Autumn found the new song tricky, but interesting. After her teacher left, Autumn ended up spending more time on it until her tablet buzzed. She looked to see it was the chef. He wanted to know what she wanted for dinner. Autumn asked if she would be dining alone and he texted yes.
Autumn sighed, but she ordered herself some steak and pasta. After the chef verified her order, Autumn looked over her tablet to see a new event had been added by Cage a few days ago. It was set for tomorrow night and simply said opera. Autumn smiled when she saw it and played a few happy songs on the piano before her tablet told her it was time for dinner.
She read a book as she ate, and continued to read for a few hours in her garden. She watched a movie before bed and nearly passed out on her couch. When she climbed into bed it was late. The next morning she woke a little after ten. Autumn changed her plans around, seeing as she was going to the opera. She decided to do some gardening. She knew she should catch up on its maintenance, seeing as she had been away for a week.
She scheduled a painting class after lunch and allowed herself time to paint until it was time to get ready for the opera. As Autumn changed for the garden she became excited thinking about it. She wondered what she was going to wear. She wondered if she would be picking out her own dress or if it would be picked for her again.
She texted Cage on her tablet, asking him if she should pick something up or if he was going to surprise her. He didn’t text her back. She worked in the garden for nearly an hour, pulling weeds and taking care of the flowers and plants. She checked out her vegetables and saw some of them were nearly ripe. She picked out a carrot to test it and to see how it tasted. One of the rabbits hopped by and she broke the carrot up and shared it with him. Poppi rushed over. She was happy that he seemed more interested in the carrot than the rabbit, so she gave the rest of it to him.
When it was time for lunch she cleaned up and had some sandwiches. After she was finished eating she went to her classroom. It had been set up for her painting class. The teacher taught her a new technique and after she practiced a bit she decided to start a new piece.
He asked her what she would like to paint, and Autumn thought to paint the balcony from the party. She wanted to paint the fireworks, or even the way Cage looked, but she didn’t think she was that good yet. Instead, she decided to just stick with the balcony and the night sky with stars and the moon.
Autumn wasn’t sure how it would turn out, but she was eager to get started. She splashed several different colors on her canvas as she made the night sky and then got to work on the balcony. She listened to some music and soon she lost track of time. Before she knew it her tablet was beeping that it was time to clean up. Autumn had to stop painting and hurried to get clean.
When she got to her room she found that some shoes and a dress box had been delivered. She assumed that this was Cage’s answer to her earlier text. She wanted to check the dress out, but she didn’t want to risk getting it dirty. She disrobed, quickly jumping into the shower. She scrubbed the paint off her skin and fingernails before she got out and dried off.
She put on a long fluffy robe as her dinner arrived. She had ordered something filling, but light, just in case they went out afterwards. She quickly ate her dinner before she began to dry her hair. When her hair was only slightly damp, Autumn rushed to the box and opened it. She saw the most elegant gown sitting inside, wrapped in thin paper.
She quickly pulled it from the box. Putting it in front of her, she twirled around the room with it. She ran up to her full length mirror to see how it would look on her. She couldn’t decide which dress she liked more now as she smiled. She thought the one at the party had been amazing, but this one was incredible. She quickly put on a slip and garter belt, before finding out that this dress also fit like a glove. She took a few moments to feel the fabric on her skin before she messed with her hair, seeing how she’d like to wear it.
It took her nearly half an hour to get her hair and makeup done. With each step she took to get ready she got more and more excited. With a few minutes to spare she put her thigh high stockings on, connecting them to her garter belt. Then, one foot at a time, she put on the delicate shoes that had come with the dress. They matched perfectly and felt snug on her feet. All dressed and ready to go, Autumn took a few minutes to admire herself in the mirror before she left the room.
Her bodyguards were waiting outside her room and seemed surprised by her appearance. They whispered something over their radios. Autumn assumed they were telling Cage she was ready. They followed her as she made her way to the elevators to wait for him. Several minutes passed as she waited and she wondered what was taking him so long.
Usually he was already here. She guessed he might be running late and would come out of his rooms or his office ready to go. Perhaps he might be down at the car, but if that were the case the guards would take her down. Autumn bit her lip, wondering if something was wrong.
A few seconds later Autumn saw the lights on the elevator glow. Someone was coming up. She let out a sigh of relief, thinking it was Cage. However, when the doors opened, it was Lane that stepped out. She looked at Autumn all dressed up and said, “Oh, right, that’s what I forgot to cancel.”
She quickly texted something on her phone before stepping up to Autumn. “I’m sorry, this is my mistake. I forgot to tell you earlier. Regretfully, Cage had to cancel your plans for tonight's opera. All of this business has taken him longer then he’d like. He promises to make it up to you when he gets back.”
All of the excitement and joy Autumn had been feeling slowly drained from her as she stared at Lane. She felt like a deflated balloon as her air slowly left her. Lane smiled at her politely. Autumn thought about what Lane had said. It was like getting a message from an answering machine. Autumn assumed Lane probably had to cancel for Cage all the time, so she had a script down flat. It felt so impersonal, as if Autumn could have been just anyone.
It was rare for Cage to cancel on her and she found it strange. In fact, in this moment, she couldn't recall him ever canceling on her. Whenever he made plans for them, he was always there. Autumn couldn’t help but worry now as she asked, “Where is he?”
“On business.” said Lane, with her polite fake smile.
It wasn’t what Autumn meant. She wanted to know where he was. She knew he was on business, but where was he on business at? Autumn looked at Lane. She had a feeling Lane wouldn’t tell her so she asked, “When will he return?”
“Soon.” said Lane.
Autumn was getting frustrated by Lane's lack of real answers. “When is soon?”
“Not very long.” said Lane.
Autumn couldn’t believe Lane wouldn’t give her a date or a time span. She just had more words to describe the same thing she’d already told her. Autumn sighed and asked, “Can I speak to him?”
“No.” said Lane, looking at her cell phone. “He’s very busy.”
Autumn had a feeling something was going on, but she couldn’t be sure. Lane seemed perfectly calm. Surely if something had happened to Cage she would show some sign of worry. This whole place would probably be in chaos. But nothing seemed out of the ordinary. Autumn bit her lip and sighed. She didn’t like not knowing what was going on. Maybe she was just disappointed that Cage had canceled on her, but she had the feeling that something was very wrong.
Lane excused herself and left to do some business elsewhere. Autumn stood in front of the elevator for a few minutes, all dressed up with no place to go. She sighed once more before she slowly made her way back to her room. She attempted to tell herself that nothing was going on. That nothing was wrong. She had to understand that Cage was a busy man and he wouldn’t always be able to keep his word. Just because this was the first date he’d canceled didn’t make it the end of the world. She was sure there would be many more cancellations in the future.
Autumn left her bodyguards at the door to her room. She slowly wiped off her makeup. She undid her hair, but when it came time to take
off the dress she didn’t. Instead, she laid in her bed for several minutes watching TV before she picked up her tablet. She ordered some sushi and ice cream since she’d had a light supper. When it arrived she ate it while watching a movie. Poppi seemed to know she was upset and snuggled with her. When the movie was over she slowly took off her dress. She folded it in the box before changing into her nightgown. She put the dress box and shoes on a chair in the corner.
Before she went to sleep she picked up her tablet and thought to text Cage. It took her several minutes to figure out what she wanted to say. In the end she texted,
'Hey, what’s up? Where are you? Text me when you get a sec…'
Autumn wasn't sure if she should have texted him, but she wanted to make sure he was okay. She turned off her lights and went to bed. She found it hard to sleep that night as she tossed and turned in bed. She hadn’t realized how much she'd wanted to go to the opera, and she found it strange she was missing Cage so much. He’d been gone longer than this before and she hadn’t cared. So what did it matter? She closed her eyes and told herself over and over that it didn’t matter until she finally fell asleep.
The next morning she woke up before nine and checked her tablet to see if Cage had texted her. When he hadn’t she wondered if he was really that busy. Maybe he didn’t have a minute to spare. Maybe he didn’t have his phone with him, or it wasn’t charged. Still, even if all that were true, Lane had to have talked to him by now. He had to know Autumn wanted him to contact her.
Autumn’s mind raced as she ate her breakfast that morning. She wondered just what business he was doing as she took her shower. She found herself distracted all through her dance class. Her teacher had to tell her to focus more than a few times. After dance class she told herself that even if Cage wasn’t okay there was nothing she could do so it did her no good to worry.
Autumn made an effort to focus on the rest of her day. She worked with Poppi and the dog trainer up until lunch. They built him a little obstacle course, training him to jump through hoops. The dog trainer praised Autumn for working with Poppi. She was happy to see they were communicating a lot better. Autumn thanked the trainer for working with them.
Autumn had lunch in her garden. Even though Poppi was tired from training, he still had enough energy to chase down the other animals. Autumn laughed when she saw Poppi chasing one of the birds, only to have a squirrel come up right behind him while he was distracted.
After lunch, Autumn watched another movie. When the alarm on her tablet went off she rushed to it, thinking Cage might have responded. Maybe he was even back and wanted to see her. However, when she read the message on her tablet, she found it was time to go on her outing. She was supposed to go play mini-golf.
Autumn got dressed slowly, thinking Lane was going to cancel it like she’d canceled her date to the opera. Surely if Cage were still away on business her outing would be canceled, right? When Autumn was finished getting dressed she went to the elevators with two of her bodyguards. When they got there one of her guards swiped his card and entered a number. The elevator arrived and she was taken to the mini-golf course.
Autumn wondered if this meant Cage was back. She almost wanted to just take a quick look at the mini-golf course before heading back to the tower. She wanted to see Cage and find out what he’d been up to. However, she didn’t want to seem too eager. She didn’t want him to think she’d just be waiting for him to return. So she did her best to enjoy herself.
It was her first outing by herself and, as she stood in line to get her ball and club, she felt sad. Penna had been the one to suggest miniature golf. They had planned to play it together. And now…now she was alone. The bodyguards weren’t allowed to play, and even if Adel were around she wouldn’t have played anyway.
Autumn told herself she should be happy that she was by herself. There was no one to tell her how long she could stay or what she could do. This was all her and, in a sense, she could do what she wanted. Autumn set up for the first hole. As she putted it onto the green she thought of Penna. She knew if Penna were here, she’d want Autumn to have fun.
For nearly an hour Autumn let herself relax and enjoy the game. She had so much fun that she thought she might like to come back a few more times. Maybe she could even get good at it. Maybe when she was a pro she could even invite Cage out and actually beat him at something.
When Autumn was done she added up her score card. She didn’t think she did too bad. She considered going home but instead signed up for another round. The thought of beating Cage at something was just too enticing. This time it took her less than an hour to complete the entire course and she did much better. As a reward she treated herself to some ice cream and took a stroll in the nearby park. Her guards were with her the entire time, watching for every little thing. When the midday sun came and went Autumn decided it was time to go home.
When she got home she wondered if Cage was there. She debated showing him her score card, but she didn’t want to give him any time to practice. No, she wanted to surprise him. She decided she’d just pop by his office and say hi. When she got there the door was still shut. Autumn knocked on it loudly. She waited a few minutes before she knocked again, and then again.
When no one answered she pressed her ear up to the door and listened for any sounds. Then she turned the handle. It was locked. Autumn bit her lip as she realized Cage must still be out. But surely he had to be back. He’d let her go on her outing, so he had to be around somewhere. Autumn wondered where he could be and what he could be doing.
She went to her garden and spent the rest of the afternoon there. At dinner she had two glasses of wine and read a book. When she was finished eating she read in her room until she was tired. In bed she wondered if Cage would ever text her, and just when was he coming back. She looked at the painted stars on her ceiling and wondered again if he was really alright.
The next morning she woke late and it was raining. There was still no sign of Cage. Autumn texted Lane on her tablet. She asked Lane if Cage was back, telling her she wanted to see him. It took Lane an hour to text her back but she said he was still gone. Autumn texted her back asking if she could ask Cage to text her. Throughout the day Autumn thought of Cage as she did some crafts and played with puzzles.
Before dinner she played with Poppi for over an hour, throwing his ball around the garden. She even stacked some boxes for him to jump over. He seemed to like the extra challenge and almost didn’t want to stop. When it was time for dinner Autumn ate alone before playing the piano.
For nearly two hours she played all the songs she could think of. Many of them were sad ones. She wondered why Cage wouldn’t just text her to let her know he was okay. She would be happy if he told her he was busy or to just relax. After a while she found it weird that she wanted to contact him.
She told herself she didn’t care about him. She told herself she didn’t feel anything. So why? Why did she feel so much when he was gone? Maybe because he had been the one constant in her life these last two years. Maybe because after Penna had gone they had bonded and she’d found something in him that was almost human.
Autumn rested her head on the piano and sighed. She tried to tell herself he was an ass, a jerk for making her worry. He was probably wining and dining people right now and didn’t have the time to write her because it was too much of a hassle. Maybe he was fucking other women again. Maybe Autumn hadn’t been enough to sate his appetite. Maybe he wasn’t out on business. Maybe he was on a vacation after such a large party and a week of business. Maybe this was how he took his vacations, by just disappearing and calling it business.
Autumn went to bed early that night feeling depressed. She woke up around one, almost two, in the morning to use the restroom. She didn’t feel tired so she decided to wander around. She wandered through her rooms and then into the hall before she went into the main area. She saw Lane waiting in front of the elevators and wondered if she was going home for the night. Autumn didn’t really know
what her hours were.
When the elevator arrived Autumn watched the doors open but Lane didn’t get in. Autumn found it curious and stepped forward, wanting to see if anyone was inside. When she saw Fredric step out Autumn found her heart racing. She nearly missed the bandage on Fredric’s head as a smile fell across her face when she saw Cage step out after him.
Autumn didn’t get a really good look at him as Fredric blocked her view. Lane rushed to him with the latest news. Before Autumn knew it she was also rushing to him, happy to have him back. She wanted to ask him where he’d been and tease him for not texting her. But before she could get to him, Fredric blocked her. “What are you doing up? You should be in bed.”
“I wanted to talk to Cage.” said Autumn, as she attempted to step past him.
“Go to your room now.” said Fredric, not letting her pass.
Autumn looked to Cage but he didn’t turn away from Lane. He didn’t even say a word to her as Lane showed him some paperwork. Cage put his arm around Lane as they continued to walk. They both studied the paperwork and discussed it. Autumn found herself getting jealous and turned away from Cage.
She felt stupid for worrying about him, and she was angry that she was jealous over the fact that he was showing Lane more attention than her. She started to head back to her room thinking Cage was probably just going to go back to his office and things would be business as usual. She swore she’d never let herself get so wound up again. And the next time he went away, she wouldn’t care if he ever came back. However, before she left the room Cage called out to her. “Autumn…come.”
Autumn paused in her rage. She’d nearly missed him calling out to her, and turned to see he still had his back to her. He and Lane were still walking. She now had her arm around him. Autumn clenched her fists and thought about ignoring him like he’d first ignored her. She considered just going back to her room. She wasn’t some dog he could just call whenever he wanted.
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