Cassian Valor.
I got tensed, looking at him standing in front of me like that.
He was taken back, by me crying as he instantly got worried stepping close to me but still maintained an appropriate distance between us.
"What happened? Why are you crying?"
I sniffed, wiping my tears away and shook my head.
"I'm fine...but why are you here?" I asked Changing the topic immediately.
"I... Cecily said that she couldn't contact you, so I came to check. "
I stared at his face for a second before nodding my head.
"You can go now and let Cecily know that she doesn't need to worry about me, I'm fine."
I backed up and turned around to walk back inside when Cassian held my hand and turned me around.
" Wait! Laurel you-"
"You are burning up Laurel we need to get you checked!"
He frowned, his grip on my wrist remained firm.
"Cassian let go off me! I'm fine!"
I tried getting myself out of his hold but he was not ready to let go and maybe he had noticed ny hand too, because now his eyes were stuck on my left hand.
"Laurel, I'm requesting as a man, not as someone you feel uncomfortable from, not your brother's friend either, just a man with humanity in him!"
His eyes were practically begging me to agree with him, and I did.
I would have said no, only if the pain, my hand was suffering from was bearable and so I gave in to his insistence.
Taking me to his car, he opened the door of the passenger seat but before he could open it fully I opened the door to the backseat of the car and sat there, leaving him to stare at me with an unexplainable expressions all over his face.
Without pointing it out he sat on the driver's seat and started the engine driving us to the hospital.
Parking the car right Infront of the hospital, he got out and opened the door for me, handing his hand out to me, without any disagreement I held his hand and got out with him.
As soon as we entered the hospital, the only thing we had to do was to be spotted by the staff members before a group of them walked over towards us and we were taken to the VIP room and the doctor who had treated me after the kidnapping walked inside the room.
Disappointment was clearly visible on her face.
I had 104 centigrade fever and about my left hand, it was in worse condition than before.
My palm along with my fingers were inflamed, and not only that purple patches had began to form on specific areas of my hand.
The medical staff suggested an x-ray and as they expected, the injury had gotten much worse, the pressure applied on my hand had exceeded more than my hand was capable of currently taking.
The doctor kept talking on how irresponsible I had been, all while trying to take care of myself, and Cassian was getting more and more worried as the doctor kept on adding one after another thing i was careless about.
But what can I say? Not like It mattered, nor did I cared for myself any more .
"Did something happen between you and Kalix?"
"Huh?"
It was just me and Cassian alone in the room now, the medical team had left after putting on an IV on me and I was laying down in bed.
"Did Kalix say anything to you?"
I was hesitant, thinking about what if Kalix has told Cassian or Cecily... because I'm already going through many troubles, I wouldn't be able to manage anything more than that... especially if my fated killer finds out who I am.
"No, not anything in particular, but I called him to ask about you after Cecily told me that you weren't picking uo her call, so he directly disconnected the call as soon as he heard you name...so I thought something might have happened."
"No! Nothing big, just some random disagreement."
Cassian nodded at my words, before sitting comfortably on the chair.
An awkward silence surrounded the whole room, I kept staring at the ceiling while I could feel the heat of his stares on myself but I ignored them, pretending to not know or feel anything.
"So...how are you...like...after Luca's death... I wanted to ask about you when I came with Kalix at the day of the funeral...but, I kind of left in a hurry."
He talked slowly, as if embarrassed of his behaviour that day but I didn't care about it...just like I didn't care about him.
"Actually Ayla wasn't well too, and then there were some other things going on too so that's why I said that, other than that there was nothing!"
Giving me explanations he looked nervous and kept sweating eventhough the room was fully air-conditioned.
The coldness of the air was to be felt even through the thick layer of the blanket, yet there he was covered in sweat from head to toe.
I covered my closed eyes with my arm, trying to get in a comfortable position to fall asleep.
Then again, the same silence that was here before had came back as soon as he had stopped talking and I heaved out a sigh of relief, closing my eyes at the calm soothing quiet but it was broken once again.
"Is it still hurting?" I heard his voice infact I could even hear the small hiss he made while asking the question, he looked at my freshly changed plastered hand.
"It doesn't right now, but it would if you keep annoying me!"
I let out a groan and said everything through my gritty teeth.
Hearing me, he quickly closed his mouth, sitting straight on his place.
Finally!
Relaxing myself, I closed my eyes...
After at least four to five days was I getting rest, my mind was easing off from all the stress and exhaustion I had been facing this week.
The photos...the kidnapping... Luca's death, his murder.
Unfortunately I still couldn't fall asleep because of having a lot on my mind, or maybe it was because of Cassian looking at me.
His stares were hitting me like a fresh lit up match and it was keeping me awake.
I opened my eyes, ready to throw hands at him to change the course of his eyes, I was already hating on him because of the novel and this was just atrocious.
I watched him narrow eyed, but he was using his phone, his face was turned to the other side, he wasn't focused on me at all.
He was texting maybe? I could only predict because of the constant taping of his fingertips on his screen.
He looked at me few seconds later, and almost flinched after he caught me staring at him.
"What happened? Why aren't you sleeping?"
Giving him a suspicious look, I observed him but he looked totally normal.
"Are you okay?"
He again asked when I didn't answer him back.
"Y-yes? No I'm good, I was just...not able to sleep."
I swallowed a lump that had formed in my throat.
"You don't sound good, should I call a doctor?"
Keeping his phone on the table, he straightened his back, ready to stand up from his chair.
"No! There is no need, infact I think you should go back home, I will be fine on my own!"
Turning my back on him, I faced my right side, staring at the large window, looking outside at the sky.
Clear blue sky, flocks of birds flying around every now and then.
"I won't be leaving you alone, I will be outside."
"And if you are uncomfortable just say so, I won't harm you Laurel, before my friend's sister you are my-"
He stopped midway and I heard the chair drag against the tiles before his shoes clicked against it and he left the room, closing the door slowly behind his back.
I looked back and found myself all alone in the whole room, he had left, none of his stuff was there anymore.
His wallets, his car keys, his suit jacket, he had taken all of them with himself.
I heaved out a sigh, at the loneliness and emptiness I was feeling.
There was an inner voice tha kept screaming, trying to tell me that it was safe to let him be, that Cassian was harmless, however whenever I tried to let my guard down with him around, all that I could ever remember was the dream in which he had had shot me down.
All for his El.
And I didn't want that, I can't even think about being his friend anymore, if Luca had been alive and we were together maybe I could've thought about talking to him, but with Luca no more, even the thought of it is scary.