Page 21 of Neptune

________

CASSIE

J amie, Jude and I talk about the script before we start the car ride. Although Luke isn't joining us and is now watching us from the corner of the studio, I can feel his piercing stare.

My poor heart clenches as I watch the innocent Jamie talking animatedly, briefing us about how he's going to pick us up on the street before starting the karaoke session.

Jamie looks so enthusiastic, his eyes wide and sparkling with happiness as he keeps talking, just like a kid who just met Santa Claus.

Anger builds up inside me as I remember Luke's words about how he wouldn't hesitate to make the guy lose his job.

As if all of this is Jamie's idea.

I hate that Luke wouldn't mind using his power in the media industry and television channel to get rid of people he doesn't like.

Poor, poor Jamie. I hope that Luke didn't mean what he said—he's being unreasonable. Guilt now attacks me.

Had I told Luke about this car ride beforehand, maybe he wouldn't have made such a threat.

Maybe he's mad at me and not Jamie. Maybe he said those words to make me realize how I fucked up by hiding things from him.

But I have to be careful. There are many staff members here in the studio, and if Luke and I fight here while Jude is around, it will be the next trending topic.

"Alright, guys, we have to move now," Jamie says in a cheerful tone. "Cassie, you might want to tell Luke before we go. Is he going to wait here in the studio while we drive around the town?"

I flash a forced smile. "Of course." Fuming, I stomp toward Luke.

As he watches me coming to him, a mischievous smile forms on his lips. "Gotta go now?"

"Absolutely," I mutter, glaring at him. "But before I do that, you can't be serious about making Jamie lose his job. He has nothing to do with this. It's not his idea. It's Jude's," I hiss.

Silence falls for a while. I said that to save Jamie, but the moment I see Luke's eyes darken, I gulp. His expression turns even colder and more bitter, as if I just enraged him with that information.

"I see," he whispers, his voice low, making me shudder.

I glance at Jude and Jamie, who are now approaching us.

No, don't come here!

When I snap my head back toward Luke, a devilish smirk creeps onto his face. He suddenly pulls me closer to him.

Circling his arms around my waist, he whispers in my ear, "Put your arms around my neck." Although soft, his voice sounds like a threat. "Darlin', you don't want Jamie to lose his job, do you?" he speaks with clear amusement.

My blood boils. Is he joking? This isn’t the time for it.

My nostrils flare when I do as he told. Jamie and Jude arrive at our sides, probably to tell us that we're running out of time. I can feel the tension between Luke and Jude even though my eyes are now piercing Luke's, silently telling him how much I hate him.

Luke shoots Jamie a glance.

"Sorry for making you wait, Jamie, but my wife seems a bit clingy these days," he lies beautifully, making me want to murder him.

Clingy? He said that I'm clingy?

" Darlin', isn't it enough for you that I rushed here from work just to see you again?" he asks, his eyes forcing me to play along. " Jamie and Jude here are waiting. Couldn't you wait until you get off from the car?" He smiles. "And we'll still have plenty of time after I get home later."

A howl of laughter, filled with frustration, escapes from my mouth. I feel like the most unfortunate woman in the world for having this man as my legally wedded husband.

"What can I say? You always get home late." But I have to fucking play along. God, help me.

"I promise you I won't today." His fake loving voice makes me want to throw up. "Now, go and kick ass, darlin'."

He smirks again, and I feel like ripping off that smart mouth of his. To my horror, he leans closer to give me a peck on the lips, but I turn my head so his kiss lands on my cheek instead.

Again, another laugh of frustration echoes from me. I tighten my hold on Luke to make it less suspicious, but they don't know that I'm sinking my nails into his back.

It's too bad that he's wearing a suit, because if it were his bare skin, I would gladly draw his blood.

I glance at Jamie and Jude, who are watching our fake displayed affection. Jamie sighs dreamily, while Jude just stares at us in silence, expressionless.

???

Things have been going pretty well now that the three of us are in the car, far away from my crazy husband. I sit in the front beside Jamie, who's driving. Jude sits in the back.

Jamie started the conversation by making small talk, asking me and Jude how things have been going lately with our lives.

So far, we're on a good track. We just have to wait for Jamie to cue the music to start the karaoke.

But before he can do that, and as the car turns around the corner of the street, I see something scarier than a horror movie.

There at the sidewalk, Luke is standing. He stops the car with his hand, and Jamie jerks in shock, abruptly pressing the brake so we are all thrown backward.

"Jesus!" Jamie shouts, still trying to recover from the shock.

The three of us in the car watch with mouth agape as Luke strides toward us, heading to the passenger seat at the back.

Jamie looks dumbfounded—he must be confused as hell. This is definitely not in the script, but on the other hand, it's not like he has the heart to kick my husband out of his car.

Luke opens the car door and hops in to sit next to Jude. When he shuts the door, I'm still trying to tell myself that I'm hallucinating.

What the hell is he doing here? Does he think that he can just barge in here and ruin my job?

His signature smirk is back again. That annoyingly handsome face of his is ready to surprise the world again. "Mind if I join you guys?"

No one is sane enough yet to utter an immediate answer.

One thing for sure: I'm officially doomed.

After Luke just slipped into the car without permission, and after his grand introduction, everyone else is still silent.

However, Jamie seems to be the one who is quickest to compose himself, because he's the host here, and he has to be professional.

"Oh my God, Luke! What a pleasant surprise!" The way Jamie says his sentence sounds genuine, though, like he doesn't hate the new idea that has struck Luke's mind.

Luke lets out his charming laugh, the one showcasing his dimples and echoing the sexy voice that can make girls stare at him with opened mouth, just like I did when I first saw him.

I wonder how many new fans he will have after this scene is aired.

I hate to say this, but now that I see Luke and Jude side by side, he makes Jude's presence dim. Jude—the world's heartbreaker, the image of the bad boy every good girl dreams of, ruined and dangerous and covered with tattoos—looks like a kid when he sits next to Luke.

Jude's presence is overshadowed by Luke's powerful aura that he carries everywhere he goes.

Wait. What am I thinking? This is not the time to compare those guys, Cassie.

Jamie gasps at the camera. "Guys, can you believe this? This is off the script. I'm telling you the truth. I'm not lying!" he squeaks, and I can imagine the viewers laughing when they watch this later, whether on TV or YouTube.

"What's up, Jude?" Luke greets Jude in front of the camera, sounding casual, and I wonder how he can hide all the coldness and bitterness he showed Jude in the studio.

A glance at the rearview mirror lets me know that Luke is offering a handshake to Jude.

"What's up," Jude says back. He's doing pretty well in hiding his annoyance too, but if we really listen to it, there's irritation in his voice.

Jude shakes Luke's hand, but I don't miss the slightest gesture of him tightening his grip, as if he wants to break Luke's hand.

Unfortunately for him, Luke grips his hand even firmer, and Jude winces in pain.

My jaw drops. Oh, God, can we edit that part?

I turn to look at Jamie, and we share the same worried look. However, again, Jamie is quick to be all funny and bubbly and shiny again, talking randomly about driving around the town on this beautiful day.

Next, my song fills the air, and Jamie squeals. "I love this song. What a perfect song for a perfect reunion."

He does a good job of distracting us from the tension, brainwashing the viewers into thinking that the three of us are indeed getting along.

I start to sing, together with Jamie, and I'm glad that it's calming me down. Jamie is so funny, mimicking my gestures as we sing, and I indeed have fun with him .

When we finish our song, I notice that Jude is silent. He was supposed to sing my song too, but I guess that he's still pissed with Luke almost breaking his hand.

His mouth is zipped, and his face hardens, as if he's trying to control his emotions.

Luke, however, produces an annoying hum as he looks out the window, like he's enjoying the view of New York City.

We continue our journey, and when it's time to do a karaoke session with Jude's song, Jamie speaks, "Next, we're gonna play Jude's songs. Which songs should we play, guys?"

I'm not sure whether I should answer right away, but I can suggest some of his songs that I love.

However, before I can open my mouth, Jamie beats me, "What do you say, Luke? Which songs from Jude do you enjoy listening to?"

That might be an idea from Jamie to lighten the atmosphere, to give the impression that Luke respects Jude as an artist despite the history between his wife and the said superstar.

Jamie has told me the purpose of this car ride—to suppress the conflicts between our fans—and he might expect that I've told Luke about it.

Unfortunately, I haven't, and I pray to God that Luke is smart enough to not ruin it.

"I have no idea," Luke says nonchalantly, surprising me. "Haven't heard of them."

His answer makes me want to slip behind the driving wheel and drive this car madly to fall off a bridge.