The Hart Game

Chapter Thirty-Four

CASSIE

"I can't believe you're making me come to this thing." Christian mumbles behind me as we make our way up the Garrick Household. Bryan has been nonstop talking about this dinner. Over the past few weeks he and Luke has been getting closer and closer. Teddy has been up since six this morning making all kinds of side dishes and our mom's famous cheesecake.

"I swear to God, Christian. If you don't behave," Teddy says, balancing two bowls in both his hands.

"Yeah, yeah. I get it." Christian says interrupting Teddy before he had the chance to finish what he was going to say. We make our way to the front door, Bryan ringing the door bell before all of us made it to the first step.

The door opens before we make it the whole way and we're greeted by Robbie, Luke's dad.

"Hey there, little man!" He says crouching down in front of him. "My, have you grown, the last time I saw you, you were just a little baby." I freeze. I wasn't expecting him to say something like that, especially if Luke was so close by. Robbie looks at me, then glances inside the house behind him. "Come on in, please."

He stands and steps aside. Bryan bolts inside, Christian and Teddy are a bit hesitant and I'm glued to where I stand. When everyone is inside, I suck in a breath and start moving. Before I can make it over the threshold Robbie gently grabs ahold on my arm and leans slightly to my ear.

"He's in the kitchen." I relax immediately and let out a sigh of relief. There was a door that separates the kitchen and where we were. I look down to the hand on my arm and he immediately retracts and bows his head, as if on instinct.

"Thank you." I say just above a whisper and walk inside the house. When I get in, Christian is already sitting on the couch looking at the TV which shows a football game going on. Teddy is looking around and Bryan has found a box which surprisingly has a bunch of toys inside. Robby closes the door when he comes in too and walks up to Teddy. He takes one of the bowls and gives him a hand shake.

"Come on, I'll show you where you can put those down." Robby says as he leads the way to the dinning room and I make my way with the cheesecake to the kitchen. Once I'm through the door I'm met with the most wonderful scene in front of me. Luke has his sleeves folded up his arms, standing at the counter in deep thought, cutting up what looks to be some vegetables, while is mom was right beside him, stirring something that looks to be some kind of dessert, with leftover flour on her cheek and forehead. My chest tightens at seeing her reminding me of my own mother when I would come home from school and see her baking cookies.

Over these last few months I've known her, she has become a sort of a mother figure to me. Has it really been that long? Months? In a couple weeks we will be off for winter break, and the first half of the bet will be done. And what will I do then? These past few weeks have been amazing. Luke lets me forget about who I am. About the 'responsibilities' I supposedly have with the Pellegrino Family. He makes me feel like I can be who I want to be. He makes me feel.

"Princess?" I snap out of my own thoughts to see that Luke was in front of me. There was something different about him today. I was trained to read people like an open book and Luke was the only person I can never get anything from. He was my enigma. Luke reaches out his hands and they go over mine holding the cheesecake pan. I look down to see that I was still holding it.

"Hey Creepy." I whisper, a smile making its way to my face. He takes the cheesecake out of my hand and leans down to place a longing kiss to my temple and I relax as he rests his forehead against mine. And for a moment we stay like that until we remember we're not the only ones in the room.