Neptune

Chapter 39 | The Storm

L U K E

Seven years ago

I glanced at Cassie as we walked away from the market square, a happy smile still tugging at her lips. The same smile touched my lips too.

She must have felt really good after nailing her live music performance.

"Where are we going now?" she asked in a cheerful voice.

"My flight back to New York is tonight, so I don't have much time left," I said even though my heart was denying it. "I have to go back."

Cassie's face fell, and she halted for a second. When she resumed her steps, she stared down at the road, and I noticed her disappointment right away.

"I see," she said with a small voice. "I thought that we could still hang out longer. It was...fun, you know?"

I couldn't agree more. If only I could stay longer. "When are you going back to LA?"

She sighed. "I'm still going to be here for two more days."

I noted her information, but I knew that I couldn't stay for that long here. Guilt kept coming to me every time I wondered about how my family was doing back home, with them still mourning Victor's death and with the business going downhill.

I hadn't even realized that Cassie and I were walking slower than before, as if to treasure every moment.

I came to a halt, turning to her. "I'll walk you back to the motel."

She nodded.

*

The journey back to the motel was silent, probably because both of us were still digesting the fact that we were going to part ways soon. Even though I knew that I had to hurry to catch my flight, the time that I'd spent walking her back to the motel took longer due to how slow we were walking.

When we finally reached the place, Cassie said with a tender smile on her lips, "Thanks for walking me back."

I let out a sigh and smiled before both of us went silent.

"It's been a great day," she said. "I really enjoyed it. It was really fun."

Silence fell between us again, and I knew that she was waiting for me to say more.

But I didn't.

I couldn't, and I didn't want to. What was I supposed to say? Should I ask for her number? But I knew that it wasn't in my plan. I wasn't interested in having a long-distance friendship with her, because I would definitely want more than that.

And the last thing I needed was a distraction. A relationship with a girl wasn't my priority right now.

"Take care, Luke." She smiled but couldn't hide the sadness behind it.

I ruffled her hair. "Don't starve yourself," I joked.

Cassie pouted, irritated because I'd just ruined her hair, but at the same time, her cheeks turned pink. It was amusing to watch how my little gesture affected her that much.

I turned on my heels, walking away from her even though she seemed to have more things to say. Right, just like that.

I kept walking farther from her, because I knew that if I didn't, I wouldn't be able to let her go. I didn't glance back at her at all, ignoring my heart that was beating like a drum in my chest.

*

I stared at the ceiling of Victor's bedroom. What was I doing? I should have been getting ready to go to the airport, but my body wasn't being cooperative—it just couldn't move.

I glanced at my watch again and noticed that if I didn't get my ass off this bed, I would be late and miss the flight. Damn it.

I couldn't get Cassie off my mind. Her smile, her laughter and her angelic voice kept playing in my head. Her sweetness and kindness sipped right into my heart, taming it.

It seemed ridiculous to just let a girl like her go. Other men would have thought that I was crazy for walking away from such a precious girl. But who said that I wasn't crazy? With all the problems that life had thrown at me—the tragedy that had struck my family—I didn't need any distractions.

There were so many things that I needed to do to prevent the business from collapsing—I didn't even know whether I would be able to survive it.

And it wasn't like Cassie would want to stay with me once she learned about who I really was. I kept reminding myself of that.

I shouldn't let my heart contaminate my brain. As a man, I shouldn't let my emotions take over my logic and rationality.

However, my grip on the phone in my hand tightened. I'd been thinking about postponing my flight. Perhaps, tomorrow afternoon is a good idea.

I knew that I couldn't keep Cassie forever, but a little bit more time wouldn't be that harmful, would it?

Maybe I could ask her for dinner tonight, breakfast tomorrow morning and strolling around the town for a while before going to the airport tomorrow afternoon.

Yeah, I think that I can do that.

So I pressed the button on my phone, dialing the flight carrier to postpone my schedule. I spoke to the flight assistant, and all was settled. Sighing, I sat up on the bed, thinking about the impulsive decision I'd just made.

I walked from the bed and looked out my window, thinking about going to Cassie's motel again to ask her out for dinner. But then, the view that I was witnessing made my heart drop. Outside, a snowstorm was happening.

How could that happen? Hadn't it been nice weather before? What kind of nonsense was this?

The snowstorm outside perfectly explained the turmoil I suddenly felt inside my heart. I guess fate wasn't on my side.

Is this some kind of warning?

Cursing under my breath, I threw myself back onto the bed. A long sigh left my lips as I covered my eyes with my arm. I didn't think that I could ask Cassie out in this kind of weather.

Fuck. I might have to wait until tomorrow morning.

My mind was then filled again with the responsibilities waiting for me back home. It wasn't only my family who needed me, but also a lot of people. Their lives and futures depended on me.

Tiredness soon consumed me—I wasn't only physically tired but also mentally. I wished that there wasn't so much drama in my family.

I closed my eyes and soon drifted off to sleep.

*

When I woke up, the clock on the wall read 11 PM. Groaning, I slowly sat up on the bed. While I was still gathering my energy back, I wondered if the storm had stopped.

I left the bed and walked toward the window. When I opened the curtain, I saw that the storm was still happening. Another sigh of disappointment left my lips, but then, it was already too late to go out.

While I was watching the storm, something caught my attention. My eyes widened in horror, my heart skipping a beat.

There, in front of the door of this house, I saw a familiar figure lying on the ground.

Goddammit. Cassie!

My heart raced as I rushed out of Victor's bedroom, storming toward the door. Panic engulfed me. Once I opened the door, I found Cassie lying unconscious before me.

My hands shook as I picked her up in my arms. She was pale as white, her lips parted, her hair filled with snow. She was still breathing, but she was freezing.

How long had she been here?

"Cassie," my shaking voice uttered her name as I shook my head in denial, rocking her body back and forth.

Yet, she showed no sign of consciousness.

"Cassie!" I hollered, feeling my world crumbling down.

And the storm inside me went crazy, far worse than what was happening around us.