Chapter 80

Chapter 80
Aaron guides her down the street quickly as it began to drizzle. It didn’t take much time the drizzle turned into a heavy downpour.
 
They were soaking wet by the time they reached the lobby. Ben stood up from his usual chair and approached them. “Looks like it’s going to be a long, rainy night,” he said offering to take their soaking wet jackets.  They handed it to him with a thank you.
 
 
 
Five minutes later, the elevator dings open on the fifth floor and they stepped out. “You were amazing today,” Aaron said to her. But her eyes didn’t bother to look at him. Her ears weren’t paying attention to what he said. Her mind and her heart were obviously not with him. He noticed. “Elise.”
 
She didn’t respond—she had a mixed look on her face. She looked shocked and terrified at the same time. Her eyes was darted forward so, he traced it.
 
He spotted a six feet guy with a wavy, sable black hair, standing by her apartment door. His eyes were fixed on Elise until Aaron placed a hand on her back—his eyes darted there. Elise could see the fury washing over his face but he restrained it.
 
“Do you know this guy?” Aaron asked her, sending a distrustful glare his way. She gulped hard, thinking of whether to deny the fact that she knew him and he was her mate or act like she had never seen him before.
 
Aaron felt revolted by him when Elise nodded. “Are you going to be fine?” He whispered close to her ear. It made Hunter to grunt slightly and take his eyes off them. Maybe he shouldn’t have come here. Maybe he should’ve let her go and move on the same way she’s doing so. This was all a bad idea.
 
“It’s okay,” she mouthed, massaging his arm gently. “I’ll be fine.” She gave him and assuring smile and he nodded. “I’m just a few feet away if you need me”
 
He brushed passed Hunter and head towards his apartment. He looked back and Hunter had turned his head to look at him. His eyes were on Hunter also as he unlocked his apartment and walked in.
 
Hunter sighed and turned his head to Elise that had walked few steps forward. She had her arms over her chest and she clearly didn’t look happy to see him. Her hair was wet, making it look darker than its real colour.
 
“You should change before you catch a cold,” he told her, as thought they were cool and him showing up here was totally normal.
 
“Does Max know you’re here?” She asked him. It was a question whether to take him in or they talk somewhere else. She knew Aaron must be standing by his door, waiting for her call and she knew Hunter showing up meant he wants to talk and it’s obviously not going to be just a normal conversation.
 
Hunter eyes fall as he nodded. She placed her hands on her waist and scoffed, as she walked back and forth. It explains why Max called her all of a sudden and sounded weird.
 
She walked past him and unlocked the door. He followed her behind when he sensed that she left the door open for him. She walked towards the corridor and opened a door, leaving him standing by the doorway.
 
He sighed and walked further in, closing the door behind him. He won’t blame her for however she decides to act. It’s his fault for taking a six-hour flight to come see her because he believes in second chances.
 
He looked around the apartment—it was small. Really small but he liked it. he had never lived in a small place before but this meant you’d get to spend more them with your loved ones.
 
Was that what she does with Max? Spend time with Max often? Or they a thing? Or is that brunette haired tall guy her thing? The thought of Elise being with someone stabbed him in the center of his chest and he hates that he just thought of that. Imagine if his assumptions were true. He’d die perhaps.
 
She walked out of her room, wearing grey sweatpants with white shirt. Her hair was still wet but she doesn’t seem to care. She had her arms over her chest again—she does that a lot whenever they were fighting or having an argument. He finds it attractive when she does it and it made everything hard to focus.
 
He cleared his throat and stiffened his back. “So…” he pointed at the door and she knew what he meant.
 
“Aaron is my boss,” she said, rolling her eyes. So, his name’s Aaron—what a heedless name, he mused to himself. It was a nice name, he knew. He just wanted to demean him and say bad things about him.
 
“You work now?” He asked stunned but enthralled. He always knew she was strong and confident enough to be amongst the outcasts, but working for them—he never expected to hear that from her.
 
“What exactly are you doing here, Hunter?”
 
He looks at her, his eyes searching hers. They held nothing but anger and disappointment. It’s obvious that she hasn’t forgiven him for his silly, stupid mistakes while trying to protect her.
 
“I hate myself for fucking things up with you,” he told her. His voice tingled in her body but she ignored the feeling and stood to her guard. “I’m a big mess, and that’s the last thing you need right now… but this mess loves you endlessly.” He was now taking careful steps towards her.
 
Her arms fall to her side as her heart hammered against her chest when he approached her.
 
“Please don’t doubt my love for you, it’s the only thing I’m sure of.” His brown eyes were as serious as his tone. She could feel her heart catch in her throat when he grabbed her arms and pulled her towards him.
 
She started into his eyes for a moment—it felt so good at the wrong time. Her eyes lowered to his lips and all she could think of was the days he’d caught her off guard with his fierce yet sweet kisses. The feeling of his touch against her bare arms causes a hot ball of desire in her stomach to funnel down her legs and up her chest.
 
She shook her head as she wrenched free from Hunter’s embrace, unable to stand being this close to him. “I can’t deal with this right now. I don’t want to deal with this, Hunter. I need you out of here right now… you’re just making things difficult for me.”
 
“Are you back together with him? Or is it this guy?” He points at the door and it maddens her because she knew who he was refer to.
 
“What is wrong with you, Hunter? Why do you keep complicating everything for me? What the hell do you want?” She was trying so hard to keep her voice calm but it was hard to do that every time she looks at his eyes. They make her anxious and angry because she wants to stare at them forever and keep her eyes off at the same time.
“It is you. It is fucking you. I cannot describe it anymore, it is you. You are the only one that I will ever want. I belong with you. You are my home. I look at you, and somehow, I can see 50 years from now on the front porch of some old house in the middle of nowhere and we're together. I need you. You are the only thing that matters. You are my good.” He told her wretchedly, his voice breaking as he did and it was factually the first time she had ever heard his voice this broken before.
 
“What if I don’t want you anymore?”
 
He straightens up and stare at her, his mouth hanging open and his stomach twisted in a knot of anxiety.
 
“What if I don’t want to be with you anymore? What I left home because I don’t want to be anywhere near you? What if I’ve never loved you and everything I did was out of kindness? Would that make things clear? Would be enough to show you that I don’t want to be your mate anymore?”
 
His eyes dart down just as felt a stab in the core of his heart. He inhales a huge breath, slowly lifting his face to look at her. His eyes meet hers, and she begins to feel bad for saying what she said, but she pushed the feeling down and kept going. “I don’t see myself with you, Hunter. I don’t even fantasize about you. I don’t think I’ve ever even loved you. It’s like… I just enjoyed your company and attention rather than actually falling for you. I don’t think we’re meant to be because I don’t feel the same way you feel about me.”
 
Her words were shrill, spine-tingling like nails on a chalkboard. “You don’t want me.” He nods his head, as if trying to understand what she had just said and sticking it into his head.
 
She could feel the guilt surging into her body when she heard the pain in his voice. He makes eye contact with her, that pain voice was nothing compared to the turmoil in his expression.
 
He takes a deep breath to calm himself. He nods his head again, his eyes darting down. He began taking steps back before he slowly turned and walk toward the door. He turned the door knob but don’t pull it open for a moment. She couldn’t tell whether he was holding back the tears or he was in so much pain that he can’t even pour it out. But he’s Hunter and Hunter never cries.
 
He pulls the door open and looked up at her. The look on his face says it all—he’s sad, disappointed, broken.
 
Despite the burning feeling in his chest, he hopes with every bone in his body that it’s be him and Elise in the end.