Neptune

Chapter 36 | The Treat

L U K E

Seven years ago

She stared at me, dumbfounded. She might have thought I was crazy. I couldn't say that it was the best pick-up line.

No. I actually, genuinely, felt sorry for her, so I wanted to make it up to her.

"Lunch?" she asked me in disbelief. "No way. Why would I go eat with a mean stranger like you?"

I wanted to laugh. I stood up from the stool and extended my hand to introduce myself. "I'm Luke. I'm from New York. You're American too, aren't you?"

She looked at my hand but didn't shake it. She didn't bother to introduce herself in return.

I see. Being extra careful, wasn't she? It was ironic that she seemed to forget all about being careful last night.

"You know, there are some nice restaurants around here," I said. "Have you tried the nearby cafe that has salmon pasta, blackened trout and pork schnitzel?"

The way she swallowed made me wonder whether she was actually very hungry. She might be. Judging by the cheap place she was staying in, it didn't look like she could treat herself to some of the best meals in this town.

I got her.

"Come on," I said. "I'll treat you. You can choose any dishes you want."

Her lips were still pursed—she looked like she still hated me. But the options that I was offering her seemed like they were torturing her just as much.

"Still not interested?" I asked with a playful tone. "Very well." I turned away from her, and that was when she finally spoke again.

"Wait," she exclaimed, making me turn to look at her again, amused. "Are you really going to let me eat those foods for free?"

A deep chuckle left my lips. "Trust me. You can try all the dishes there until you're satisfied, without having to pay a single damn cent."

She swallowed again.

"What are we waiting for?" I smirked, pushing my hands into my jacket. "Miss...?" I asked for her name, looking into her eyes.

"Cassandra," she finally said, her voice small.

*

We ended up in a simply furnished cafe with a cozy atmosphere and a beautiful view of the lake. I'd never seen someone eat so eagerly, like she was eating her last meal on earth.

She literally devoured all the foods that I ordered for her.

Damn. She must have been really hungry.

"Are you always this hungry?"

"I am extremely hungry right now," she said, her eyes still not leaving her plate. "Besides, just like you said, the food is delicious. And," she paused as she took a gulp of her orange juice, "it's been ages since I could eat whatever I wanted without having to be punished afterward." She blurted that out.

I didn't think that she even realized how strange her sentence was. I frowned. What was she talking about?

Can't anyone just eat whatever and whenever they're hungry?

"So, Cassandra..." I began.

"Cassie." She looked up at me, still munching her food.

"Right, Cassie," I said.

Wow. That was a change. I guess the food had indeed made her happy, enough to warm up to me.

"Where are you from?" I asked. "I know that we're from the same country. But, which part?"

"I just moved to LA with my stepmom," she said nonchalantly.

"Why are you here?" I asked, still curious as to why a naive girl like her suddenly decided to wander alone in a random city far away from her home.

"It was my ultimatum," she said, the dining utensils dropping onto her plate as she finally finished her food.

"A what?"

She gulped her orange juice again and huffed.

"My ul-ti-ma-tum," she emphasized the word. "My stepmom wants me to make a really big decision, and so I told her that I wanted a vacation alone to clear and refresh my mind first. Unfortunately, my budget isn't good enough for me to experience everything around here—although she did help me top up some money to buy the plane tickets. But gosh, isn't this place amazing? The view is breathtaking. Absolutely phenomenal," she exclaimed, excitement in her voice.

My eyes drank her happiness. Her energy made me feel like I was experiencing the same joy. "Why Hallstatt of all places in the world?"

"Because this is one of the most beautiful places to spend winter." She grinned. "And I love, love winter. I love the snow."

Again, I stared at her with amusement. She was talking like a kid.

"What's this big thing your stepmom wants you to do that made your wish of coming to Hallstatt come true? I bet that it has something to do with college," I guessed.

Surprisingly, she shook her head, signaling that the answer was wrong. "Nah, it's not about that. I don't think that I'll go to college even though it's the time for me," she said, her voice low as she looked down, and I suddenly had the urge to find out about was bothering her mind.

But of course, she wasn't ready to open up to a stranger, so I left it at that. However, I was right about her age. She might have just graduated high school.

"What about you?" She smiled, resting her chin on her hands. "Are you in college or something?"

"Just finished my bachelor's degree," I said, suddenly reminded of all the responsibilities waiting for me.

"What brought you here? You're clearly not an artist." She rolled her eyes.

"I guess I'm here to escape," I told her truthfully, and her gaze showed that she was being attentive. "Bingo. I'm no artist. I suck at painting." I smirked. "But my brother is good at that. He's always here during winter. Painting."

"So, you're here with him," she said.

I shook my head. "No. He passed away a week ago."

My answer caused a horrified look to skate all over her face. "Oh, Luke, I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to—"

"It's okay," I cut her off.

Silence fell between us. But strangely, it didn't feel uncomfortable. It felt the other way around. That was odd, because we were no doubt strangers.

But why did my heart tell me that she wasn't?

Another thing that bothered my mind was that I'd just spoken about Victor without feeling the great agony I'd always felt before. That was something.

Cassie looked up at me again, a soft smile on her lips. "You know what? I came here to escape too," she said, and another silence crept between us.

I waited for her to say more.

"And now that you've treated me these super delicious meals, you kinda make me feel guilty." She plastered a cute pout on her face. "Do you want to do something fun? 'Cause I know this fun place that you might be interested to see."

My eyebrows rose, and a small smirk crept on my lips again. "I'm hella curious about that, but not until you finish your dessert."

Now, it was her turn to raise her eyebrows.

"Does cream strudel with vanilla sauce sound good to you?" I smiled.

Cassie let out a burst of laughter, one that sounded like a melody in my ears.

"I would very much like to have that," she said, while I called the waiter to get her the dessert she was craving.