In My Hands, Know Suffering

24: Burying It Deeper

Abrielle was staring at herself for the longest time. She couldn't recall exactly when was the last time she even cared about her looks. Perhaps never. It was her first time being conscious about herself. She had no idea how to actually be a true...lady.

The other side of the door was where Castellone was waiting. Abrielle was becoming frantic of the sudden change in air around him. She began to feel uneasy due to the fact that he could actually smile. Smile! Who knew he could actually do it? Even for someone like him, he did.

Siniyah, on the other hand, was pushing her to dress nicely and do all the typical stuff that a lady does when invited to have dinner outside. Light make-up, a fancy dress, push-up bra for a little cleavage, and then a little more make-up to enhance the seductive look on the eyes.

All these though, Abrielle didn't do any of it. She had no reason to. Screw it.

"It's a date." Siniyah stressed on her.

Abrielle believed it wasn't, but whatever. It's not like something was about to go wrong anyway so she might as well just be casual about it. So to finally face the music, she opened the door and decided to face Castellone who, again, greeted her with a smile.

He better stop doing that. She was weirded out by it. She didn't like the smile one bit, although she had to admit he did look more appealing. He was, in a word...I don't want to say it. She couldn't bring herself to admit it. The more she thought about it, the more it made her think that she had such low standards for herself. She didn't even know how standards were supposed to be when it came to liking someone.

Castellone led her out of the campus. She eyed the sleek black, not to mention rented, car he drove until he stopped at the gourmet restaurant he and Kerxis often patronize. It took them thirty minutes to get there.

Once outside the establishment, he offered a hand to her. She stared at it and realized she didn't really want to accept it either. She didn't like people to think that she can't handle herself. She was independent, she didn't need his assistance.

"I'm just trying to escort you." Castellone said when he noticed how long it was taking her to take his hand. It was like he knew what she was thinking. If he only knew the situation she was currently in. Are all boys this dense?

In the end, she took his hand and stepped out of the car. He led her inside and pulled the chair so she could settle down first. He was the one who ordered for them before staring at her with a face that expressed a kind of wanting.

Abrielle couldn't help but notice how gentle he was becoming. She was the one to frown this time because of the unexpected change. When she can no longer stand it, she just had to pull it out of her since he was seriously creeping her out. "Okay, Llone, what are you up to?"

Castellone raised his brows in a friendly fashion, something she never saw. Hell, she was seeing all kinds of expression he never-perhaps not once in his damn stoic and brooding life-displayed when they were together.

"What am I up to? Abrielle, this is just friendly invitation. Why? Can't stand being around me when we've been together all this time?"

Abrielle crossed her fingers tight underneath the table. He made it sound like they were living together and have done more than that. It made her uncomfortable. She wanted to storm out. This was not the Castellone she knew.

The Castellone she knew would never spew nonsense such as being flirty with his words. The Castellone she knew wouldn't even invite her to dinner, unless someone from his peers wanted to invite her. The Castellone she knew was not the person in front of her right now. She just had a hunch. But what if he actually wanted to change things between them?