Neptune

Chapter 37 | The Snowball

L U K E

Seven years ago

We stepped out of the cafe, and I watched as Cassie took in the fresh air, inhaling a deep breath as she closed her eyes. When she opened them again, she looked up at the sky, a big smile on her face as she walked with her arms wide open.

While her eyes were locked on the sky above, mine couldn't leave her. Something about her just drew me in.

She'd said that she came here to escape, just like I did. But right now, she acted like all her problems had vanished into thin air—it gave me hope that there was indeed light at the end of the tunnel.

"Look at the sky," she exclaimed in a cheerful voice. "It's so pretty."

I scoffed, walking behind her. "What's so special about the sky?"

She spun around to face me, a grin on her face. "It's limitless, like freedom, like the ocean too. And it's blue. Blue is my favorite color."

Watching her happiness was like drinking water in the middle of a desert. This girl was really something.

She frowned, as if deep in thought. "Actually, I love blue because of the sky. It's not that I love the sky because it's blue. No. No," she mumbled to herself, stumbling upon her own words, and I found it amusing.

I arrived at her side as we kept walking. "Where are you going to take me?" I asked. "What is this fun place that you're going to show me?"

She winked at me. "You'll see." She laughed.

I knew that her gesture wasn't aimed to flirt and that she was just being playful, teasing me. But, fuck. This girl had zero idea about her effect on the male population, and the thought of her doing the same gesture casually to any other man made me want to break something.

Hold up. What was I thinking?

While we were walking farther down the road, I caught her wrapping her arms around her waist, shivering.

"Are you cold?" I asked, feeling that the wind was a bit chilly, and she was only wearing a sweater.

"A little." She bit her lower lip.

I wouldn't have thought twice about lending her my jacket, but she needed more than a jacket. I didn't know why the hell she'd decided to wear only a sweater here.

Even though it had been warmer earlier during midday, the weather would only get colder from now on. Luckily, Victor's house was just around the corner.

"Follow me," I said, quickening my pace, and she followed suit.

Once I reached the house, I unlocked the front door and stepped inside, heading to Victor's room. I hadn't thought much when I decided to come to Hallstatt so I hadn't even brought my clothes—it didn't help that there had been a lot of drama going on in my family making me want to escape here in a flash.

But Victor had kept a lot of clothes in his wardrobe, including the coat that Cassie needed right now. I browsed through the coats, picked one and strode back toward the front door.

Then I noticed that Cassie had stayed outside—she didn't dare step into the house. I realized that I hadn't offered her to come in, so she preferred to stay outside even though she could get warmer inside.

She was different from those girls who wouldn't think twice to barge into my privacy and throw themselves at me whenever they had the chance.

Once I stepped out, I draped Victor's coat around her body and locked the door.