Chapter 7

Protected

What does it feel like to be hid? Apparently, I have no idea. However, Cades eyes are enough to explain how painful it is. If I have a chance to go back to his past, I will probably go back and witness what happened to him. Cades eyes are also half hidden. At first, I saw those hazelnut eyes in a chill, in a very chill glance at me. I could not read his eyes when I first saw him. It was like, I looked into a wall with nothing but a pure hazelnut color.

He told me half of his story. That he was hidden by his own parents. How cruel was it? Whenever I think of it, my heart always aches for him. It makes me want to stay with him and give color to those walls in his eyes. Even he, himself, built a wall from everyone.

Here I am, trying to break those walls. The question is, will I be able to break it?

“Hey!” My heart almost jumped because of Elizea. I sighed before I eyed her. Gosh, she's extremely dirty again. We just finished eating the cupcakes and those cookies that Aunt Liza baked. They were all genuinely delicious as always. Now, we are eating a dessert that is also full of sugars.

Ice cream.

Aunt Liza bought it for us. She bought a chocolate flavor and one vanilla flavor. Vanilla is Elizea's favorite, so do I. Elizea's cheeks are with ice cream, mainly the sides of her mouth. It's not new to me. I have seen a lot of these more often more than what you are expecting.

“My cousin will dissolve if you don't look away from yours.” I pouted when she hit my forehead with her finger. After Aunt Liza brought up the topic about Cades' life a while ago, Cades weird acts stopped. When we arrived here, I couldn't even look at him because he was just acting up. That's why I had to change the topic to stop Aunt Liza in asking more about his life. He's sensitive when it comes to that. Furthermore, he has the right to be. He has been enduring and taking all the pain for the reason that was not even explained well at me.

Why am I even digging up to his life? Is this still curiosity?

“He's a weirdo, do you think?” Elizea asked while busy licking her ice cream. I didn't answer, because I don't know what I should answer. I thought he was a bit weird earlier. He acted weird, but I'm sure he has his reason. Maybe he's trying to go out of his shell? “Cades never spoke or even smiled at anyone, Margel.”

I stopped and looked at her. Elizea is now eyeing me with full of honesty in her eyes. It looks like she knows everything by those eyes, looking at me right now.

She's now serious. It's making me frightened of her.

“He never snuck out with anyone, he never looked at anyone for a minute.” She licked her ice cream and eyed me dangerously.

I gulped. My heart is pounding in fear of what she knows all this time.

“I knew that he snuck out and took you with him. He looked at you for more than 1 minute, and he even smiled at you not just a bit, but widely, Margel.”

My eyes widened. Elizea played like a dumb who doesn't know everything. She really has sharp eyes. She may look like a child who's full of pranks, but she notices everything happens around her.

So she did.

“I-I don't even know that he looked at me that l-long.” I was caught in action. Why am I going to lie and deny it right? Honestly, I don't know about Cades, staring at me that long. Aside from him, smiling wide at me and us, snuck out together, it seems like Elizea noticed more about it. So what about though? Is it not good for Cades? “And so what, right?”

I laughed awkwardly.

“That means he's changing. He's starting to go out of his shell.” She smiled and ate her ice cream. She cleaned up her messed face because of the ice cream she just ate.

Did she also think of what I was thinking?

“Didn't you know?” She raised her eyebrows at me and eyed me playfully.

“What?” I asked. This expression of her is making me shiver.

“When you two snuck out, Cades' parents caught him when he went back.” My eyes and mouth widened. I was in my room, thinking that maybe Cades went back fine without getting caught, but I am wrong about it.

“Why didn't he tell me then?” I unbelievably asked.

“Simply, because he protected you. He told them that he just went out alone and tried to hide again. I knew it was all a lie though, because I saw you going out in your room's window, so I distracted my parents and his.” She winked and giggled at me.

All this time, I thought we successfully snuck out without leaving any evidence. Elizea saved us then, but Cades also took the blame for my sake. If Cades didn't do that, my Mom was definitely nagging me for a day.

I looked at him again. He's in the living room with Elizabeth who is busy watching television while he is just watching outside the window. Here he goes again. I can see how sad he is again. Did he just take all the blame without even telling me? Then he just acted like a weirdo earlier.

Why are you doing this, Cades? Why can't I read you even just once? When will I be able to read your eyes without seeing pain? For how long will you keep the walls you built and not let anyone enter your painful life?

“Look, I don't know what happened in Canada that caused him to be like that, but I think sooner or later, he will spill everything to you.” Elizea took my hand. I got surprised when I saw her eyes begging with pain at me.

“E-Eliz--”

“Can you stay by his side even if he left? You can wait right?” For the first time in my life, I saw Elizea crying with so much pain and pity in her eyes. She knows something, I can feel that. She may not know everything about what life Cades' has in Canada, but I know she knows a bit of it.

What is it, Elizea? She might eavesdrop something that's why she's begging at me. But why me?

“Margel?” I gulped when I heard Aunt called me from behind. Elizea wiped the tears from her eyes quickly.

“Yes, Aunt?” I said and came towards her in the kitchen. She's preparing something for us again.

“Can you distribute it to them? Oh, I cooked it.” She smiled and winked at me. My nose smelled how delicious the carbonara she cooked. To be honest, it looks delicious, and it just made me hungry and craved for it.

“Of course, Aunt. By the way, they look delicious!” She laughed and pinched me at my cheeks.

“Oh, stop spoiling me with your compliments. Go, give them one.” She said and gave me the plates with her delicious carbonara. I walked out with a smile.

Elizea is still at the dining table, so I decided to give her the first plate.

“Aunt cooked that.” I winked and smiled at her. Her eyes looked better when she saw me smiling. Maybe she's relieved.

I continued walking towards Elizabeth and Cades who are in the living room. My heart started racing when I saw Cades, still looking outside the window. What Elizea said earlier goes up in my head again. How can he protect me of the stubbornness that we both did?

I breathed deeply before I went to Elizabeth who's still busy on television.

“Here, Aunt cooked that.” I gave her a smile before I put down the plate on the table.

“Thanks.” She said without even looking at it. Her eyes are too focused on the television.

Now, it's time to give this one to Cades. My heart raced even more when I looked at him. My legs are trembling in nervousness, and my hands are even shivering a bit.

“U-uhm, Cades.” He slowly looked at me. When his eyes met mine, he smiled a bit wide. That was the moment I realized that it was his fake and forced smile of him. Back in our secret place, I have seen his wide and real smile clearly with my two eyes.

He may be in pain again.

“H-here, eat this. Aunt cooked it.” I smiled and sat down with him.

I also took mine and took a bite to move my eyes away from his. When I realized that he's not going to talk, I decided to ask him a question.

“Are you okay?” A very sensitive question, I think.

He stopped from eating and looked at me. He nodded and smiled with that fake smile again.

“Yes, I am.”

I nodded and smiled.

No, you're not.

clarixass