Cassandra laid her head down on the table lifeless. She yawns loudly, the contiguous thing making Louis yawn after her. He covers his mouth and takes a deep breath in, his other hand in the pocket. They were waiting for the simple corn starch soup to simmer and become an edible substance. He adds a few vegetables and the soul food was done in minutes.
He serves her first, later serving himself two ladles worth of soup to himself. He adds in chilli oil and some vinegar for himself, carefully observing the girl reaching out for vinegar as well.
He swats her hand, she looks at him with a sad expression. Her face made him feel guilty. The amount of guilt experienced by a good person killing a cat or something.
“Sorry, but no chemicals are allowed to be added in your soup when you’re sick. Eat it as it is.” He says to the girl who whines again.
“But… it’s too bland. Please…” she asks in a meek voice. The male was trying too hard to resist himself, but at last allows one small tablespoon of vinegar to be added in her soup. She gets some pepper and adds it in the soup too.
He looks at her while taking a bite, observing everything with a furrow in his eyebrows.
“Cass… since when did you learn to eat like a pig?”
“That’s offensive. And I always loved eating.” She says through her own tongue.
“No, you didn’t.” He argues.
“W-well, I’m starting to embrace myself. As i said. I’m tired of owning a meek body.”
“Yes!” She jumps when he suddenly bangs on the table, “Finally! Someone’s trying to get some muscles! If you wanna be my gym partner, I’ll be glad!” He enunciates as she chuckles and nods her head.
By the time she completed her food, she was sweating extensively and needed a bath as soon as possible. Louis tells her to remove her clothing a be under the air conditioning for a while. Her frail, shivering body was resisting the cold breeze, she took his words too seriously and stood directly in front of the AC.
“What are you even doing?” The male says, chuckling as he rolls his sleeves up.
“Doing what you told me.” She answers.
“Okay, anyway. I hope you don’t catch a cold but get into the bathtub and call me if you need help in bathing yourself.” Says Louis.
“Okay.” Sweetly humming, she skims past him like a little duckling and enters the bathroom. As she sinks into her giant ceramic bathtub with Epsom salt, she releases a giant sigh which reaches out to the other person in the room.
“Is it good?”
“Too good!” She responds, a huge smile sparkling on her face. She plays with the water and dips herself as low as possible into the salt filled water. Indeed, a part of her was releasing the stress into the liquid medium as she sneezes out of the blue.
“Who’s thinking about you?” Louis teases the girl as she stutters out, “N-no one, idiot!”
After a few seconds, Cassandra calls Louis to help her get cleaned as she barely had any energy herself. Perhaps the blood flow in her body was making her feel dizzy as well, she was sleeping in the bathtub while soaking in the water.
“Whoa, mermaid. Don’t fall asleep here.” Says Louis who rolls his pants and sleeves up as he approaches her.
“Huh? Oh…” she yawns again.
“I’ll bathe your stinky head first.” He says.
She hums as a reply. Cassandra wonders how well did the old Cassandra and Louis get along. Were they having the same dynamic as him and Louis? She wondered…
“Yo Louis.”
“Hmm?” He was slightly massaging her neck with the foam from her shampoo, mimicking the many spa professionals he went to.
“D-did you ever see me naked?” She asks.
“Should I be honest with you?” He counter questions her.
“Yes. Great help.” She replies.
“To be honest, many times. When we were young.” She throws water in his direction from the tub as he easily dodges the ill-aimed shot. He snickers at her reaction, infuriating her.
“I’m serious!” She hisses like a snake.
“Well, yeah. Once or twice when I accidentally entered your room. That’s why I tell you to lock the doors. It’s only us five brothers and you one lovely sister.” He says.
“Hmm… I’ll keep that in mind.” She answers.
After being bathed and pampered, she gets dressed into a short skirt and crop top before limping and falling onto the bed.
Not soon after, Louis hears a knock on the door.
“Must be dad.” Saying to himself, he wipes his drenched hands to a towel and attends the door.
“Is she okay? How’s she?”
“She got up in the middle and asked me to help her bathe her.” Louis answers Framton.
“Oh, okay. Okay. Do you want me to talk to the faculty?”
“No one knows in the campus that we’re related, dad. I’ll take care of it.” Louis laughs at his old man as he salutes to Louis and walks back to the guestroom.
Louis follows back to Cassandra who was facing the other side but quite literally hearing everything from their conversation. She loved how concerned the two were for Cassandra, their sister and daughter.
She wished she had a father like that, she already had the most wonderful brother.
“Hey. You’re awake, huh?” Says Louis, poking her cheek because she looked so cute.
“Hmmm…” she releases sounds of annoyance and turns her head away. Louis chuckles and gives up before she makes the sounds again.
“Now what?” He says, about to turn the lights off.
“Sleep here, please.” She says in a soft voice. After thinking through it, he agrees and sleeps beside his sister, tucking her in neatly before turning the other way to sleep.
The relaxation she had from the bath and his pampering made her fall into slumber at a record speed.