Castle | ✔️

Chapter Thirty Six

The plan was for me and Theo to do nothing.

Yeah, you heard me. Castle did not want us to be involved while he did whatever that he had planned to do, and so Theo and I didn't know what was going to happen. He said it was best this way. Devin wouldn't suspect anything and there were zero chances of a fuck-up.

I felt bad for Castle. It's been like a few hours that he regained his memories and he was pushed head-first into these responsibilities of trying to save himself from being killed while also protecting me and his brother. He didn't have the luxury to be relaxed. He needed to be on his toes every second of every minute.

The dinner table had the most epic silence. Castle didn't take his position at his usual place; he was seated at the head table where he could analyze everyone from his seat. I wasn't stressed any longer. I was content with this new controlled version of my husband. He was someone literally out of a fairy tale story. I'd assumed my position beside him.

His eyes met mine, and he caught me staring. I looked away at once, color rising to my cheeks. He leaned in and I got a whiff of his intoxicating perfume. "I don't mind if you keep staring at me."

I laughed, "I'm sorry. It's just...I'm still trying to get used to you being like this."

Castle nodded in understanding.

Chandler was texting on his phone; I didn't really understand why an eleven-year-old kid was having more liberties than I did. I sneaked a peek at the screen and saw him typing a text to someone under the table.

Love you too 😘

I stared at him with my mouth hanging open. Chandler had a girlfriend in school. I wondered what they did as a couple exactly? Compare their Candy Crush scores? Collect bugs together?

When Devin entered the room, he looked at Castle and something flickered in his green eyes.

A slow grin formed on Devin's face as he looked at his brother. "Well, I'll be damned!" He seemed happy to see his brother. "I don't believe this. Look at you..."

"I do." Castle said with a chuckle, "I keep looking at myself in the mirror and thanking my good fate that I was born better looking than you."

"Fuck off!" Devin said and then he realized Chandler was there with us so he said, "I mean buzz off!"

He made his way towards us in a few strides and enveloped Castle in a hug, and patted his back with a few hard thumps. "It's been difficult without you around, Cas. I was barely hanging on, you know, with everything, the company, and the family...I'm so goddamn happy you're back, brother."

It sure looked like he wasn't faking it, and if he was, that was some good acting. An award-worthy performance.

And then Dayana strutted in, dressed for dinner like she was going for a party. She looked at Castle and then at Devin. Her bitchy demeanor changed all of a sudden. "Is this really happening?"

"Castle..." she sniffled. "Do you know me?"

"yes, you're the giraffe who escaped from the zoo and kept loitering into my backyard. I can never forget you."

"Oh god, it's really you." Dayana cried harder, laughing at the same time as Castle raised his hand towards her. She made a dead run towards Castle and into his arms. "I missed you so much. We've been waiting." She cupped his head in her hands and kissed his cheek, crying uncontrollably. "Cassy..."

My eyes almost bulged out of their sockets. She called him Cassy, and I felt like I'd walked into another dimension, one in which we were all part of this slice of life movie where the hero regains his memories and the family members are shocked out of their socks but also super supportive and lovely. Kind of like a modern Jane Austen book. Happily ever after. The end.