Chapter 47 A Promise to Wait

Chapter 47 A Promise to Wait
"All week?" Alonso asked, watching Mayzie pack clothes that weren’t even hers. She hadn’t come home until late the previous night and hadn't had time to pack. Now it was four in the morning, and the rustle of her luggage had woken him up. "When were you going to tell me?"

"I'm sorry. I forgot about it until Dalton reminded me yesterday," Mayzie said, folding a pair of sweatpants. "You couldn't have gone anyway. You have work, and your school has a different spring break than ours, so what difference does it make?"

"It’s not about whether I can go," Alonso sighed, sitting up to help her fold. "It’s that we barely see each other lately. I was looking forward to you being off from school."

"Dalton would have made me come to his place even if we were not leaving for the island." She slipped her jewelry case into the bag, just in case.

"Who else is going?"

"Dalton and his friends. Plus, I invited Clyde, and I think Blake is bringing Bellatrix." She frowned slightly.

Alonso gritted his teeth. "You still have not made up with Bellatrix?"

"That's really none of your business right now, Alonso."

He nodded slowly. "I feel better knowing Clyde will be there, at least."

"Oh, right. He’ll protect me from the big bad wolf. Should I ask him to sleep in my room to guard me from the evil men?"

Alonso frowned and shook his head. "Don't get defensive. You know exactly how Dalton feels about you. And I doubt the twins have completely pure intentions either."

"Do you honestly think I am the type to cheat?"

"No. But I do not trust them not to try."

"Let them try." She zipped her suitcase shut. "If you trust me, it should not matter what they want. You should know everything will be fine because I said so." Mayzie pulled out a yellow tank top and denim shorts and began changing.

"Do you have to change right in front of me?"

"You never cared before," she said, hopping on one foot as she pulled on her shorts.

"Before, you thought of me as a brother. Now you know my feelings aren't exactly innocent."

"What difference does it make if I know? You were thinking the exact same things back then." She tossed her sweatshirt aside and pulled the tank top over her head.

"It just feels different. Before, it didn't bother you because you saw me differently. Now it feels like you're teasing me."

Mayzie giggled. "Now I'm a tease?"

Alonso's expression stayed serious. "It's not funny, Mayzie. Either look at me as a brother or a boyfriend. If I'm your boyfriend, stop changing in front of me, especially since you already told me nothing is going to happen between us for now."

"We have already slept together, so what does it matter?"

"We are not sleeping together now. So stop."

"You are so strange sometimes. Fine, I will kick you out next time," she said, looking around for her sandals. "But I am not doing gymnastics in the bathroom just to change my clothes. Happy?" Her eyes fell on the pet bowl. "You will feed my cat, right?"

"You still have that thing?"

"I think so. The food disappears, and the litter box fills up, so I assume there's a cat in here somewhere."

Alonso grinned. "What's the point of having an antisocial cat?"

"She comes out once in a while." Mayzie smiled back. "So, will you feed her and clean the box?"

"Yeah, fine. I'll scoop cat litter while you lounge on a private island beach. Sounds fair."

"Dalton is forcing me to go. I told him I didn't want to, but he said he needed me. It’s my job, Alonso. It’s work, not a vacation. I doubt I'll even see the beach."

"I am so sick of hearing his name," Alonso muttered.

"Well, I'm sorry, but he’s my boss right now. You're just going to have to get used to it."

Alonso sat down on the bed next to her suitcase and let out a long breath. "I'm sorry, Mayzie."

"For what?"

"For being a jealous, overbearing jerk. It took me so long to finally get a chance with you, and I’m terrified some rich guy is just going to take you away. I can only offer you my time and affection. This guy can buy you anything you want."

"I don't care about—"

"I know, I know. You don't care about money. But it’s easy to fall for someone who makes your life easy and comfortable." Alonso stared down at the suitcase. "Plus, you spend more time with him than with me. Absence doesn't make the heart grow fonder, Mayzie. It makes it grow cold."

Mayzie bit her lip, looking down at her hands. She never knew what to say when Alonso talked about his feelings like this. Sometimes it made her happy, but other times it just left her feeling empty. It frustrated her that she couldn't honestly tell him her feelings were just as strong as his.

"Being together is what actually makes people fall in love," Alonso continued, looking up at her. "I know you aren't in love with me yet, and your heart could easily go to someone else. I just want you to promise me you'll give us a real chance. If you can do that, I'll stop doubting you."

"I wish I could, Alonso. I really wish I could say I feel the same way, but I'm just not there yet."

"Will you ever be?"

"If I knew the answer to that, it would mean the feelings are already here. I just don't know. I'm trying, and I don't want to give up, but I also don't want to keep you waiting."

"Keep me waiting for as long as you need," he interrupted. "Holding onto hope is a lot better than having it crushed. Tell me when you're sure. I'll wait, so please don't end things until you're absolutely ready to."

She nodded. "I won't."

"Want a ride to the airport?"

Mayzie brightened up and smiled. "Yes, please! And you can keep the car for the week, too."

"Hooray for me," he joked, standing up to grab her luggage and heading out the door.

· · ─────── · 𓅪 · ─────── · ·

"Sorry I'm late," Mayzie said, catching up with Dalton at the terminal.

Dalton glanced at the man carrying her suitcase behind her. "I didn't know he was coming."

She looked back at Alonso, then smiled at Dalton. "He just came to see me off."

Alonso stepped up beside her, putting an arm around her shoulder. "Good to see you again."

Dalton ignored him entirely and signaled to an airline staff member. "Take this bag. It’s for the private jet." He flashed a smug smirk at Alonso.

"Must be nice," Alonso said, trying to sound bored as the woman took the luggage. He turned to Mayzie, gave her a firm kiss on the lips, and smiled. "I have to get to work. Call me before you go to sleep."

"I will. I'll be back next Sunday." She turned to Dalton. "What time?"

"Around noon."

"Can you pick me up?" she asked Alonso.

"Of course." He jingled her car keys with a smile and kissed her one last time. "Goodbye." He waved and headed back toward the exit.

"Looks like the two of you are getting close," Dalton noted.

"It seems that way, yeah," Mayzie agreed. "Where is everyone else?"

"Clyde is in the restroom; he was the first to arrive. Blake went to pick up the girls, and the twins are on their way with Gustav."

"The girls?"

Dalton nodded. "Did you think we were going to spend a whole week on a beautiful beach with just the guys?"

"A beautiful beach?" She raised an eyebrow. "I didn't think anything your family owned could be described that way."

"You don't know my family. My mother actually happens to be a romantic. A realist, but a romantic."

"How can one person be both?"

Dalton sighed. "She believes in love and grand gestures, but she's practical about the people involved and how relationships actually work."

"And do you believe in that?"

"I guess." He shrugged, crossing his arms as he watched the entrance. "I don't want or need a partner, so it doesn't really matter to me."

"What exactly am I supposed to be doing this weekend? I'm not going to be serving drinks, am I?"

Dalton frowned at her. "It’s a vacation, dummy. The only thing I need you to do is keep everyone on the schedule Madeline planned out. It's in my suitcase."

"A schedule?"

"There are other islands nearby that we can visit by ferry. They have everything you'd expect — restaurants, shopping, all of that. It's not a deserted wasteland."

"Oh. So there are things you actually want to do there?"

"Yes. A fireworks show, a festival, and my favorite restaurant that I only get to visit once a year." A brief smile touched his face before he caught himself and frowned again. "If I miss a single thing on that list, you're going to pay for it. Just keep us on track."

"Alright, alright. I get it."

· · ─────── · 𓅪 · ─────── · ·

"Hey, light-haired girl!" Blake called out, walking up with Bellatrix by his side.

Mayzie pretended not to notice her former friend. "Hey," she said quietly. Her voice trailed off as four other girls walked up behind Blake to greet Dalton. Mayzie's attention immediately locked onto one girl who was glaring right at her.

"This is Ember, Marga, Cielo, and Thelma," Dalton introduced them, though he didn't bother pointing out who was who. It was clear he had memorized their names beforehand after meeting them once or twice.

Mayzie gave a small, slightly shy wave. Her eyes stayed on the slender blonde who had her arms crossed and looked completely unamused. The girl, Cielo, scowled back. Blake seemed to notice the instant tension between them.

"Shortie," Blake said, attempting to lighten the mood by using his nicknames. He tapped Ember on the shoulder. "Cutie," he pointed to Cielo. "Smiles," he pointed to Marga, who immediately grinned and giggled. "And Heaven," he said with a wink toward Thelma.

Thelma laughed. "I definitely got the best nickname."

"No, the dark-haired girl has the best one," Blake smiled, wrapping an arm around Bellatrix.

"Not really. It just states the obvious that I have dark hair," Bellatrix muttered, looking annoyed. "Marga and Thelma have the exact same hair color as I do, and you knew them before me. Why did I get stuck with that?"

Blake just laughed it off.

Mayzie felt a light touch on her elbow and turned to see Clyde. He gave her a weak smile before walking over to the seating area across the room. She knew he wanted to avoid Bellatrix and had wondered why he even accepted the invitation. Still, she figured it was better for him to come along than to sit at home and mope.

Bellatrix noticed Clyde too, but she did her best to act like she hadn't. Blake had told her repeatedly that she shouldn't feel guilty about any of this. She had made a choice for her own life, and she couldn't sacrifice her happiness for someone else. Besides, worrying about it was ruining their time together. They only had seven weeks left, and she didn't want to waste them stressing over Clyde.

· · ─────── · 𓅪 · ─────── · ·

"We have arrived!" Arking's loud voice echoed across the terminal. "We know you've all been waiting for us."

Mayzie turned to smile at him, but he didn't even glance her way. Instead, he walked straight over to Thelma and took her hand.

"How are you?" Arking asked her.

"I'm good. Thanks for inviting me," she replied, blushing.

"The pleasure is all mine."

Ariel immediately claimed Cielo, while Gustav gravitated toward Marga — even though it looked like he had been eyeing Cielo at first. That left only Ember for Dalton. She smiled and stepped toward him.

"I guess it's just you and me," Ember said as the others started boarding the plane.

"Clyde!" Dalton called out.

Clyde walked back over. "Yeah?"

"This is Ember. You're her partner for the trip. We travel in pairs on the islands, so don't let her out of your sight."

Clyde looked confused, and Ember didn't look thrilled either. "That's fine, but Mayzie and I—"

"Mayzie is my assistant, and I need her with me at all times. You look after Ember," Dalton commanded. Mayzie noticed Cielo, who was standing with Ariel, shooting her another nasty glare.

Ember quickly hid her disappointment and smiled at Clyde. "Looks like we're a team, then." She took his hand. "Come on. Do you like playing twenty questions?" she asked as they walked toward the terminal.

"Yeah, sure."

Mayzie turned to Dalton, frowning. "You didn't tell me I was going to be your date for this trip."

"You aren't my date, you're my assistant," he snapped. "I don't play around with girls that I'm not serious about. She was brought here for Clyde, not me. I always go alone."

He turned and strode toward the plane with a scowl, but Mayzie couldn't help but smile when she caught the slight blush on his cheeks.