Orpheus & Eurydice
tāpas
Cassiopeia is on her way to her Wednesday night yoga classes when she stops in at Earth’s Healing Café on Montrose. She’s ordering the Mother Earth when she sees a familiar face in one of the booths. She quickly grabs her drink and thanks the cashier before heading over.
She’s just about at Jon’s table when the two other guys with her widen their eyes once they see her. She gives them a grin when she slides up to the booth and shifts her eyes over to Jon, who looks like a deer caught in the headlights.
“Cass?” Cassiopeia wrinkles her nose up at the nickname, but continues anyway.
“Jon! Are you a vegan too? How’s the Chrysocolla working out for you? Are you still in a dry spell?”
Cassiopeia hears a noise and looks over to see one of men choking on his juice and the other one holding back a smile. She’s still smiling when she looks back over at Jon whose face is heating up and looks a little mad.
All of a sudden Jon gets up, blocking Cassiopeia from the view of the other two men and manhandles her to the front of the store.
“What – What’s the matter?” She asks once they’re stopped near the entrance of the restaurant. Jon looks a little constipated and Cassiopeia is worried that the Chrysocolla didn’t do the trick.
She goes to put her hand on his Visuddha but he grabs her wrist in his large hand before she even touches his shirt.
“You’re very forward, has anyone ever told you that?”
Jon’s gaze is very intense and Cassiopeia feels scrutinized but it, but tries not to let it affect her. But Jon’s question is true, people have told her she lacks personal boundaries and a filter. Whenever she spoke her mind when she was little, she almost always got in trouble but never learned her lesson.
She tentatively nods her head yes and Jon is still grasping her wrist, almost a little painfully.
“Are you…okay?” She asks in a small voice. He seems upset for some reason and Cassiopeia doesn’t want to be fuel to the fire.
“Just…what are you doing here?” He finally lets go of her arm and she quickly goes to rub the spot that he was holding. His brows furrow and he looks like he about to say something about it, but snaps his mouth closed.
“Just getting a snack before yoga. Are you a vegan? Who’re you here with?” She adjusts the strap of her yoga mat.
“Some of my teammates. And no, one of the guys’ wife is on a health kick and he’s supporting her.”
“Can I meet them?”
“Why?” He genuinely looks confused and Cassiopeia smiles at him.
“I love meeting new people! Also, you still reek of negative energy. You better fix that real soon or you’ll die prematurely.”
She leaves him with that last note and walks off at the table they were at before. She hears him following her but she beats him to the table first. The two men that are sitting there are in a conversation but stop once they realize she’s there.
“Namaste! I’m Cassio–”
“Cass. Patrick, Sharpy, this is Cass.” Jon interrupts Cassiopeia from her introduction and rests his hands on her shoulders behind her. She sighs and moves out from under him and offers her hand to the first man with dark hair.
“My name is Cassiopeia, nice to meet you.”
The man grins and Cassiopeia almost blushes because he’s very good looking. Actually all the men she’s surrounded by are good looking, it’s almost dizzying. She’s never been around so many good looking people in her life before.
“Like the constellation! I’m Patrick. I don’t think Tazer told us about how you two met?”
He grinned at Cassiopeia and she grinned back. She loves happy people and people in general and she is glad that Jon’s friends aren’t as big as sourpusses as he is.
“Oh, he came into the store I work at looking for –”
“Cassiopeia, this is Kaner.” Jon interrupts her for like, the fourth time today. She shoots him an irritated look, but immediately smiles at the blonde and holds her hand out for him as well.
“Nice to meet you, Cassiopeia. I’m Patrick, but you can call me Pat.”
“Two Patrick’s? You aren’t messing with me, are you?”
They share a grin and turn back towards me, but before they can say anything, Jon puts an arm around Cassiopeia’s shoulders. She looks up at his stony expression, confused, because they hardly know each and he’s been very hesitant about Cassiopeia thus far.
“So, you guys play hockey with Jon? I don’t know much about hockey, my dad is a huge Bills fan though.” She says. The blonde immediately perks up and gives her a huge grin.
“Me too! I’m from Buffalo, are you from New York?”
“Albany!” Kaner opens his mouth to say something else, but Jon rudely cuts him off.
“Cass, don’t you have to go to yoga? I’ll walk you out.” She frowns at Jon’s weird behavior but waves goodbye at the two Patrick’s while Jon maneuvers Cassiopeia to the front of the building and out the doors. Jon drops the arm from her shoulders and looks at her expectantly.
“Why do you call me Cass?” He looks confused for a moment, like he wasn’t expecting that question. He rubs at the back of his neck and breaks off eye contact with her.
“It’s shorter? I don’t know, Cassiopeia is sort of a mouth full, yanno?” She smiles up at him.
“Well, Jon is boring. What did Patrick call you earlier? Tazer?”
“Uh, yeah. That’s kind of my hockey nickname? It’s a play off my last name.” Jon is fidgeting and Cassiopeia can tell he’s antsy to get out of there. She doesn’t blame him, even if it is late March, it’s still Chicago and still chilly outside.
“Oh, well, can I call you Jonny?” That seems funner, she thinks.
“Um, sure.”
“Well, I have to yoga and stretch out my IT band. I’m sure you have no problems with your hip flexors or gluts, or else I would invite you along. Bye!”
Cassiopeia turns to walk away but she hears Jonny yell out, “Cass!” So she turns back around to face him.
“Yes?” He looks sheepish again.
“I – can I see you again?”
She smiles and walks closer to him.
“Sure.” She says.
“Um, can I have your number?” Cassiopeia’s smile drops.
“I don’t have a cell phone.” Jonny frowns.
“E-mail?”
“No internet at my apartment.” Jon looks frustrated and his eyes dart around at the different sights on the street. Cassiopeia checks the time on her watch. She has yoga in 10 minutes and the studio is a couple blocks away.
“I’m just gonna give you my number and you can call me from the store?” Jonny asks. She thinks it over and it probably would work. She nods and he grabs her arm, tugging her closer and pulling a pen out of his pocket.
He writes his digits carefully on her hand, making sure to not press too hard, then let’s go of her, stepping back.
“Well, you need to go to yoga. I’ll hear from you?”
“Maybe. Namaste!” She winks at him and turns the corner down Damen Avenue.
She’s just about at Jon’s table when the two other guys with her widen their eyes once they see her. She gives them a grin when she slides up to the booth and shifts her eyes over to Jon, who looks like a deer caught in the headlights.
“Cass?” Cassiopeia wrinkles her nose up at the nickname, but continues anyway.
“Jon! Are you a vegan too? How’s the Chrysocolla working out for you? Are you still in a dry spell?”
Cassiopeia hears a noise and looks over to see one of men choking on his juice and the other one holding back a smile. She’s still smiling when she looks back over at Jon whose face is heating up and looks a little mad.
All of a sudden Jon gets up, blocking Cassiopeia from the view of the other two men and manhandles her to the front of the store.
“What – What’s the matter?” She asks once they’re stopped near the entrance of the restaurant. Jon looks a little constipated and Cassiopeia is worried that the Chrysocolla didn’t do the trick.
She goes to put her hand on his Visuddha but he grabs her wrist in his large hand before she even touches his shirt.
“You’re very forward, has anyone ever told you that?”
Jon’s gaze is very intense and Cassiopeia feels scrutinized but it, but tries not to let it affect her. But Jon’s question is true, people have told her she lacks personal boundaries and a filter. Whenever she spoke her mind when she was little, she almost always got in trouble but never learned her lesson.
She tentatively nods her head yes and Jon is still grasping her wrist, almost a little painfully.
“Are you…okay?” She asks in a small voice. He seems upset for some reason and Cassiopeia doesn’t want to be fuel to the fire.
“Just…what are you doing here?” He finally lets go of her arm and she quickly goes to rub the spot that he was holding. His brows furrow and he looks like he about to say something about it, but snaps his mouth closed.
“Just getting a snack before yoga. Are you a vegan? Who’re you here with?” She adjusts the strap of her yoga mat.
“Some of my teammates. And no, one of the guys’ wife is on a health kick and he’s supporting her.”
“Can I meet them?”
“Why?” He genuinely looks confused and Cassiopeia smiles at him.
“I love meeting new people! Also, you still reek of negative energy. You better fix that real soon or you’ll die prematurely.”
She leaves him with that last note and walks off at the table they were at before. She hears him following her but she beats him to the table first. The two men that are sitting there are in a conversation but stop once they realize she’s there.
“Namaste! I’m Cassio–”
“Cass. Patrick, Sharpy, this is Cass.” Jon interrupts Cassiopeia from her introduction and rests his hands on her shoulders behind her. She sighs and moves out from under him and offers her hand to the first man with dark hair.
“My name is Cassiopeia, nice to meet you.”
The man grins and Cassiopeia almost blushes because he’s very good looking. Actually all the men she’s surrounded by are good looking, it’s almost dizzying. She’s never been around so many good looking people in her life before.
“Like the constellation! I’m Patrick. I don’t think Tazer told us about how you two met?”
He grinned at Cassiopeia and she grinned back. She loves happy people and people in general and she is glad that Jon’s friends aren’t as big as sourpusses as he is.
“Oh, he came into the store I work at looking for –”
“Cassiopeia, this is Kaner.” Jon interrupts her for like, the fourth time today. She shoots him an irritated look, but immediately smiles at the blonde and holds her hand out for him as well.
“Nice to meet you, Cassiopeia. I’m Patrick, but you can call me Pat.”
“Two Patrick’s? You aren’t messing with me, are you?”
They share a grin and turn back towards me, but before they can say anything, Jon puts an arm around Cassiopeia’s shoulders. She looks up at his stony expression, confused, because they hardly know each and he’s been very hesitant about Cassiopeia thus far.
“So, you guys play hockey with Jon? I don’t know much about hockey, my dad is a huge Bills fan though.” She says. The blonde immediately perks up and gives her a huge grin.
“Me too! I’m from Buffalo, are you from New York?”
“Albany!” Kaner opens his mouth to say something else, but Jon rudely cuts him off.
“Cass, don’t you have to go to yoga? I’ll walk you out.” She frowns at Jon’s weird behavior but waves goodbye at the two Patrick’s while Jon maneuvers Cassiopeia to the front of the building and out the doors. Jon drops the arm from her shoulders and looks at her expectantly.
“Why do you call me Cass?” He looks confused for a moment, like he wasn’t expecting that question. He rubs at the back of his neck and breaks off eye contact with her.
“It’s shorter? I don’t know, Cassiopeia is sort of a mouth full, yanno?” She smiles up at him.
“Well, Jon is boring. What did Patrick call you earlier? Tazer?”
“Uh, yeah. That’s kind of my hockey nickname? It’s a play off my last name.” Jon is fidgeting and Cassiopeia can tell he’s antsy to get out of there. She doesn’t blame him, even if it is late March, it’s still Chicago and still chilly outside.
“Oh, well, can I call you Jonny?” That seems funner, she thinks.
“Um, sure.”
“Well, I have to yoga and stretch out my IT band. I’m sure you have no problems with your hip flexors or gluts, or else I would invite you along. Bye!”
Cassiopeia turns to walk away but she hears Jonny yell out, “Cass!” So she turns back around to face him.
“Yes?” He looks sheepish again.
“I – can I see you again?”
She smiles and walks closer to him.
“Sure.” She says.
“Um, can I have your number?” Cassiopeia’s smile drops.
“I don’t have a cell phone.” Jonny frowns.
“E-mail?”
“No internet at my apartment.” Jon looks frustrated and his eyes dart around at the different sights on the street. Cassiopeia checks the time on her watch. She has yoga in 10 minutes and the studio is a couple blocks away.
“I’m just gonna give you my number and you can call me from the store?” Jonny asks. She thinks it over and it probably would work. She nods and he grabs her arm, tugging her closer and pulling a pen out of his pocket.
He writes his digits carefully on her hand, making sure to not press too hard, then let’s go of her, stepping back.
“Well, you need to go to yoga. I’ll hear from you?”
“Maybe. Namaste!” She winks at him and turns the corner down Damen Avenue.