Chapter 13

Athena

"Gosh, I'm starving!" Cassandra giggled before sitting. We're done cooking. But after how Cades interrupted me and Ethan and acted weird with his unknown attitude, I can't stop looking at his gestures. Does time really fly so fast that I could not think of new Cades', who went back. The Cades I know is not him. He doesn't talk too much. He doesn't care at all. He's icy, before. His hazelnut eyes are secretive. He doesn't talk to anyone, but me. He's always in pain. And for the past 6 years, my mind was troubled, thinking of how he is handling the pain in Canada?

It hurts. It's killing me, inside and out. Thinking of how he's acting like this, now. I guess I wasted a lot of time, troubling my mind.

"Here." I'm surprised when Ethan pulled the chair for me. He smiled hugely. Suddenly, Cades' smile appeared in my head. I looked away on Ethan.

"We're here to study, not to eat huh?" Elizea said and rolled her eyes.

"Said someone who's obsessed to food." We all laughed. Elizea's face turned red and killed Marius with her eyes.

I stopped laughing when my eyes met Cades' eyes. I looked away quickly. We were about to eat, but Cassandra stopped us.

"Wait," An idea appeared in her eyes. We are all just looking at her. "Let's use our hands to eat!"

"Yeah! That's right, I will love that!" Elizea giggled with excitement.

"Sorry?" When we were all about to eat without using a spoon and fork,we all stopped and eye Cades. He looked clueless. He's the only one who didn't get it.

"Filipinos are enjoying the food even more when they are eating with their hands." Cassandra laughed awkwardly, but Cades doesn't seem to understand it.

"You're also one of us, you just live in Canada." Marius said and winked at him. He nodded slowly.

"Uh, let's eat." Ethan broke the ice. We washed our hands before we started eating.

"Eat rice." I looked at Ethan. He's not looking at me. He's just focusing on putting rice and food on my plate. I saw Elizabeth's eyes went on us and she just smirked. "

My eyes widened when Cades stood up beside Elizea holding the plate with bacon. I was just eyeing him. My heart is in trouble as I saw his eyes looking at me and Ethan with a threat in it. I got goosebumps as I saw his eyes.

I gulped, when I realized that he's coming towards us. My eyes got stucked at him when he stopped beside me.

"It's mine, you p--" They stopped when they noticed Cades standing beside me. Ethan even stopped and looked at Cades.

My heart is racing with nervousness. Why am I nervous?

"He didn't give you bacon." My mouth just opened when he said that to me in a soft tone of his voice. Before I could stop him, he already put bacon on my plate and went to his sit and started eating, just like nothing happened.

I freeze while looking at him. We are all surprised by what he did, that no one of us broke the ice.

"I was about to give her that." Ethan said.

"Ethan, stop it." I whispered. I can feel the tension between them. I got nervous even more, when Cades stopped eating and looked at Ethan with nothing, but a cold hazelnut eyes on him.

"But you didn't." Cades said calmly, but with threat in his voice.

"I just want to eat, why are they acting as if they would kill each other?" Cassandra whispered and looked at them annoyingly. My heart is racing. This is the most awkward breakfast I ever have. While eating, I could not move properly. All of us are silent, no one dares to break the ice. My eyes keep looking at Cades and Ethan. I don't know what Ethan is doing. Everything was clarified between us, he's putting me in distress of what he is doing.

The breakfast passed awkwardly. I kept avoiding Cades' eyes. Even though I saw him a ton of time watching me. It's giving me goosebumps, seriously.

"Cassandra, I told you a myriad of times of how important the signs are."

Cassandra sucks in Mathematics. She's always putting me in distress everytime I will teach her in Mathematics. I, myself, believe that when you hate something, you will not really understand it. You have to learn how to love it to love it.

"I hate this subject! I quit, I can't really get this!" Cassandra's irritated face appeared. She threw the pen and pout.

I shook my head at her.

"How come you can understand a Korean drama but can't understand a simple rule in Math?" Marius said, mocking her.

"Are you stupid? Korean dramas are different in Math!" She looked at Marius annoyingly. We all have our worlds, after that. Cades is sitting beside Elizea, teaching her I guess. I'm relieved with that.

After studying for 3 hours, I decided to prepare our lunch.

"Where are you going?" Ethan asked when I stood up.

"I'm going to cook our lunch."

He quickly closed the book and stood up, too.

"Uhm, you don't have to help, Ethan." I smiled a bit. I don't want him to start doing that again. I don't want to give him false hope. What I feel to him will never change. I can only give love as his friend, nothing more.

When he felt the tone of my voice and how I eyed him, he slowly nodded and gave me a peck of smile.

"Sure." I don't know if it is just me, but I can hear the pain at him. He came back in studying and agreed on what I said. I left our living room without them noticing. They are all busy with their own business that are relevant to our exams.

I opened the ref and took a look inside of it. I don't know what to cook. At the end, I chose cooking adobo. It is one of our country's best foods. My Aunt Liza really cooked it well, as well as my Mom.

"Let me help you, I don't accept no." In my surprise, Cades just appeared. He's wearing an apron and he looked serious. He didn't give me a glance, he's just chopping the onion and garlic. Another weird side of him. I couldn't help to remember how he was before. He's very secretive, and he was not showy. Unlike before, he's troubling my mind at this time and age even more.

I gulped, and I chose not to talk. I didn't stop him from helping me, either. Honestly, I don't feel comfortable. I'm watching every move I will do and trying to avoid mistakes that will make us feel awkward even more.

"You've changed a lot."

It made me stop. I didn't eye him.

"Am I really the one who changed?" That moment, I saw his eyes turned on me. I looked back at him, with my heart racing like crazy. My hands are trembling but I am trying my best to hide it from him.

"What does it exactly mean, Margel?" I smiled with pain in my eyes. I can't stop myself from remembering how he was before. I'm sorry, if I feel like I just want the old Cades more than now. My heart was aching of how he went through before. But now? When I look at him, my heart is aching for how he changed.

"Am I really the one who changed? Or you?" I smiled widely. It made him stop for a while, and I took that chance to move and continued cooking the food. My hands and legs are trembling, but I am stopping it. My chest doesn't feel fine. It feels heavy.

"I didn't change, Margel." His voice became soft.

"Okay." I smiled and didn't mind him. I won't buy that. I'm not dumb not to see how he changed a lot. I can't still forget how happy I was when I first saw him go back, but it also tore my heart apart when he ignored me.

"Margel, I'm s--"

"Babe!"

"Hey, I told you to wait--"

A girl appeared and ran to hug Cades. Elizea eyed me uncomfortably, like she knew something I didn't know.

"What are you doing here, Athena?" Cades asked.

"I missed you, that's why I decided to go here, too." The girl put her hands on Cades shoulders and kissed him.

I turned around quickly. I don't want to see that.

I don't want to see something that I know that will tore me.

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