Chapter 150 Chapter 150
She had it with his shenanigans and ignored his quiet snickering as she started the karaoke song. She figured that a song would make things more difficult for him, but when the first lyrics popped up on the screen, she was in for a surprise.
He hadn’t lied, and he hadn’t exaggerated either. Her jaw dropped, and she missed the first part of the song because she was busy staring at him. The light of the monitor reflected in his eyes as they followed the lyrics. He concentrated on the music while he created his own version of the song.
Nothing can pull me away from your embrace.
I'm not going anywhere.
Here we go again, I hear the sound of pain.
Flowing slowly through my veins
His voice was sweet as honey, yet turned low and husky at just the right moments. She was entranced by it, couldn’t tear her eyes away from him. Never had she expected him, of all people, to have a secret talent for singing. It baffled her, and she regretted not having taken him to karaoke sooner. She didn’t need to see the screen since she knew the lyrics by heart, so she kept her eyes on him as she joined in. Her soft voice mixed with his and created the perfect blend.
You got me losing my mind tonight (I'm losing my mind)
Toxic, toxic
I tell my friends that I'm fine, it's a lie (I'm doing really fine)
He shot her a sly look, meeting her eyes and flustering her. His arm snaked around her back and pulled her in while he held the microphone in his other hand. Did she only imagine it, or had his voice just turned a tad lower? She took a shuddering breath and sang the next lines, though she was distracted by his touch and his voice.
Losing all my senses when you pull me close
I don't know how to let go of this passion.
So just burn me with your loving
I can't control this desire.
Valerie forgot everything around them. They sang the rest of the song in a duet, his deep voice being a contrast to hers. She could listen to it for hours and not get tired of it, enjoying this moment wholeheartedly. As the last tunes of the song played and the screen switched back to the menu, Valerie was in a trance, still staring at him like he was an angel.
He noticed her dazed look and took the microphone from her hands. “Hello, sugar? You still alive?” he teased and bopped her nose with his index finger. “I mean, it’s only natural that my extraordinary talent would blow you away. I’m not surprised.” Arrogantly raising his chin, he put the microphones down, and that was exactly how long she took to finally react to his words.
“I love your voice,” she whispered. “What the fuck, Maxwell? Why didn’t you tell me you can sing?”
He shrugged. “It never came up.”
“You know what? Let’s try another song,” she said, and he didn’t say no to that. They ended up spending another hour at the arcade just to sing together, and Valerie vowed to herself to come here again one day.
—
In the following days, Valerie started to make plans for Halloween with her friends Hope and Naomi, who had been exchanging texts with her about this topic for a while. They were all looking forward to it since it was a highlight for them every year.
Her phone beeped, alerting her to a new text from her friend Naomi, who, along with Hope, had been asking to meet up. She hurried towards the phone on her desk, not paying attention to where she walked, and promptly stumbled over a box she’d left on the floor earlier. With a strangled cry, she fell over it and sprawled on the ground.
“Ouch,” she grumbled and got up slowly, clutching her aching knee. Not a second later, Maxwell arrived in the room and glared at her, heaving a deep sigh when he saw the knocked-over box.
“I’m going to put you in bubble wrap,” he threatened. “Stop being clumsy.”
“Sorry,” she grimaced.
“Come here,” he mumbled and swiftly picked her up to carry her into the kitchen. She wrapped her arms around his neck, embarrassed over her clumsiness. He looked mildly annoyed, and she couldn’t blame him. Setting her down on a chair, he went to the freezer and got a pack of ice, handing it to her.
She put it on her aching knee and heaved a sigh. “I’m really sorry.”
“Be more careful, sugar,” he said softly and sat down on a chair next to her. “And I was serious earlier. If it keeps happening, you’ll be equipped with bubble wrap.”
She glanced at him, noting that he was smirking mockingly and flushed in embarrassment. “Stop it, I was just not paying attention,” she replied. “Don’t make fun of me, you evil demon.”
“You’re fun to tease,” he laughed. “Look, your cheeks are red!”
“Maxwell. Stop.” she squeaked and squirmed around on her chair.
“You’re a tomato.”
“Shut up. Don’t look.” she countered, and then she did the only thing she could think of, using her magic to turn off the light in the kitchen. They were shrouded in darkness, Maxwell’s silence conveying his astonishment, but he soon began to chuckle. The light turned back on.
“Doesn’t work with me, but nice try,” he smirked.
She pouted, crossing her arms. “Yeah, I noticed.”
“Why did you even fall over the box in the first place? Are you blind?”
“No, I wanted to get to my phone as fast as possible,” she answered, and her eyes lit up. “That reminds me, I’m planning to meet my friends later today. Haven’t seen them in a while.”
His eyes narrowed instantly. “I don’t want you to go alone,” he said and took her hand. “You’re not safe right now—as long as we haven’t gotten rid of that threat, you should be careful.”
“We’re just going to meet at my friend’s house, it’s nothing special,” she said, hoping to ease his worries.
“Yeah, but… think about what happened to Seth’s human girlfriend. She was killed out of the blue,” he muttered. She could see in his eyes that Seth’s girlfriend wasn’t the only person on his mind.