It must've been the wind...

Chapter Three: Curiosity Killed the Cat

As we're walking around the garden center, Cassidy is looking at all the flowers. "See anything you like?" I ask, trying to make conversation. "Yeah, I really love the roses. Everyone says they're cliche, but I just find them really pretty." She said looking at the many-colored roses. "Roses are pretty, romantic too." I said thinking I just said something stupid. "Yeah, they really are." She said with a little giggle. Cassidy still looking around, starts looking at the carnations and lilies. "I love these ones too." She said. "You have good taste in flowers. Are you wanting to get any today?" I ask. "I'd like too but Andrew has my card. So, I'm just window shopping today." She said with disappointment in her voice. "I'm sorry." I said. Then I do something I think I probably shouldn't do, but I do it anyway. "Well, what if..." I hesitate to speak. "I bought you the flowers you want?" I ask. "You'd do that for me? " She asks with hesitation and a smile on her face. "Of course, pick anything you want, on me." I tell her with a smile. Cassidy goes around all excited and chooses a few flowers, she brings them to the counter, and I cash her out. Cassidy leaves with a smile on her face yelling thank you to me before leaving. I couldn't help but feel like I just made her happier than she ever had been.

I finish my shift and head back home. As I walk to my truck, another car pulls up. Someone gets out but I can't tell who it is. Finally, he comes into the light, and I realize who it is. It's Andrew, who I believe is Cassidy's boyfriend. "Hey flower boy!" He shouts in my direction. "My name is Jo-." before I can finish my sentence Andrew grabs me and pins me to my truck. "I don't care what your name is, stay away from Cassidy!" I'm a little dazed and confused, but then I realize he has alcohol on his breath. "Look, I wasn't hitting on Cassidy, if that's what you're thinking. I was just doing something nice for her that's all!" I say with some aggression. Andrew snarls, "Well stop it! She's just fine with what she has!" He shouts. "Alright, alright, just chill dude." Just as I tell this to Andrew, I hear a voice shout from the car. "Leave him alone Andrew!" It was Cassidy. She was wearing a long sleeve hoodie which was really odd. It was a summer evening, it's like seventy-five degrees outside, so why is she wearing a hoodie? I thought. Andrew puts me down, "Just stay away from her got it?" He said. I say nothing and he gets in the car and leaves. Now I feel as if something's up.

I get back to my apartment, walk into the door still thinking of what just happened. Maybe Andrew is just an angry drunk, I mean everyone reacts differently to alcohol, maybe he just was drunk and thought about me buying those flowers for Cassidy and got jealous. I mean, I'd get jealous too so I can't exactly blame him. However, something else kept me thinking, why was Cassidy wearing a hoodie with it being so hot out? No way was she cold, or was she? Some girls are weird like that and could freeze in one-hundred-degree weather. Either way, I still just had a bad feeling about Andrew, but I don't want to intervein. I get up to go to the vending machine that Mr. Hammond has in the main lobby, once I'm there choosing what I want as a late-night snack I hear footsteps behind me. It's Cassidy, and she's still wearing that hoodie. "Hey." I say to her, but I don't get a response. "Is everything okay?" I ask her. She just stands there with her arms crossed, finally she says something "I'm sorry about earlier, he's a jerk when he's drunk." I just look at her, still curious about why she's wearing that hoodie. "Look it's alright, but may I ask why you're wearing that hoodie when it's hot out?" I ask.

She doesn't respond, I ask another question "Is everything alright between you and him?" Still, I get no response. As I'm looking at her, I notice a couple tears run down her face. "If you ever want to talk to someone-." Before I can finish, she lashes out "Have you ever heard curiosity killed the cat?" I say nothing, wondering if I said too much. "We're just fine, don't worry about it okay? I'm fine." She shouts. I understand I must've said something wrong and struck a nerve. "I'm sorry, I just wanted to be sure." She gets whatever she was getting from the vending machine and walks off angerly without saying another word. I stay stunned wondering what I did wrong or was I onto something. Perhaps she has a point maybe I shouldn't dig too deep into it, but another part of me says I should. I'm not really sure what to do at this point, I just go back to my apartment and go to bed. Hopefully my curiosity doesn't kill me.