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Paris, 1923

The setting sun touched the trees with red light, the Seine sparkled and the birds were chirping. Usually, Cassandra loved sitting by the Seine in the evening, but today she had no appreciation for the beauty of Paris. She just sat there, reading the same stupid letter over and over again. It was almost ridiculous! She had read about this in books but never thought that this would happen to her in real life! Finding out that the boyfriend was cheating by getting the letter that he wrote for his other woman! Andrew was lucky that she couldn’t just leave university during the semester, because then she would have ripped him apart. Slowly. And with a huge pleasure. How had she been this stupid?! And how long had this been going on? Weeks? Months? Cassandra crumbled the letter up into a ball and threw it into the Seine. Tears appeared in her eyes but she refused to let them fall.  That was it! She would finish her semester and then go home and kill Andrew (and his other woman). But that guy would NOT ruin her grades! She didn’t get a scholarship for a year in Paris just to have it ruined by him! What she wanted to do right now, she didn’t know. She needed time to think. And a drink. She wiped away the tears from her eyes and walked away.

After some time she found a small cabaret and walked in. She didn’t care at all about the music performances, she just wanted  a drink that this was the first place she had found (when she told her children the story many years later she used to say, that maybe, it had been her fate to find this special cabaret). Inside, there was some nice piano music playing, but she walked straight to the bar, ordered a drink, ignored the comments of the barkeeper about a pretty woman being alone at this time, and finished the drink in one stroke. Then she looked around. And then she saw him.

Varian usually didn’t notice much when he was playing the piano. He was kind of in his own world then. Sometimes he looked into the crowd, but he never truly saw anyone in particular. That’s way it completely startled him, when he saw HER. That black haired absolutely gorgeous woman with those beautiful lips and eyes and lashes, who was looking at him too and… and that was when he for the first time in years lost track of his play and stopped. The few people that were in the cabaret stopped talking looked at him. And that wonderful woman still looked at him. Varian blushed and quickly started playing again and this time he avoided every eye contact with this mysterious creature who had the power to make him interrupt his music.

Somehow, Cassandra couldn’t stop staring. That guy was so lost his play it was fascinating. And that music was so beautiful! So she just sat there and looked at him. His fingers flow over the keys so quickly and his beautiful eyes looked like he thought of something truly special…. So Cassie spend the rest of the evening looking at that mysterious guy and didn’t even realize how the time passed by. But suddenly she noticed that she was the only visitor that was still her. Even the barkeeper was gone, but she heard him talking to a woman in the kitchen. And, of course, that guy was still playing. And before Cassandra realized what she was doing, she walked right up to him and leaned against the piano. “You, um, you play really great.” He lost track of his play again, sighed heavily and then looked up to her. “Oh, um th-thank you. Do you play too?” “Me? Oh no, but I really love the sound of it. Is that your favorite piece to play?” “Well, I like it a lot, but my favorite is Beethoven’s Moonlight Sonata.” “Wow that sounds interesting. W-would you like to play it for me?” “Uh, s-sure.” And he played. And how he played! It was marvelous. Cassandra would have never guessed that she could be moved this much by music. It was like he was playing the music right on her heartstrings. But before she could really worry about how this guy, that she knew for just a few hours, could make her feel this way, he stopped. “W-wow that was really- I don’t know, it was truly beautiful.” (Beautiful wasn’t at all a fitting word to describe her feelings but she couldn’t think of something better). “I am glad, you like it.” He smiled at her and she tried her best to ignore the weird feeling in her stomach. “Are, are you a full time pianist, I mean-““Oh, no, actually I just work here to pay for university.” “Oh, I too go to university here. Are you studying music?” “Um, no, chemistry.” “Wow, I wouldn’t have guessed that.” “What can I say, I am a man of many talents.” He grinned at her and before she could activate her brain enough to find a witty response while ignoring the still lingering feeling inside her, they heard the voice of the barkeeper. “We’re closed now!” “Oh, um, I better be going. Nice meeting you, um what is your name?” He slowly took her hand and bowed before her. ”It’s Varian, milady.” “Well, nice meeting you Varian. I am Cassandra.” “That’s a beautiful name. How are you coming home, Cassie?” Andrew had always called her Cassie, but she didn’t want to think of that right now. Oh, I am just going to walk. A taxi is way too expensive.” “Absolutely not. I insist of walking you home.” Cassandra rolled her eyes. “I can assure you, I am fully capable of defending myself.” “I admire strong women, but I still want to walk you home.” Now she had to laugh. “How about I walk YOU home?” “Well, I hadn’t thought about that, but as you wish, milady.”

And so they walked through the city of Paris in the moonlight. They didn’t talk much but sometime Varian shyly took Cassandra’s hand while he really was happy that she couldn’t see him blush in the dark. And Cassandra was happy for the same reason.

TO BE CONTINUED (MAYBE)

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When Varian opened the door of his tiny apartment, he felt like he was walking on air. He still could not believe what just had happened. That he really had met that wonderful woman and had walked home with her. It had been a bit strange that he had not been the one to walk her home, but to be fair it was understandable that she had not wanted a stranger to know where she lived. In addition, what truly mattered was that he had spent time with her. That is why he knew already a bit about her: Her name was Cassandra, but she had allowed him to call her Cassie (that thought alone sent shivers down his spine). Besides, she studied criminology and wanted to become a great police officer, like her father. That truly was an unusual profession for women but Varian definitely thought that Cassie could do it. She had a fascinating radiance and even after knowing her for just a few hours, Varian was one hundred percent sure that is was better not to get on her bad side. Furthermore, he was sure that many things would change in the future and he could not wait to see that. 

Lost in his thoughts, Varian at first did not notice the raccoon in his chamber until that animal jumped on his shoulder and startled him. “Whoa, oh, hey Ruddiger! How are you? I know, I am late today, but I met the most wonderful woman.” Ruddiger chittered in response. “No, really! I would not have thought that I could find a woman more interesting than Marie Curie, but it is true. She wants to become a police officer. And she’s really confident and brave. And so, so beautiful! Her name is Cassandra, but I can call her Cassie and I am realizing that I am rambling, but I am just so EXCITED Ruddiger! It is truly serious! When I saw her for the first time, I even lost track of my play!” Now the raccoon actually looked impressed. “See, buddy? Man, I hope, I see her again. She did not give me her address, but she did let me hold her hand while we were walking. That means she too wants to see me again, right? Tomorrow is Monday, or more like today, it is already three o’ clock. I hope I can see her at University. Maybe I can talk with her again if I look for the criminology faculty and meet her by chance. But what then? Should I say: “Hey Cassie, what a coincidence to meet you!” But no, that’s not possible because she knows that I study chemistry and that building is absolutely not near the criminology faculty. Therefore, she will know that I was looking for her. On the one hand, I want her to know that, one the other hand, it is maybe a bit weird. I mean, we just met each other and…”

But Ruddiger had already fallen asleep again. Varian sighed. I guess I should sleep too. But when he was lying in bed it took him a very long time to fall asleep because his mind was constantly revolving around that woman that he sure, would change his life forever.

Varian was not the only one to get almost no sleep that night. Cassandra was lying wide-awake as well thinking of Andrew and his other woman and the letter and Varian and of the fact that she just did not need this mess at all and that she missed her best friend Rapunzel and her dad. Then she thought of the Moonlight Sonata that Varian had played. Through her window she could see the full moon shining brightly and beautiful and somehow this really helped her to calm down. Somehow, everything would turn out ok. Then she finally fell asleep.

Chapter Text

Cassandra sighed. Today she just had not been able to concentrate properly on the things her professor was saying. She had too much on her mind. Andrew, his other woman, Varian… It was just too much right now. Plus, she did get almost no sleep in the night before. She stifled a yawn while she walked out of the classroom to go to lunch. This just was not going to be her day. She almost feel asleep while she was standing in the row I front of the canteen until she was startled by a familiar voice. “Hey Cassie! Nice meeting you here.” That pianist from last night was standing next to her, waving and beaming all over his face like it was the happiest day off his life. His bright blue eyes almost seemed to sparkle…”Oh! Hey Varian! How are you? I am sorry, I didn’t notice you at first. I am just so tired because of last night.” “Oh, I understand that. I was standing in the line on the left, but then I saw you and thought, I’d say hello.” (He didn’t say that he had spent almost the whole morning by the criminology faculty trying to find her and then had followed her to the canteen). “Well, nice meeting you too, Varian. So, when we already met each other by chance” (Varian tried to keep his face neutral) “Do you want to have lunch together?” He grinned: “Sure! I’d love to”.

Afterwards Varian couldn’t exactly remember what he had eaten or how it had tasted. It was all a bit blurry. But he did remember that they had talked and that Cassie had smiled and that he hadn’t been able to eat much because there had been a weird but wonderful feeling in his stomach… Oh, and he did remember that Cassie had been eating spaghetti (so, apparently he had eaten spaghetti too?) and that her lips had been smeared with a bit of sauce and that he had imagined to kiss it away… and that apparently he had therefore looked a bit weird, because Cassie had asked him if everything was okay.

Varian sighed silently when he and Cassie left the canteen. He really hoped his behavior wasn’t too awkward. But he had no time to contemplate his flirting skills, because Cassie started talking again. “So do you have other courses now? Because I am free for the rest of the day and maybe, I mean, if you want, we could go the Seine and…” “YES! I-I mean- I’d love to. I love sitting by the Seine.” (He ignored the fact that actually he had two more classes to take before he was free for the rest of the day, because this was so much more important right now). “Um great! I love that too” “Well, what are we waiting for? This way, milady.” Varian smiled and offered her his arm. Casandra smiled (a bit shyly) took his arm and then walked off the campus. “Shall I carry your bag for you?” Cassandra rolled her eyes. “Thank you, but that’s really not necessary.” “Oh, um, ok.” “Soo, do you like Paris?” “Oh yes. It’s amazing.” “Have you seen much already? Because I could show you around a bit.” “That would be great” “Great” “Yeah” “Umm, there is a bench.” They sat down and Varian hoped that he would become a bit more eloquent now. That’s when he spotted a man selling ice cream. “I’ll be right back.” He got up and Cassandra spent the few minutes until he returned to rearrange her thoughts. She really, really liked his company, but then she remembered that she still had to deal with the whole Andrew situation… “There you go, Cassie” “Oh, thank you Varian.” The next few minutes they sat in silence and ate their ice cream (and Varian tried his best not to focus his thoughts on Cassie’s surprisingly long, red tongue around that the ice...) “Soo, when are you playing again in that club? Because actually I would love to hear you again (and too see his face again, that appeared to be more beautiful the more she looked at it…) Varian grinned (a bit flustered): “I play every Wednesday, Friday and Sunday.” “Huh, that’s good to know. Too bad that today is only Monday. I guess I have to wait two whole days to hear you again.” “Well, not necessarily. I could play just for you today. You just would have to come to my apartment…but you don’t have to come to my place if you don’t want to, of course.” He stared on the rest of his ice cream to avoid eye contact with her. Inviting a young woman to his apartment after knowing her for not even two days was not exactly considered gentlemanlike. Cassandra hesitated. Then she shrugged her shoulders. “Well, why not?” Varian choked on his last bit of ice cream.  When he could breathe again he stuttered: “Really? Oh, wow, I wouldn’t have thought that.” “Well, it’s only 2 pm. I’ll be gone by the evening. And I am sure you don’t try to do something inappropriate, because then I would have to kill you.” Varian swallowed heavily. Already after their first meeting he had been sure that she could perfectly defend herself “No, no of course. You can trust me Cassie.” And when she looked into his blue eyes, she knew she could. “Great. Then show me your apartment and play something for me, Mr. Pianist.” “Oh, I will milady, I will.”

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“All right: this way, milady! “ With a big, but also shy smile Varian opened the door of his small apartment right under the roof in one of the oldest buildings in the district.  He really hoped, Cassie would like it. “Thanks. Now I am pretty curious to see how you live.” “Oh, it’s nothing special really, I cannot really afford something special, right now”.  “Well, that’s totally normal. My apartment isn’t big either, but- Wow! “Cassandra stopped abruptly. “You have quite a lot of books” “Yeah, I really like to read. “Can I look at them?” “Oh, yeah, sure!” Varian tried to hide the fact that he was almost exploding of relieve because Cassie did like something in his place. “Well, here I have my alchemy and chemistry books. And there are the novels of Edgar Allan Poe and Jules Verne…” “Oh, I love Jules Verne. Do you have 20.000 miles under the sea too? I haven’t read that one yet.” “Sure. Here we go. You can borrow it if you like.” “Wow, that’s very nice, but you don’t have to-“ “No no no, I insist, milady. Besides-“ Now Varian blushed a bit “If you borrow it, that means we’ll have to meet again. And you can’t really give it back to me in the club, because I am very busy then, sooo…” Cassie laughed “You just want me to come to your place again soon, don’t you.” Varian grinned: “You are a very smart woman, Cassie” For a moment Cassandra didn’t know what to respond so they just stood there and looked at each other… and then suddenly a raccoon jumped on Varian’s shoulder.

“Whoa, oh hey buddy! Um, I brought a, um, friend. Say hello to Cassie.” Cassandra looked a bit startled at the cute animal that chittered at her. “Cassie, this is Ruddiger, my best friend.” “Um, hello Ruddiger, nice to meet you,” The raccoon chittered in response. Varian smiled contently. “He seems to like you.” “Oh, I am flattered. I like him too.” “Awesome! Now: I think I owe you a play, milady?” “Oh, yes! I almost forgot about that. So, play anything you like. I’m sure I like everything you play.” Well, probably that had been a bit too much information, but she couldn’t exactly take it back. Judging by the fact that Varian almost dropped a music book and blushed a bit more, he seemed to find this information highly interesting. “Well, ok then. But first, take a seat. I want you to be comfortable in my place.” Hence, he brought a small chair without a back rest and placed it closely next to his piano chair. A bit shyly Cassandra sat down. She just realized that she hadn’t sat this close to Varian before. Not in the canteen and not on the bench by the Seine... But she liked sitting next to him. Maybe she even liked it a bit too much… But then Varian started playing and she forgot that thought and any other thought she might have had for the next five minutes. It was just so beautiful. Now that she sat directly next to him she could see his slender fingers gliding gracefully on the keys. And she could see his eyes that were half closed. And his eyelashes that were surprisingly long… Then suddenly Varian reached around her back to hit a note and somehow that movement sent shivers down her spine... And then suddenly, it was over.

“Soo, did you like it?” Varian sounded curious. And a bit shy. And somehow relieved (Cassie didn’t know that it was because this time, he had managed not to lose track of his play). Like it? Like it? She didn’t like it, she absolutely loved it! She cleared her throat. “Well, yes, I liked it a lot. It was… very beautiful! What composer was it this time?” Varian smiled. “Chopin.” Well, I would love to hear more of him.” “I will remember that, Cassie.” Before she could get lost in his eyes again, she stood up. This was a bit much for her for one day. “Well, thank you for the play and the book, Varian, but I have to go now. I have a lot of studying to do.” “Oh sure! Do I, um, do I see you on Wednesday?” He hoped he sounded not too desperate. “What? Oh yes! I will be there.” “GREAT! I mean- I’ll look forward to it.” With that, he brought her to the door and watched her as she walked down the stairs (a bit hastily), the Jules Verne book under her arm. Then he sighed. Both happily and a bit sadly. That had been a very interesting day! And he couldn’t wait for Wednesday.

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Wednesday, 18:27

Cassandra sighed. The flattering in her heart and the tingling feeling in her stomach hadn’t really stopped since two days. More precisely, since she had left Varian’s apartment. Or even more precisely, since she had escaped from his apartment. It just had been far a bit too much for her too handle. And by it, she meant the whole thing of him sitting so close next to her and his beautiful face and his elegant fingers and the way he looked at her with his puppy eyes and asked if she liked his play. Liked it! She liked it way too much. And not just his play… She sighed again. Then she checked the time. At 20:00 o’ clock, Varian would start playing the piano at the small cabaret. If she showed up at exactly 20 o’clock, it would look weird. Like she just came for him. (Well, that was true, but no one needed to know that). And if she wanted to come before 8 pm, she would not have the time to properly get ready (Yes, she planned on dressing herself up a bit! So what?!). But she didn’t want to miss something of his play either… Having weighed up properly the different options, she finally chose to arrive at the club at 20:07. That way, she would to not appear desperate, while also having the time to prepare her appearance and to get to hear almost everything of his play. After that important decision she opened her wardrobe….

19:52

For the third time Varian looked at his mirror image reflected in the glass he was holding. He always arrived a bit early for his performances. But usually, he chatted a bit with the bar maid and didn’t check his appearance every few minutes. But today, he was just nervous. Like, he really hoped, Cassandra would come. But what if she didn’t? He had no way to contact her other than looking for her at the university. He didn’t even know her address. But that was only one part of his concerns. Another was that he really hoped he looked good tonight. Normally, he didn’t care much about his outfits, but today he wore his second best suit (his best one was at the cleaners’ because he had spilled a solution of his experiments on it…). And the third concern was that he really, really hoped, she would like the piece of music he had written for her. Yes, he had written a piece of music for a girl he just knew since a few days, so what?! He just had wanted to! And he had been inspired! Suddenly, a voice interrupted his thoughts: “Alright Varian, what is wrong with you today?” “What? Oh! Nothing! Absolutely nothing, Vex, I’m fine!” “Yeah, right! That’s why you’re here in your second best suit drinking brandy. You almost never drink, Varian. Well, not since that incident where you…” “Alright! I met someone, ok? Someone truly special! And she’s coming tonight. Well, at least she said she would. So, that’s it. Are you happy now?!” Vex rolled her eyes. “Very happy. But as much as I would love to hear you swooning over that someone, you better get up and start playing. It’s 8 pm now.” Varian sighed again. He really hoped Cass would still come. Maybe she had lost interest in coming. Maybe he had been too weird. Maybe she just had said, she would come to be nice. Maybe she had had an accident on the way… But there was no time to think about that. Varian ordered his thoughts as good as he could and started playing.

20:07

Cassandra took a deep breath (and hoped, no one had seen her waiting in the corner for the last 5 minutes) and opened the door.

20:08

When Varian looked up from his notes for the fourth time, he finally saw Cassie sitting on a place in the back and his heart felt like it would explode. She always looked gorgeous, but this time, it was almost too much to take for him. She wore a black, sleeveless dress with shining elements on it and a long necklace around her pale, long, slender neck. She lips were painted in a deep red and had the form of said Cupid’s bow that most women preferred these days. Her big, beautiful eyes were held pretty dark, with black eyeliner and a deep grey eye shadow. Varian usually didn’t care about women’s make up, but Cassie looked like a goddess. Then suddenly, he notices that he had lost track of his play. Again! Hastily, he continued to play and didn’t look up for a very long time. And during the pauses, he immediately disappeared in the small room behind the bar. Then, when his performance was almost over, he cleared his throat and said, while still looking straight at his piano and blushing: “Now, I have an original piece of music. I made it in the past days. I call it For Cassandra” Then he started to play again.

22:56

Cassandra choked on the brandy she was drinking. That guy had actually written a piece of music for her! Like, what in the world?! And it was soo beautiful! Her heart dropped, then jumped up and down like a bouncy ball. Oh my GOD! What was she supposed to say to him after his show? Like, WHAT?!

23.02

Varian was just happy that he had successfully ended his play. Now he had to face Cassie. He just hoped, she didn’t find it bad. Or weird. Oh god, what if she thought he was some creepy stalker? He hadn’t thought about that. In fact, while composing this piece of music, he hadn’t thought about anything but her face and her voice and her smile… “Hey Varian.” “What? Oh, um, h-hey Cassie. Did, did you like the, um, the play?” Cassandra hesitated. Then she decided that it was time to stop hiding her true feelings. She took a deep breath. “Varian-“ Varian though he would faint any minute- “That was amazing and the most beautiful thing a man has ever done to me.” Varian stayed silent for a few seconds. Then his face lit up like a Christmas tree. “Thank you. So, um, m-may I accompany you home.” Cassie smiled. Yes, you may. But just to the doorstep” Varian blushed even harder. “Y-yes, of course.”

And then they walked to Cassandra’s apartment together. And this time, they held hands the whole time until they arrived at her door.

“So, goodnight, Cassie.” “Goodnight, Varian.” Cassandra smiled and gave him a kiss on the cheek. “Sleep well.” With that, she turned away, opened the door, got inside, turned around one more time, smiled, and closed the door. And then Varian finally realized what just had happened. And all of his excitement and joy resulted in him making a huge jump in the air. He really thought, he could fly. It was the most amazing feeling he had ever felt. And it lasted the whole night. (And he did in fact, have very nice dreams)

Thursday, 07:23

When Cassandra woke up, she still felt amazing. She was in such a great mood when she walked down her stairs and opened the door. She couldn’t wait to go to University and meet Varian again. That’s when she heard a very familiar voice. “Well, hello there Cassie! I am currently in Paris, and I thought I would surprise my girlfriend. What do you say? She turned around and couldn’t believe her eyes. Right in front of her was Andrew.

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Andrew usually was a very self-confident guy but when he looked at Cassandra’s reaction he started to become a tiny bit concerned. He had thought his girlfriend would be thrilled to see him but actually she didn’t look thrilled at all. More precisely, she didn’t even look delighted. Or content. Or even neutral. In fact, she looked furious. But before Andrew could think of the possible reason of her strange behavior he felt like his head was ripped of his body. “OWW! What the heck was that, Cassie?!” “That was a slap on your stupid face, Andrew.” “I KNOW THAT! I MEAN, WHAT IN THE WORLD WAS THAT FOR?!” Wow, you- you haven’t figured it out yet? Seriously? I know about your other girlfriend you lying piece of-“ “My WHAT? Oh, my dearest, most beloved Cassie! I would NEVER cheat on you! NEVER! This is some huge misunderstanding! I-OWWW!” “STOP LYING Andrew! You’re not only UNTRUTHFUL, you’re also very, very STUPID. You sent ME the letter that was for HER. And SHE probably got the letter that was for ME. So your chances on her should be gone as well by now.” Andrew opened and closed his mouth a couple of times but couldn’t find a good answer. This was indeed very unfortunate. Cassandra looked at him for a few seconds with a sad and angry expression on her face; then she wordlessly turned around and walked away. That was when Andrew snapped out of it and ran after her. He gripped her arm and forced her to turn around. “Hang on! Where do you think you’re going?” Now Cassandra’s eyes became to very thin slits and her voice was quiet but menacing. “Listen, Andrew: I am leaving you because I don’t want to spend the rest of my life with some guy who lies to me, cheats one me and cannot even admit it. Oh, and by the way: don’t think I will cry for months now. I have already met a guy who is 1000 times better than you.” Andrew’s grip on her arm became harder and Cassandra tried her best not to show her pain. “Who is he?” “That doesn’t concern you at all and now LET! ME! GO!” With that she kicked him with all her strength in the shin. Andrew cried out in pain and let finally go of her. Cassandra threw her hair back and walked away without looking back to him. That’s why she couldn’t see the furious expression on his face. “Oh my dear Cassie”, thought Andrew. “This isn’t over yet”.

Varian still felt like he was walking on air. He was just SO happy! That’s why he couldn’t stop grinning like an idiot while he was waiting in front of the canteen of the university where he was supposed to meet his almost-if things get well-really soon-girlfriend Cassie. When he saw her, his face lit up even more. Today she was wearing a red hat, that people called cloche and a beautiful red dress that fit her even more beautiful lips… But when I realized her expression, his grin immediately fell from his face. “Cassie! What happened? Are you ok?” Cassandras lovely face looked very upset under that red hat she was wearing. “Oh, hey Varian! I am fine, I just-” She put up her arm to stroke a strand of hair out of her face and that was when Varian saw the bruise on her wrist. “Cassie, who did that to you?” His voice was shaking both from anger and worry. Cassandra sighed. It was time to lay it on the line. Varian deserved the truth. She took a deep breath “Alright: That was my ex-boyfriend. Before I met you that night, I found out that he was cheating on me because I got a letter from him that was addressed at his other woman. And today he was waiting for me in front of my apartment because he is currently in Paris. I confronted him and slapped him pretty hard. Then I told him that we’re broken up and that I have met someone far better than him. He didn’t want to let me go. But I finally made him. So, yeah. That’s it.” During her little speech Varian’s expression turned angry, happy and then angry again. “He doesn’t deserve you, Cassie. You’re far too good for a person like that.” He said in a soft voice and gently touched her shoulder. Then he looked at her wrist. “Does it hurt?” Cassandra wanted to say no, but Varian’s kind face somehow forced her to say the truth. Well, a tiny bit. But not much. It’s almost nothing. Actually-“ Varian interrupted her. “Come on, we better go to a doctor and let him have a look at it.” Cassandra rolled her eyes. “Varian, that’s not necessary at all. You should see what I have done to Andrew-“ “Actually, I think it’s better not to mention that name right now, because deep inside of me I am burning with rage because I want to rip his head off. But we cannot focus on him at the moment. First, we must take care of your hand.” And Cassandra let him take her to a doctor. If Rapunzel had seen that, she would not have believed it. (She really missed her friend...)

Andrew was furious. From behind a tree he stared at his now ex-girlfriend and the guy she was together with. Seriously? She left him for someone like that? It was unbelievable. Yeah, sure, he had cheated on her, but couldn’t she just forgive him?! He was so much better than this shabby dude. Therefore he spend his time following the two of them from a safe distance to the doctor and back to university. There they had different courses so he just observed the classes of that strange guy. Luckily, nobody cared about him sitting in the back of the big hall. His rival studied chemistry and alchemy. How boring and stupid. Who cared about that? Besides, Andrew understood literally nothing in that class. But Cassandra’s admirer seemed to be pretty good at this. Andrew was just so lucky when class was over. He followed the guy to the place where he was meeting Cassie again. Then that guy walked her home. Outrageous! In front of Cassie’s apartment, they finally stopped and Andrew hid behind an advertising pillar.

“So, um, I am glad your wrist feels better Cassie.” “Thank you, Varian. For everything. You were such a great help today.” “Well, I was very worried about you Cassie.” They were standing so close together. Their noses almost touched… “Miss Cassandra!” “Abruptly and with a pretty red face, Cassandra turned around towards her landlady who had just opened the door of the apartment she was living in. “Um, yes, Mrs. Poldark?” “Oh thank goodness you’re here. I saw you from the window. Your friend Rapunzel is on the phone and you know how expensive a phone call is. Especially from Corona.” “Raps is on the phone? Awesome! I’m coming.” She turned around, still blushing. “Um, my best friend is calling. I have to go. Bye Varian. I see you tomorrow.” Then she was gone.

Varian sighed. He had been THIS close. Well, maybe next time. He turned around and before he could react Andrew punched him with all his might in his face.

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Varian had never been one of those guys who were good at fighting. Since he could remember he had been fascinated by books, alchemy, chemistry and music. He had never taken boxing lessons or been engaged in a fight. He had often seen people get beaten up in dark alleys, but he had always called the police instead of trying to help. He simply knew, that he wasn’t the type of guy to win in such a situation. And that never been a problem or a big deal for him. At least, until now. When Andrew (Varian immediately realized that this could only be Andrew) punched him in the face it felt as if his head was getting ripped from his body. The next thing he realized was that he was lying on the street and that Andrew was looking down to him. But actually Varian had some serious difficulty seeing him because everything was so blurry. Then he realized that Andrew was talking. “Wow, so you’re guy Cassie has left me for. How pathetic. She probably just wanted another guy as quickly as possible and had the bad luck to stumble upon you. Seems like I just have to wait for a few days until she isn’t mad at me anymore and she will take me back. I mean, why on earth would she stay with you?” Varian opened his mouth to say something, but in exactly that moment Andrew kicked him in the rips and Varian screamed out in pain. Andrew chuckled. “Yeah, truly pathetic. So let me make this clear: Stay away from Cassie. She would just loose interest in you very soon anyway.” Then he walked away.

-I mean, can you believe it, Raps?! He thought I should just forgive him. After he CHEATED on me! I was so mad, I punched him in the face. And I’m still mad! Sadly you weren’t here with your frying pan. I really could have used that. Oh, and, um, I have met someone. His name is Varian. He plays the piano, oh my god, how he plays the piano. It is amazing. Yes I know, it is right after a break up, but he is truly special, Raps. He is just so nice and sweet and I really enjoy hanging out with him. What? Oh, um no, we haven’t yet. Yes, I am gonna call you when we- What? You’re coming to visit me? Oh my god! That’s wonderful! I can’t wait to see you. Well, I think we better stop now before the call gets too expensive. See you soon. Bye!” Cassandra hang up and took a deep breath. Her best friend was coming! She couldn’t wait to introduce her and Varian to each other. They would totally be geeking out together over inventions. She looked forward to meeting Varian at the university tomorrow like they had agreed on while he had accompanied her home.  With that happy thought she went to bed.

When he had finally arrived at his apartment, Varian didn’t sleep the whole night. He felt horrible. Not just because of his jaw and his rips (even though they hurt terribly) but because of the words Andrew had said. Varian kept hearing them in his head over and over again. He was angry and sad and ashamed. Angry because that guy had insulted Cassandra by saying that she would simply pick the next guy that came across after the other was gone. Sad because Andrew called her Cassie too (well, ok, it was not that original of a thing to say to someone called Cassandra, but he hated that Andrew used that name too). And ashamed because he had just been such a weak opponent. He hadn’t even been able to SAY something! Varian sighed- and immediately winced because it made his ribs hurt. Maybe Andrew was right. He really was pathetic. Cassie deserved someone better than him. But not Andrew! And he really didn’t WANT to give up on her… Rudigger looked at him with worried eyes and brought him some ice his for his jaw. Then he snuggled up to him. With a sad smile Varian took the ice and pressed it against his face. “Thank you buddy!” he whispered. Then he ran his hands through the soft fur.  The raccoon was just the best friend he could wish for.

Cassandra looked at her watch. Varian was already late since 20 minutes. That was weird. Hopefully nothing had happened to him. “Maybe he doesn’t want to see you” a small, evil voice in her head whispered. Cassandra pulled herself together. No, somehow she just knew that something was wrong…

Varian woke up (he had fallen asleep at around six in the morning) because someone was knocking at his door. His head still felt extremely heavy and everything hurt. Very slowly he got up and opened the door. And immediately whished he was in a better state because in front of his door was Cassie. “Hi Varian, I um, oh my god! What happened to you?!” “Oh, uh, nothing I just-“ “Varian, I am really sick of guys lying to me: WHAT HAPPENED?! And thus, Varian told her everything. That Andrew had attacked him, the things Andrew had said and that he had be a pathetic opponent… –and I am so sorry Cassie! I really wanted to stop him from saying that but I am just so WEAK and I-” “Varian stop it right there! Just because you cannot fight people with your fists, doesn’t mean you’re weak! You are amazing, kind, sweet and what you do on the piano is truly fantastic!” Then she softly stroked the side of his face that wasn’t hurt and Varian had some serious difficulty breathing that wasn’t due to his ribs. “I am so happy to have met you Varian.” she whispered. And then she kissed him.

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It felt like Varian had died and gone to heaven. At first, his heart stopped and then it started beating again one hundred times faster. He didn’t exactly know how he did it, but suddenly he realized that he was kissing her back. And there were no words to describe this wonderful feeling that took over his entire body. After some seconds (or minutes? Seriously, he had lost all sense of time!) they broke away from each other. He opened his eyes (he hadn’t even realized that he had closed them!) and looked at Cassie’s beautiful face. Her eyelids fluttered like the wings of a butterfly and then they were open and her gorgeous green eyes that looked at him were like deep lakes and he thought he would drown in them. They looked at each other and it was the epitome of bliss. Until reality came back and Varian slowly felt his ribs and his jaw aching again. He pulled a face with pain. Cass immediately turned worried again. “Let me have a have a look at your ribs, Varian.” “Oh, um, I don’t know Cassie, it’s not so bad. I think I just need some rest and then-“ But Cassandra was already pulling up his shirt and Varian started blushing again (this really happened a lot with this woman) when she softly ran her delicate fingers across his side. “Hmm, looks like nothing is broken, but two of them are pretty bruised. We should call a doctor, to make sure it’s nothing serious, though.” “Oh, I don’t know. I think I would much rather have you examine me, Cassie. You can do it as thorough as you want.” Varian said grinning. Then he ducked down because Cassandra threw a pillow at his head.

The doctor confirmed Cassandra’s assumptions. Varian had to stay in bed for some days and lie still but there was nothing to worry about. At first, Varian was not exactly a cooperative patient because he constantly wanted to get up and go to University or make some sorts of experiments but Cassandra was having none of that. So she came every day in the morning and brought him some Croissants or other sweets from a bakery. Then she sat by his bedside and the two of them talked and talked for hours. Varian told her about his experiments and his studies and Ruddiger and she told him about Rapunzel and Eugene and her Dad and Corona and the time went by incredibly quickly.  She also cooked for him. It wasn’t exactly delicious but she was doing her best. “I am sorry Varian. I never was very good at cooking. Raps does it much better than me. When she comes to visit in a few days, I am going to ask her to make you a great menu.” “It’s ok, Cassie. I love your cooking. I truly do. Just because it is yours. But you really don’t have to make such effort.” “Oh, come on. I just want to take care of my boyfriend.” Varian choked on the soup he was eating and Cassie looked a bit nervous. There it was. That word. It had just sort of flown into the room. “I, I mean. You are my boyfriend now, aren’t you? And I am your girlfriend. Like, written as one word. Right?” Cassandra suddenly looked pretty shy. “Well, um, I think so too, I mean, we, um, we kissed and I, I love you and if you want me to be your official boyfriend that would be the greatest honor of my life.” Varian looked at his bowl of soup while he spoke. When he didn’t hear a response, he hesitantly looked up with incredibly adorable puppy eyes. Cassandra sat there very silently and looked back at him with tears in her eyes.  Then she smiled the biggest smile he had ever seen on her. Then she kissed him again. And again. And again.

“Cassie? “Hmm?” The two of them sat snuggled together on his bed. “Can I ask you something?” “Well, you already did.” “No, I mean seriously. Are you ok with me calling you Cassie? I mean, does it remind you too much of Andrew?” Cassandra thought about it for a minute. Then she responded: “Yes. I mean, I am ok with you calling me Cassie. And from now on, I want you to be the only one who calls me like that.” Varian released the breath had been holding. “Thank god. I really like calling you that.” “And I like being called that. By you. By the way, we still have to take revenge on Andrew. But we totally forgot about your soup. You better finish the rest of it now.” “You know, actually I have more appetite for other things right now, Cassie.” Cassandra grinned. Alright. But first you finish that soup, young man.” Varian grinned back. “Yes, ma’am.”

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In the best hotel of Paris Andrew lay in a bathtub and enjoyed his daily skincare. Then his thoughts slowly drifted away to Cassie. Even though he really had been sure that she would very soon lose interest in that pathetic and boring loser, Andrew started to become a tiny bit worried. According to his assumptions she should have come back to him days ago. Well, apparently she needed a bit more time. Then she would definitely come back to him and tell him what a wonderful guy he was and that him cheating on her was already forgiven and that she was so sorry that she had overreacted… That’s when he heard a knock on the door. Andrew sighed heavily, got out of the bathtub, put on his bathrobe and opened the door. It was the concierge of the hotel. “Sorry Sir, but a young lady just gave me this letter for you. She said it was very important.” “Ah, I see. Thank you” Andrew closed the door without giving a tip and eagerly opened the letter.

My dearest Andrew, I am so sorry for my behavior. Please forgive me! I am just a hysterical girl overreacting all the time. I now see that Varian simply isn’t the right guy for me. Please take me back, my love. If you do still want me, come to the cemetery Père Lachaise tonight at 9 pm. I will be waiting for you. Love, Cassie.

Andrew grinned from one ear to the other. Finally that silly girl was seeing sense again. With that huge self-satisfied smile on his face, Andrew got back into his bathtub.

The gate of the cemetery Père Lachaise squeaked when Andrew opened it. During the day there were unusually a lot of people here, but now the cemetery was empty. The full moon was spreading his light over the gravestones and the many trees and paths. Andrew looked at his watch: Two minutes past nine pm. Then he heard Cassie’s lovely voice. “Hello there, Andrew.” Andrew turned around. There was his Cassie wearing a beautiful white dress and white gloves. Her lips were enhanced with blood red lipstick. She just looked like the wonderful woman he deserved. Andrew put on his best smile. “Hello Cassie. I knew you were a smart girl.” Cassie grinned. “Oh, that I am.” Then she threw a small pink ball at his feet. Before Andrew could think of what in the world this was supposed to mean, he realized that he was stuck on the ground because of some pink glibber. And he couldn’t move one feet away. “WHAT THE-? CASSIE? WHAT IS THIS SUPPOSED TO BE?!” “I am glad you’re asking. This is a chemical compound of my very own design.” Varian walked into the scene from behind a gravestone. “WHAT? WHAT IS HE DOING HERE?” “Him? Oh, He is just helping his girlfriend to deal with her horrible and very stupid ex-boyfriend. I am so sick of you Andrew. You really think you could cheat on me, not be sorry at all, hurt Varian and expect me to crawl back to you? Well, news flash, idiot: You can’t!” Cassandra was calm and silent while she spoke but her eyes were like daggers or lightning strikes. “Bu-but, how did you know in what hotel I was?” “Oh please, Andrew! Of course you would be staying in the best hotel in the city.” “Ca-Cassie, I am truly-“ “Don’t call me Cassie anymore or I will rip your head off. From now on, only Varian will call me like that. Do you understand?” “But he is so-“ “DO YOU UNDERSTAND?!” Andrew stayed silent for a few seconds. Then he said very silently “Yes, I do.” “I DIDN’T HEAR YOU! “ “I DO, I do understand.” “Good. Because Cassie and I have to go now. We will be meeting with her best friend Rapunzel and her boyfriend.” Varian put his arm around Cassandra’s waist and grinned as smugly as Andrew had grinned in the morning while he had been reading Cassandra’s faked letter. “You’re right my love. We better get going.” Cassandra smiled at Varian. Then she turned around and the smile immediately turned into a death glare. “Leave us alone, Andrew. I mean it.” Then she looked back at Varian. “Come on, dear. I cannot wait to introduce you to Raps and Eugene.” WAIT A MINUTE. YOU CAN’T JUST LEAVE ME HERE WITH THIS DISGUSTING GLUE.“ “Oh don’t worry Andrew, the compound will dissolve in 24 hours.” Said Varian smugly. Then he offered his arm to Cassandra. “Shall we, milady?” Cassandra smiled. “Yes my dear.” Then they walked away.

Rapunzel was just so excited. It was her very first trip to Paris and she couldn’t wait to see everything. But first, she wanted to finally meet her best friend again. And that boyfriend Cass had been talking about. She and Eugene were sitting in a small cabaret where they were supposed to meet the two of them. When she saw her best friend she immediately threw her arms around Cassandra’s neck. “Oh, it’s so good to finally see you again. I missed you so much.” “Aww I missed you too, Raps.” “Did you miss me too?” asked Eugene with a grin on his face. “Well, a tiny bit.” Cassandra grinned back. “So, I heard, that Andrew-guy is no longer your boyfriend. I always told you he was completely overrated.” “Well, I hate to admit it, but this time you were right Eugene.” “I like the sound of that! Can you say it again?” “Oh, stop it you two! Cass, I am so mad at Andrew. Where is he? I have my frying pan with me.” “Don’t worry Raps. Varian and I already dealt with that situation.” “Oh yes, when will we get to meet him?” “Soon. Right after his play.” In that moment Varian entered the stage, smiled and awkwardly waved at Cass and her friends and then started to play.” “So that’s him?” “Yep. That he is.” And while watching her boyfriend play his mazing music Cassandra realized that she was proud, happy and so much in love. That was her man and she really hoped with all her heart that this would stay like that for the rest of their lifes.