The Hours

New York, 2025

Two years is what it takes for Cassidy to finally give up. Two years of denial, now she knows what she wants. She wants a good life with her daughters and she wants to be as efficient as possible at work; nothing more.
Two years is what it takes for the editor to realize that sometimes feelings aren't shared and need to be buried; she has buried hers now. She has buried hers under a thick pile of earth, now she is immune of anything feelings-related.
But she can not deny that all of this has changed her in a way that she could herself never have imagined. She went back to the heartless and cold editor-in-chief, to the dead stares and the dry tone, yes. But at home she is completely changed. She spends time with Alexandra and Andrea more, she listens to them, she plays with them, she talks to them.
She is nicer to Emily too. She is selfless and caring to people, she donates to associations for homeless people or sick children regularly so her money can be spent the right way.
Sometimes the girls still ask about Samantha.
« We miss her a lot, when is she coming to see us? » They ask randomly during dinner sometimes. The fact is Cassidy has not told them what happened; the only thing she told them is that the younger woman would not be moving in with them. When they ask what happened between them Cassidy answers:
« We can't have everything we want. »
And then she changes the subject, she doesn't wish to talk about it.
She has grown too, she has stopped playing stupid games of pretend with dates splashed across the media which she used to do sometimes; there has been rumors set up, yes, but it was only rumors.
Cassidy is rarely seen now, she has been notoriously absent from a few big-name events, aside from fashion week and New York galas. She has been photographed at Martha's vineyard with the twins a few weeks ago. She is alone with the girls and she is okay with it.
She stares at the blue sky and the bright sun through the window of her beloved office of Wardrobe. James walks in in an hurried walk. James is one of the magazine's leading fashion authorities, whom Cassidy considers a close friend from work.
« You don't think she was lying? » He asks as he stares at the paperwork on Cassidy's desk.
« Who? » She answers.
James purses his lips and gives her an insistant look with his brown eyes.
« Jacquie said her collection was going to be a break-through from this season. Have you seen the collection? » He keeps talking while he fidgets his fingers.
Cassidy looks up to him and smirks.
« Of course she is lying. » She affirms. « Now have you gone to my office to bore me with that kind of questions? » She asks suddenly seriously and she straights up and opens some documents fashion-related.
« No. » He shakes his head, a few black hair shakes with it.
« Then why did you walk in here to tell me? » She crosses her arms on her chest over her long flowery skirt.
« That Rihanna wants blue for the May cover, we said blue is not a spring color but she insists. You know how she is. »
« Tell her people no, they won't pull out. Compromise on something aside from pink and have Ralph Lauren do the clothes. » She explains with a discreet sigh.
« I will. » James nods as he steps out.

Cassidy stares at the toothbrush sitting in her bathroom. She hasn't noticed it before, it is stored in the cabinet below the sink. Like a stowaway hiding in a gold-toned holder
a décor made to complement the rose-colored marble that made the whole wall of her bathroom. The toothbrush sits there as it probably had for over three years now. Different thoughts cross her mind, why haven't any of the maids cleaned it? She certainly pays them enough to be attentive to details. Why had Emily not noticed it? She is in her room often enough besides she is supposed to be in charge of the house. Why is it catching her attention now? Why is it necessary for her to have this stored under her sink? It is definitely frustrating to know her staff at home were inept too. What did they think she wanted a toothbrush holder with a used toothbrush for? All those once sentence thoughts dance across her mind, the annoyance splayed out in her emerald colored eyes as she kneels with the cabinet door opened in her silk McCarthy pyjama. Yet, however pervasive all those thoughts are, the only one that caught her attention more than all the others is that today was five years ago that she asked Samantha to move in. Five years ago, Samantha had accepted amid kisses and apologies of some understated fight. How ironic that she should find this toothbrush today. Maybe she was looking for it. She was looking for reminders and excuses. And almost five years ago, they also had found out who Samantha's mother was and three years and half ago Samantha had almost died. It all came down to dates and numbers and tears. Cassidy gets up from her crouched position, her feet started to ache from the balancing act. She drops the toothbrush and the offending container in the trash, she drops it from far above, they make a swoosh sound, they thud loudly in the empty metal bucket. She stares at them for some time, more than anyone ever stares at a trashcan and then she walks away. She'll have to ask the maids about it, she'll have to make it clear that an old toothbrush for years in that cabinet is unacceptable. It had been almost eight years since she met Samantha, Samantha the funny assistant who couldn't keep her mouth shut. She smiles, she can't believe a lot about their years of knowing each other. It was all pretty incredible, the story. And eventually it had been Samantha who had chosen to leave her, how dare she! A nobody breaks up with Cassidy Vaughan. It didn't matter that she was a well-known runway model now, she was still a nobody and Cassidy; her; was the Editor-in-chief of Wardrobe, the organiser of the most exclusive invitation party in the nation, she was fucking Cassidy Vaughan. Five years ago, her life could have been completely different. How terribly sobering.
Maybe she should call Samantha, she thinks as she sets her glasses down in the middle of her workday. Expensive glass on expensive glass, her glasses sit there as she walks from one side of the office to the other. Samantha had sent the girls an email earlier that year. There is no reason why she can't be friends with them, she was a good influence. Cassidy can't call her, that would be like begging. She can't have Alexandra or Andrea call, what if she rejects them?
The coffee arrives, a simple vanilla latte with soy milk, extra foam, extra hot. She sips it. She never drank the whole coffee, that much coffee would be harmful for her skin and health. She only ever drank half out of two in the day so it only equaled one. Sometimes she'd have an extra one. Today was that day. She would have Lucy find the number for Samantha, for the new apartment she had bought somewhere in Milan. There is a bunch of things she could ask but she doesn't; she has been hurt too many times to have the guts to try again. She is too old for that now, one more heart break and she'll have a heart attack.
She spends the rest of her day at work when later James arrives in her office to meet her. He always pops out of nowhere randomly at work when he needs a talk, he is a very talkative person and he is also very close to Cassidy. He's one of the only person she can call a friend; sometimes he pisses her off just like everyone else but she cares about him. She likes the look he gives her when she makes a sarcastic joke or when she's being rude to her employees.
« Didn't know you were a fan of Lord of the rings. » He starts as he sees the two books on the desk.
Cassidy looks up at him.
« That's for my daughters, what do you think I am? A teenager? » She jokes.
James sits down on the chair in front of Cassidy and shrugs.
« Many adults like those books. » He says. « So how are they? »
« The girls? » Cassidy asks and James nods. « They are fine. Alex just got into Yale University to study laws. » Cassidy says proudly.
Her daughter making it to the school of her dreams is her biggest accomplishment in life.
« That's amazing! And Andrea? » James asks.
« Oh you know she's 16... She's doing things her age. » She stops. « She's 16 already, and Alexandra is 18... Can you believe it? »
Cassidy was well-aware of how tiring raising children would be; yet; she would never have thought seeing them grow was the most painful. Since they are babies, Cassidy couldn't wait to see them both becoming wonderful and powerful women, now she is not sure anymore. What she wants is stop them from growing and keep them in her arms forever.
« Yes, I know how fast time goes when you have kids. My boy turns 22 next month but I still feel like he was born yesterday... » James chuckles, Cassidy does too. « The worst is... The night after they leave the house. You're there with yourself and you realize they're living on their own now. »
Cassidy purses her lips and looks down. She dreads the day her daughters are going to leave the house; leave her alone for the endless hours she has left to live. She claps her hand and shakes her head as the conversation is becoming a little bit too emotional.
« Look at us, talking about our children like old-fashioned grandpas. Haven't you got work to do? » She asks.
« I have. I came to tell you that Gigi Hadid cancelled the interview planned on Wednesday due to her second pregnancy. » James states as he gets up and replaces his glasses.
Cassidy nods and watches him stepping out of her office. She takes her agenda and cancels the shoot with Gigi Hadid. She is expecting her second child with Zayn Malik, Cassidy had sent them flowers with a letter to congratulate them as she is close to the Hadids, Bella and Gigi are her friends from the met gala. She takes her phone in her hands when she hears it ringing, it is a number she doesn't know. She wonders who could be calling on her personal phone, not many people know her personal number as she tries to keep it unknown from the medias or the stabby fans. She takes the call.
« Hello? » She asks as she puts the phone on her ear.
« Cassidy Vaughan? » A familiar voice asks.
Cassidy knows that voice.
« Who is it? »
« It's Sally, I don't know if you remember me. »
Cassidy winces as she hears the name; that name; of course she remembers. Of course she remembers the woman Samantha kissed on the lips. Not that she was jealous; but Cassidy should've been the one to be kissed by Samantha. She should have been the one Samantha chose.
« How can I not remember Samantha's new girlfriend. » She mumbles on the phone, yet it is loud enough for Sally to hear it.
Sally sighs.
« Cassidy if I called you it is because there are things I wish to talk about with you. Blake gave me your number. Will you listen? »
« Tell me. » She nods.