If I fall in love with all my problems will they leave me too?
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[ chapter five - natural disaster ] —
Because I fucking love you, Cassie.
For a few seconds, she thought she'd heard him wrong. Because there was no way he could actually be saying that he loves her.
But once she realized that he had actually said it, the words hit her like that brick had hit Jason's head.
The air was stolen from her lungs. She was pretty sure her heart stopped beating. Tears suddenly burned her eyes. Her throat felt like it was closing.
She'd expected him to say a lot of things. But never in her wildest dreams did she think he would say that.
Say that he loves her.
She could feel him staring at her—waiting for her to say it back. Waiting for her to say I love you too and I trust you and I care about you and then open up about her secrets and her feelings and her experiences.
But her mind was too busy racing down that dark path she always tried to stray it from, the voices yelling too loud, her heart beating too slowly, her lungs not taking in enough air for her to formulate a response.
How was she supposed to respond?
She couldn't bring herself to lie to him by saying something dumb like I hate you.
And she also couldn't bring herself to tell the truth by burdening him with something she knew he wasn't ready to carry.
This almost felt like some sick joke from Aphrodite.
So instead of continuing to stand there, breaking both of their hearts even more with every second she spent not saying anything, she turned away from and walked towards the door.
What the hell are you doing? That tiny optimistic part of her brain thought. Just say it back, Cassie. You'll figure something out and everything can go back to how it was a few minutes ago.
The thought made her pause for a split second at the door, before the rational part of her brain took over again and she turned the handle and walked out.
As she closed the door behind her, catching a glimpse of Percy's heartbroken and confused face, the tears she'd been trying to push back finally freed themselves, falling down her cheeks.
