Chapter 10 #3
My eyes dropped to the empty glass on the desk. “And you drank my water.” I pointed accusingly at the glass. “How exactly am I supposed to take my meds now?”
“I—” His eyes darted to the glass, then back to me, panic taking over his features. “I’ll get you another one. Right now.” He turned so quickly he nearly knocked into the desk.
“Forget it.”
He stopped dead.
I let my voice soften into a weary, disappointed sigh. “Just… please, get me my croissant. I’m hungry.”
He gave a jerky nod, placed the tea he’d fought so hard for on Naija’s desk. He turned and sprinted for the elevator, only to pivot at the last second and vanish into the stairwell.
The moment it clicked shut, I waited.
One beat.
Two.
Then I reached for the tea he had practically risked his life to obtain, took a long, deeply satisfying sip, and turned to Naija.
“You want to go get a snack?”
She glanced at her watch. “I could eat.”
We headed for the elevator together. I pressed the call button and leaned against the wall while we waited.
“The police station?” I asked, turning toward her.
She gave an easy shrug. “I have a very large family.”
“Nice.” I nodded approvingly.
The elevator doors slid open, and we stepped inside.
I kept at it the entire day. Every time Cassian returned, looking increasingly harried and carrying a story more ridiculous than the last, I sent him straight back out with another impossible request. Each errand was more absurd than the one before, and I made sure he had barely enough time to catch his breath before giving him another.
He never complained. He would just stare at me for a long moment, defeat written plainly across his face, before dragging himself back out to chase whatever ridiculous thing I had demanded next. Not once did he ask why.
When the day finally ended, he appeared at my desk and began unloading his trophies. Every item I had asked for was carefully placed before me.
I looked over the bizarre collection covering my desk: a single, wilting starfruit; a jar of pickled quail eggs; a loaf of bread shaped like a llama; a container of durian pudding; blueberry muffins; and, placed neatly beside the Black Forest cake, a Barbie-themed knife.
Where on earth did he find a Barbie themed knife?
My eyes lifted to him.
He stood there grinning, wild, boyish triumph lighting up his face. His hair was a complete mess, his shirt hung untucked and stained, and his chest heaved from whatever ordeal had left him thoroughly disheveled.
“I got everything,” he announced, his voice hoarse from exertion but filled with unmistakable satisfaction. “Now you can’t accuse me of trying to starve you.”
He dropped into the chair across from my desk, a long, weary groan escaping as he slumped into it. Exhaustion had wrecked his appearance, but the smug triumph on his face remained completely intact.
My eyes moved from the bizarre assortment he had hauled in to his thoroughly ruined appearance.
“I’m full,” I informed him.
I expected him to finally snap. To lose his temper, raise his voice, throw the divorce papers across the room and tell me he was done. I expected anger. Accusations. Every ugly name he could think of.
Instead, silence answered me.
My fingers stopped over the keyboard. Slowly, I lifted my gaze.
He hadn’t moved. He sat there with an infuriating composure, his eyes fixed on mine. But there was no defeat in them. No anger, either.
There was understanding.
My eyes narrowed.
I didn’t like that look.
His lips curved into a slow, knowing smile, amusement glinting in his eyes.
“I know what you’re trying to do, Alessia.
” He gave a small shake of his head, watching me with a calm that was becoming increasingly infuriating.
“You’re trying to wear me down. Push me until I lose my patience, lose my temper, and finally decide I’ve had enough and walk away. ”
He leaned forward, resting his forearms against the desk, his gaze holding mine.
“But I’m not leaving.” The amusement disappeared from his face, replaced by a resolve that refused to bend.
“I told you I wouldn’t give up on us, and I meant every word.
” His jaw clenched. “I know you. And I won’t let you push me out. ”
His eyes sharpened, challenge settling into them.
“So push me. Provoke me. Try every trick you have. Be as impossible as you want.” One corner of his mouth lifted again, almost daring me to try.
“But you’re not getting rid of me, Alessia.
You’re going to have to try a hell of a lot harder than that. ”
I blinked once, then leaned back in my chair, folding my arms across my chest. “No,” I said softly.
“You don’t know me. You knew a girl who cared for you.
A girl who did things for you. A girl who stayed for you.
” I tilted my head, watching his expression tighten.
“I am not that girl. You have no idea who I am when I’m not in love with you, Cassian. ”
Then, I gave him the sweetest, most innocent smile I could manage.
“Now, go get me some ice cream.”