Cassie Berryhill was a good girl. She always had been. She was an excellent student, great friend, loyal daughter. When she fell in love in college, she assumed that she would then become a faithful wife and loving mother. Liam was everything she had ever wanted in a man. He was intelligent, charming and loving. And she adored him. So much so, that she put aside all her ambitions to be the woman he wanted and seemed to need. She left school to work, so that he could continue his studies, unencumbered by concerns about money. It didn't seem like a sacrifice. After all, she loved him and it was a small enough thing to do for true love.
She worked and kept his house, bought groceries and cooked for him. When Liam gave her a tiny 'promise' ring, she was as delighted as if it had been a huge and sparkling diamond. More determined than ever to make his life perfect, she took on more hours at work, often sleeping only a short time, so that her household chores didn't suffer.
Her friends chided her gently. They called her 'Donna Reed' and 'Harriet Nelson', saying that her values were warped and dated. But Cassie didn't care. She loved her man and wanted to make his life complete and perfect.
So busy was she with her vision of perfection, that she never saw it coming. One day, they were the ideal couple, happy and content in every way, apparently having found the elusive key to partnership. The next day, she was alone, discarded. Liam had come home, eaten his excellent dinner and relaxed in his favorite chair. Then, about 9PM, he walked into the bedroom, where Cassie was folding freshly laundered clothes, and announced that he had to leave. At first, Cassie didn't understand. She hadn't heard the phone ring, was unaware of some emergency taking him out into the late evening. He patiently stood over her, explaining in very simple terms. It seemed, he said, that all the loving care was suffocating him, making him feel trapped. Cassie was too devastated to even link the 'suffocation' with his upcoming graduation and lucrative job offers.
He packed a few things and left.
Over the next few days, his phone calls to Cassie filled in the rest of the story. He told her the apartment was in his name and he wanted to retain it, so he needed her to move out as soon as possible. Then she found that, apparently, their joint account was depleted of most of the funds, leaving her with just enough to walk away, but barely.
Her friends gathered around her, denouncing Liam as a cad, a bastard. But Cassie still loved him, still wanted to be part of his life. She thought he might come to his senses. So she moved back to her parents' home and waited. And waited. And waited. Her friends kept trying to get through to her, to get her to understand her new life, one without Liam, but she couldn't listen to them. She knew they were wrong.
Her steadfast belief in true love annoyed all her friends. Slowly, they stopped calling and coming by; it just irritated them too much.
Then, in a splashy newspaper article, Liam and the boss's daughter, the oldest cliche in the world, married and went off on a dream honeymoon. Cassie was devastated. She hid from everyone, as if it were her fault. As if she had failed. As if she was the one lacking in some innate qualities.
One day, hidden in her childhood room, she formulated a plan. She stayed up most of the night, packing and researching. The next morning, she loaded her car, kissed her bewildered parents goodbye and drove away. Far away.
She drove until she reached the end of the world, her world. She drove until all that was ahead of her was pounding water, the ocean. And there she settled. She found an apartment, small and clean. She found a job. She spent her days working and her nights making her new home cozy and warm.
Her friends began calling frequently. They loved her and she loved them. They tried to offer advice, but she wouldn't listen. Soon, she began screening calls, not wanting more unsolicited opinions. Soon, the only call she would accept was an old high school pal, Matthew. He was never judgmental, just talked about daily occurrences, families, jobs. He just listened too, as Cassie tried to figure out her life. His calls became more frequent, longer. They enjoyed each other and the time they spent together.
Cassie couldn't say when her feelings for Matthew changed. One day, she noticed as they talked that her hips were swaying lightly. She had felt dead for so long, had been in her little shell for such a long time, that she didn't recognize the desire she felt until she found herself lightly thrusting as she listened to Matthew's voice, felt his love in her deepest part. After the call, she couldn't help herself. She reached between her legs and found herself swollen and wet, her panties damp.
She wasn't sure what to do. She loved Matthew, she always had. He was one of her closest friends. But this was unexpected. Cassie knew it could ruin everything, it could destroy a friendship she held dear. It didn't seem possible that Matthew felt the same way. He loved her as a friend and would be horrified to hear of her longings. So, she kept them to herself. She reasoned it couldn't hurt if he didn't know, and she would just hold the feelings inside, enjoying them by herself, as she was learning to do with so many things.
Her days passed quickly and her nights couldn't come soon enough. Matthew usually called about the time she came in from work, just to make sure she got home ok and that her day had gone well. Then they said goodbye until later, when both of them had time to relax and talk. She would change her clothes, make dinner, read her mail and check her e-mail. Sometimes she watched a favorite tv show or read. But everything she did was carefully stored in her memory to tell Matthew later. She found herself trying out different ways of telling a story so she could amuse him. She wanted to remember all her thoughts so she could share them with him. The best part was, he seemed to do it too. They began telling each other all about their day, their interactions and even their emotions.
