Episode # 11:- “Whispers of Affection”

Cassian and Hailey were sitting on the couch in the hall. He sat upright, while Hailey was leaning against his side comfortably, with Cassian's arm wrapped around her. She was engrossed in a book while Cassian was checking his emails.

"Wow," Caleb exclaimed as he entered the room. But both ignored him and kept focusing on their previous tasks.

"So, what are you reading?" Caleb asked while jumping onto the other couch. Hailey eyed him and then turned her focus back to the book.

"101 Ways of Killing Caleb Grant for Lying to Me," Hailey said dryly. Cassian started chuckling on hearing this.

Suddenly, she sat up straight on the sofa. "How dare you lie to me?" Hailey asked, her eyes flashing with a murderous look. Caleb rolled his eyes.

"How could I possibly deny my boss's orders?" Caleb replied in a duh tone. Hailey gave him a narrow look, while Cassian pulled her back into his arms, wrapping his arm around her.

Hailey suddenly sat up again and, with a stern look at both of them, demanded, "How dare you threaten Abria to not tell anyone about Cassian?"

"She told you? We specifically instructed her not to tell anyone," Caleb replied, looking slightly surprised.

"You are forgetting I'm her boss, not you," Hailey retorted, but Cassian pulled her back into his arms with an irritated look.

"Rose, if you want to talk, use your mouth, not your actions. Why do you keep sitting up and down?" Cassian's irritated voice broke through the tension. Caleb started chuckling, while Hailey slapped Cassian's arm that was draped over her upper body.

Hailey turned to face Cassian with a narrow look. "Maybe because someone keeps pulling me back down," she exclaimed, poking his chest.

Cassian sighed dramatically. "Because you belong here," he said, holding her tighter.

Caleb rolled his eyes at the display. "You two are impossible," he muttered, shaking his head with a smirk. He then chuckled and sat in a more comfortable position while holding the TV remote.

Hailey glanced at Caleb, then back at Cassian, who was looking at her with a mixture of amusement and affection. "I'm not going to let this slide, you know," she said.

"Noted," Cassian replied. Hailey shook her head and got busy again with her book. "By the way, Hailey," Caleb started, drawing her questioning gaze.

"You didn't panic at all when Adam tried to kidnap you," Caleb asked, and Cassian also waited for an answer, curious himself.

Hailey, hearing his question, turned her focus back to the book. "I've seen worse," her simple reply made both men frown. She eyed Caleb and turned slightly to look at Cassian. Both had thoughtful lines on their foreheads.

"Adam Steve is a bad person, and he didn't try to hide it. I've seen people who pretend to be sweet but will backstab you when the time comes," Hailey continued.

"You're different and strong," Cassian exclaimed.

"I don't know about that, but I'm like this. Don't expect anything from anyone, don't depend on anyone. No one is there for you. These are the few lines I keep repeating every day," Hailey said calmly, but her grip on the book tightened, and she suddenly hissed in pain.

"Relax," Cassian held her hand and pressed it to ease her pain.

"Why do you feel pain there?" Caleb asked. Hailey, whose pain had subsided, took a deep breath.

"Years ago, I had an accident and my arm suffered a major fracture. It's been years, but whenever I grip something extremely tight, my hand cramps up," Hailey answered, eyeing her hand. "It's just a habit I haven't been able to break," Hailey continued.

Caleb, trying to change her mood, chimed in, "By the way how can you say you have no one? You have me. You have Cassian, your boyfriend."

"Who told you he's my boyfriend?" Hailey replied.

"He's not? Am I not?" both Caleb and Cassian said together.

Hailey got up again and turned to face Cassian. "Have you proposed to me? How can you think I'd make a psychopath my boyfriend?" Hailey exclaimed with a raised eyebrow.

Cassian chuckled at her response and eyed her, sitting with an attitude. "So, you want a proper proposal?" Cassian asked.

"Obviously. You might be Cassian Holt, but I'm also Hailey Andreev, and I have standards. First, you propose to me, then I'll decide if I want to accept a psychopath or not," Hailey said, flipping her hair back with attitude. She then settled down again in his embrace like nothing had happened and got busy with her book.

Cassian and Caleb burst into laughter at her antics. Hailey gave both of them a bored look.

"Then why are you sitting in his embrace like this?" Caleb asked in a teasing tone.

"This is my house. I'll sit wherever I want, so now shut up," Hailey spat back. Cassian chuckled again and ruffled her hair softly.

"I'm hungry, shall I order something?" Caleb asked who looked at him with a frown. "Why? I'm here only. You wait, I'll cook something," she exclaimed and keeping the book on the table went towards the kitchen.

"What are you thinking?" Caleb asked when he found Cassian gazing at the way Hailey had gone.

"She's kept everything inside," Cassian replied. "She doesn't show that she's distressed or anything. She clenches her fists tightly to control her inner turmoil, and because of that, she feels pain. Sometimes, fractures' pain can linger for a lifetime."

An hour later:

"Lunch is ready," Hailey called from the kitchen. Both men got up and headed over. She had made spaghetti and meatballs, chicken steaks, beef stew, and Russian salad.

"These many dishes in an hour?" Caleb exclaimed, followed by Cassian, who was also shocked.

"As Jack is off on weekends, he always keeps half-prepped meals for me. That's why it's easy to make anything in less time," Hailey replied. Both settled down and started eating. This time, Cassian didn't tease her and appreciated her efforts.

"When did you learn to cook?" Caleb asked.

"Around 13 or 14 maybe. I learned from the chef at our home. I used to pester him a lot about recipes, so one day, he asked me if I wanted to take classes from him," Hailey explained, a different shine in her eyes as she spoke.

"Where is he now?" Cassian asked. Hailey's body stiffened at the question.

"Lunch is getting cold," she said, changing the topic. Cassian and Caleb shared a look but didn't press her further and resumed their meal.

"By the way, Angry Bird," Caleb called her when she was wrapping things up.

"Do I look like an Angry Bird?" Hailey asked with a glare. Caleb nodded vigorously.

"Same glare, like an Angry Bird, so I'll call you that only," Caleb declared.

"You are an Angry Bird, and Cassian is an Angry Bird. I'm wondering, what will your children be? Baby Angry Birds?" Caleb speculated thoughtfully, earning a smack on the head from Cassian, who was sitting beside him.

"Shut up, we are getting late. Rose, we have some work. We'll be back in a few hours," Cassian exclaimed hurriedly, dragging Caleb out by his collar.

"Bye, Angry Bird," Caleb called out loudly.

Hailey, taken aback by Caleb's words, fumed when he called her Angry Bird again. "I'm not an Angry Bird," she yelled back, cursing him under her breath as she headed towards her room.

Suddenly, her eyes fell on the mirror in the corridor. She approached it and eyed her reflection, noticing a frown on her forehead. "Do I really look like an Angry Bird?" she murmured but straightened immediately when she remembered Caleb's next words.

"Baby Angry Birds, huh? I'll punch him if he calls my babies that," she murmured without realizing it, and then went into her room.

To be continued…