Kapitel 18: Chapter 18 Forever is just a second
I used to look at you and see all of your flaws
Didn't think a time like this would ever come
Couldn't lie to you forever
I only saw our lives together
-Maxchalant
A T H A L I A
The bright Californian sun beat down on my brown skin.
"Finally back home!" I yawned, stretching my arms. I never knew I had one. My hair was messed up, and laziness filled my eyes. It was hotter here than in India, especially when you have a hot man beside you... but leave it, I need to bathe first.
Theia hurried to the airport to meet her daughter. Her matters were finally sorted out, and now she had shifted with her boyfriend. Her life was simple and peaceful now, just as she planned.
Melina and Ronan decided to stay back with Kabir's parents in India, and Nathan bid his bye at the airport. It was just the four of us standing in front of this big mansion while the servants were taking out our luggage.
I walked straight to the bathroom, craving nothing but cold water to wash away the stinky smell. "Athalia?" Cade called from the wardrobe. No, not now, Alia. Just a peek won't burst my eyes.
Sunlight danced through the window, illuminating his abs, he was drenched in sweat, his t-shirt laying on floor. If someone asked me to describe libido, I'd take his name. He caught me staring and smirked, running his fingers through his hair. I hesitated and closed the door to the shower room. It's a good thing this bathroom has two showers, or else we would have already been messing up with each other.
"What?" I asked, taking off my jeans and throwing them into the laundry basket. I'm never going to wear jeans in summers again.
"Be ready by twelve; we'll start working from today." Why is he so workaholic? I shouted an 'okay', turning on the shower. Standing naked as the water dripped from my hair to my navel, I closed my eyes, feeling the freshness.
"The water never forgets anything my dear Alina"
. . . . . . .. .
"Can you tell me why the hell we're here?" Asher groaned from the passenger seat. "And why is it so dark in the morning?"
I stood outside, leaning against Cade's window. The alley sent a chill down my spine. I glanced at Cade, who had been staring at the entrance of the pawn shop for a while. From the look of the neighborhood, it was evident that this place was rife with illegal trades, cheap bars, and pleasure parlors.
Some men passed by, leering at my body and licking their lips. I was wearing denim shorts with a plain tank top. Cade took off his sunglasses, his grip tightening on the steering wheel as he glared at them murderously. I couldn't help but chuckle at their hastened pace after seeing him.
And then, the movement we had been waiting for happened. The door opened, and a girl in a loose shirt and jeans came out, her hair up in a messy bun and glasses on. She yawned lazily, and then her eyes landed on Cade, who waved at her. She started running away.
"Go catch her. I can't drive through this narrow alley," Cade ordered, putting back on his sunglasses. It was a good thing I was in sneakers.
She kept running, and I kept following. She stopped with heavy breaths and glanced at me before veering left. Did she really think she could disappear? That's when I pushed her down; her glasses fell to the ground, but she dodged my punch.
Both of us were breathing heavily. She tried to run again but ended up tripping on a stone. I wiped the wetness near my lips. "Bitch," she growled, realizing she couldn't run anymore. I've always been a great fan of this chase game, especially of the pathetic look your opponent gives you when they know they're going to lose.
She rose to her feet, but I caught her easily. With her appearance, she seemed like a student or a bookworm. I twisted her wrist, and she screamed in pain. Her left leg tangled with mine, and we both fell down, but I didn't loosen my grip.
I felt something point at my stomach. A gun? Was she kidding me?
"I'll pull the trigger," her threat sounded weak. I smirked when she actually pulled the trigger. "The gun is just a toy, without the bullets," I said, tossing the golden bullets near her face.
Our eyes turned to the approaching footsteps. "Hanniel," the woman barked as Cade came toward us, followed by Asher. "We could have talked easily in some bar or cafe. Why waste your energy running?" he said, taking off his glasses.
"I've told you, I already sold that book!" she struggled to free herself. "I don't want the book right now; I want your help," he said, signaling me to release her. She shot me a couple of death glares before I stood up.
"And what makes you think I would help you?" the woman asked.
Cade extended a hand and spoke in Latin, "Memento Mori, Memento Vivere."
I didn't understand the meaning, but it was something that made her change her mind. Her expression calmed as she asked, "What exactly do you need my help for?"
"It's complicated to understand, but it's like decoding some words," he replied. She smirked, taking his help to stand. "And why would I help, again?"
He smirked, putting back his glasses. "Because I'm going to pay you for it"
And here he was, just like his father, using greed to fight his way out of an argument. He's a criminal by legal standards, doing no good to others and needing no reason for it. He isn't burdened with the glory of this world afterall.
She sat in the backseat with Asher. "How rude of me," Cade said, placing his hand on the gear. "She is Naomi, and Naomi, he is the historian of our project, Asher, yeah, that one right beside you," he pointed at Asher and he rolled his eyes. "And she is Athalia, my project partner; she'll be summarizing your work."
"She almost broke my neck," she complained. "But you were the one with a gun," he chuckled. "You were having fun, weren't you?" I asked, and he laughed.
"It would have been more fun if you both were pulling each other's hairs."
"I'll help you, but first you have to give me a place to live. I'm broke, my father he've been clubbing around with some young blondies" she said opening her hairs and running her nails through them, how far she is broken and have perfectly manicure nails?
"Don't worry. It's impossible to work with ancient history without its ruins. I'll arrange a place in Greece within a week. You can stay with Asher for this week if you want to," he said, eyeing Asher. Now I find out they just have fun fighting with each other. It's nothing like 'I want to kill you' between them.
"You can stay in his room if you want," Asher protested, leaning back.
"That place already been occupied by a girl."
"Like you're planning to marry her?"
"Don't know for marriage yet, but surely planning for a-"
"Can you guys shut up for Jesus's sake!" I interrupted their so-called quarrel before Cade could complete. 'A marriage?' 'A baby?' When do we talk about these things? My cheeks were already red. Why the heck is my heart beating so fast?
"Don't think she wants one with you," Asher said, his eyes fixed on me. "I thought she asked you to shut up," Naomi reminded him.
. . . . . . . . . .
"A culprit?" I asked, creasing his hair as his head rested over my breast, the moonlight glowing on his lashes. It was nearly midnight, and the slow, soft winds blew in the hot summer night. The leaves played their music, so we decided to spend time on his terrace.
"Who do you think it is, Dr. Liam?" I let out a humorous chuckle. I was wearing a plain blue nightdress, loose and thin, with my left strap falling down to my shoulder because of his head squeezing against me. He looked cute.
He was a bit drunk today, behaving like a lovesick puppy. The legendary Playboy Cade Hanniel, acting lovesick? His blue eyes were dreamy, and his words were cheesy. It wasn't his usual arrogant self, but it was turning me on. His hand inside my dress played with the hem of my pantie, and his warm breath on my skin every time he sighed or laughed.
"What about the baby thing, Cade? Why'd you say it?" I asked. It had been running through my mind the whole day, and knowing he was not capable of lying, at least not right now. Maybe he just said it to make Asher jealous. Or did he have hopes for me?
He looked up at me and grinned. "A baby with you?" he asked, and I nodded. Then he looked at me as if I were the broken piece of his star.
"I thought we were going to have a baby, that's why we were sleeping together," he said. Did he really think this? It was just because of my infertility, and besides, we decided to keep it a secret. He was the one who told me he didn't love me, so why think about a baby?
"I want to have a baby with you," he slowly whispered, and did he just blush? "Why, Mr. Hanniel?"
He gradually lifted his head and placed it against mine. "I want to place a small life here," his hand slowly traveled to my stomach, and we both let out a small laugh. "And watch it grow together."
His head rested on my shoulder as he continued. "I want to take care of you during your labor months. I want to see that smile of yours when we plan for the nursery of her. I want to see you slowly lulling her to sleep, just as you do to Theiona," he gently pinched my nose and continued again, so it's the Theiona effect on him.
"I guess I've been selfish all my life, but now I want to care about someone. We can move to the countryside, leaving all this chaos behind, to a house we design together. I'll leave all this risky work and be a professor at some university, and you, my love, can rest all day lazily in bed. We can go to different places every weekend with our little one, or we can together watch some princess movies with her."
"What if we mess it up, Cade? What if we separate in the future?" I asked and placed a kiss on my cheek.
"I won't let you go anywhere, and I won't let us mess anything up. I won't pull away from you, my love, unless you get hurt because of me, and that's something I'd never let happen." His words were something I could die to hear again, a tear slowly dropped from my eye.
"Why are you crying, mon amour?" He asked, wiping it with his thumb.
"You are just too delusional," I replied.
He looked at me with sad eyes, so I decided to change the topic. The more I thought about it, the more I'd get hurt, because it's something I can't have.
"We were talking about Greece, so why are we exactly going to Greece?" I asked, ending our love talks. I knew he'd forget everything he said by tomorrow morning; he would forget that he just confessed his love, and it would be replaced by a hangover headache.
"It's something, not just something. There are people behind it. I can bet there are some culprits in guard behind the capital Nova's malfunction. It was all planned. So I want to go exactly to the roots," he said.
"If you want to stay here, you can. It's risky."
I shook my head. Leave him there? No way.
"Let's die together then," I said, and he laughed at my words.
"There's no way I'm going to let you die. I would burn down the world if something happens to my lady."
AUTORENGEDANKEN 
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