Kasey Laine

by Dionndra Reneé

  “How are you, Kasey?”

  Kasey turns around to see Derrick, an acquaintance from the gym. Since meeting over a year ago, they have only bumped into each other occasionally. Their conversations had never gone beyond random chatter about health and fitness. “Fine. How have you been, Derrick? I haven’t seen you in a couple of months.”

  “I’ve been out of town. Where are Jennifer and Felecia?” Kasey, Jennifer, and Felecia are inseparable. When you see one, usually the other two are not far behind.

  Kasey laughs. She has become accustomed to people wondering where her partners in crime are. “Oh I came by myself today.”

  “I know this is a little forward. I’ve been meaning to ask you, but I never can get you alone. I’m glad you’re alone. I’ve wanted to ask you something and it’s a perfect time right now.” Derrick pauses. Kasey gets nervous. She hopes Derrick does not put her in an awkward position. She is in love with Austin, and most importantly she is committed to their relationship.

  “Felecia is so beautiful to me. I don’t know how to approach her. I know this is random, but could you help me?” Derrick is uncharacteristically shy when it comes to Felecia, despite his outward virility.

  The receptionist hangs up the phone and hands Kasey her credit card back. “Derrick, can you hang on one second?” Kasey finishes her transaction with the receptionist before continuing her conversation with Derrick. After signing the credit card receipt, she turns her attention back to Derrick. She ponders on Derrick’s confession. She is relieved that she is not the object of his affection. However, she is still placed in an awkward position. She has not heard Felecia mention Derrick before. She does not even know if Felecia knows who he is. Honestly, she is not sure Felecia would ever be interested in a guy like Derrick. She decides that checking with her friend would be the safest and most respectful way to handle the situation.

  “You know what, text me later. I’ll see what I can do.” Derrick smiles, and shows his gratitude with a hug.

  Kasey heads for the front door. “Text me later. See ya.”

  Later that evening, Austin pulls into Kasey’s driveway. He turns off the ignition. Before exiting his vehicle, he takes a moment to reflect. It is almost time for their Saturday night date. This date is particularly special as it is the celebration of their sixth-month anniversary. Austin pulls out a small ring box from his pocket. A lustrous engagement ring is revealed when Austin opens the box. His life could change for the better, if Kasey agrees to marry him. Austin is understandably nervous. Hopeful for a positive outcome, Austin gets out of his car. He carefully places the ring box back in his pocket. He takes a deep breath as he walks to Kasey’s front door.

  In the kitchen, Kasey opens the stove. The casserole she has prepared has baked to a crisp, golden brown. She carefully takes it out of the oven and puts it on her kitchen island to cool. The dining room is filled with flowers; which Kasey has received from Austin over the past couple of days. Flowers are his way of showing how much he truly cares. The lights are dimmed, and a bottle of champagne sits in a bucket of ice on the coffee table.

  Kasey goes to the dining room to do some last minute checks. She does a quick scan of the entire area. Kasey’s cell phone begins to vibrate on the kitchen counter. She does not notice it, because she is still in the dining room. Eventually, it vibrates off the edge of the counter. The cell phone crashes onto the floor, causing the battery to fly in one direction while the rest of the phone flies in another. Startled by the crashing sound, Kasey goes into the kitchen to find her phone in pieces. Annoyed, she picks it up and reassembles it. While the phone is rebooting, she walks back into the living room and puts it on the table next to her couch. The man of the hour is almost here. As the final touch, she goes to the stereo and puts on some mood music.

  Kasey looks over at the clock sitting at the top of the entertainment center. It is fifteen minutes till seven; Austin should have been here by now. Just as her frustration begins to build, the doorbell rings. Butterflies flutter in her stomach. On her way to open the door, she takes one last look in one of the many mirrors in her house. She opens the door to see the love of her life standing on the other side. She squeezes him tightly. “Hi honey.”

  Austin hugs Kasey with one hand. “I got something for you.” He brings his other hand from behind his back, revealing a small bouquet of bright daisies.

  “Aw, how sweet!” Kasey is overwhelmed with emotion as she takes the flowers. To her, flowers are the ultimate gift. All of Austin’s attention makes Kasey feel like the luckiest woman in the world. Attention and adulation are all she has ever wanted from a man.

  “I knew you would love them.” Austin steps through the door and greets Kasey with a passionate kiss.

  Kasey leads Austin into the dining room, where he looks around in amazement at the amount of effort and care she put into preparing for their evening. His heart warms at the sound of violins, which Kasey set up because she knows how much the sound of violins mean to him. She stands in the hallway, nervously awaiting his reaction.

  Austin turns and walks toward Kasey. “Baby, you really outdid yourself.” She smiles, relieved, as he holds her tightly. “I love everything you’ve done for me. I can’t explain the way I feel.”

  Austin pulls Kasey’s face in for a fervent kiss. His love for her is undeniable, and he wants her to feel it with their every embrace and kiss. He continues to gently kiss Kasey as he runs his hands down her backside. Kasey enjoys his touch. She squirms from the tingling sensation it gives her. Austin loves the fact that his touch makes her squirm. He slides his hands up her dress, exposing her underwear. Although she can barely stand the pleasure, Kasey gently moves his hands away. She is careful not to cast the impression that she is not interested in his advances. She just wants him to slow down for the moment. “Later.” She softly kisses his nose to reassure him.

  “Okay.” Austin playfully rolls his eyes and follows her back into the dining room.

  About twenty minutes later, they have almost completed the casserole Kasey prepared. Austin, appreciative of a meal which he greatly enjoyed, finishes his glass of wine in one sip. “Oh, I’m stuffed.”

  “You sure?” There’s more if you want some.”

  Austin smiles and shakes his head. “I couldn’t eat another bite.”

  “Well, I guess my job is done.” Brimming with pride at having orchestrated a successful dinner, Kasey gets up from her seat. She takes their plates and goes into the kitchen to place them in the sink. She decides not to clean them right away, because she is eager to get back to her love.

  Before she even gets to the sink, Austin gets up and follows her in. “Oh, you think your job is done?”

  Kasey turns back toward Austin and smiles flirtatiously. Then she continues to walk into the kitchen. She puts the dishes in the sink and walks back into the dining room. Austin, who was hiding in a nook around the corner from the dining room entrance, appears and sweeps her off her feet. He cradles her in his arms, as a mother would her infant. Kasey smiles at Austin, awash in a sense of completion. In his arms, she feels protected and loved.

  “Your job hasn’t even started yet.” Austin carries her into the living room. Kasey giggles as Austin playfully kisses her neck. He plops her on the couch, prepared to ravage her. Austin climbs on top of Kasey, slowly covering her neck with kisses. She is powerless to resist his urges, and that is how he likes it. His hands explore her body from head to toe. He is very good at what he does.

  As her body continues to contort with pleasure, he slides his hands down her legs and spreads them apart.

  As the heat between them continues to rise, Kasey’s cell phone vibrates on the end table by the couch.

  At first, Austin does not notice. When it vibrates again, he looks up in mild frustration. “Is that your phone?”

  “It’s probably no one.” Kasey hastily pulls Austin in and kisses him. Her phone vibrates again, this time from a call.

  Austin cannot tear his eyes away
from the incessant vibrations coming from Kasey’s phone. He pulls away from Kasey’s kiss. He maintains his pleasant demeanor, despite his increasing discomfort. “Why don’t you go upstairs and change…you know…into something.” Austin strokes Kasey’s long raven locks.

  “Something more comfortable, right?” Kasey smiles.

  “No---I was going to tell you to change into something that had a lot of nothing in it.” Austin smiles seductively as he scoots closer to her on the couch.

  “Okay. I’ll be back.” She stands up and walks out of the room.

  Once she disappears, Austin’s smile instantly fades. His anger and jealousy take over as he reaches for Kasey’s phone. He scrolls through the missed calls, and sees Derrick’s name. He has never heard Kasey ever mention anyone by the name of Derrick before. Austin immediately jumps to conclusions. He is hurt and enraged by the possibility Kasey could be cheating. He opens Kasey’s text message from Derrick.

  It reads: I’ve been trying to call you. We need to talk.

  Austin looks up and shakes his head in disbelief. Sadness, anger, and shock overwhelm his thought process. His father robbed him of his mother, and his entire life has been overshadowed by the pain of having someone stolen from him. He views Kasey as something he controls, and the thought of losing control of her--even worse, stolen from him--unleashes his inner rage.

  Kasey returns, dressed to seduce. She twirls around playfully hoping to entice Austin. Oblivious to Austin’s festering rage, Kasey leans against the wall. She rubs her hands up and down her caramel legs. She wants to continue their evening upstairs in the bedroom. She motions for Austin to come to her.

  Austin stares at Kasey’s body. Her pink lingerie accentuates her brown skin. Austin gets up and walks to her. Kasey grins in anticipation. When Austin reaches her, she wraps her arms around his neck. She kisses his chin then his cheek. She slowly moves her lips to his ear, then whispers into it.

  “I love you. I love you so much.” Her sincerity could not be more obvious.

  “Oh you love me?” Austin’s expression is blank. His dry voice confuses Kasey.

  “Of course I love you. You’re everything I want.” She leans back so she can look into his eyes.

  “You know I love you…right?” Austin’s eyebrow rises.

  “Of course. And I love you too.” Kasey looks uneasy.

  “I would do anything for you. When I hear your voice, whatever I’m going through is instantly better. I only wanna hear your voice throughout the day.” Austin pauses and looks deeply into Kasey’s eyes. “I love talking to only you. Do you love talking to me?” Austin waits for Kasey to answer, but in his mind he is already convinced her answer will be a lie.

  “I love talking to you, too.” Kasey frowns uncertainly.

  “You love talking to me, huh? Are you sure?” Austin’s tone sharpens.

  “What’s going on? Is everything okay?”

  “I don't know---I'm just trying to figure out if you like talking to me so much, why are you talking to some guy named Derrick?”

  “What are you talking about?”

  “You know I’m already really angry, but playing dumb only makes me angrier.” Austin feels his body tense.

  “Why are you getting angry? Derrick is just a friend. This is crazy.”

  “What did you just say? Did you just call me crazy?” He walks towards her. Flustered, Kasey begins to stammer through explanations, trying to calm him down. He leans his body against her, pinning her small frame against the wall. He grabs both of her arms. It is at this moment that Kasey becomes scared. She and Austin have never had a disagreement, let alone a fight. Her mind races as she tries to wriggle away.

  “You need to calm down. You’re overreacting. It’s not what it looks like. I don’t text other men.” He keeps her arms pinned to the wall. Kasey tries to remain calm, not wanting Austin to see her panic.

  “Oh, I’m overreacting…you wanna see overreacting?” Austin lets go of Kasey’s arms and walks into the living room. He grabs Kasey’s cell phone off the table. He begins to walk back to Kasey, but stops after a few steps. Blinded by hurt and rage as he remembers Derrick’s name flashing on the screen, he throws the phone at Kasey. She ducks right before the phone strikes her in the head. Terrified, she stays crouched on the floor. She curls into a fetal position, shaking in fear and disbelief.

  The loving, compassionate Austin she knew is now gone. In an instant, Austin has become his father, the man he despises the most. He walks over and stands above Kasey with menace in his eyes. He slowly bends down over Kasey, the same way his father used to. Kasey looks down, refusing to look at him--just as Austin’s mother used to, during his father Steve’s assaults.

  Austin’s gaze sends a chill up Kasey’s spine as he decides that he has not made his point yet. With his left hand, he grabs her by the hair and jerks her head back in one quick motion. With his right hand, he squeezes her jaw and violently tilts her face upward. He wants her to look into his eyes. Controlling Kasey is essential to Austin’s psyche; he has done it before, only with gentler methods. Times have changed.

  “I’m overreacting? You’re texting men, and probably fucking them too, but I’m overreacting. I think I’m acting pretty normal.” Austin’s right eye twitches. He has lost all touch with reality.

  Kasey begins to cry softly. She pleads with Austin, explaining that her relationship with Derrick is strictly platonic. When he mocks her pleas, she begins to lose hope.

  “I love you and you do this to me. Are you trying to make me look like a fool? Do I look stupid to you?” He looks into Kasey’s eyes. He wants to see the fear. He waits for Kasey to answer; her silence angers him. He views it as open defiance.

  He screams into her face. “You think I’m stupid.”

  Kasey shakes her head no. She begins to cry harder and more uncontrollably.

  Austin, whose mind tends to play tricks on him in moments like this, begins to lose it. He grabs Kasey’s throat, closing his grip as she struggles for air. As her air dwindles and her vision fades, Kasey begins to panic and struggle more desperately. She swipes at his hand as his grip continues to tighten. She scans the area, hoping for something to grab. Unfortunately, she cannot reach anything. Her consciousness begins to fade.

  In a daring and final attempt, Kasey kicks her legs at Austin. As she swings her legs about, her knee catches Austin in the groin. Austin screams in agony as he releases his grip and falls on his back. “Fuck.” He remains on the floor, immobilized from the pain.

  Kasey runs out of the hallway and back into the kitchen. In survival mode now, she frantically searches one drawer after another for a knife. She empties every drawer onto the floor, feeling more desperate. Finally, she flings open a drawer and finds it filled with knives. A few of them spill onto the floor, nearly hitting her feet. She carelessly digs into the drawer and slices her right hand along one of the blades. “Dammit.” Blood oozes from her right hand as she continues to search with her left. She finds a sizeable blade and turns around.

  Her fear increasing with every step, Kasey creeps back into the dining room. The creaking floor increases her anxiety as she walks through the room. She stops in front of the hallway where Austin attacked her. She scans the area, hoping for something to grab. A noise makes Kasey stop dead in her tracks. It appears to come from the hallway. Fearful that Austin could be there, Kasey slowly backs away from the hallway.

  “Are you looking for me?”

  Kasey wheels around to see Austin on her left, hiding in the same place he had hidden earlier. Kasey screams with fright at the sight of Austin, who stands in the corner calmly. She drops the knife, which clinks on the hardwood floor. Then she screams at Austin. “What’s wrong with you?” Austin raises his eyebrow in confusion, which throws Kasey into a rage of her own. “Really? Are you kidding me? Get out.” She points at the door.

  “We had a little misunderstanding.” Now that he has lost the upper hand, Austin’s reaction is to try to defuse the sit
uation and charm his way back to normalcy.

  “Misunderstanding? You tried to fucking kill me. Get the fuck out,”

  “Sometimes I just get out of control. I just lose track of what happens.” Austin becomes emotional as he tries to explain his violent mood swings. “Please, baby…forgive me.” Austin rushes over to Kasey and falls at her feet. He clenches her legs tightly.

  Kasey is momentarily weakened. Her love for Austin pours out through the tears rolling down her face. She sobs uncontrollably. Her heart hurts. One moment, her future was bright and full of romance; a fiery romance. Now her relationship has turned into ashes.

  “Please, baby. Forgive me.” Austin grovels at her feet. He cries so loudly that it sounds artificial. “I’m sorry. Please, I need you.” Austin squeezes her legs more tightly.

  Feeling distraught, Kasey relents and drops to her knees. The bloody knife rests by her right side. The bleeding in her right hand is starting to slow, but her tears continue to flow. She looks down at Austin, who hangs his head low in shame. She glimpses at the hallway, which is in total disarray. She cautiously plots her next move.

  “I love you. I---love you so much.” Kasey seems frighteningly serious. Her voice is dry and emotionless. She raises Austin’s head and gazes deeply into his eyes. Austin, now confused, looks at her hopefully.

  “I want to be with you. You’re everything I thought I ever wanted. Okay?” Kasey pauses momentarily; she always gets emotional while she looks into Austin’s eyes. “But…no one and I mean no one puts their fucking hands on me.” Kasey grabs the knife and quickly jabs Austin in the stomach.

  Austin’s face immediately contorts. He shrieks in agony. Kasey continues to kneel on the floor, still holding the bloody knife. She sneers at Austin. She enjoys watching him stumble around in pain. Hurting him felt almost too good. She continues to revel in his pain as she slowly rises to her feet. The tables have turned, and the power is hers now. Austin finally stumbles backward onto the dining room table, crashing to the floor with such force that he loses consciousness.