CAKE

Thirty-Nine

Kathryn 

Biting my lip, I glance at my fiance. It's been 2 days since Christian died and I hadn't made any progress with her. She wouldn't talk, eat, or sleep. Luckily, she has drank water so that's one less problem to worry about. But I felt useless.

When Hope passed away, Casey was able to get me to eat and drink water and she was able to get a few words from me. And then there's me, who clearly can't get her to do any of those things. Nothing I've done has worked. And it wasn't just me who couldn't get her to do anything. Not even Cassandra, Lillie, or Edwin was able to.

I believe...no, I know the only person who could get Casey Kings functioning right now was the one person she could no longer have around. I couldn't tell what was going through her mind, I just hoped suicidal ideation wasn't one of them. I mean losing your daughter and your father, not even two months later.

She's going through so much. We hadn't even grieved properly for Hope and now this gets thrown on us. On her birthday, nonetheless! She'll forever hate that day until she dies. She'll never celebrate it again. And who could blame her?

I reach over, placing my hand on hers and as expected, her gaze remains on the floor. Letting out a breath, I pull my lover into my side. 

The front door opens, revealing Cassandra and Edwin. The woman looks physically drained as she enters the home. Just like her little sister, Cassandra has been having a hard time getting to sleep. Who wouldn't? "Emily said she was on the way with Diana and Cane so, I'm gonna go get ready," she mutters, making her way to her bedroom.

Edwin let out a breath as he closes the door, his brown eyes meeting mine. "How is she? Had any luck getting her to eat or talk?" he questions, worried for his best friend. I shake my head and glance at Casey, feeling hopeless about the whole situation. The man exhales loudly before making his way over to us.

He kicks Casey's leg lightly, grabbing her attention. She stares at him blankly as he stands over her. "You need to eat. I don't care if you're not in the mood to, I will shove it down your throat," he spits angrily.

"I don't think that's gonna work, Eddie," I spit. 

"Well babying her isn't working either, Kathryn. I know we have to be understanding but I'm not gonna act like she's fine. She's breaking down and it may not look like it because she's not crying but not eating, not talking to us, and barely getting a wink of sleep is also part of breaking down. She's having a mental breakdown. So yes, I will force her to eat if I have to because we've lost enough people as it is."

I eye the brunette before nodding my head. "Okay, don't come crying to me when she bites your fingers," I joke softly, trying to lighten the tension around us. He smiles a little before eyeing the brown-skinned woman. "I'll go make us some lunch then."

The man walks into the kitchen, whipping up a meal for us. I remain seated beside Casey, wondering if I could get her to at least say a word or two to me. But what could I possibly talk about that would get her talking? "Remember when we had our first date?" I question, sitting back, reminiscing about the beginning of our relationship.

"I know you heard me when I said I think I was in love with you but you definitely brushed it off," I giggle softly, remembering how much anxiety I got after muttering those words. I was so scared about her reaction but she didn't have one. I wonder if she knew then that she and I would've made it this far.

Brown eyes land on me, surprising me. I continue talking, hoping this little memory would spark something in her heart and get her to talk with me. I'd be so happy with just one word but truth be told, I wanted a whole sentence. "You were such a gentlewoman... opening doors, bringing me flowers. I thought you just wanted to make a good impression but almost 6 years later, you're doing the same thing," I smile at her.