I met Cassandra in college during my sophomore year. I'd seen her around campus since my first day as a freshman, but our paths had never crossed. One night I was at a party and there she was, surrounded by a platoon of male admirers. We made eye contact, I smiled, she looked away and I went and got myself another beer.
I was outside on the back patio catching a breath of fresh air. It was a clear night and I was looking up at the stars when a voice behind me said, "Which one do you think I should have named after me?"
I turned and saw Cassie standing there. "Which ever one is the brightest of course," I said.
She smiled at me and said, "Why haven't I met you?"
"We don't seem to travel in the same circles."
"I saw you looking at me inside. Why didn't you come over and introduce yourself?"
It was my turn to smile at her and so I gave her my biggest and brightest and said, "I can't stand crowds."
She stuck out her hand and said, "Hi, my name is Cassandra, but my friends call me either Cassie or Cass."
We talked for a bit and then I asked her out, she accepted and so began my on again, off again relationship with the woman who would one day end up as my wife.
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Cassie and I dated off and on for about three months before deciding that we should give it a go as a steady couple. Three months into our steady relationship I arrived at Cassie's sorority house to pick her up for a planned evening out. One of her sorority sisters handed me a note that Cassie had left for me and it said that something had come up and she would call me the next day. I went out, had dinner and caught a show. After the show I decided to stop and have a drink and I went into a place just down the street from the movie house.
I was sitting at the bar sipping a Coors Lite when I heard a familiar laugh behind me. I turned and saw Cassie sitting in a booth holding hands with some guy. Somebody dropped a few quarters into the jukebox and when the music started Cassie and the guy got up to dance. He pulled her close, she tucked her head into his chest and he dropped his hand to her ass and I saw her smile as his hands moved over her ass while they swayed to the music.
I finished my beer, got up and left. I am a somewhat curious kind of guy so I drove over to the sorority house, parked and waited. Seven in the morning came and Cassie still hadn't come home.
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I was in my apartment when Cassie called, but I let the machine pick up the call. I went out that evening and when I came home at three in the morning the machine had three more calls from Cassie on it, all of them asking me to call. I let the machine take four calls from her on Sunday and it wasn't until Monday afternoon that we connected.
I had two hours to kill before my next class and I was sitting in the student cafeteria sipping coffee and reviewing my notes from my last class when Cassie dropped into the seat across from me. I looked up at her and then back down at my notes. When I didn't say anything Cassie said, "I've been trying to reach you all weekend. Where have you been?"
"Out trying to drown my sorrows."
"That sounds pretty serious. Dare I ask?"
"I saw my girl in a bar Friday night. She was dancing real close with some guy and didn't seem to care at all when he dropped his hand to her ass and left it there. In fact, she smiled and buried her head in his chest when he did it. But even though it didn't seem to bother her, it bothered me. Hence, I've been drowning my sorrows."
"I can explain baby."
"No you can't Cassie. You had a date with me and you stood me up to go out with another guy. There just isn't any good explanation for that.
I looked at my watch, "Got to go. Time for my next class" and I got up and left her sitting there.
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Cass was sitting on my doorstep when I got home that night. "Can I come in? I'd like to talk."
I shrugged and stepped aside to let her in. I motioned for her to take a seat and then I sat down and motioned for her to go ahead.
"First off Bob, you don't own me."
I didn't say anything, just sat and watched her.
"I know that we are going steady, but I'm young and when I meet someone I think I'd like to get to know better I'm going to want to go out with him. I'm not ready for marriage sweetie and I want to look around while I can. What's wrong with that?"
"Not a thing Cass. It is the way you did it. You had a date with me. I had reservations made for dinner and I had already purchased the tickets for the movie so we wouldn't have to stand in a long line. All of that went into the toilet when you stood me up. You want to date other guys - fine - that's your choice, but make a date with another guy and then fuck over me to keep it? No fucking way Cassie. Speaking of fucking, did you fuck him?"
"Don't be silly."
"What did you do?"
"We had dinner and then went to the bar and had some drinks and danced and then we sat in his car and talked for a while. He had me back to the sorority house by midnight."
I stood up and walked over to the door, opened it and turned to her, "Leave Cassandra. Just get your lying ass out of here."
"I'm not lying Bob."
"Oh yes you are Cassandra. I was curious about you and your date so when I left the bar I drove over to the sorority house and waited for you to come home. I was still sitting there waiting for you at seven in the morning before I finally accepted the fact that you were probably in his bed and gave up waiting. Get out Cassandra. It is bad enough that you did it to me, but I'll be fucked if I'm going to sit here and be lied to."
"Bob, I swear..."
"Out Cassandra, just get the fuck out!"
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