Chasing Cassidy: Love Undercover (Shortened Version)

Cassidy

 It was a beautiful night. The stars were emitting their glittery glow, the wind was cold, and the chorus of frogs cut through the solitary silence like lightning. As Cassidy Black stood in her Queensland hotel room, she watched her reflection and sighed. She was a spy. She worked to uncover crimes, and tonight could be her big break. There were reports of a theft being committed at the Lumi Gala in the Outback, and if she could stop it, she would be one step closer to becoming one of the company's top-ranking spies. It was a very glamorous event, and Cassidy had on a black dress and matching heels. Her blonde hair was artfully placed in a messy half-up-half-down style, and her flushed cheeks gave much-needed color to her pale complexion. A crackle of static sounded, and a voice came through her “Apple Watch,” which was actually a super-high-tech, one-of-a-kind smartwatch that could manage all of her safety and communication needs. ‘Is the fox ready to chase?’ was the message that came through her watch. ‘She sure is,’ said Cassidy,  turning away from the mirror. It had begun. 

Hunter

Hunter whistled. His dog, a Heeler named Sky, came running. His phone rang, the sound startling him. 'Yes? Oh, okay. Yep, I'm ready. Alisha is..... no, no, she's here. She's just getting ready. Yep, I'll be out soon. Bye,' he sighed. That was the driver calling to say that he was outside. His girlfriend, Alisha, was upstairs getting dressed. 'ALISHA!!!!! ARE YOU ALMOST DONE???!!!' he yelled up the stairs. 'YEP, JUST GETTING DRESSED!' Alisha called back, in kind. He looked at the time. The Lumi Gala started at 10:30, and it was 10:02 now. 'I cannot be late for my own gala,' he groaned. Just then, Alisha flounced down the stairs in a huge, fluffy, blue dress. He pulled his tie a little tighter, and got in the hired car, a white Audi. Sky whined at the door, begging to come with him. ‘No Sky. I have to go. Bye,’ he called as they reversed out of the driveway. They drove towards Budgie Road, the driver's Sat Nav giving him directions. ‘Turn right onto Skyward Lane,’ she said in her mildly mechanical voice. The driver drove onto the highway leading directly to Outback Road, where the Gala was being held. "Remind me why you had to wear a massive, poofy dress?’  Hunter asked as soon as she stopped talking about how Amazing and Super cool this Gala would be. Hunter sighed again. 

Cassidy

Cassidy strode out of the hotel lobby. It was the Escape Away Hotel, a really nice place to stay. Her black dress and heels turned heads as she walked past. She flipped her hair, and almost as soon as she stopped, a black stretch limo pulled onto the curbside. She got in, and she could hear the whispered remarks and instructions of parents with kids. 

Kid: ‘Who’s that?’

Mom: ‘No clue. Love her outfit though’

Kid: ‘I wanna go in the sausage dog car!’

Mom: ‘No chance. Those things cost a fortune!’

Kid: ‘But I wanna!’

Mom: ‘No. Way. That’s my last word on the subject.’

Kid **Starting to cry**: ‘I wanna go in the carrrrrrrrrrrrrr!’

Mom **Exasperated**: ‘No way. Now, get in the lobby. People are starting to stare.’

Kid: ‘Nononononononononononono!’

Mom: ‘Three. Two….’

Kid: ‘Fine.’

Cassidy giggled as the limo sped off. Moment of whimsy over, she leaned back in her seat. She must have fallen asleep, because when she woke up, she was outside the massive tent, strung up in purple and pink lights. ‘Thanks,’ she said to the driver as she stepped out of the car. She hesitantly walked inside, the lights momentarily blinding her. The music was quiet, and heaps of people in all manner of outfits were around her. She saw dresses, skirts, tuxes, and something that looked quite like a wedding dress. She even saw someone in a dress that kinda looked like Marie Antoinette. She scoffed. ‘How immature can this be?’ she thought as she went deeper into the crowd. She walked past heaps of people, chatting and sipping champagne, only pausing to look at a guy holding a clipboard and chatting to Marie Antoinette (That's what Cassidy began to call her) and taking no notice of the stares that she was getting. She strutted towards the bar, and politely took one of the cocktails that were being served. She tapped her nails on the glass, appreciating the tinkling noise that rang in her sharp ears. She walked up to a raised balcony overlooking the party, and watched the crowd. The guy with a clipboard that she had seen earlier tapped her shoulder.

Hunter

As Hunter and Alisha came to a stop, he hopped out of the car, went to Alisha’s side, opened the door, walked into the party, and began mingling and chatting with his guests. Alisha stayed close to him.  The music was soft, granted a little quiet, though. Maybe a bit tame for a party animal, but the atmosphere was perfect for a certain introvert in a black dress that Hunter and Alisha saw walk past them. She kept her eyes forward, but he was sure that he saw her cast a glance in Alisha's direction.

He left Alisha talking to a group of girls, and walked over to where she was sitting. He tapped her shoulder. 'Hi,' she said,  revealing a British accent, and not even turning away from the crowd. 'Hey,' said Hunter. ‘I’m Hunter Drew. And yes, this is my gala!’ he said with a little laugh. ‘I’m Cassidy. Cassidy Black,’ she said, turning away from the crowd to smile at Hunter. ‘Looking for someone, Cassidy?’ Hunter asked her. ‘You could say that,’ she replied, scanning the people. ‘Also, WHO is calling “Hunter, HUNTER. WHERE ARE YOU?” to you?’ she asked, leaning an arm on the balcony railing. Hunter smacked his head with the heel of his hand. ‘Ugh, that’s my…’ (Here he paused) ‘girlfriend, Alisha,’ he finished. ‘She… uh… she's....,’ he faltered awkwardly. ‘Ha! I get it,’ said Cassidy with a small laugh. ‘Why… um… do you keep her around?’ Cassidy asked, her turn to be awkward and turn away, blushing. ‘Because, I just really don’t want to hurt her. She’s had enough heartbreak for one lifetime,’ said Hunter, shrugging. ‘Isn’t it easier… to… y’know…. Not even engage in the first place?’ Cassidy asked, feeling the odd sensation of chatting to a total stranger about really profound stuff. ‘I loved her then,’ Hunter said, turning to the crowd where he could easily pick out Alisha. ‘But now… it’s almost like she was frozen in time, but I kept hurtling forward. I changed, but she stayed the same,’ he said. ‘She seems a bit pushy,’ remarked Cassidy. ‘Yep. She’s really sweet, though. I just wanted a more profound partner. She’ll make a pretty good wife to whoever can tolerate her, though,’ Hunter said. ‘You can’t?’ asked Cassidy. 

                                                     Cassidy

‘Nah, not really. It just got to be a bit much. I can’t just devote all of my time to a relationship,’ he said, shrugging. ‘One more thing,’ said Cassidy, changing the subject. ‘Why on earth did you choose ME to talk to?’ she asked him. ‘Because,’ Hunter said. ‘I A) have FOAMO an-’ ‘Wait,’ said Cassidy, cutting him off. ‘Is FOAMO a new type of soap?’ she asked, stifling a laugh. ‘No! It means, like, not F-O-M-O, Fear of missing out, but F-O-A-M-O, Fear of anyone missing out. You were all alone,’ he explained. ‘Ohhhh. Carry on,’ she said. ‘And B)’ he said, casting a playful glance at Cassidy. ‘You look like the kind of girl that I can talk to about anything. Like, really meaningless stuff, or something really deep. Also, you’re not just here for the hors d'oeuvres!’ he said with a small laugh. ‘Makes sense,’ said Cassidy, and added, ‘Definitely not,’ to the hors d'oeuvres remark. They watched the crowd in silence for some time. A waiter with a dish of mini sushi and champagne glasses came by. Cassidy eagerly took a mini plate of mini-er sushis,  and took a bite out of a nigiri. Hunter watched her with a slightly amused expression, and she said ‘Okay. So what if I maybe sort of did kind of come somewhat for the hors d‘oeuvres. I love sushi!’ she said with a grin. Hunter laughed and took a glass of champagne. ‘Fair. I love sushi too,’ he said and promptly took a small tuna roll from her plate and ate it. ‘Ha ha,’ she said, fake-mocking. ‘No. More. Sushi!’ she said and put down the plate. She grabbed the glass from him and took a sip. 'That's what you get!' she said. ‘Why are you here?’ Hunter asked her suddenly. ‘I… Um…’ she paused and faltered. I can’t very well blurt out, “I’m a spy!” for the whole world to hear, no matter how much I like this guy. Can I? She thought. She was saved by Marie Antoinette (Alisha) walking up. She must have been surprised by the scene that was before her, (Hunter, looking at Cassidy, who was blushing, tucking a stray strand of hair behind her ears and avoiding his gaze) and walked up to Hunter, her hand around his waist. She narrowed her eyes at Cassidy, who raised an eyebrow to Hunter that said, like, what’s her problem? ‘WHO, in the name of all that is holy, are YOU?’ she asked Cassidy. Cassidy watched Hunter, who’s eyes were silently pleading please don’t do some sort of thing that’ll make that whole night bad. ‘I’m Cassidy,’ she said, her voice icy. ‘And,’ she added (She couldn’t help herself) ‘Who are you?’ ‘I,’ she began haughtily, ‘am Alisha Watson, Hunter’s girlfriend.’ Cassidy plainly gave Hunter a look that meant can I PLEASE slap her? ‘Well, Alisha, pleasure meeting you-’ she stopped. She had seen someone dressed in a black tux take a ring off of a lady in a red dress’s finger. ‘I-I have to go,’ she said, beginning to run off. ‘I-Um.. Nice to meet both of you!’ she said with a rushed smile. She ran off. 

                                                       Hunter

As Cassidy said a hurried good-bye and ran off, Hunter elbowed Alisha. ‘Now look at what you’ve done!’ he said with an eye-roll. ‘I’m going after her,’ he said and ran behind the disappearing girl.  Unfortunately, he was too late, and she had already vanished. He watched from the raised platform, and saw her hurrying through the crowd before confronting a waiter in a tux. Her hands were on her hips, and she had him cornered. There was no way out for the waiter. She took a breath and slipped the ring off of her finger. She threw it onto the floor, and some invisible chemical must have come out of it, because the waiter fell down. She took something from his pocket, which resembled a cupcake. ‘Maybe she’s hungry?’ Hunter thought, until she took the lid off, and inside was a clear, crystal stone. It looked like glass. But no, it couldn’t be… It was a diamond. She put it into her purse, and ran out of the tent, but not before looking up to the balcony and winking at Hunter. He ran out of the tent and into the dark night, but she was long gone. ‘I hope I get to see her again,’ he thought, and walked back in, discouraged.            

                                                       Cassidy

As Cassidy cornered the "waiter", she could hear and feel her heartbeat. She took a deep inhale, and held her breath as she slipped the ring off of her finger and threw it onto the floor. It released sleeping gas, and the "waiter" fell onto the ground. She felt in his pocket, and her hand clasped onto a hard, roundish shape. She took it out, took the lid off, and, lo and behold, was the diamond that he had stolen. This was one of many robberies that he committed, and this was Cassidy's third time catching him. She took the ring out of his hand, and handed it back to the astonished lady from whom it was stolen. She looked up at the balcony, winked at Hunter, and ran out into the night. She hid behind a large boulder, and saw that Hunter had followed her. She watched him as he looked for her, and then walked back in, head hanging. She had caught the man, so why did her chest feel heavy? Maybe she was hungry? Or maybe her heart craved something deeper. She tiptoed back in, and saw Hunter talking to a guy in a suit. She ran out again, and hopped into the waiting  limo. She sighed, and watched the lights of the party and the stars above until everything blurred and faded into black.

The end. (For now!)

P.S., if you'd like to read a longer version of this, I may write a Chasing Cassidy: Love Undercover novel. I hope you enjoyed reading this!

                                                  Epilogue

‘Do you remember the night when we first met?’ Cassidy asked Hunter one night while she was curled up on the couch, reading. ‘How could I forget?’ he said with a laugh, his arm around her. ‘When I cornered that waiter, my heart was beating so fast I could have sworn I had POTS,’ she said, grinning. ‘When Alisha walked up, I just about wanted the floor to swallow me whole!’ said Hunter, recalling the night almost two years before when they had first met at the Lumi Gala. ‘Who would’ve thought?’ said Cassidy, looking at a picture on top of the fireplace of their family. Their daughter, their dog, and them, smiling and laughing. ‘Thought what?’ asked Hunter. ‘That all of this,’ she gestured to their house. ‘Would’ve come out of that one night in the Outback?’ ‘Sometimes I miss when it was just us,’ Hunter remarked. ‘But I wouldn’t trade it for the world,’ he said. ‘Me neither,’ said Cassidy as their dog came and lay heavily on Cassidy's lap.