"I miss watching him take Sunday naps on my couch, with the newspaper resting on his stomach like a blanket... I miss the cadence of his speech and the stupidity of his puns." The Opposite of Love by Julie Baxbaum
The next morning, Lilli and Cas were off to the airport. They had a flight to LaGuardia in New York City. Cas was back to being an average-looking brunet and neither spoke of the night before. Or how they'd woken up that morning.
"So, what are you planning on doing once you get back home?" Cas was asking as they sat in the back of a taxi headed towards the airport.
Lilli frowned as she looked at the beautiful buildings and scenery passing by. She almost wished she didn't have to go back home. I mean, who would want to leave Italy for a small town in Ohio? Oh, that's right... mutants who are traitors to their own kind and being hunted by a super powerful evil man. "I have no idea. Hopefully, I can just forget about all of this and move on." Lilli responded. "I'm done with this life. For real this time."
"I wish I could do that," Cas mused. Lilli glanced over at him only to see him gazing out of his window. "But you know my father. I have no choice." There was a hint of bitterness laced through his voice, but he hid it well.
"I'm sorry," Lilli said quietly. She meant it. Cas looked over at her and shrugged, looking away. The sadness in the taxi was palpable.
They arrived at the airport, paying the driver and stepping inside. Cas got them around security easily and onto their free flight, where they were seated first class. It was Lilli's first time being sat first class, and she was a little disappointed that she had to share the moment with Cas of all people. Her mind traitorously thought of how much fun she would have had with Warren, goofing around and annoying the flight attendants. Lilli mentally slapped herself, trying to shoo the thought out of her mind. Warren was a part of the old Lilli, the naïve, thick-headed, cowardly monster she used to be. She didn't want anything to do with him.
Lilli laughed quietly at herself. It had only been a week or so and she was acting like she was some new woman.
The long flight passed slowly, with Lilli being unable to sleep. Cas, however, was a different story. He was knocked out, reclined completely in his seat. Lilli busied herself by mindlessly drawing on a napkin, and only when she was finished did she realize she'd drawn the facade of the Xavier Institute. Lilli started at it for a moment, wondering why now of all times she couldn't stop thinking of Warren and the X-Men. She quickly shook her head and crumpled the napkin.
A long ten hours after the plane took off, it landed back on American soil. Lilli and Cas disembarked, sneaking around customs back into the main airport.
"Are you going back to Ohio?" Cas asked as they munched on McDonald's. Lilli nodded.
"Yes. Hopefully those two rats aren't there anymore," Lilli spat bitterly, referring to Sam and Emily. It was still hard to believe her childhood best friends were part of Chaos. They were in over their heads.
"I will have them taken care of," Cas said. Lilli's eyes snapped up to meet his and she shook her head vehemently.
"No, what the hell? Why's that your first reaction??" She exclaimed. "They're still my friends. Don't kill them."
"They're part of Chaos, though. They're enemies to us both." Cas persisted, his eyes wide in earnest. "I'm sorry, but I have to do something about them."
"Cas, listen to yourself. What's gotten into you?" Lilli asked in bewilderment. Cas pursed his lips and looked away, a crease forming between his perfectly sculpted brows.
After a moment, he exhaled and nodded his head slowly. "Fine," he grimaced. "You're right. I'm just stressed out."
"You still have to think clearly, Cas. A little stress doesn't warrant the murder of two innocent teenagers!" Lilli whisper-exclaimed, careful not to let any of the people eating near them hear her. She shook her head as she looked at Cas in disgust. His father had had an extremely negative impact on him, and it was horrifying to realize. Also, hearing her ex-boyfriend talk about killing her childhood best friends was pretty horrifying in itself.
Cas pushed his tray away from him. He finally met Lilli's eyes. "I can get you back home safely, but once you're there I can't guarantee anything."
"I never asked for your protection, Cas," Lilli rolled her eyes. "I'm a big girl. Just promise you won't do anything to my friends."
"I promise I won't." Cas paused a moment, prompting Lilli to raise a brow. "If you promise me something in return."
Lilli nodded. It sounded fair. "Okay, what?"
"Don't get involved with the X-Men. Or Chaos or Kezing, for that matter. Especially not Kezing. Please just live a normal life and let our war play out without you."
Cas looked dead serious. His voice was solemn and cold, and it sent goosebumps crawling up the back of Lilli's neck. She nodded. "Okay, yeah. I promise."
Cas nodded. "Are we done here?" He asked. Lilli nodded, and the two stood up, throwing away their empty bags of food. Lilli followed Cas to a ticket kiosk, where he was able to get her bus tickets back to her hometown for free. He also got himself bus tickets to Kezing's headquarters in Rochester. The two ventured outside to the buses, where they stopped to look at each other.
"Well, it was nice seeing you again," Lilli said, trying to fill in the awkward silence. Cas nodded.
"You too," he replied, looking towards the ground. Lilli smiled tightly, rocking back and forth on her heels.
"Goodbye," Lilli said. "Stay safe."
Cas looked up and nodded, his blue eyes meeting Lilli's. "Bye."
Lilli smiled once more before turning around and boarding her bus. She chose a seat towards the back and sat down, exhaling deeply. That was awkward. As the bus pulled away, Lilli gazed out at Manhattan across the river... the canal? Stream? Whatever it was called, she gazed across it, admiring the sparkling buildings. It was midday on a chilly Thursday in October, and traffic was crazy. Lilli sighed, closing her eyes and leaning her head against the window. She was jet-lagged and in serious need of a nap.
Lilli arrived got off the bus early Friday morning. She walked home through the quiet streets of her town, watching the sun rise over the horizon. Hopefully, her parents wouldn't be too upset with her for getting kidnapped. She'd only been home a week and was already getting herself kidnapped. She wasn't being very good at pretending to be normal.
Lilli knocked on her front door, and it was opened right away by her worried-looking mom. When her mom saw it was Lilli, her expression melted into relief as she yanked Lilli in for a hug.
"Lilli, where have you been? It's been days!!" Her mom cried, sobs racking her body.
"I was in Italy, actually. I got kidnapped," Lilli laughed, tears welling up in her own eyes.
"Are you alright?" Lilli's mom asked, pulling away and looking her daughter up and down in a fret. Lilli nodded.
"I'm completely fine, trust me. I'm just tired," a yawn escaped her mouth right then as if it was on cue.
"Oh, come on in baby, go to bed," Lilli's mom ushered Lilli in and towards her bedroom. "We can talk when you wake up, but I'm sure you're very very sleepy."
Lilli clambered into her bed and snuggled under the covers. She was exhausted and as soon as her head hit the pillow she started to drift off.
"Mom?" Lilli murmured.
"What is it, baby?" Her mom asked from the doorway, her brows creasing in worry.
"I'm sorry I missed Taco Tuesday."