Amber's Advocate

Chapter Nine

Small Truths & Hidden Truths

Make Truths Nonetheless

Next time Cade planned to dish out advice, he was going to choose his words wisely.  He'd thrown out all the cliches imaginable, they usually worked with the ocassional broken heart, the cheating ex, you've-got-to-live-your-life spiel but never this. 

"What?" he almost spluttered. Surely he had heard wrong.  

"He left me for dead," Amber said blankly, "He ravaged me with his fists and kicked me when I was down and left me for dead. I understand if you don't want to continue seeing me... no one wants to go out with someone with this much baggage." 

"I wasn't even thinking about leaving," Cade leaned forward, "I just didn't know... I'm sorry.  I completely mis-judged the situation." 

"Thank you for a great day... for a few hours I almost forgot about all this... I'm sorry I brought this up... I'm sorry." Amber grabbed her jacket and headed out of the restaurant and into the street. 

Cade grabbed his jacket and followed Amber, she was half way down the street.  He grabbed a hold of her and turned her towards him, "Hey, hey..."

"I'm sorry, I'm really sorry Cade...." she started sobbing and he drew her to him.  He could feel her shaking as the tears fell down from her lovely face, the unresolved trauma that he could only imagine.  He was suddenly angry, angry wasn't the word at all, he was furious, if he ever got hold of the man... no... what man would do this to a woman?  Why would a man be compelled to hit a woman, why would he hit a woman?  

"Let's take you home," Cade said hugging her towards him.

***

Millie opened the door to Amber's tear stricken face, her puffy red eyes, "What the hell did you do to her?" She said through clenched teeth. 

"He didn't do anything Millie... he was an absolute gentleman," Amber said exhaling, "Leave it." 

"Leave it?  You've been crying," Millie pointed out the obvious. 

"Of course, it's the story of my life isn't it?" Amber said, shaking her head, willing the memories to subside. She turned towards Cade, kissing him softly on the cheek, "Thank you for everything tonight."  She smiled and walked into the house, leaving Millie and Cade standing awkwardly outside. 

"So you were the perfect gentleman?"  Millie eyed the man standing in front of her, despite him standing a few steps down, he still managed to be taller then her.

"Of course,"  Cade replied. 

"Then why is she crying?"  Millie said. 

"I wouldn't be a gentleman if I kissed and told you, would I?  It was nice to meet you Millie, good night," Cade said turning and went down  the stairs. 

"Seems like an honorable man by the sounds of it," Liam said as he watched his wife close the front door. 

"Well, I'm not willing to put all my eggs in one basket,"  Millie replied, "Did she go upstairs?" 

"Wouldn't it be best to leave her to her own devices tonight? Besides, you have to help me run through lines tonight Mrs Blake," Liam said clutching her hand. 

"I'm becoming a bit of a mother hen, aren't I?"  Millie said. 

"Too much, you've gotta give the girl room to breathe, be herself... I know you mean well Mills but in order for her to move forward, you gotta give her some leeway,  this is not leeway, if you're constantly in her face. We know you mean well and we have her back but she's a woman and a strong one, once she figures it out... it'll be fine," Liam said as he tugged his wife towards the couch. 

***

Amber made sure to have all the kitchen utensils out of the way... she was afraid.  She was afraid for herself and her unborn baby.  She had steadily started to tape the knives down in the drawers, giving herself precious seconds to move out of the way in case things got out of hand.  She never knew things could, until one night a few weeks ago when Dan had got home after hitting the bars with his mates and moaned about something trivial at work and then taking the whisk of all things and hitting her profusely with it.   It had been her arms that she had used to protect her, after the bruises had turned to mere smudges, she could see the damage which was left... the very thought of it made the coldness creep up her spine and the chill never leaving her bones.  She'd never been so afraid in her life.   If Amber had to explain why everything was taped down, she would explain it... she had to be strong... she had to protect what was hers now.  It wasn't just her life, it was her baby's too. 

"Didn't you hear me?!"  his hoarse voice penetrated her thoughts like a knife. 

"Dan," Amber looked up from the kitchen drawer as she closed it. 

"Who else you expecting?" he said. 

"No... no one at all, I was just caught by surprise that was all,"  Amber told herself to keep calm, "I was... um... how was your day today?" 

He slithered towards her, his eyes never leaving her face.  Amber couldn't help but step back with every approach, "You're not scared of me are you?"  He lifted his finger and watched as she jumped at his approach, "Oh you are- you shouldn't fear me Amber."  He turned around, "You've got nothing to fear."  His voice taking on a softer serene tone, a tone she had once heard before... but before she could think about his knuckles made contact with her face and the sheer blunt force had her head snapping back and her feet disappearing out of her.  It came to quick, she hadn't had time to prepare to land and landed on her back, missing the dining room table.  He came above her and she tried to use her hands as a shield to protect her baby, he batter her, batter her but not her baby.  The constant kicking and punching, had the life force taken away from her.  It was strange, it was like her soul was ebbing it's way out of her body and was watching from outside of the situation, a silent spectator to the scene.  It was pain emanating from her stomach that brought her back to the moment and screamed like she'd never screamed before... and then she saw the blood, the blood coming from her vagina... the metallic taste of blood in her mouth... she screamed one final scream, saw his eyes widen and then her head hit the floor once again and all she saw was the ceiling and administered herself to the angels, so be it.  

Amber woke up from her bad dream, clutching her stomach.  The silent tears streaming down her face, she didn't want to alarm Millie again. She was bathed in her own sweat and she walked to the bathroom, her legs like jelly and showered, the water scolding... yet her bones were brittle-cold.  She quickly dried herself with the fluffy towel and put on jeans and a jumper, she was heading down to the kitchen for a glass of water when the cell phone on her bedside table came to life.  She walked over and it was a text message, she clicked the envelope icon and the message appeared; 

Can't sleep to be honest- was up reading and was

thinking of you. Had a great time with you 

yesterday. Sleep tight. 

C :) 

Amber smiled more to herself then for the text message, she texted back;

Me too. What are you reading? 

The text message came back almost immediately;

A Long Walk To Freedom: The Autobiography of Nelson Mandela

Amber's eyes widened... could his brain cells function at this time of night... it wasn't exactly light reading- she texted back;

Fancy a coffee, at the usual?  

You could tell me about it? 

The text message was instantaneous;

Sure :)  

Give me fifteen minutes and I'll be there. 

Cade :D

Amber pocketed her phone into her pocket and crept downstairs.  Thirsty, she poured herself a glass of water from the water dispenser and took a gulp.  Her mouth was dry.  She put the glass in the sink and then walked over to the couch and put on her converses.  She was excited, excitement didn't come natural to her but she was excited.  Excited to see him, which took her by surprise, but it was a surprise she was willing to partake in.  And excited because she hadn't felt excited in a very long time.  Her phone buzzed and he  was parked outside.  She quietly opened the front door, making sure she had her keys and closed the door quietly.  He was standing on the pavement in chinos, a cable knit blue jumper and his hair was unkempt. 

"Are you okay to walk?" Cade asked. 

"I thought you'd never ask," Amber smiled.  As they walked side by side to the coffee shop a few blocks down. 

Amber's Advocate

Chapter Eight

Issues Again



Cade saw the top of her head, her red halo of thick hair before he saw her sitting down on the bench.  Her face was turned away from him, she was staring at something beyond the activity in the park and he wondered what she was thinking.  He'd been wondering a lot about her, the last couple of days. Too much, which he didn't want to admit, even to himself.   She was dressed casually as promised in regular black jeans and white Converses and was wearing a blouse with a beige cardi and was clutching a jacket.  She looked ethereal.  She must have sensed him staring at her and turned round that minute,  her face was void of make-up, which shocked him.  Not in a bad way of course, in a good way.  It made him think of what she would look like when she woke in the morning.  He approached her and she stood up.

"Sorry I'm late," they both say simultaneously and they both laughed.

"Are you ready to go?" Cade smiles. 

"Sure, what have you got planned?" Amber asks, as she follows Cade out of the park.

"I hope you like to get your hands dirty," Cade quipped. 

"Dirty? I'm not sure if I like the sound of that," Amber says hesitantly.

"Trust me, you'll enjoy it," Cade smiles, "I've just parked my car outside, they're expecting us in half an hour."

"Who's expecting us in half an hour?" Amber says as she gets into the Audi.

***

"When you said I was going to get my hands dirty, I didn't realise you meant this..." Amber smiled in glee, as she looked up at the giraffe who was currently eating acacia leaves from her hands. 

"Well, I wasn't about to tell you we were going to the zoo, was I?  It would spoil the surprise," Cade smiled.  He too was participating in the activities.

"So how do you get an 'in' in here?"  Amber asked.

"I used to work here," Cade replied, "This was my first job, the pay wasn't great but I didn't mind.  I love working with animals."

"Who doesn't.  So what do you do for a living as you don't obviously work here anymore?" Amber asked.

"I work as a senior writer at a magazine," Cade replied.

"Oh yeah and how did you know passion was the thing for you, when you thought animals were?" Amber asked.

"I kind of fell into it... I mostly get shoved into most things without a bare thought and it worked for me, been with it ever since," Cade replied.  

"So, you mostly fall into things... are most of the things you've fallen into, been worth it?" Amber asked.

"Yes, I'd say so.  What's the point of sitting back and not taking the risks?  There's just no point in living.  We'd all be going snail trail otherwise." Cade replied, he watched as his words sunk in and her face went slack and then her complexion turned another shade of pale, "Are you okay?"

"Fine, why wouldn't I be?" she replied, a bit too quickly. She was on her guard, he could tell... which only made him that more curious, "What's next?" 

"That's up to you, the birds, the penguins..." Cade smiled.

"Great, can't wait!" Amber said genuinely. 

*

A few hours later, Amber watched as Cade said goodbye to his friends at London Zoo.  It had been a momentous day for sure, the weather was beautiful and warm and she had been welcomed into the zoo, like she'd worked there prior to her visit.  They were so welcoming and accommodating and she found herself warming towards all of them.  She'd especially watched Cade's interaction with the older members of the team and knew instantly that he was a gentle person.  She'd especially observed the way he was with the animals, he was gentle as gentle gets and it did something funny inside her. 

She had been won over by his finesse as well, when it came to lunch, he'd asked her to meet him outside the butterfly house.  Standing like an awkward teenager, she'd waited ten minutes and he'd arrived with a brown paper bag. 

"I brought a tuna melt and a chicken pesto panini with two cokes and a water, you can choose whatever you want and I'll have what's left over," Cade had said, "I hope you don't mind having lunch in the butterfly house.  Something exciting to watch whilst we mull over lunch."

Of course, Amber was starving.  She had forgotten about her food as she had been mesmerised by how beautiful the butterflies were.  The butterfly house was more like a green house stationed away from the main zoo, there were tropical butterflies and British varieties but Amber was in awe at how beautiful it all was.  She couldn't help but look at the man sitting beside her, getting stuck into the tuna melt.  The day was going from strength to strength and in a very long time, she was optimistic.  She was curious about the man, who wouldn't be.  This was a first of many firsts and she couldn't quite contain herself.  She couldn't lie to herself, she was drawing comparisons... comparisons to Rick.  Yet Cade blew Rick right out of the water on 'first dates'.  A bar and restaurant just didn't compete with feeding the animals at London Zoo and then having lunch in the butterfly house.  She was seeing a whole different side to this man, someone she was willing to invest more time in.

"Ready to go?" Cade said, breaking into Amber's thoughts. 

She nodded back and he guided her outside, towards the car.  It was five in the afternoon, a bit too early for dinner and her stomach growled.

"You hungry? You didn't eat much at lunch," Cade commented.

"I couldn't," Amber replied, "I was distracted by the butterflies. I loved the butterflies."

"You can always come back if you want," Cade offered.

"I'd like that," Amber smiled back.  She was silent for a while, before she spoke up again, "Thank you."

"Thank you for what?" Cade asked, as he opened the passenger door of his car.  

"For the experience, for the butterflies... you don't know... how..." the words were lost on her. 

Cade smiled, "Don't thank me just yet, the day isn't over.  I noticed you didn't really eat much food- my fault really, the butterflies and all, do you fancy a Shawarma?"

"Those greasy things on a stick?" Amber asked.

"Trust me, you don't know what you're missing,"  Cade smiled, as he shut the door after her.

*

Amber watched as Cade was greeted by the restaurant owner and his staff with open arms, or more or less a big bear hug.  They directed him to a quiet table in the corner by a fire place where Turkish trinkets hung from the ceiling and comfy cushions were adorned all over the seats.  Amber felt like she'd stepped into a whole different country. 

"They seem to know you in here," she commented. 

"I wrote an article about this place and they've had full on business since then,"  Cade smiled, "I can guarantee that whatever you order on the menu, will be the best Turkish food you have ever eaten. You must be starving."

"I am actually, what's good here?" Amber asked.

"Everything..." Cade replied.

"That really narrows it down Cade,"  Amber laughed.

"Would you like me to order several platters and you can eat off all of them?" Cade offered.

"Please," Amber smiled, "What are you drinking?" 

"I usually have a beer or some red wine for the meat, but I'm driving, so it'll be some water... but on my account, please order something," Cade smiled.

"I'll have water too," and she put down the menu.

"So Amber, tell me something that most people don't know about you?" Cade asked.

"What is it you want to know?" Amber said hesistantly.

"Well, that's why I asked the question... to get to know you," Cade replied gently, "Okay, I'll let you in on a secret... I don't dislike you."

Amber laughed, "That's a relief."

"I hope you didn't go into this date thinking I disliked you surely?" Cade leaned forward, clasping his hands together and watching her.

"We didn't exactly start on the same page, did we? How is Bryan by the way?" Amber asked.

"Bryan's fine..."  Cade didn't really want to talk about his mate who was currently dating one of his co-workers.  One of the waiters approached them and he gave them their order and they were left alone.

"I wanted to apologise to Bryan that night, y'know when he tried to talk to me... to apologise for my behaviour, you were right, sometimes I just don't know, I just can't see... I'm not a very good judge of character... I know that all too well..." Amber looked down at her hands, why was she even going down that road? She tried to will away the tears and looked up to see Cade's hand by her face, she flinched back as if his touch scolded her. The look of terror in her eyes.

"I wasn't going to hurt you Amber... I just wanted you to look at me," Cade said gently, disturbed by the look in her eyes.

"Where are the bathrooms?"  Amber said on her feet.

"Just through the double doors there," Cade frowned, "Are you okay?"

Amber nodded and wove her way towards the bathrooms.

*

Cade was rifling through his emails when Amber returned to her seat. 

"Sorry about that," she apologised.

"Don't be, I hope everything is okay?" Cade asked.

"I hope so," Amber said.

"Would you like to talk about it?  I'm a good listener, I might be able to help.  I would like to think we were established friends now," Cade offered.

Amber's smile was grim, "It's all I ever do... is talk about it... for once in my life I just want to forget about it... everything. Have you ever been like that?"

"Sure, haven't we all... but I tend to tackle things head on, I just don't like festering... festering is what kills it for me.  Sometimes the best course of action is accepting it," Cade offered.

"How do you accept something that was beyond your control but it still manages to resonate with you... I still feel as lost as ever... you're probably wasting your time sitting here with me with this nutcase, me!" 

"If it was beyond your control before, then you'd have to get control of it now, you've just got to get back in the driving seat... no bullshitting..." 

"Even if I'm a victim of domestic abuse and he left me for dead... almost," Amber bravely said, interrupting Cade's advice. 



Amber's Advocate

Chapter Seven

Surprises

"Say what? Abercombie asked you out? How did that happen?" Millie leaned against the kitchen counter, clutching a cup of coffee, the following morning, "You're not considering going out with him are you?  You really ought to take your time Amber and you can't forget what he said to you that night with Fitch, which brought on that massive panic attack... is this even sensible?"

"She's not a kid Mills," Liam spoke upon entering the kitchen in just grey sweats, clutching an iPad. He kissed his wife, "I say, go for it, what have you got to lose? You don't owe him but he's obviously made an impression on you, otherwise why would you be passing it through Mills."

"That's true, I never considered it like that," Amber replied, "I don't know yet."

"Do it! He may actually be good for you... obviously you'll never know that, if you're just lying around here doing nothing," Liam joked.

"Liam, you're really not helping the situation," Millie glared at him.

"I'm not out to help the situation, I'm here to help Amber.  She obviously wants in but is to scared to make that leap.," Liam looks seriously at Amber, "I say, you should go for it.  What have you got to lose? Either way, you'll find out whether he's worth it or not." 

***

Cade sat on the bench around the corner from where Amber lived with Millie and Liam in the town house in Chelsea.  If he leaned forward, he could just about see it.  He'd been sitting here for twenty minutes, phone in hand and he was casually dressed.  If casual was his worn jeans, leather jacket and a checkered shirt, he'd go so far as to say he was casual smart.  He didn't want to come across as a complete lazy tosser by wearing sweat pants on the first day, but hey, he'd like to make a good impression.  He even wore his smart trainers, they'd be doing a lot of walking today and he wanted to be comfortable.

The sky was the bluest he'd seen in a long time, he was always indoors working, to really appreciate the sky, the sun. Today was going to be a day of firsts, in a long time.  He was going to appreciate the city, which he hadn't in a while.  And the even better, he was going to enjoy figuring out Amber.

He looked at his watch, she was five minutes late.  He hoped she was coming, otherwise it would be a very lonely day.

***

"Damn! I'm late," exclaimed Amber as she flicked the eyeliner brush and applied some blusher.

"What's the big deal, you said you weren't bothered about this," Millie chipped in.

"I'm not," Amber replied, "But sometimes it pays to make an effort and I don't exactly want to turn up looking haggard."

"You don't look haggard,"  Millie said, whilst sitting on the bed watching Amber, "Whatever gave you that impression?"

"I don't know... I'm not exactly what you call 'beautiful' am I?" Amber said, looking at herself in the mirror.

"Beautiful is not conventional... and you are not conventional.   You look much prettier without all that slap, y'know," Millie objected.

"Slap being the make up right? I really ought to get used to you Brits and your slang words," Amber said, getting a facial wipe and clearing off the make up.  She applied sunscreen and put on a bit of tint, a stroke of bronzer and some clear lip gloss and hoped for the best. 

"Y'know slap is better when it doesn't look like slap... like how you've done it now," Millie observed.

"Do I look okay?" Amber spun around.

Millie smiled, "You look great.  You're nervous aren't you?"

"Can you tell?" Amber frowned.

"This is a big step and I'm going to be a supportive friend... I should have been at the beginning.  I just don't want you..."

Amber put her hands up, "I don't want to think about it anymore... I just want to get on with my life. Wish me luck!"

"Good luck," Millie called out after her, as she ran out of the house.

The sunlight was blinding as she skipped down the stairs and towards the park.  It was warm and maybe she had overcompensated with the layers she'd worn.  She couldn't help herself, she was always cold, no matter the weather.  She took off her jeans jacket and strode over to the park, where she had arranged with Cade she would meet him.  The park was a buzz with activity, families were scattered around playing all sorts of throw-and-catch games.  Amber looked at the bench beside the entrance and noticed a couple kissing, they were sucking each others faces... wasn't that where Cade said he would be waiting, to meet her?  She peered closer at the man and realised it wasn't Cade and she breathed a sigh of relief.  She edged closer into the centre of the park and eyed the faces, none of them vaguely resembling Cade. 

The sun was shining, causing flickering light beams on the lake, making her squint in the daylight.  And then she noticed him.  He was helping out a little boy and they were both crouched down by the edge.  Cade had a branch in one hand, whilst the other was shielding the little boy from falling into the pond.  Something tugged at her and she couldn't help but watch.  Cade managed to move the football towards them and the football bounced in the water and into the boys hands.  She could clearly see the delight written all over the little boy's face and then watched as the mother of the little boy, thanked Cade profusely.  Amber turned on her heel and went back to their arranged meeting spot, thankfully the couple had disappeared and she took a seat, patiently waiting for him to come back.

Amber's Advocate

Chapter Six

Proposal

Amber stared at the ceiling, she was accustomed to looking at ceilings especially as she'd stared at the same one numerous times before, when her posture obviously couldn't take the force anymore and she'd stumble and hit the floor.  She remembered having the breathe stolen from her and the numbness sinking into her nerve endings.  She exhaled, blinking back the images as well as the emotions welling up inside her. 

"Up you get." The strong arms of her Krav Maga instructor as he set her on her feet and carried on explaining ways to defend and deter danger. 

Amber listened intently, she wanted to soak up as much information as humanly possible.  She was afraid but she was tired of playing the 'afraid' card.  If Rick was released on parole, she wanted to be ready.  If he wanted to play dirty, so could she.  She was the only woman in the class and was always picked to do demonstrations, usually she found herself on the floor most times but in order for her to learn, she would have to start from rock bottom... the floor.  The session was over, she grabbed her bags and scurried out of the class.  She badly needed a pick me up, a fruity drink to calm her beating heart and a couple of minutes to gain back her breathe.  Heading to the smoothie bar, she chose a strawberry and mango shake and sat down by the window.  Staring out into the street, watching the every day people going about their day to day lives and then she heard her name.  She heard it again and spun around to see Cade in sweats and an a hoodie which revealed a glimpse of his hairless chest.  He had his gym bag in his hand and his hair was damp from what she gathered must have been a shower.

"Funny seeing you here," he smiled warmly looking towards the empty seat, waiting for an invitation. 

He was met with silence.

"I'm sorry... did you want to...?"  Amber whispered.

"Never thought you'd ask," he grinned as he took the seat in front of her, "What did you go on?"

"Go on?" Amber replied, her mind not with her, as usual.

"The gym equipment.  What did you use?"  he asked.

"I don't really use the machines here,"  Amber replied.

"Oh, then you must have been at one of the classes then... let me guess... you're a Zumba girl.  I can't say I'm a Zumba girl myself but hey, there's a first and last time for everything," he quipped. He was rewarded with a giggle and he smiled, "Y'know you look beautiful when your eyes light up like that."

Amber smiled a shy thanks, "What did you do here?"

"Apart from trying to get fit and getting rid of my gut... not much else.  Are you waiting on another class? Or are you good to talk?" Cade replied. 

"I've just finished my class and just having a breather before I head off home, you?" Amber asked lightly.

"Not sure, I've got a couple of days off, so I'm trying to decide what to do with my time.  Any recommendations?"  Cade asked, trying to gage conversation.  He hadn't wanted to do much with his time off, but having seen Amber from across the room, an idea struck him.  He was intrigued.  There was something intriguing about her- he didn't know whether it was because she didn't disclose what she did, that made him want to peel the layers.  From where he was sitting, she definitely had a body, even if it was dressed in layers of sweats.  

"I'm sure there are galleries and museums to amuse you," Amber replied getting up.

Cade watched as she prepared to leave, collecting her things and dumping her smoothie into the bin. he stayed sitting, "Can I take you to lunch tomorrow?"

Amber stopped and turned around, "Lunch?"

"Dinner is too pretentious, lunch is easy going... no pressure, so what do you say?" Cade said, still seated.

"Is this a date?" Amber asked.

"Just lunch with a mate, not unless you want it to be... it's on your terms... but I'd like the company, for lunch tomorrow," he stood up and walked towards her, "What do you say?"

Amber's Advocate

Chapter Five

Stirrings

He was woken by the repetitive noise from the cell next door, every day he spent here he grew with his anger but they didn't know, because he chose to conceal it.  He was supreme in keeping his anger locked up elsewhere, away from educated know-it-alls who'd asked him plenty of questions about his past, his mother, his father and why he was the way he was but he fooled and schooled them all.  He exuded a quiet confidence and he tricked them with his foolery.  That little bitch was going to pay and when he found her, he would do more then just make her bleed... he was going to make her pay for shutting him in.  Of course, he had to devise a plan and with plans they needed time and management.  He could wait, he'd been here coming to three months and each day was the same; the same routine, the same miserable faces but faces he knew, were hungry... hungry for revenge and in that respect, he knew he wasn't alone. 

*

Amber clutched the mug for dear life, as if it were her safety net, her barrier against the man sitting in front of her.  They'd been sitting here for half an hour and she had expected it to be unpleasant but it was the complete opposite.  She had to admit to herself that he was a beautiful specimen of a man- but she told herself she wasn't ready to go down that road, not now and not in the foreseeable future.  He had been doing most of the talking and she knew he'd done it to make her feel comfortable that there wasn't pressure for her to speak but of course, she always felt pressure.  She felt pressure every waking day, for once she just wanted to forget.

"Hey!  Enough about me... tell me something about yourself?" he asked, his hazel eyes taking on a darker hue as they probed hers gently. 

"I'm not all that exciting."  Yes, keep your sentences to a minimum- don't let him get too close. 

"Why don't you let me be the judge of that," he smiled.

Silence. 

"Okay, if you don't want to talk about yourself right now, how about you tell me how you know Millie?"  Cade asked, taking a sip of his coffee.

"She's my friend," Amber replied.

"Yes, I know that... but how did you two meet?"  Cade asked.

"We have mutual friends," Amber replied, she looked out the window. 

"Are you trying to be evasive on purpose?"  Cade quipped, there was 'mysterious' and then there was down right 'secretive' and Amber was both and then some.  There was also a look of vulnerability about her too but he wasn't going to pry and he wasn't going to beg.  So, he fell into silence, appreciating the quietness.  They had been sitting there for ten minutes before she spoke. 

"I better go,"  she got up. 

"Let me walk you,"  Cade said, putting some change on the table and following her as she made her way out. 


Amber wrapped her cardigan closer to herself, feeling the slight chill.  It was warm but she always felt the cold no matter where she was.  Suddenly she felt something settle on her shoulders and she flinched.

"I thought you might be cold," Cade whispered, as he walked with her.

"I am... thanks," Amber replied, tugging the material closer.  She walked the remainder of the way home in silence with him walking beside her.  Strange, but she felt safer when he was around but she didn't want to depend on him, especially as this was the first time she'd properly spoken to him, who knows what kind of person he could be and what secrets he could be carrying.  It brought her back to when she first met Rick.  He'd been rowdy with a couple of his friends at a bar in Tribeca, New York and Rick had hitted on anything that could justify a skirt.  She had entered the bar with Millie at the time, brought her to one of her favourite haunts- only to have a bunch of rowdy men acting like pubescent teenagers.  Amber had gotten right up in Rick's face and demolished him with her feistiness.  Somehow he took thrill out of being told what do by a woman and charmed the socks off her and lest be known, he'd persuaded her to go on a date with her. 

The sound of Cade's voice broke her out of her reverie, if you could call it that.  Most days when she revisited the past, she did it with a heavy heart.  She couldn't seem to surpass it.  Millie had said it would take time, so did her therapist. 

"Sorry, what did you say?"  Amber asked.  She saw his lips moving but she didn't catch what he'd said the first time.

"You stopped, I presumed this is where you lived," Cade said looking at the Town House, "Nice building though."

Amber was about to reply when someones voice cut through the conversation.

"Hey Amber!"

Amber looked straight ahead and saw Sam stepping out of a big black SUV, "Hi Sam!"  The petite yet curvaceous woman walked towards them.  She was dressed casually in jeans and trainers and wore a T-shirt, "Where've you come from?"

"Oh, just returned from a weekend with the girls, who's...?" Sam looked up at the man standing beside Amber.

"Oh sorry, Sam this is Cade... a friend... Cade this is Sam, our next door neighbour,"  Amber said.

They both shook hands and Sam said goodnight and disappeared up the steps. 

Cade turned back towards Amber and stood there quietly.

Amber shrugged and peeled off his jacket, "Thank you for this."

"No problem," Cade smiled.

"Thanks for the company, I'll see you around. Good night,"  and Amber disappeared up the stairs. 

Cade waited until she was inside before he walked home- a sudden spring in his step.