The Hart Game

Chapter Thirty-Two

LUKE

I've never seen Cassie so vulnerable before. Not even when we were alone. She always seemed so strong and confident. But today when Logan showed up, she seemed like she wanted to shrink into nothing. She didn't even fight back.

We were now in my car driving around somewhere in LA, in a weird tense, comfortable silence. I know something is wrong, but I don't wanna push it. I've known Cassie long enough to know that if I push, she'll get more distant. I don't know how long I've been driving around when an idea comes to mind. Soon enough we are parking in the same Goofy parking lot as we did the first time we came here together. The time she became my girl.

Once I was parked and the car was turned off, I turn towards her only to see that she was looking at me with a questioning look.

"We are leaving our worlds behind, and going into that park and forgetting everything. Just for a little while." I say getting out of the car and slightly jogging to the other side, opening the passenger side door. I stick my hand towards her so she can take it. She hesitates but takes it anyways. I don't take my hand away from hers when we make our way to the trams and head into the park.

Soon, the girl I fell so hard for came back to me. It took a couple rides, but until we got to the Mad Tea Party ride, that bright smile that somehow only I get to see came shining through. As the sky gets darker and darker after dinner, we make our way to the same place where I had asked her to be my girlfriend and we wait for the World of Color show. That's when I decide to ask about this morning.

"So Logan's not just a school rival, is he?" I say cautiously as I start fidgeting with our entwined fingers. She looks towards me and somehow her emerald eyes become a bit darker than usual. She doesn't say anything but shakes her head.

"No. He's not." She mumbles out quietly almost to the point as if it was only in my head. I don't say anything but just look at her, hoping she would go on. It was her turn to fidget with our entwined fingers. I lift my free hand and place int under her chin and softly moving her head up to look at me.

"Please Princess," I say quietly for only her to hear, as I slide my fingers up to cup her cheek. "Talk to me."

I lean forward to rest my forehead against hers. Somehow I knew she wasn't ready to tell me everything. But whatever it was, it was something big. Something so big that she's scared to tell me. Scared to trust me with this information. Is she afraid that I would see her differently? Well she shouldn't be scared. I move my arms around her and pull her closer to me. She went stiff for a moment but relaxed and wrapped her arms around me and squeezed tight, like I was going to disappear. I moved my head to the side and buried my head in the nook between her head and shoulder. Breathing in her scent, I closed my eyes and held her tighter not wanting to let go.

Then the show started. Music started playing everything turned from the soft yellow glow of the lights around, to all the colors of the rainbow. But somehow, me and Cassie had blocked that out and stayed in our little bubble, never letting go of each other.

~*~

The rest of the week went by. The weekend came and gone. Cassie and Dean had been coming to the house almost everyday. Cameron is slowly becoming himself and I couldn't be happier about that. Cassie on the other hand is in-between wanting to be herself and distancing herself from me.

One time, I walked in on her and Dean having a heated conversation in my kitchen. I would have been suspicious that they were hooking up if I didn't know Dean was above and beyond in love with Cameron. All I know is Cassie is upset about something but she won't say about what.