Can't Remember to Forget You

Chapter Thirty

Owen

I wake up with a smile on my face, just like I have for the past week since my date with Cassie. As much as I have always given other guys a hard time about only being with one girl, I am finally starting to see why someone would do that. I don't even really think of other girls anymore. If a hot chick passes me at the store or wherever, sure I still check her out, but I have no desire to talk to them or try to get them to come home with me. I have looked forward to every day since I finally told Cassie that I had feelings for her.

She has started to open up to me so much more too. I feel like I make her happy and I can't even begin to describe how it makes me feel to know I can do that for her just like she does for me.

I rolled quickly out of bed and headed into the hall on go knock on her door. I stopped just before I did it when I had an idea.

It is still pretty early, especially for her. Cassie didn't get off work last night until 4am. I crept away from her room and went down the stairs. I wanted to make her breakfast in bed.

As I got close to the kitchen though, I noticed a smell. I turned the corner and saw Cassie was cooking something on a griddle.

She turned when she noticed me walk in. "Dangit!" she said. "I was trying to surprise you."

Cassie looked so adorable in her pajamas and her goofy apron with the chickens on it. She had her hair pulled up into a messy bun on the top of her head and she wasn't wearing any makeup. This is one of my favorite ways to see her. I am always so amazed at how she can be so beautiful no matter what she does or wears.

I went to her and kissed the side of her head. "I was just on my way in here to make you some breakfast." I told her. "I didn't think you'd be up yet since you got in so late."

She laughed and went back to making her special, ginormous pancakes. They were pretty much the size of my head, but they were so light and fluffy too. This damn girl could certainly cook. I haven't had to order in in what feels like forever. Cassie is so sweet that she cooks lunch for us to have together, and then she fixes dinner for me before she heads into work. I still can't stand that she is working there, but it does seem to make her happy and I don't want to fight with her over it.

"I was wondering," She mused. "When I spoke with Trevor, he said I was in some sort of Broadway thing. Do you know anything about that?"

I looked down into her eyes and I saw how much she was hoping I would have answers for her. This happens with us a lot. Cassie understandably wants to know things, but I don't have the answers for her, and the few I do I can't share with her anyway. I hate letting her down. I can't fathom what every day is like for her, trying to piece herself together. "I'm sorry angel, I don't." I said softly then kissed her head again before moving to grab a plate. "If you want, we could try to look some stuff up." I suggested.

She looked uneasy. "I don't know." She finally said. "What if the reason I went into that dark spiral was because of that. Maybe I was a terrible actress and I got fired and everyone hated me so I went off the deep end." She was prattling on like she does when she worries.

"Hey," I said reassuringly and pulled her into a hug. I cradled her head against my chest. "Don't even talk like that. There is no way that is what happened. I am sure you were great." I pulled her head back so she would look at me. "Even if it was terrible, you aren't going to let that mess you up." I told her. "I know you can handle this. After we eat we can Google you."

"Maybe we shouldn't though." She said quickly, laying her head back against my chest. "I'm worried that I will find out something bad and then what if the same thing that happened to me before happens again."

I jerked her head back again, slightly more forceful than I had meant to. I stared into her eyes. "I don't want to hear you talk like that again." I told her firmly. "Do you think I would let that happen again? You have me now, so you don't have to worry about repeating the mistakes you made before. I won't let you. I promise you that."

She leaned in and pressed her soft full lips against mine. I don't think I will ever get over kissing this girl. "Thank you Owen."

We ate breakfast and then moved into the living room and pulled out the laptop. She pulled up Google, but then slid the computer over to me. "I can't." She said. "You do it."

I rolled my eyes at her dramatically and took the computer. I typed in 'Cassie Clark', but it didn't turn anything up about her.

"Try Cassie Emilia Clark." She suggested.

I tried that but still nothing. I could see she was getting frustrated. "Let me see." She said pulling the computer back to her. She typed in a few more things before she finally slid the computer back. "Look." She said pointing to the screen.

It was a whole webpage of photos of her.

I scrolled through them slowly. There were a ton of them. Most were very nice headshots, or nicely posed photos. As you kept scrolling though, the photos became more and more racy. I clicked to the next page and I was shocked when it opened to pictures of Cassie nude.

I slammed the laptop shut hoping that maybe Cassie hadn't seen them yet. She jumped from the couch and ran up the stairs. I followed her quickly and cut her off at the top of the stairs. She was crying and trying to shove past me to get to her room. "Please Owen!" She shouted. "I just want to be alone!"

"I can't let you just go in there hating yourself, and crying." I told her. "Just talk to me Cass."

"You don't understand Owen!" Huge tears were running straight from her eyes to fall all over her shirt, leaving fat wet marks. "That wasn't your body on display for the whole world to see." When Cassie cries her blue eyes look even bluer, almost like glass. It breaks my heart to see her this way.

"I will take care of it Cassie." I said firmly.

She laughed sarcastically through her tears. "Oh, really?" She questioned. "You're just going to make those pictures disappear?"

"Yes!" I shouted.

"How Owen?" She asked. "You gonna hunt the photographer down and threaten to kill him if he doesn't remove the photos from his website?"

"I will kill him if that's what it takes." I told her. "I swear to you I am going to take care of it."

"Owen." She said my name exhaustedly. "You can't fix everything." She said. "As much as I believe you want to, there just isn't anyway for you to repair all of the damage I have done in the past. I don't expect you to. Please just let me deal with things the way I need to. Right now, that means I just want to go cry in my bed." Her face looked so sad, and all I wanted to do was be here for her and make it ok, but she was right. I stepped out of her way and let her pass.

I waited in the hall until she quietly closed her door, then I went back downstairs to retrieve my computer. I might be letting her cry it out upstairs, but there is no way in hell I am letting these photos stay up.

I am going to take care of this no matter what she says.