n

n

nAfter eating lunch together and getting to know each other for some time, the three eventually parted ways.

nCassidy and Adrian bid Yvounne farewell and expressed their gratitude for the treat. Because of her, the dead air and awkward silence between them become a little bearable. She was an engaging conversationalist throughout their exchange, and for some reason, she never questioned their relationship despite how odd they were acting.

nNow, they are heading back to the main deck where the children and everyone else are.

n

"Those pancakes are so yummy and fluffy~! I would've eaten more if I wasn't still full!

" Cassidy chirped with a blithesome grin - serving as the first to say something between the two of them ever since parting ways with Yvounne.

n

"You enjoyed them that much...? And here I was thinking you were only fond of ice creams,

" Adrian commented from beside her, smiling a little.

n

"They're both delicious~!

"

nShe takes a glance at him right then but only to find him looking away at the same time.

nWhile she knows that he is not that much of a talker, it does not settle well with her that he has never tried to initiate a conversation. That was why all they kept talking about was either the pancakes or the elderly woman they saved since those were the only topics she had something to say about.

nIf Cassidy hadn't been talking, Adrian wouldn't be doing so either - he'd only remain silent the whole time.

n'Not to mention, he's walking too far...' she thought as she noticed that he was falling behind on purpose.

n'Do I have a contagious disease or something?'

nAt least, the message is clear to her now.

nIt appears like he is giving her space, but the way he does it makes it looks like she is a delicate, fragile piece of glass - one wrong move from him, and she might break. He doesn't seem to be uncomfortable around her, though. Rather, he's trying to make her comfortable.

n

"By the way, you haven't answered my question earlier...

" Cassidy started once more, remembering something.

n

"How did you know that I was there?

"

n

"I met up with a certain colleague of mine. They are boarding this ship as well. I just happened to be near and find you running around the place,

" Adrian lied, feigning innocence.

nIt was a good thing that he had enough time to prepare an excuse, though it was true that he had a colleague in the name of Yvounne on board.

nAdrian could not possibly straight up tell Cassidy that he had been following her around ever since they arrived there. While he knew he could just keep her company - and he did want to, he feared that what happened before would happen again.

nThere are several reasons why he needs to maintain his distance and follow her in secret, which kind of makes him look like a stalker in a way.

n'No, maybe I'm really a stalker...' Adrian told himself with a flat and straight expression.

n'Following her around, doing things for her from behind the scenes, and watching her from afar - that's a stalker right there, indeed.'

nHe couldn't help it, though. Within those two years of separation, he would not have survived had it not been for those small glimpses of her.

n

"Big sis, there you are!

"

nThey haven't even reached the main deck yet, but their little companions already found them walking down the hall.

nIt was Aira who spotted them first while Damien and the others followed. Adrian takes a moment to look at the brunette closely - she really resembles the deceased caretaker of the orphanage. Her enthusiasm and vivaciousness, on the other hand, take after Cassidy. It's almost like he's watching a younger version of her.

n

"Geez! We were looking everywhere for you!

" Aira huffed at Cassidy, bringing out her stern side.

n

"You too, Uncle. You said you'd be around, but I did look around and found you nowhere in sight...

" Damien told Adrian with his brow raised and his arms crossed, eyeing him in suspicion.

n

"Were you actually together with Aunt?

"

n

"Ohoh~ Is this a date? A mid-noon rendezvous?

" Joshua cooed from the side, teasing the adults.

n

"Excuse me, but... Can you save that for later, Aunty and Uncle? I really wanna eat now,

" Hugo chimed in with a timid yet pleading look, finding it unfair that they were spending time together all by themselves.

nIt's just one of them after another.

nWith how they were bombarding them with questions, they could neither deny their claims about them being in a date nor explain the situation. And so, they ended up letting them ramble and carry on with their false assumptions. Even then, Cassidy thought that they could get themselves this kind of company if they were only going to stay awkward and silent the entire time.

nHowever, for Adrian, this is already his cue to leave.

n

"You guys can go ahead with your aunt. I already had my lunch, and so had she...

" he told them with a smile, much to their surprise.

n

"Oh, you can eat some more if you want to, Cassidy.

"

n

"Huh? You're not going with us?

" she asked with a puzzled look.

n

"I have something to attend to. I'll just meet you at the dining hall later.

"

nAnd with that, Adrian spared them one last glance before turning around and taking his leave.

nCassidy could not say anything - not on how she sensed that he really seemed to be avoiding her nor how sudden he kept doing things. It's not that she's complaining or moping about it, but it does worry and unsettle her. It might only be a matter of time before the children notice something too.

nUnbeknownst to her, though, he just really had something to attend to.

n'Alright, then...' Adrian thought to himself as he walked further away from them.

n'Gotta get myself a good view of their table from outside the dining hall.'

n---

n

"Charles! Charles! Where are you?!

"

n

"President? What's wrong?

"

nThis happened on the day Adrian had a not-so fun mini elevator ride with Cassidy - the morning after he was invited to the school trip, that is.

nThat was such a close call - the closest one he had so far. He did not expect that he would meet her there, and he definitely did not want to get caught. She was probably wondering why someone like him would be in that establishment, and the thing was, he met up with the investor she was going to meet that time.

nApparently, he had no idea that she would be so late for their appointment that he would end up crossing paths with her right before he could sneak out of there and return to his office.

n

"Seriously, President, get a grip. What happened to you?

" Charles questioned once more, taken aback to see Adrian barging in the office in a manner that was so not like him.

n

"C-Cassidy... Cassidy saw me.

"

n

"Wait, what?

"

n

"At the elevator. Earlier. Back there. I was unaware.

"

nGoing by how he was acting, he probably had a heart attack and was still recovering from the shock - barely, perhaps.

nThen again, after two long years of his wife not seeing him, they finally had a face-to-face encounter. He struggled to keep his distance for a long time - he himself cut all contacts, never paid a visit in her place again, and tried his hardest to get things back together in his life once more.

nEven then, there was not a day that Adrian did not think about Cassidy.

nHe collected all the magazines that she was featured in, invested in her business without her knowing, and would take glimpses of her from time to time in a far distance. Not once did he show himself up, though. Even when he knew she was near, he would force himself to look away and be oblivious of her presence.

n

"It's been two years, anyway. The world can be small sometimes, and because of that, such an encounter is inevitable. I don't think it's that bad - well, depending on how you reacted, of course,

" Charles tried to comfort Adrian, already thinking of calling a doctor to check his heart rate.

n

"I acted like a snob. I only asked how she was before shutting my mouth for good. I didn't know what I'd do.

"

n

"That's not... bad at all.

"

n

"What's with the pause?

"

n

"No, really, it's not.

"

n

"Besides, Irish told me to make sure Cassidy would not see me for a long time. Is two years a long time?

"

n

"I... don't know.

"

n

"Seriously, what's with the pause?

"

nApparently, all of this happened because of the last love advice that Irish left to Adrian before she went abroad to study film-making.

nShe was the one who advised him to maintain his distance for as long as he had to. Her other love advices before that had worked, which was why he was listening to her up until now. Because of that, he was able to focus more on learning to control himself, handling their family matters, and everything else.

nBasically, Adrian had been preparing himself this whole time - all for that day when Cassidy would finally enter his life again. It's actually some sort of preparation for both of them. They needed to pull themselves back together and be apart in the meantime.

n'Not like I'm that confident she will ever want me back again, though,' was the thought that Adrian never failed to remind himself, but even then, he was willing to do all of it regardless of the outcome.

n