Chapter 39 Engaged and Plotting

Chapter 39 Engaged and Plotting
Aellorah

I sent the photos to my number before handing the phone back to Max. “Don’t post anything until later. I want us all to be together when the shit hits the fan.”

“Wouldn’t dream of it, baby,” Max murmured, catching my hand and kissing the back of it, his eyes glued to my ring the entire time. “My fiancée,” he added with a victorious smile.

“I love you, Max.” I pressed a soft kiss to his lips, turning to set my mug in the sink. It was a strange feeling, knowing we’d just shared such a joyous, intimate moment, and still had to attend lectures as if it were another regular day.

The five of us shifted around one another, everyone pitching up to clean the remnants of breakfast. When we were finished, Max and I left, headed back to my dorm.

“So, with everything happening, I was thinking about that new phone. I can transfer you money for the bill, and we can set up call forwarding on it. My father won’t catch on, at least for a while.”

“Why don’t you just block his number altogether?” Max countered.

“Because then he’ll shut off the phone entirely. Isn’t the whole point to get evidence against him?” I asked. “We can’t do that if I cut off communication.”

“Yeah, you’re right,” Max agreed, his grip on the steering wheel tightening. “I guess he’d probably show up here at school, wouldn’t he?” After my brother’s appearance at Max’s party and their intrusion on my opening performance, I did not doubt that Max was right.

“I wouldn’t put it past him. In fact, I imagine if I cut him off, he’d stop paying my tuition altogether.”

Max blanched, eyes leaving the road and darting to look at me. “He wouldn’t…”

“After what they sent you, do you think there’s anything my family wouldn’t do to keep me firmly in their control?” I asked.

“Well, not anymore, baby. You have me now…” His hand gently squeezed my thigh, offering me the reassurance I desperately needed at that moment.

“I know.” I placed my hand over his, gently stroking his knuckles. “We’ll figure it all out.”

Max waited at the dorm entrance while I rushed inside to change and grab my bag. My phone had a dozen missed calls and texts. I cleared them as I left the dorm, certain I would have fifty more by the end of the day.

It wasn't easy to put Max and our sudden engagement out of my mind enough to focus during class. I found myself glancing repeatedly at my phone, waiting for his name to appear on the screen.
By the time my second lecture ended, I was anxious to see Max. I knew where to find him; he was seated at the usual booth in the food court when I sat down beside him.

“How was class, gorgeous?” he asked, pressing a long smooch to my cheek.

“They both dragged on forever. You?”

“Same. My professor poked a bunch of holes in my business plan, so now I have a shit ton of research to do for next week.”

“Oh, fun. Maybe your dad can help?” I suggested with a smile.

“My dad?” Max laughed, the sound bitter and unamused. “Baby, I haven’t talked to my dad once since Christmas. My parents… They’re great, but… well… they don’t really have a lot of spare time, you know?”

“Oh, I see. I’m sorry.” I didn’t know what else to say. Max had told me at the theatre that he didn’t have a perfect life, and yet, I’d always assumed he had a good relationship with his parents. “How are they going to feel about our engagement?” I asked cautiously.

“I hadn’t really considered that,” Max replied thoughtfully. “I’m sure they’ll be happy for me. Dad is always saying how I need to think about my future…”

“They won’t be angry or think it’s too soon?” I prodded, anxiously nibbling on my bottom lip as I waited for his answer.

“I suppose we won’t really know until we see them,” he answered with a shrug. “It doesn’t matter to me. I choose you.” I smiled at his resolute statement, reaching for his hand beneath the table.
“Come back to my dorm? I’m going to skip out on my health class today.”

“Sure, baby,” Max replied easily, slipping his arm around my shoulder. “Later,” he added, giving his friends a nod as we left the booth.

Back in my dorm, which I successfully snuck Max into again, we cuddled in my bed. I flicked through the photos we had taken at the house, smiling at each one.

“That’s my favorite,” he murmured against my neck, pointing at the picture where I’d flipped off the camera with my middle finger. “It’s like a direct message to your family.” His chuckle rumbled warmly against my ear as we stared at the photo. I looked defiant, playful. The bond Max and I had formed was captured in that moment, his nose nuzzling mine as I said ‘fuck you’ to the camera.
“Looks like someone is giving the world a healthy dose of that sass I love so much,” he remarked approvingly, his hands roaming possessively over my curves. “Now, we just have to make sure the photo goes viral… Aellorah Blackwood is off limits—and now everyone will know that.”

I smiled; my eyes fixed on the photo as I flicked through filters to find the best one. “Listen, I know this is awesome, and we’re happy right now, but we need to be prepared. Once my dad sees this—”

“I know. It’s going to be like dropping an atom bomb.”

“I have a small savings account that my father can’t access. I started it when school began, and I’ve been gradually adding money to it. I think, maybe, we should use some of it to hire a private investigator,” I suggested. “We know we have to be careful, but having someone who doesn’t know us to follow him… we might be able to obtain actual evidence against him.”