Alone With Ross

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Same day, Caspian's Birthday: The Zoo

"No, don't you dare!" Ross yelled at me as I ran towards the monkey exhibit with a carton of fries.

"Shh. You grandpa of fun ruining." I leaned on the fence towards the cage but Ross grabbed me.

"That might not be good for them." He scolded making me roll my eyes.

"The hell it isn't. This is better than the shit they're given anyways, besides, its my birthday. Everyone should be happy!" I yelled the last part out making Ross put his hand over my mouth.

And like my first day at school, I licked his hand.

"Ugh! I just touched the fence that has bird poop on there- you don't even know where my hand has been- are you even listening!?" He grabbed me by my shoulders and shook me. But I stayed there with a dazed look in my eyes.

Seven months.

"You said the same thing to me seven months ago." I said, my voice sounding distant.

I shook my head coming out of my trance to see Ross looking at me questioningly.

"S-sorry, I guess the time just freaked me out..." I looked away from him. "I only knew Rider for two months and he did all this damage." I added quietly.

"Cass I-... I don't know what to say." He reached for me but dropped his hand. "I guess sometimes I really realize that your problems are bigger than you put out."

"Does it freak you out?" I asked curiously.

"It freaks me out that you try to manage it by yourself!" He breathed out sounding exasperated.

"They're my problems, my baggage, I carry my own weight pal, and don't you forget it." I poked at his chest.

"But don't you just want something off your chest by now?" He grabbed the hand that was poking him and held it over his heart. "C'mon, tell me something no one knows, and I'll do the same." He urged.

"Wow, you're really taking a trip down memory lane today aren't you." I muttered as I pulled my hand back and crossed my arms.

"Okay fine." I rolled my eyes and walked over to one of the benches taking a seat. And Ross followed.

I placed my hands on my knees and took deep breaths.

"Cass you don't have to-"

"I used to pretend to be a housewife when I was a little girl." I blurted. I looked over at Ross who just sat there waiting for me to continue.

"I thought I was going to marry young and have 15 kids and so many cats. I thought that being in love meant that you just share things. I had once dreamt that my father killed me. I have a fear of bees. I hate when people leave shoes by the door. I used to pick dandelions and store them in a shoe box under my bed so one day if I had a very big wish I could use them all. After Rider raped me, I actually tried to use those dandelions to wish for my parents back."

I took in a deep breath and Ross grabbed my hand.

"Birds freak me out. I think Mama Vi has cameras everywhere around the house and one day in the future she's going to have a video compilation of us making out in every room of the commons house. When I first met you, I thought you were gay because of how clean the room was." I snorted as Ross looked at me shocked.

"I knew about April ever since you had to go to the hospital for the garlic. My first kiss was when I was four, and it was with a boy named Peter. And I started liking you after you gave me a piggy-back ride home and took my shoes off for me." I finished off, smiling at the weight that was lifted.