BXBX NOVEL Chapter 139 - Playing Along
As Cassidy only continues staring at Adrian, she realizes something that she thinks she has been disregarding for too long.
That gentle look, his affectionate touches, and all these romantic gestures - they are enough to tell her that he is indeed in love with her. He has come to care for her even more than she can imagine. This time around, they are genuine. He is no longer playing along in this arranged marriage of theirs. His sincerity is unmistakable, especially since he does not try to hide it.
Then again, this man has always been a genuine one.
Genuinely indifferent, and genuinely caring - either way, he acts unfeigned.
\'Well, it is as I believe - he is a good person deep within, but...\' Cassidy thought as she kneeled beside Adrian to take a closer look at the penguin he was petting.
\'It just can\'t work anymore. This doesn\'t seem right.\'
She feels like she is the one who is only playing along this time.
At this point, she has not completely recalled all of her memories. Most of them are even blurry and hard to make out. Even then, she could tell that she had been through a lot of pain in her relationship with him. That was why if she would be given a chance to fully remember how much she had loved him all those times, she would rather choose not to do so.
Everything can only get worse if she remains, and she herself has had enough. She is tired of getting her hopes up too much - she is tired of being led on all the time.
"Say, Cassidy..." Adrian called all of the sudden, stealing back her attention.
"Do you like penguins? We can take some back at home."
"Huh?" was all Cassidy could blurt out, entirely dumbfounded.
"I mean, we can have a penguin as a pet if you want. I\'ll also build something like this snow world thingy inside the mansion-"
"Hey, wait, wait! That is too much!"
"Don\'t worry. The head of this aquarium park is an acquaintance of mine. We did business together before."
"That is not the point. I don\'t really need something like this."
"I know, but what I am asking is if you want it."
Perhaps, she will not be able to play along with him from time to time. She nearly forgot that he was one who would exaggerate things like this. The thought does count and all, but at the same time, she also can\'t lead him on by accepting every single thing he presents to her.
"No, it\'s fine. Besides, I think penguins are better off not being kept as pets..." Cassidy muttered with a downcast gaze.
"They should be free."
And as she said that, she felt like she was also talking about herself.
---
From a number of special exhibits to more public displays, the two of them have the whole aquarium park to themselves to explore.
Without even noticing it, Cassidy had gone and enjoyed everything thoroughly. She was not able to spend that much time at the beach, which was why seeing all these aquatic animals up close was such a pleasant thing to do. Undeniably, it has become an irreplaceable experience for her.
More than these, though, Cassidy was also able to see another side of her husband - the laid-back and carefree one.
Adrian has acted like how he used to when he was seventeen-year-old. He has been generous, a little chattier, thoughtful, and even accommodating. It is as he said - he is more than willing to give her everything she wishes.
"And I completely got carried away in the end," Cassidy deadpanned and sighed, a bit disappointed at the fact that she was such an easy woman to please - perhaps, as easy to please as a child.
She is taking a break at the outdoor cafe of the aquarium park at the moment, leaning on the handrails and staring out to the ocean scenery. After hours of playing around, she almost failed to realize that she was already getting hungry. Adrian, being the attentive companion that he was, invited her there before she could even say it out loud.
Now, it has become clearer to her that this whole thing does indeed look like a date - and she can\'t believe she is somehow fine with it.
"Well, let us just consider this as the last one..." Cassidy thought out loud with her gaze turning lifeless and dull.
"Once we get back home, I\'ll be too busy to even pay attention, much less go to this kind of place."
Adrian walked up from behind her a moment after she said that.
Yet before he could even reach her, he found himself knocked out of breath by the view that greeted him right then. He was just about to invite her back inside the cafe, but he came stalling as soon as he saw how breathtakingly beautiful she looked.
Her crimson red hair in the sunshine, smooth and loose, reflects the warm afternoon light as well as the glimmer of the sea waves. Those curves of softness, that sun-kissed skin, and her soothing presence - he could not help but want to deeply engrave such a sight in his head.
And for some reason, Cassidy kind of resembles the ocean before her - a free spirit with a bright personality and an unattainable depth. With only the handrails drawing the line, she can get carried away. She can sail away far from his reach, and he might need to dive into the furthest deepness to get her back at bay.
Now that Adrian got his memories back, those kinds of impressions keep taking form in his mind. He often feels like it is only a matter of time before this view in front of him disappears out of sight.
"Cassidy..." Adrian chimed in all of the sudden before wrapping his arms around her waist and embracing her from behind.
"Shall we go back inside?"
Taken aback, Cassidy lets out a small gasp and stays still on that spot. She does want to go back, but with him pinning her in one place like that, she can\'t even move an inch. He has really been craving these physical contacts lately. She could only wonder what he was thinking the entire time.
"Ummm..."
She tried to talk but to no avail. He only tightens his hold around her and buries his face into her shoulder, looking all weak and helpless. She can feel his warm breath as well as his soft lips hitting her skin there, making blood crawl all the way up to her ears. It\'s almost like he doesn\'t want to let go - like he\'s afraid she will vanish if he loosens his grip even just for a bit.
If Adrian continues on with these intimate gestures of his, Cassidy might start having a hard time to disregard him completely.
---
Evening already fell by the time they finished their outing in the aquarium park.
Adrian had planned to take Cassidy to other places, but seeing how much she was enjoying herself that whole time, he decided to cancel their scheduled visits and let her take delight in those sea life attractions to the fullest. Then again, there are still other times. He would take her to many more dates after this.
Right now, they are back inside the car - with Adrian still driving down the road, and Cassidy fast asleep on the seat beside him.
She is hugging a huge penguin stuff toy that he has bought for her as a souvenir of their trip. He was quite pleased that she was more than happy to receive it, though she did not particularly show it. She acted like she had no choice but to accept it, but a moment later, she was already cuddling it to death.
\'Why do you need to pretend, though? Is something keeping you from opening up to me - even more than before...?\' Adrian wondered as he glanced at his wife who began snoring in her slumber.
\'I\'ll do my best to make you happy this time. Just give me a chance.\'
Bothered by a premonition that he suddenly sensed after realizing how much they enjoyed themselves today, he decided to take a moment and pull the car over at the side of the road.
He then makes use of this time to focus on her while he tries to figure out what is up with the bad feeling that makes itself known to him out of nowhere. Of course, recovering his memories is not the end point of everything. These bad feelings would tend to emerge from time to time, especially since a number of dangers still exist around him and his wife.
Once they get back home, balancing his time between their bonding together and the undercover work he is planning to do alongside his job will be difficult. There are still many things to finish before they can attain that happily ever after that he envisions with her.
But again, Adrian only focuses on Cassidy. Being this near to her fills him with more than enough strength, courage, and determination.
"I promise I\'ll take care of everything. You don\'t have to worry..." he whispered to her as he scooted closer and leaned down to envelop her lips with his ever so gently.
"I won\'t let you dive in that darkness ever again."
With that, Adrian kisses Cassidy as tenderly and affectionately as he can without waking her up - and he does it as if sealing that promise of his.