Chapter 212 Chapter 212
Maxwell lifted his head and watched her intently, his eyes glimmering with a mix of sadness and relief. “Maybe,” he murmured, his lips curving up.
If his old friend knew that he, of all demons got bonded to a human and was in a happy relationship with said human, Seth would have never stopped teasing him. Maxwell could imagine his grin and his cheerful expression vividly. Only a year ago, he would have never expected to get over his bitterness and hatred for humans. It had seemed absurd to him, like something that would never happen, not in a million years. She was the one who had helped him leave his bitterness behind. With her stubborn attitude, her gentleness, and her will to overcome the largest obstacles, she had slowly thawed the ice in his heart. He was incredibly thankful to have met her—it had happened at just the right time. In hindsight, it seemed like a miracle to him.
“Perhaps meeting you wasn’t a coincidence. Maybe it was meant to happen,” he whispered so quietly that only she could hear it.
“I think so too,” she answered, a smile spreading over her lips.
It was thanks to him that she had gotten over her fear that had lingered after she had broken up with her ex-boyfriend. Their relationship had left a lasting mark on her, and only with much patience had it been possible for her to open up again and to put her trust in another man. And she couldn’t have found a better one—Maxwell was the person who had given her a second chance at a happy relationship. They’d had a bumpy start, but even at the very beginning, there had been an unexplainable attraction between them. He hadn’t needed long to find his way into her heart.
She gazed into his eyes, finding them deep blue and warm with affection towards her. A soft pink hue dusted her cheeks when he dipped his head. Her hands held on to the fabric of his shirt as he leaned her forehead against his, simply enjoying his proximity.
“Maxwell, I…” she began, but was interrupted when Xander let out a cough that sounded suspiciously like a muffled laugh. Promptly, she remembered that they were not alone. Her cheeks flushed dark red, and she hid her face at Maxwell’s chest, causing him to chuckle at her reaction.
“Look at them, being all lovey-dovey,” Xander cackled.
“Maxwell is such a simp,” Vaughn mocked. “I can’t believe it.”
“Even forgets to thank his friends who saved his ass,” Benjamin added fuel to the fire.
“Shut up,” Maxwell complained and glared at them. “Have some respect, I am older than you.”
“Hey, don’t get angry at them,” Valerie reminded him and gazed over his shoulder at the other demons. “They did save us, so we’re indebted to them.”
“Yes, that’s right,” Wade smirked. “I demand a cake the next time we meet. Nicholas Clarke said that your strawberry shortcake is very good.”
“No,” Maxwell shouted. “You aren’t getting my cake.”
He let go of Valerie and got up, wobbling a little bit in exhaustion. However, his glare was smoldering regardless of his physical state. She remained next to him and wrapped her arm around his waist to support him.
“I can make enough cake for everyone,” she laughed. “You’re all invited.”
Her vibrant happiness and the boundless relief about being alive grew larger and larger with every minute that went by. It became so strong that Maxwell sensed its pleasant warmth as it blossomed in her chest. His gaze wandered from his friends to her, lingering on her shining brown eyes and the soft smile that played with her lips. She was glowing like a star—and he was glad to finally see her joy return.
Maxwell decided that he wanted to preserve her beautiful smile forever. It was his treasure, and nobody would ever steal it from him again.
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Many months had gone by since Mason had died, and Maxwell’s and Valerie’s lives had finally become normal. They had moved into a new home at the edge of the city, and she had had a lot of fun furnishing and decorating everything according to her tastes. Maxwell let her do as she pleased, not minding her happiness about it at all.
Their pet Mochi had, after some initial trouble, found its way to their new home and moved in with the couple. While Maxwell wasn’t too delighted about this, he decided to tolerate the small cat for her sake since the furball somehow made her happy. Not that he would understand, but… oh well, he was ready to make some sacrifices for her.
When the first anniversary of their relationship rolled around, they wanted to celebrate it and go on a vacation together. Picking a destination hadn’t been the easiest feat since the couple couldn’t decide where they wanted to go. It had taken a lot of help from their friends for them to make up their minds and choose a destination. Travis was the one who came up with the idea, and Valerie had loved it so much that she had easily persuaded Maxwell to agree.
They ended up flying to the Canary Islands together, a Spanish archipelago in the Atlantic Ocean. Xander had offered to teleport them there (which would have been much faster and cheaper than taking a plane), but Maxwell had insisted that he wanted to try flying in one of those “weird human inventions” as he liked to call them. However, he had ended up regretting it since the flight was long and took them around half of the globe. Valerie was the unlucky one who had to put up with his shenanigans when he got bored. That included making sure he stopped playing around with the lights inside the plane—some people freaked out when the lamps suddenly “malfunctioned” all at the same time, and Maxwell found that very entertaining.
By the time they finally landed and reached their hotel room, Valerie was exhausted and ready to fall asleep, much to the demon’s annoyance.
“Why do you want to sleep again?” he whined. “I’m here to have fun, not to watch you sleep all night!”
“You know that humans need rest,” she said and rolled her eyes when he pouted at her. “We’ll have fun tomorrow. And every day that follows, okay?”
“Fine,” he sighed dramatically. Despite his initial sulkiness, he was quick to give in when she offered him a spot next to her on the bed. It was as cozy as it looked, so Valerie sighed in contentment when she let herself sink into the pillows. Maxwell lay down next to her and curled his arm around her to embrace her. He nuzzled his face into her hair, breathing a kiss on her head.
“Sleep well, love,” he whispered. The husky tone of his voice almost made her want to stay awake to have some fun, as he had worded it, but she was too exhausted to even move, so she closed her eyes.