the music industry she jumped at the chance. She had no real expertise in that field and while she had no wish to work in it she wasn't going to turn down the chance to learn something new. She'd noticed Cassie sitting at the back of the lecture theatre and felt the first pangs of attraction immediately. Cassie's lips were moving but she clearly wasn't talking as the people either side of her weren't paying any attention, she was clutching a pencil and scribbling furiously on a pad in front of her. Darcy figured she was one of the music students who had been invited to the lecture.
Darcy didn't see the redhead again until they met in the bar in the Student's Union, but she didn't forget her attraction. When she saw her in the SU her heart skipped a beat, Cassie was dancing with a few friends, her arms in the air and her body moving lithely to a cheesy pop song from ten years ago. When one of Darcy's friends came up behind her and put their hand on her shoulder and asked what she was looking at she realised she had been staring open mouthed. She saw Cassie leave her group and head to the bar, Darcy made a beeline for the bar too. Her memory went hazy after that, but she remembered with excruciating detail waking up in a strange bed, it was so not her, she didn't go around picking girls up in bars. She knew why it happened though, she'd spent the last six months idealising the little redhead and when she finally saw her again something snapped and it just happened.
Darcy realised they'd been stood still locked in their own thoughts for a while so she smiled at Cassie and started heading towards campus again. Darcy stole several glances at Cassie on the way, she thought the miniature redhead was stunning, if in a slightly unconventional way. And her eyes, Darcy could stare into their beautiful green depths for hours, she hoped she'd get the chance. Darcy liked that even when they were back on campus Cassie's hand never left hers, she'd dated girls who weren't confident in their sexuality and it could be a pain in the ass. She was happy to have found someone who would hold her hand in public.
***
Cassie held the door open for Darcy and led her into the crowded coffee shop, she noticed Darcy slip in front of her in the cue and pull her wallet out of her handbag. Great, now she thinks I'm a charity case Cassie thought to herself. She wasn't, compared to a lot of her friends, that poor, but it wasn't her fault if she couldn't afford to drop an entire week's food budget on one meal in some pretentious restaurant. Cassie wondered what Darcy's parents did to be able to give their daughter such an easy ride through uni. Maybe she was being unfair, maybe Darcy worked hard for her money, but for some reason Cassie doubted it.
The small cafe was packed with students but most of them were crammed together in a big group around only a couple of the tables, they'd get a table easily enough but they might struggle for chairs. Cassie liked the campus cafe, she wrote some of her best lyrics there, it was always busy, there were always people to observe but they were never crying babies or businessmen full of their own self importance, both of which were things that annoyed Cassie intensely.
"Hi, how can I help you?" Cassie heard the girl behind the counter ask. It was Hannah, Cassie was friendly with most of the staff, but Hannah was probably her favourite. She was medium height with a few excess pounds, she had curly brown hair and matching dark eyes.
"Yes, I'll have a medium cappuccino and a ham and cheese baguette please." Darcy said, "and whatever she's having as well." She added, indicating Cassie. At that moment Darcy was tapped on the shoulder by a man who she greeted as Daniel, Cassie was glad of the distraction, she needed to say something to Hannah.
"Don't mention the gig," she mouthed.
"Why?" Hannah mouthed back.
"Just don't." Cassie whispered adding a stern look for emphasis. "Small caramel macchiato, please, and a tomato and brie baguette."
Hannah nodded and started getting their order together.
Cassie had been pressured into playing a show by Karl and Louisa, who had become increasingly impatient of her reluctance to show off her musical talent. She had chosen to do it here as she hoped it would slip under the radar, it did not. The owner had been impressed by her demo CD and publicised the show extensively, hoping to make it semi regular if it drew enough customers. The gig was tonight Cassie was nervous as hell and the last thing she wanted was Darcy knowing about it, which was unlucky, because she did.
"So are you coming to the show here tonight?" Darcy asked as she led them to a table in the back corner of the cafe.
"Who, C Maywether?" Cassie said, stalling for time. She hadn't wanted to use her real name to try and hide the fact that it was her performance from people who knew her. She couldn't think of a decent stage name though so just decided to go with her last name.
"Yeah, my roommate got hold of her demo, apparently she recorded it in the studios here. She's really good, you should come."
Cassie's insides warmed at the compliment, she liked hearing them but she never knew how to take them. Her mind then skipped to the issue of how people were getting hold of the recordings, it was probably Karl or Louisa trying to publicise the show more. She made a note to verbally bitch slap them when she got home.
