Neptune

Chapter 45 | The Denial

C A S S I E

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.