Mafia: Neo Zone ► Lucas Wong ◄

Chapter 14 - Pandora's Box → MAD DOG ✔

When I finally gathered the strength to go inside, I found Heidi waiting for me in the lobby. She must have known what had happened and that I'd been crying, but she didn't ask any questions. With the slight hint of a sad smile tugging at the corner of her lips, she handed me a keycard inside a little sleeve that had my room number written on it. Reaching out, she gripped my shoulder.

"It gets easier." There were tears in her eyes. "It hurts like hell, but eventually, you get numb to the pain." Before I could say anything in response, she pushed past me, leaving me alone once more.

I went slowly to the room, dreading having to see Aaron again. Likely, he would be full of questions about what had happened since we'd last seen each other, and I didn't feel like talking to anyone right now. When I opened the door to the room, however, I discovered that all the lights except a little lamp by the door had been turned off, and heavy breathing told me that Aaron was already asleep.

Feeling a wave of thankfulness wash over me, I took off my shoes and went further into the room. There were two, twin-sized beds there instead of the standard king, and foolish relief filled me. I didn't know what I would have done if I'd had to sleep next to Aaron after what had just happened in the parking lot—even the thought of being in his arms made me want to cry some more.

Flipping off the light, I crawled into my bed, knowing full well that I wouldn't be able to sleep. Curling on my side, I faced the wall and tried to forget the final, cold goodbye Lucas and I had shared. Deep inside, the premonition that I would never see him again sprang to life, and silent tears flooded my eyes despite myself. It was going to be a long night.

I half drifted off when the room had grown faintly lighter due to early morning light, but the sleep wasn't deep enough to keep me from waking up a while later when Aaron clambered out of bed and into the bathroom. Curling into a tighter ball, I pretended to still be asleep as he came back out and made a hushed call to housekeeping to ask if breakfast could be brought up. A few moments—in which I became increasingly more awake—passed, and then a gentle knock on the door told me his request had been fulfilled.

There was a quiet, brief exchange at the door, and then: "Cassidy?" He touched my shoulder. "I had breakfast brought up for us, and the maid also delivered a change of clothes that Heidi prepared for us. We should go ahead and eat and get dressed, so we can go home sooner." He sounded like an excited child.

Unable to keep up my pretenses any longer, I slowly opened my eyes. Aaron had bent over to wake me up and was hovering barely six inches away from my face, and when he saw my eyes open, he smiled brightly. I, on the other hand, struggled not to strike out at him due to my shock at his sudden, close proximity, but I couldn't stifle my sharp gasp of surprise. He moved back at the sound, tilting his head quizzically to the side as he looked at me.

"It'll be good to finally be home, won't it?" He said, opening the curtains to let the early morning sunlight in. "The quicker we get back, the quicker we can forget any of this happened." He was only wearing his boxers, and I shifted my eyes away from him, embarrassed at the sight.

Forget. Yes, that would be the best option for everyone involved. I would quickly fall back into our old routine, and soon, all of this would be like a distant memory that I would think of on occasion when I had a trying day at work or when I was feeling particularly lonely on nights when Aaron stayed out late.

As if he were too happy to notice how glum I was, Aaron hummed as he rolled the cart of food the maid had brought over to me. He sat on the foot of my bed and smiled widely at me. Silently, I ate the food he gave me—neither identifying nor tasting it as I did so. I ate for the necessity of survival rather than for my own enjoyment.