I wanted to message her first thing in the morning, but that would be too forward wouldn't it? Instead, I settled for lingering on her phone number. At this rate, I most likely knew the digits off the top of my head.

Staring at the patterns of the wooden ceiling, I sigh, blinking repeatedly. It had been a while since I visited Cas. Cas -- Cassanadria being her full name was one of the women in the army. Although she was a handful, the woman found a way to stay in my circle, making me promise to visit her after we were done on the battlefield. I kind of missed her loud and snarky comments, it was annoying, but the banter had always been refreshing. 

Stretching out, I do a few push-ups before heading into the shower. The warm drops of water limped my hair, making it cover my vision. Quietly, I scrubbed my body, thinking back to yesterday. I recall her bright smile that always reached her eyes. She generously gave that charming smile of hers to just anyone, oblivious to the effect it could have. Twenty. That meant I was a good twelve years older. Did that make her uncomfortable? Or see me as an uncle figure of some sort? I cringe at the thought. 

Mere thinking of her this long made me seem like a pervert. I couldn't help it. "Should I approach as a friend?" I question myself, huffing and spitting the water that got in my mouth. Perhaps I'd be slow and steady. I heard it always won the race. 

Running my palm over my face, I come out of the shower.

From what I remembered, Cas worked in a salon to pass the time; it wasn't so far from where I stayed. On getting downstairs, I saw Saffron and Pa at the dining table, munching on toast and scrambled eggs. 

"Hey, Saff. How was yesterday?" As expected, the girl stares pointedly at me, clenching her jaw. "Hey, big brother." She ignores my question, stuffing her mouth with a big bite of toast. It makes me chuckle. "Morning, Pa." He nods.

"Won't you eat something?" 

Before I can reach the door, Saffron's mother tuts, a plate of toast and scrambled eggs in her hand. Contemplating, I purse my lips. "No, I'm alright." She pouts, tilting her head. Saffron was a carbon of this woman, they both had fiery eyes and attitudes. "I made them for you, so sit your butt down and eat it." Holding in a laugh, I raise my hands in surrender. "Yes ma'am."

We eat in comfortable silence and within minutes, I'm out of the house, starting the engine of my car. Again, I look down at my phone, wondering if to call Amelia or not. Would she be up by now? It was barely nine o'clock. Did she have a job? Questions pop into my head the longer I stay idle in the car. Shaking my head, I drive out of the house, heading to the salon where Cas worked. 

A whiff of shampoo and oud perfume invaded my nostrils as I entered the salon. It was a mixture of women and men, the men being at the entrance. It didn't take long to spot the dark-skinned woman. Cas had a muscular stature, yet she was short. Her arms and legs were thick and sculpted, her face a contradiction as they were round and soft, except for the glares she gave. As usual, she had a man by her side. 

"Guess who?" I covered her eyes when I successfully reached her side stealthily. The woman tensed up, her elbow instantly going to target my ribs. On-time, I jump back, hands still covering her sight. "Who the fuck?" Did I mention her being vulgar? In a second, she twisted around, her hands gripping my wrist. She was quick, I'd give her that.

"Easy, tiger." Cas' glare morphed into surprise before she flung herself into my arms. "You dickhead! I finally see you after so long!" Her grip is tight. "I missed you too, Cas." My tone is sarcastic but I can't help the smile that stretches on my face, hugging her back. When she breaks the hug, she squints her eyes at my appearance. "Let's catch up with a haircut." I arch my eyebrow. 

"It's on me, c'mon." I don't get a chance to complain because, in a minute, I'm in one of those black chairs, facing the mirror as she inspected my unruly hair. "So how's my boy been doing?" She says this while bringing out the scissors and clipper. "Don't go overboard." She rolls her eyes. "Trust me."

I watch as she snips the overgrown tips, sticking her tongue out in concentration. "Honestly, it's like I've been existing. Doing the same thing over and over." I admit with a sigh. "What can I say? Life's like that sometimes." Cas mutters, skillfully rolling the scissors on her index. "Until this week." She halts, arching her eyebrow.

"Oh? What's so different about this week? Meet a chick or something?" She lightly scoffs, knowing I was hardly interested in anyone over the years she'd known me. Cas' words make me remember the sweet girl that kept intruding on my mind every now and then. The way her eyes brightened whenever I teased her or called her sweetheart. I meant it, she was sweet. 

"What? Everest Simon is interested in a chick?" She gasped, her eyes going wide. Clearing my throat, I narrow my eyes from her questioning ones. "Is it that hard to believe?" Cas breathed out a laugh, carefully fading the sides of my head. "Uh...yes?" 

"What's her name? No, scratch that, how'd you meet this chick?" 

I chuckle at her words, staring at my reflection. "It's quite embarrassing actually." I begin, making her look down at me with a cheesy grin. "I was taking a walk, then I had one of my breakdowns. This time, I went down a slope." Cas gaped, "Did you break anything?" I shook my head. 

"Her name's Amelia. She came down after I fell. She seems so innocent and gentle. She kept calling me 'mister' until I told her not to." The dark-skinned woman chuckled, shaking her head. "Please don't tell me you're crushing on a girl or some chick with daddy issues." My brows crease subconsciously at this. "She's is significantly younger than me." Of course, I beat around the bush, I knew how messed up it was liking a girl that young. 

Cas frowned. "How young is she?"

"Twenty." 

She had an unreadable expression on her face; her lips were pursed and her eyebrows scrunched up. With a sigh, she shrugged her shoulders. "At least she's legal." A nervous chuckle left my lips. 

"And done. Take a look at the new and improved Everest."

This makes me scoff, taking in my reflection. To be honest, I looked better than I came. Thanking her, we chat for a while and I learn that she's now to a firefighter named Bran. Too bad for the number of men waiting for an opportunity to talk to her. After a while, I wave her goodbye and get back into my car, the thought drowning in the silence. Checking the time, I see that it's close to three o'clock, so with a deep breath, I dial Amelia's number.

It rings once, twice. No answer.

Was it just my imagination or was the air conditioner wasn't working as it was supposed to? My hands go to my neck, finding comfort in rubbing against it. Maybe she wasn't with her phone at the moment.

"Everest? Is that you?"

Her soft voice pulls me out of my anxious thoughts. Shit, I think the words just got stuck in my throat.