"Go, Cassie!" I gave her a loud supportive shout, making her blush. She might really kill me after this.
The music started as the guitarist began to play. I knew the song. It was by Mariah Carey. “Always Be My Baby.” But the arrangement was similar to David Cook's version.
And when Cassie opened her mouth, I was blown away. Her voice was angelic, so soft. And it stirred something in my heart that I'd been trying to figure out since the moment I'd seen her for the first time.
She sang the song by heart, and I could feel the emotions in her voice that made the song even better. My chest tightened as she continued singing.
Cassie was really good. She was fucking good at singing.
The lyrics escaped from her lips, and I found myself unable to get her out of my sight again.
Time felt like it was never enough when she sang. The moment she finished her song, the audience gave her a very big round of applause—some of them even shouted about how good she was.
I clapped my hands so hard that I could feel my palms burning. Cassie thanked the audience, looking shy but incredibly happy, and I felt warmth seeping into my soul from seeing her happiness.
She tottered back toward me and, to my surprise, pulled me into a tight hug. I was stunned. She giggled, burying her face in my chest, wrapping her arms around my back.
"That felt so good," she squealed. "Thank you, Luke. Thank you." Another giggle escaped from her lips.
I wrapped her in my embrace, closing my eyes as I breathed inher hair. She pulled away, a big grin on her face as she beamed with joy. She should have known that she should never ever doubt herself because that was pure talent that she showed just now.
"Goddammit, Cassie," I whispered. "Are you the world's next superstar?"
Cassie looked at me with a lost expression and then burst into laughter. Really big laughter.
She laughed until she had tears in her eyes. "That was the funniest joke ever."
Little did she know that I wasnotjoking about that.
I glanced at Cassie as we walked away from the market square, a happy smile still tugging at her lips. The same smile touched my lips too.
She must have felt really good after nailing her live music performance.
"Where are we going now?" she asked in a cheerful voice.
"My flight back to New York is tonight, so I don't have much time left," I said even though my heart was denying it. "I have to go back."
Cassie's face fell, and she halted for a second. When she resumed her steps, she stared down at the road, and I noticed her disappointment right away.
"I see," she said with a small voice. "I thought that we could still hang out longer. It was...fun, you know?"
I couldn't agree more.If only I could stay longer. "When are you going back to LA?"
She sighed. "I'm still going to be here for two more days."
I noted her information, but I knew that I couldn't stay for that long here. Guilt kept coming to me every time I wondered about how my family was doing back home, with them still mourning Victor's death and with the business going downhill.
I hadn't even realized that Cassie and I were walking slower than before, as if to treasure every moment.
I came to a halt, turning to her. "I'll walk you back to the motel."
She nodded.
???
The journey back to the motel was silent, probably because both of us were still digesting the fact that we were going to part ways soon. Even though I knew that I had to hurry to catch my flight, the time that I'd spent walking her back to the motel took longer due to how slow we were walking.
When we finally reached the place, Cassie said with a tender smile on her lips, "Thanks for walking me back."
