Page 40 of Neptune

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CASSIE

I end up taking a rest in my room due to my headache until it's time for dinner. I can't help but wonder why I suddenly heard strange voices in my head.

Damn . Aiden was just painting planets, and I feel like I had some kind of telepathy with an alien. This is funny.

If I choose to stay inside my room again, Aiden will be even more worried, so I'm going to have dinner with them tonight even though I still don't want to see Luke again.

Sighing, I stand up from my bed and walk out the door, heading to the dining room.

When I arrive, Aiden's voice greets me. "Cassie!" He rushes to me and hugs me.

I ruffle his hair, chuckling as he looks up at me, his chin resting on my stomach. Relief crosses his expression as he notices that I'm getting better.

But when my eyes dart to Luke, his expression is different. Concern skates all over his face. He throws me a sharp look.

"Are you okay?" he asks in a soft tone, but I can see that he's trying hard to mask his worry and anxiety—I don't know why he's getting so emotional over such a little situation.

I just sigh and take a seat beside Aiden.

"You can have the doctor check your condition," he says firmly. "Why do you have to be so stubborn?"

Yes, I've declined being treated as a sick person. For God's sake, it was just a headache .

"Please don't give me any more headaches," I say.

That makes Luke silent, while Aiden looks at him with a clueless expression and then at me. I touch Aiden's shoulder to reassure him, plastering a tender smile on my face.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to snap. I'm just..." I sigh again, unable to finish my sentence.

The dinner is served, and the three of us eat quietly. Luke's presence still makes me uneasy, and I guess that he feels the same.

Aiden looks up from his plate and shifts his attention to us once in a while with his innocent stare, and I feel even more guilty.

He must have realized that his uncle and I are having a cold war right now.

"So, what about the music assignment that you told me about a while ago?" I've decided to break the uncomfortable silence and focus my attention on Aiden. "Did you learn a new song?" I smile.

Aiden grins, his eyes twinkling with excitement at this subject.

"Yes," he exclaims. "The song is cool, and everyone in my class loves it."

We continue chatting as Aiden blabbers about his activities at school, and just like usual, Luke is thrown out of the picture.

At first, I thought that he would feel completely left out because we’re acting like no one else exists at this table, but when I catch sight of him gazing at us with adoration, I realize how wrong I was.

Luke watches us like he has never seen something so precious, a small smile tugging at his lips as his eyes soften, as if Aiden's moment with me is something that he treasures the most.

The way he stares at us makes me feel strange, but before I can think further, Ms. Langston brings us the dessert, snapping me out of my thoughts.

"Here's your favorite, Aiden." She gives the boy a warm smile, placing three plates of dessert for us on the table.

"Carrot cake," Aiden exclaims with joy, like he can't wait to devour his favorite dessert.

I chuckle as he eagerly takes his first bite of the cake topped with fluffy cream cheese frosting.

"You love the cake, don't you? Do you love carrots?" I ask. I thought most kids didn’t like carrots.

Aiden shakes his head.

"Ew, no. I don't like carrots, but carrot cake is different." He speaks with his mouth full so I can barely hear his sentence.

I laugh, watching him swallow the food before I start to eat my dessert too.

"What's your favorite cake?" Aiden asks, making me turn to look at him again.

"Banana," I say. "I love banana cake."

A smile touches my lips as I remember the taste and the good memories about it.

"My dad used to make it for me with chocolate icing. Love it," I blurt out, not realizing that I've just talked about my dad.

I freeze. I can't remember the last time I talked about him. It seems so long ago. My heart feels like bursting as I admit how much I miss my dad.

When I finally snap the sad thought away, I notice that Aiden is staring at me with wonder.

"What's so special about banana cake?" he asks, curiosity in his eyes.

A sad smile forms on my lips.

"I guess it's special because of the memories behind it." I sigh. "To have someone dear cook for us makes the food taste a thousand times better, doesn't it?" I affectionately touch Aiden's nose. "Don't worry. Next time, I'll let you taste the best banana cake in town. I know some places."

Aiden grins from ear to ear.

Still, I know that the cake will be nothing compared to the one baked for me by my dad. I realize how much I miss that banana cake.

It's sad to remember again that while my dad made me dishes filled with love, Morgan didn't even let me have a proper meal .

I guess that those beautiful times with the person dearest to me are now indeed gone.

After watching Aiden eat his carrot cake again with a smile on his face, I look up to shift my attention back to my plate, and that's when I notice that Luke is deep in thought, watching me.

???

Another day has arrived, and it's Sunday. I wake up early, and as I open the curtains in my bedroom, I sigh. My heart still feels heavy from what has happened between me and Luke, and I don't know when it will be healed.

My team in LA hasn't given me any new projects, since they know that I'm still taking a break, but I kind of need it now to take my mind off Luke.

Even though it's still too early to take breakfast, I decide to go to the kitchen. Maybe a hot cup of chamomile tea would be nice to relax me before I begin my morning.

When I reach the dining room, the maids are still preparing the table for our breakfast. I step into the kitchen but then halt when I see Luke and Aiden already there.

I peek behind the wall.

"It looks horrible," Aiden mutters at Luke, who looks like he's having trouble with cooking, trying his best to smooth the top of a mixture prepared in a tin.

Next to it, I see another tin, a cooked one, but it's black, and I don't even know what it is.

"What about the chocolate icing?" Aiden protests. "She likes banana cake with chocolate icing. I don't see it."

"Patience, Aiden," Luke speaks through gritted teeth. "Patience."

He takes a deep breath—it seems like he needs it more than Aiden.

I watch the scene with my mouth open .

"You ruined the cake," Aiden snaps again—it's the first time I’ve seen him so irritated. "You're the one who told me that you were going to cook it for her, and I was excited for nothing."

Luke lets out a deep sigh. "You know I can't cook. Besides, practice makes perfect." But then he drops the spoon in defeat. "Shiii—" he stops—he can't curse in front of Aiden.

"It's your fault." Aiden glares at Luke. "Why did you have to make her sad? I know that you've made her sad."

What I see before my very eyes amazes me. I feel like flying to the clouds from watching how Aiden stands up for me.

Luke sighs again, looking at Aiden with a serious expression. "I'm sorry, okay? Come on. I'm trying to make things right here."

"I don't care," Aiden snaps, looking like he's about to cry. "I just want the banana cake."

With that said, he storms out of the kitchen through the other door.

Luke looks frustrated, and when he turns around, that's when our eyes meet.

Uh oh.

How awkward.

Luke curses, leaning his back against the counter, a scoff coming out of his mouth as he knows that I just watched the entire show.

He can't hide the evidence here that he failed his mission of cooking the banana cake.

Why did he have to try, though? Is it because he knows that I miss it? That I miss when my family cooked for me?

My mind forces me to do something, anything, to break this awkward atmosphere. I can't just speed off, because it would mean that I just eavesdropped on their conversation on purpose.

Shit . Why am I here again?

My eyes dart to the fridge. Milk . I decide to have some milk, so I walk to the fridge.

"I—" he stumbles upon his words. "I was just trying out some recipe to make you a banana cake."

"You didn't have to," I say without looking at him. I take out the low-fat milk from the fridge and pour it into a glass.

After drinking it, I place the glass back onto the counter. I grip the edge of the counter and let out a long sigh, my back still facing him.

What shocks me is that I find Luke's arms circling my waist as he hugs me from behind. My heart skips a beat.

Luke tightens his hold on me, his breath on my neck.

"I care about you, Cassie. I can't stop thinking about you.” His voice is shaking, so close to my ear. “It tortures me to know that I've hurt you. No matter how you push me away, I can't get you out of my mind or stay away from you. Please don't say something like that again."

There's so much pain laced in his voice, and I find myself losing my mind.

Tears form in my eyes. I'm trying to get away from him, but why does my heart tell me the opposite thing?

Luke places a kiss on my neck, and it's so soft. So tender. I'm trying my best to keep sane. He embraces me like his life depends on me.

“I know that it's not only me who feels tortured like this,” he whispers.

“I know that you feel it too. I can see it from your tears.

I can hear it when you cry. I hurt you more because you can't deny your feelings for me, Cassie.

So, please, stop pretending. Stop acting like you don't feel anything, like we're not real. "

It's so hard to prevent my sobs from breaking, but I have to, because if I don't, he'll know that every word coming from his mouth is true.

And I'm not ready for that. I'm not ready to trust him.

All the people I love the most have broken my trust and my heart. Morgan. Jude.

I'm not ready to get my heart shattered all over again.

I muster all my power to turn around and walk away from him. Luke stares at me with pain in his glistening eyes.

Ignoring the scream in my heart, I walk out of the kitchen, leaving him alone.