Lilian wasn't expecting visitors so it came as a bit of a shock when the front bell rang. Thomas left the downstairs office where he had been going over the weeks work schedule, and answered the door as promptly and professionally as one would expect from the estate manager.
He was immediately greeted by an unusual sight, a young woman, who looked to be in her early twenties, with loose waves of chestnut hair and bright, green, cat-like eyes. She stood at the entrance, her luggage in hand and when Thomas opened the door to her, she greeted him with a wide, bright, smile.
"Thomas!" The girl exclaimed. "Why, you look exactly the same as the last time I saw you." She had a high pitched voice with a slight southern drawl. Her large voice rang in Thomas's ears, grating on the nerves like fingernails on a chalk board.
"You don't remember me, do you?" She asked the baffled looking Thomas.
"I'm afraid that I do not, miss..."
"Lauder." She shook her head, her curls bouncing around her head as she chuckled loudly. "Cassandra Lauder, but everyone calls me Cassie."
"Ah, yes. August and Miranda Lauder's daughter. What a pleasant surprise it is to see you again, miss Lauder. It's been quite a while."
"Ten years." Cassie said, her smile never faltering. "I'm home from college and thought I'd drop in to see Noah, is he around?"
Thomas raised an eyebrow as he looked over the girl. "Mr. Reaney is always around." Thomas told her, a hint of annoyance in his voice. "He hasn't left the estate in over fifteen years."
"Still?" Cassie rolled her eyes then side stepped Thomas and entered the house. "I'd have thought he'd gotten over that by now." She sat her bags against the wall and clapped her hands together, excitedly. "Anyway, don't just stand there like a bump on a log, show me in."
Thomas nodded, lips pursed, and for a moment his gaze flicked upward as he repressed the urge to groan. He forced a smile then picked up her luggage and said, "this way, miss," before leading her through the foyer and into the living room. Cassie took in her surroundings, walking around the room, running her fingers over the back of the dark, leather, sofa then tracing the edge of the mahogany end table next to it.
She walked to the stone fireplace, her eyes drifting over the familiar photos on the mantle. The warmth of the fireplace cast a golden glow, illuminating memories preserved in silver frames. She picked up a photograph of a much younger Noah and smiled. "Everything looks the same as the last time I was here. Literally, nothing has changed."
"Some things have changed."
Cassie spun around, surprised by the voice behind her. Her eyes lit up when she saw Noah standing in the doorway. "Noah?" She shrieked, rushing over to embrace him. "It's so good to see you! Oh, my, you've changed so much since when we were teenagers."
Noah hugged her back, a warm smile on his face. "You've changed too, Cassie. I remember you as a scrawny tomboy with short hair and glasses. I hardly recognize the beautiful young woman standing here now."
Cassie laughed, her eyes sparkling. "I grew up. Boarding school really matured me."
Noah led her to the couch. Thomas deposited her luggage next to the living room door then excused himself, leaving the friends to catch up in private.
"Tell me about it." Noah said. "What was boarding school like?"
Cassie settled into the plush cushions, her expression turning reflective. "Well, I went to Hillcrest Academy for girls. The first year was awful. The rules were strict and the staff like robots. You know? No feeling at all, no warmth and very little patience. If that wasn't bad enough, we had to wear these God awful gray and navy blue uniforms, and the other girls were so mean to me. I was bullied a lot and had no friends. I begged my parents to let me come home but they refused. They said I needed the discipline."
Noah chuckled. "You were pretty wild back then, if I recall."
Cassie nodded, a rueful smile on her lips. "I was, I'll admit, but what about you? You were pretty wild yourself back then."
"No way." Noah shook his head. "I was an angel."
"Angel my ass." Cassie laughed. "Remember that time you gave me sparkling grape juice and told me it was wine?"
Noah let loose with a loud, booming laugh that nearly had him falling off the couch. "I'd almost forgotten about that." He said. "You drank the entire bottle then stumbled around, slurring your speech like you were actually drunk and there was no alcohol in that shit at all."
"Yeah, and then there was the time you drove your mom's car into the woods and got stuck between two trees. You remember that?"
Noah snickered. "Yeah we had to climb out through the sunroof."
"I guess we were both a couple of Hellions back in the day."
"We were." Noah agreed. "I'm surprised our parents didn't kill us."
"Mine tried." Cassie said. "When they sent me to that school."
"At least you're done with that place now."
Cassie nodded. "It wasn't all horrible though. The first year, yeah, but it got a little better. I've changed a lot since then and I owe it all to one person, an upperclassman named Sabrina. She kind of took me under her wing and showed me the ropes. She gave me a complete make over and not just my looks. She gave my personality a make over too. Took me to some wild parties off campus and introduced me to her friends. I started making new friends and fitting in more. The bullying stopped and suddenly, I was one of the popular kids."
"I hope you didn't let all that popularity go to your head." Noah teased.
"Naw, you know me. I'm down-to-earth and carefree." Her laughter sounded light and bubbly, with a ring to it that brought back childhood memories for Noah, memories of he and Cassie exploring the estate grounds, swimming in the lake, fishing and riding bikes. They were fond memories that he would cherish forever.
Cassie had been Noah's best friend, his only friend and the only person outside of his family that he really ever allowed to get close to him. They shared so many firsts together, including their first kiss. It never went any further than a kiss though and, it was then that Noah realized he was more attracted to men than he was women. As much as he loved Cassie, he knew he could never be anything more to her than a friend.
"It didn't matter to me if I was popular or not." Cassie continued. "But, it was nice to finally have some friends. And the guys at those parties? Oh, my, God, they were so hot you'd melt if you stood too close."
