No Such Thing As True Love (10 page)

            “Markus and I are thinking about going away next weekend. What do you think?” Cassandra asked of Maritess. Maritess shrugged.

            “Sure. Where are you going?” she asked in return. Cassandra told her that they wanted to go back country skiing, but the closest place was pretty far away. They figured they’d make a weekend out of it. Cassandra was studying Maritess closely. She seemed not to have a care in the world that they were planning a getaway. Cassandra shook her head, changed the subject and went on decorating the club. When they were finally finished, Cassandra took off for a meeting, and left Maritess to paperwork.

            About an hour after she left, Maritess started thinking about Cassandra and Markus going back country skiing. It would be a funny sight. She laughed it off in her mind, but then looked at a calendar. Maritess was shocked at herself for forgetting, but a little hurt by Cassandra for forgetting, too. Maritess was going to turn thirty-two on Saturday. Markus and Cassandra would probably be strapping on snow boots by then. She wondered if Cassandra really forgot her birthday, or even cared. There was probably no way Markus could know, so Maritess wasn’t too hurt by him, but Cassie should have known. Maritess should have remembered, too. She debated calling Cassandra to remind her, but then thought that there might not be a point.

            Ordinarily, Maritess didn’t do much of anything for her birthday. Last year, she had gotten silly hats for her and Tike. They shared a couple of cupcakes, but other than that, Maritess wasn’t one for much celebration over things like birthdays. What if she called Cassandra, only to find out that she did remember it was her birthday and was only asking to make sure it was okay with Maritess if they bailed? What if she called Cassandra, only to have her suddenly remember and cancel her getaway with Markus? Maritess really didn’t care about her birthday too much, and she would feel pretty crappy if she blew their winter vacation. She decided not to say anything about it, and pushed away the petty feelings that were hovering around.

            The next morning, Maritess asked Markus about their plans as they cooled down. Markus obviously had no clue her birthday was the next day. He excitedly talked about everything he had packed, and what they were going to do. The resort was only a few hours' drive away. They were going to leave that evening so they could be there for sunrise the next day. Maritess tried to be enthusiastic for him. It wasn’t working too well. Markus seemed to notice.

            “Hey,” he said, “Are you okay?” Maritess nodded her head in return, but a loud chime rang over the intercom system and instantly grabbed her attention.

            A few minutes beforehand, Cassandra had been peering through the workout area doors. She saw Maritess and Markus on stationary bicycles, and spun to race towards the front desk. The girl behind the counter recognized her as a friend of Maritess, and even addressed her by name.

            “Hello, Miss Cassandra,” the girl said. Cassandra walked around the counter and handed her a bill.

            “Here is one hundred dollars just for you. Now, you need to make sure Maritess does not interrupt me while I’m on the intercom. Understand?” she said. The young girl shook her head in protest, but Cassandra just closed the girl's palm around the money and gently pushed her to the side. “Just stand there and hold her back. I promise, I won’t let her fire you,” Cassandra said. Then, she picked up the phone attached to the intercom machine and pressed the button for the entire building.

            That’s when Maritess, and everyone else, heard the chime from the loudspeakers. Cassandra didn’t waste a second of her precious time.

            “Hello dedicated fitness enthusiasts,” Cassandra announced calmly. “My name is Cassandra Flynn. I am an old friend of Maritess Michaelson. I believe that it is time to show our everlasting appreciation and gratitude for the work Miss Michaelson has put into this wonderful club.” Cassandra paused when she saw Maritess fly through a set of double doors. Markus was a foot behind her, and wrapped his arms around her waist before she could get closer to the front counter. Cassandra smiled an insanely big, excited smile before continuing.

            “Little does anyone know, tomorrow is Maritess’ birthday! So, if you can pry yourselves away from your workouts for just a quick minute, please, everyone come to the lobby so we can sing her a song!” Cassandra hung the phone on its hook. Soon, members and staff flowed through every door that led to the lobby. As the center of everyone’s attention, Maritess stopped fighting Markus. A moment later, he disappeared into the chaos. Maritess heard Cassandra yell over everyone’s chatter, and start a countdown. Within the first couple of bars, everyone was on the same note while they sang happy birthday to Maritess.

            With everyone combined, there were probably close to one hundred people in the club at any given moment. The roar from their voices was powerful. Maritess’ cheeks were the same shade of red as her hair. She held a tight smile, overwhelmed with joy and embarrassment. She should have known better than to think Cassandra forgot her birthday, even when she herself almost had. At the tail end of the song, Markus reappeared from the juice bar. He had on a small plate a muffin that was topped with a sparkler candle. He approached Maritess just in time for her to blow out the candle. She looked up at him and returned the warm, heartfelt smile he beamed at her.

            Soon, Cassandra came to wrap her arms around Maritess. The crowd disbursed, and the staff, although now much more giddy, got back to work. Maritess hugged her friends again. She was grateful, and couldn’t care an ounce less that they were going away for the weekend. When she told them so, Markus shuffled his feet, and Cassandra looked at her nervously.

            “Yea, about that trip,” Cassandra said. Maritess eyed her suspiciously as she continued, “Well, we are going on a back country skiing trip, but… you’re coming with us. I already talked to your managers, and you’re covered through Monday!” Cassandra threw her arms into the air and smiled broadly, as if she were revealing a prize to a guest on a game show. Maritess had nothing against back country skiing, but she absolutely hated it when people roped her into multi-day commitments. She was amused, flattered, but pissed as well.

            Cassandra just shook her head, already knowing the thoughts that ran through Maritess’ mind. “Nope, nope, nope. I don’t want to hear a word, Tessie,” Cassandra said, “You need a vacation just as much as we do. It’s your birthday, and we are your best friends. We are taking you skiing. I am prepared to tie you up and make you ride in the trunk…” Cassandra held her hands on her hips, and dared Maritess to try and stop her. There was nothing Maritess could really do, so she decided to make Cassandra take her out to breakfast while Markus went to work for the day.

. . .

            Maritess had never been skiing, so Cassandra helped her shop for the gear she would need. By the end of the day, they piled into an SUV that Markus rented and drove out of town towards the mountains. The resort Cassandra chose was beautiful, and she was true to her word about the weekend being a birthday present for Maritess. She had rented them a suite with two bedrooms and a common area. When they walked in, they were all astounded that it was almost as big as all three of their apartments combined. They shared a room service dinner, drinks and the laughter that spurred naturally from the group’s interaction.

            The next day, they were led by a guide down a trail on skis. While the whole scene was humorous, Maritess was not exempt from being the brunt of any jokes. She did just as horribly as Cassandra and Markus did. By lunchtime, they had gotten the hang of it, and were exploring the trails around the resort. That night, they decided to visit a club in town for drinks. Cassandra threatened the entire time that she was getting everyone to step foot on the dance floor. Maritess rolled her eyes, and Markus shook his head.

            Once they were there, though, her pestering proved to be enough to get Maritess out for one song. Maritess kept her movements simple compared to the intricate rhythms that Cassandra’s body found. The DJ mixed around with a few tracks, and Maritess had her fill before the song was really over. Together, she and Cassandra made their way back to their table. Markus was still sitting down, having enjoyed his drink and the ridiculous show they’d put on.

            “Markus,” Cassandra said without sitting down, “As my boyfriend, you are obligated to dance with me.” She smiled, but forced a business-like stance and tone from her tiny, dressed up frame.

            “Don’t argue with a lawyer, woman,” Markus retorted. He took another sip of his drink and motioned for her to sit down. Instead, she waited for him to set his glass on the table, then snatched his arm. She pulled him from his seat. Markus was in a good mood, and really didn’t want to disappoint her, but he knew how terribly he danced. As his bad luck would grant him, the DJ slowed things down a bit when a few more couples walked onto the floor. Markus uncomfortably shuffled back and forth. He held his hands on Cassandra’s hips like he probably did at every high school dance he attended, if he had attended any. Cassandra tried to get him to sway, she tried to instruct him. At the end, she gave up and just leaned her head on Markus’ chest as they shuffled back and forth.

            Maritess had to order another drink for herself to keep from falling off her chair from laughing. Cassandra was obviously annoyed, Markus was obviously annoyed, and they were doing it to
themselves
. Maritess just couldn’t contain the amusement she felt. When the song was over, neither Markus nor Cassandra wanted to wait for another tune to start. They both returned to the table and plopped down.

            “Maritess,” Cassandra pleaded, “Please, please, pretty please, come dance with me.” Maritess replied that she would not. Cassandra looked again at Markus, but shook her head instead of begging his participation. Then, she summoned herself and said, “Fine. I’m going to go dance, because I don’t need anyone to dance with. So, there.” Markus and Maritess watched Cassandra float back onto the dance floor. The DJ’s music was more fast-paced than before. Cassandra effortlessly moved her body. It was as if she was a leaf caught in a stream. She was right, though, she didn’t need anyone to dance with her.

            “She used to do this for hours in her room when she was a kid. I would come over and hear her feet on the floor above the living room. Her brother hated it, but I always thought it was awesome,” Maritess said to Markus. She looked at him when she took another sip of her drink. “I don’t dance. Cassie’s the only one who ever gets me to dance, and I only dance one stupid dance. I’d rather run, or do something productive where I don’t look totally absurd,” she said before adding, “You know what that’s like, right, Shuffle-feet?” Markus flicked a spray at her from his straw. They laughed as they watched Cassandra wear herself out on the dance floor.

…

CHAPTER 18

            When the weekend was over, they all returned to work refreshed and happy that only another week remained until Christmas. Cassandra had talked Maritess into throwing a huge party at her gym, and it was going to be a great success. Markus, Maritess and Cassandra each invited their families so that no one would have to spend the holiday apart. It was the best Christmas party that Maritess had ever experienced.

            During the festivities, Markus had hit it off really well with Maritess’ brother, who was also a lawyer. It had given time for the girls to reunite their families together. Their parents had a great time reminiscing, and telling embarrassing stories of how they grew up. Of course, their mothers got tearful as they regarded the beautiful women Maritess and Cassandra had become. Markus couldn’t help but see the same qualities, and marveled at them as well.

            Christmas came and flew by with a rush towards the New Year. Maritess was busy getting ready for more traffic, and Cassandra was swamped as she tried to get everything tied together in the last days of the year. Court was out of session, so Markus was free for the most part. He spent a lot of time at the gym while Cassandra was working at her apartment. He stopped by Maritess’ office one day. She was glad to see him and invited him to have a seat.

            “So,” he started, “Cassandra is almost done with the deal.” He left the thought hanging in the air. Maritess nodded her head. She understood why he was concerned. Cassandra had a few options since she was going to make a killing in bonuses, but she hadn’t been very clear about any decision she was leaning toward. Maritess leaned across her desk to Markus and took his hand.

            “We can lift the ‘no love talk’ policy. Are you worried that she might leave?” Maritess asked him. Markus was worried about Cassandra leaving. He worried about her staying, too. He also worried about the possibility that she may ask him to go with her. Maritess listened as he voiced his concerns. She was heartsick about the possibility of Cassandra leaving, but didn’t realize that Markus was having such trouble with it. “Well, Markus,” she said, “What do you want out of all that?”