Cassian PoV
I stared at my hand as I followed Damie to his room. His heart was beating fast when I brought up his feelings for Shelly. He could deny all it all he wanted, but he was falling for her.
We reached his room, the neat shelves of books and polished weight bench a stark contrast to the chaos of mine, the air fresh with cedar polish instead of the stale alcohol I'd grown used to. Toren was already inside, his black hair bouncing as he rummaged through a box of toys, giggling as he held up a plastic spaceship. Shelly stood nearby, giggling as her brother made rocket noises.
Damien smiled and ran over. "Hey! You found my box! That was fast!"
He giggled. "Me great finder!"
I shifted, crossing my arms, my green eyes drifting back to Damien as he pulled another toy from the box—a small plastic dinosaur with a chipped tail.
"Check this out, Toren," he said, holding it up, his voice tinged with nostalgia. "Cass and I used to play with this one all the time. We'd pretend it was a giant monster attacking our spaceship." He glanced at me, his red eyes catching mine for a fleeting moment but his smile was soon replaced by a frown.
Seeing that toy must've brought him back to that time before we hated each other.
I remembered a rainy afternoon, we were maybe nine or ten years old, when we'd been stuck inside, bored and restless. Damien had dragged out that same plastic dinosaur, its tail already chipped from a fall off the porch, and we'd turned the library into our battlefield.
"Cass, you're the evil scientist," he'd said, his red eyes glinting with mischief as he held the dinosaur aloft, making it "roar" at me. "I'm the space ranger saving the world!" He'd leaped over a chair, dodging imaginary lasers.
Snickering, I grabbed a book, pretending it was my control panel, cackling as I 'unleashed' my monster. "Never, Ranger Damien!" I'd shouted, my green eyes narrowed in mock villainy, tossing a cushion at him.
He'd dodged, laughing, and tackled me onto the rug, the dinosaur tumbling between us as we wrestled, the sound of our giggles echoing off the shelves. By the time we were done playing, Damien's room was a big mess.
The maids scolded us as soon as they saw the mess, but we hadn't cared—those moments were ours, a refuge from the pressure of our family names.
After, we'd sat by the window, watching the rain, the dinosaur resting on the sill as Damien traced its chipped tail with his finger. His red eyes were sad.
"We'll fix it one day," I said, patting his back. "Make it better than new."
He smiled, his eyes meeting mine. "Yeah!"
Now, watching him with that same toy in Toren's hands, I saw the ghost of that boy—the one who'd trusted me, who'd dreamed with me. I'd shattered that trust, let jealousy turn me into someone who'd sleep with his girlfriend just to feel superior, and now here we were, rivals over Shelly, our past a jagged scar between us.
"This room fails," I blurted out. "It's messier than mine still with all these toys out," I said, shrugging as I stepped into the room.
Damien stuck his tongue out. "So what? We're having fun over here!" He turned to Toren. "Right, little buddy?"
Toren nodded, grinning. "Yeah! Team Cleaning Dinos found the treasure!"
I snickered as I watched them continue to play. It made me feel a little... hollow inside, as though I was missing something, some vital part of myself I'd lost somewhere along the way. And Shelly was watching them, too, her eyes full of affection, her lips curling in a smile. I couldn't help but feel a pang of jealousy. She seemed to have such a strong connection with both Damien and Toren, and I wanted to feel that connection too, that warmth.
I took my phone out of my pocket and looked at my contacts. Who should I hang out with to get rid of this feeling? There was no one, really. All my friends just liked to party at night and hit up the clubs, but that was the last thing I was in the mood for. I needed something real, someone who would understand me.
"Mean Dino, you can be the bad guy!" Toren said, holding up the plastic dinosaur. "Dino gonna get you!"
He started making the dinosaur run towards me, its head bobbing up and down. I laughed and grabbed the dinosaur, holding it in the air. "Rawr! I'm the evil Cassaurus, and I'm gonna eat you, Dino!"
He laughed and grabbed the dinosaur back.
"Cassian, be gentle with Toren. He likes to tackle people, but you're bigger and could hurt him."
"I'm just playing," I said. "Besides, he's tougher than he looks."
I handed the dinosaur back to Toren. "Here you go, buddy. Be careful with it. It's an old toy."
He grinned and hugged it. "Thanks! I love it!" He started to run around the room with it.
Damien stared at me, his eyebrows raised. "That's it? No snide comment? No insult? Just playing along and handing back the toy?"
I shrugged. "What can I say, Damien? I'm a complex guy. I have layers. Like an onion."
He laughed. "More like a rotten potato. You're full of mush."
"Hey! That's harsh, man."
Shelly snorted and covered her mouth to stop her laughter.
Damien and I both smiled slightly at the sound. Toren looked up at us. "What's so funny?" he asked innocently, his black hair falling in his face.
Damien laughed and ruffled his hair. "Nothing, little buddy. Just grown-up talk."
Toren pouted. "I'm not little! I'm big! Rawr!" He started to make growling noises and pretended to attack Damien with the dinosaur.
Damien laughed and wrestled him to the ground. "Oh no, you got me!"
Toren grinned. "Rawr! I win!"
I smiled. It was nice to see them all having fun, even if I did feel a bit left out. I was starting to think that maybe this wasn't such a bad idea, being here with them.
"Say, how about we get out of this mansion for a bit?" Shelly said, looking at all of us.
Damien nodded. "Yeah, that's a great idea. We've been cleaning and talking all morning. I could use a break."
Toren jumped up and down. "Yay, adventure! Where are we going? To Big M?"
"Hungry for burgers, huh?" Damien said, holding up his plastic sock puppet. "I got this from Big M, you know. It came with my kids meal."
"Really?" Toren asked, his eyes wide. "Me want one!"
She chuckled. "They don't have those toys in their meals anymore. It's Capumon toys."
"Me want a Rampdos! It's a dino Capumon!" Toren said, jumping up and down. "Please, sis! Please!"
She sighed. "Alright, alright. But only if you're a good boy for the rest of the day. No more fighting or throwing things."
Toren nodded and hugged her. "I will, sis!"
Damien laughed. "Well, that settles it. Big M it is. I'll go find Zara to drive us."
He walked off to find his assistant, leaving me alone with Shelly and Toren.
I sighed and looked at her. "You're a good sister, you know that?"
She shrugged. "I'm just doing what I have to do. He needs someone to look out for him."
I nodded. "I know, but still. It's commendable."
Toren grinned. "Sis is the best!"
She laughed. "Thanks, little bro."
I smiled and looked out the window. It was a beautiful day, sunny and warm. The perfect day to get out of this mansion. Maybe I could get closer to Shelly, and maybe even help bridge the scars between me and Damien. I just needed to try harder, and I was willing to do that.