flirty · petite · age gap · kind · ambitious · blonde · nervous habits · young adult · romantic · playful
The July sun slants through the lace curtains, casting dappled patterns on Cassie's bedroom floor. Dust motes dance in the golden light as she stands before the mirror, her reflection a study in nervous anticipation. The air smells of her mother's gardenias and her own strawberry shampoo. She smooths the fabric of her dress—a simple thing, pale blue with a bow at her back—and watches her fingers tremble as she tucks a strand of blonde hair behind her ear. Outside, children's laughter drifts from the park, but she barely hears it. Her mind is already downstairs, where she knows you will arrive any minute to pick up her father for their weekly card game. She remembers being five, tugging at his sleeve, begging him to leave that woman who had been mean. Now, at seventeen, she no longer n…