Chapter 13 Unexpected Lunch Date

Chapter 13 Unexpected Lunch Date
ELOWEN BENNETT
The silence in Alaric’s car felt heavier than usual.
I sat pressed against the passenger door, arms wrapped tightly around my bag, trying to make myself as small as possible. The sauce stain on my hoodie had dried into a stiff, ugly patch, and I could still feel the sting on my palms from the fall. Every few seconds, I stole a glance at Alaric. His jaw was set, one hand resting casually on the steering wheel while the other rested on the gear shift. He looked completely at ease, like driving me home was the most normal thing in the world.
I hated how comfortable he seemed while I felt like I was suffocating.
After a few minutes, he reached into the back seat with one hand and pulled out a paper bag. The smell of warm food filled the car instantly — savory, cheesy, and unmistakable.
He placed the bag on my lap without saying a word.
I stared down at it, confused. “What’s this?”
“Eat,” he said simply, eyes still on the road.
I opened the bag slowly. Inside was a perfectly wrapped chicken parmesan sandwich with extra mozzarella and a side of crispy fries. My favorite. The exact order I always got when Mom and I went to Mario’s on rare treat nights.
My stomach flipped.
“How did you know this is my favorite?” I asked, my voice barely above a whisper.
Alaric didn’t answer right away. He just shrugged one shoulder, like it wasn’t important. “Doesn’t matter. You barely ate at lunch. Eat it.”
I shook my head and tried to hand the bag back to him. “I’m not hungry.”
That was a lie. I was starving, but the idea of accepting anything from him made my chest feel tight.
“Elowen.” His tone dropped lower, carrying that familiar commanding edge. “Stop being difficult. Eat the damn food.”
I hesitated, fingers tightening around the bag. The smell was torture. My pride screamed at me to refuse, but my body was exhausted from the day — the fall, the laughter, hiding in the janitor’s closet, everything.
Finally, with shaky hands, I unwrapped the sandwich and took a small bite. The warm, melty cheese and perfectly seasoned chicken practically melted in my mouth. It was so good it almost made me want to cry.
Alaric glanced at me once, the corner of his mouth twitching slightly, but he didn’t say anything.
We drove in silence for a while longer. I ate slowly, trying not to look too eager. When I was about halfway through the sandwich, the words I’d been holding back finally spilled out.
“Alaric… please,” I said quietly, my voice soft and tired. “Can you just let me go? This whole punishment thing… I’m really suffering. Tasha hates me. Everyone at school is laughing at me. I can’t keep doing this.”
He didn’t respond immediately.
I turned in my seat to face him better, gaining a little courage. “Your girlfriend doesn’t like me being around you. She made that very clear today. I don’t want any more problems. I’ll do anything else — your homework, run errands, whatever you want. Just please release me from this. I can’t handle three months of this.”
Alaric’s grip on the steering wheel tightened slightly, but his expression stayed calm.
“I don’t mind,” he said flatly.
I blinked. “What?”
“Tasha,” he continued, eyes still on the road. “She doesn’t get to decide who I keep around. And neither do you. This ends when I say it ends. Not before.”
His words were so cold and final that they stole the air from my lungs.
I looked down at the half-eaten sandwich in my hands. “Why are you doing this to me?” I whispered. “Is it really just because I pushed you into the pool? Or do you just enjoy watching me break?”
Alaric didn’t answer that question. Instead, he turned the car onto my street and slowed down in front of my house. The engine idled softly as he put the car in park.
For a moment, he just sat there, staring straight ahead. Then he finally spoke.
“Get ready by six tonight.”
I frowned. “Six? For what?”
“You’ll find out when I pick you up.” He turned to look at me then, those deep blue eyes locking onto mine with an intensity that made my stomach flutter nervously. “Wear something decent. Not those joggers.”
I wanted to argue. I wanted to tell him I had plans — even if those plans were just hiding in my room with a book. But the look on his face told me it would be pointless.
Instead, I nodded weakly, clutching the paper bag like a lifeline.
“Thank you… for the food,” I muttered, barely audible.
Alaric gave a small nod but said nothing else.
I climbed out of the car and shut the door behind me. Before I could walk away, he rolled down the window.
“Six o’clock, Elowen. Don’t make me wait.”
Then he drove off, leaving me standing on the sidewalk with a half-eaten sandwich, a stained hoodie, and a thousand confusing emotions swirling inside my chest.
I stood there for a long moment, watching his car disappear down the street.
How did he know my favorite food?
Why did he buy it for me after watching me humiliate myself in the cafeteria?
And why, even after everything he’d put me through, did a tiny part of me feel… seen?
I shook my head hard, trying to push the thoughts away as I walked up to the front door. Mom’s car wasn’t in the driveway yet, which meant I had the house to myself for a little while.
Inside, I went straight to my room and collapsed onto my bed, still holding the paper bag.
Six o’clock.
Another night. Another place I didn’t want to go. Another chance for people to stare and whisper about the girl who was now Alaric Hayes’ personal servant.
I closed my eyes and let out a long, shaky breath.
Three months suddenly felt like forever.
But the scariest part wasn’t the parties or the stares or even Tasha’s cruelty.
It was the way Alaric kept doing small things that didn’t match the cold, untouchable boy I thought he was.
And the way my stupid heart kept noticing.