Chapter 2

Cassandra wakes up as the smell of fresh-brewed coffee wafts through the air. She realizes that Abel is no longer in the bed with her, gets lazily out of the bed and shambles into the kitchen. As she sees Abel sitting at the table, his back towards her and preoccupied with today's newspaper, she frowns.

"The coffee's burning", she murmurs as she reaches in a cupboard to get herself a coffee cup.

Abel turns the page and takes a sip from his own cup which contains a mix of green tea and cheap energy drink. "Hmh"

"You don't care at all, do you? You coffee-hater".

"True".

Cassandra picks up Abel's cup and takes a gulp. "Tastes like pisswater", she states as she puts it back down.

Abel chuckles. "Hah, if only. We have to be in the lab in an hour so drink it up and get dressed".

Cassandra sits down at the table next to Abel and tries to glance at the newspaper in his hands. Every time she gets a little bit closer he pulls the paper closer to his face so she can only see the front page. She sees a major article about the president's daughter's birthday party and decides that she's read enough news for the day. After finishing her coffee she stands up, sets the cup down in the sink and raises her arm as a sign of leaving the room, calling out: "Thanks for the coffee, Abby, dinner's on me".

"Ugh, Cass, stop calling me that", Abel groans. Cassandra responds by sticking her tongue out at him.

"Admit it. You like it, don't you?".

"Even if I did it wouldn't matter. Come up with another nickname if you have to but Abby is off limits", Abel denounces, and sighs. He sets the newspaper aside and leans his forehead to his hands. His mind fills with worries and regrets and he's barely able to stop them from interfering with his plans for the day. He reminds himself of where he should be and when, of the location of his keys and passcodes and the people he's supposed to meet.

Once he's sure he's ready, he hits the table with both of his hands and hurries to the bathroom where Cassandra is taking a shower.

"Sheesh, learn to knock", she snaps. Abel pulls out his razor from under the sink and starts shaving the beard he's grown in mere days. Cassandra steps out of the shower and after wrapping a towel around herself and her hair she grabs a pair of hair scissors from a nearby stand

"At least you're not going bald", she reminds him as she begins cutting his hair to an 'acceptable' length, as he tends to say.

After they're done Abel takes a quick shower and Cassandra puts on the clothes she had set for herself by the bathroom door.

"I'll go now and get things ready, hurry up", she tells Abel as she runs out of the door. Abel nods, and after washing himself thoroughly he dries himself with a towel, suits up, grabs his man-purse and hurries to the front door.