Chapter 83

Chapter 83

 
She sat there on the couch, watching him walk back and forth in the living room. He looks tensed and angry. He paused whenever he stopped talking to listen to what they were saying, then go ahead to pace around when he starts talking again.
 
He rubbed the bridge of his nose and cursed lowly. She had never seen him this angry. But his reason for being this way is understandable. His mother got engaged without even speaking to him first.
 
Shannon and Jim are not the same. They’re from two different worlds and he had tried to show her that since the day she started seeing him but she wouldn’t budge.
 
“I never stopped you from seeing any of your little human girlfriends. Why do I have to be the victim?” The pain in her voice made his body weak. He slumps down on the couch with a sigh. It was a sigh of defeat.
 
“Look, Max, I love you so much. And I appreciate that you’re looking after me—I really do. But I’m not a child, I know what I’m doing. Jim knows who I am and what I am. He accepts me and it’s very possible for a human and a werewolf to be together. We’re moving to his new house far away from here… safe from this crowd.”
 
Her last statement made him to jerk up and it scared Elise. “You’re really getting married?”
 
Shannon chuckled with slight amusement. “What’s the point of the ring and moving in with him then?”
 
Max sighs and began pacing and forth again. It’s the only thing keeping him sane from completely losing himself. “Crap… mom, really?” If he had known this would happen two years ago when they moved here, he wouldn’t have agreed. He’d rather stay in their pack, he’d rather be close to Elise.
 
He looks at Elise. She had her eyes glued to him. His mom spoke again but he was too occupied staring at Elise—she looks worried for him. She should be because she’s one of the reasons for his distress. “I’ll come over tonight,” he says and ended the call.
 
Elise was still staring at him, fiddling with her fingers as she waits to hear what he has to say. They haven’t spoken much since they got back home last night. She was paranoid on whether he knew she kissed Aaron or not. He had been quiet all day—too quiet. It stressed her to see how quiet he is without telling her the reason why.
 
She had asked him several times but he told her it was because his mother was engaged to a literal outcast she just met a year ago.
 
He slumps down on the couch, facing her. His eyes lids fall and he brushes a long sigh out to help calm the storm. It really worked because he felt less tense.
 
“Is everything okay?” She asks, observing his face. He didn’t budge. He kept his eyes closed and body relaxed. He wasn’t planning to answer her question because it would make him upset again and that’s the last thing he wanted. He has had enough in just less than a day.
 
“Are you doing something tonight?” He finally opened his eyes and set them on her. She gave him a quizzical look because she doesn’t know why he’d think she has something to do. She was off work for a week and the only person she knew aside him and Aaron was Sarah and they didn’t plan anything for the week. Sarah went on three days vacation to Hawaii so, she has nothing to do.
 
“No, no, not that I can remember,” she said having second thought on what she had just uttered. Maybe she should’ve pretended as though she had plans.
 
He looks at her for few seconds and nods. “We go out, tonight. What do you say? Dinner?”
 
 

 
The restaurant was filled up. It was a Saturday and it’s still easter—it explains why there were so many people in here. Max guided her in.
 
“You sure we’re going to get a table here? I mean we could get takeaways and it at home.”
 
He looks at her and clasped their hands together. He had never done this before—hold her hand when she’s nervous. It felt weird, it looked weird. He wants to do it more often. He wasn’t sure she’d like it because she had frozen to her spot as she stared down at their clinched hands.
 
“We could get you favourite and go back home,” he says with a smile. She looks up at him. He meant it. He would never force her to do what she isn’t pleased with. It’s another reason why he hadn’t told her that he likes her, because it would definitely look as though she’s doing what she isn’t pleased with. He doesn’t want her to like him back out of pity. That’s not what he wants. He wants her to love him because she wants to. He wants her to love him because he’s worth love. He wants her to love him because she finds him attractive. He wants her to love him because she believes that he can protect her. And right now, protecting her is the top priority.
 
“We could eat at the rooftop. It’s always amazing there at night.”
 
He wanted to groan and punch something but instead, he smiled. He knew she met Aaron at the rooftop because she told him. She talks a little bit too much about Aaron and it irritates him but he can’t help it. He was feeling better when she suddenly stopped talking about him until last night.
 
“I’ll grab our food and we’ll go home to the rooftop.” He gives her the car keys and head to the counter while she headed out.
 
It wasn’t that cold outside. It was perfect to have a night picnic outside on the rooftop, while enjoying the city’s view.
 
She enters the car and locked the door. Max had always told her whenever he wasn’t in the car, she should make sure the doors are locked until he comes back.
 
She relaxed back and her phone chimed, startling her to sit upright. She checks the caller, it was a group video call from Kayla and Auburn. She smiled—it meant they had fixed things because yesterday, they ended the call fighting.
 
“Uh, are you always dressed up? New York has changed you… a lot,” Kayla said as soon as Elise answered the call.
 
“Or she’s on a date with her boss, Aaron. Are we even sure he’s her boss? Or she just said that so we wouldn’t suspect them?”
 
Elise rolled her eyes with a slight groan. She should’ve ignored the call. “Yesterday was easter, today’s still easter. Max wanted to take me out for dinner.”
 
“Who? The one you live with? The guy with curly brown hair that has a crush on you?” Auburn had a quizzical look on her face.
 
Elise gasped with gaped eyes as Kayla burst into fits of laughter. It annoyed Elise more.
 
“What?” Auburn asked sardonically. “Wait… you don’t know? The guy obviously likes you.”
 
It appears everyone knew about Max little crush on her except her. “Did he tell you?” She asked Kayla and she shook her head.
 
“It’s literally obvious. He’d stare at you forever without even blinking. He literally worships the floor you walk on. How could you not notice?”
 
She tightens her grip around her phone as though it was going to fall. Her head falls because she couldn’t even think of what to say. She had known Max in forever and she had never noticed any signs of adoration toward her—just friendship and loyalty.
 
She looks up and shakes her head. “I honestly don’t want to believe this.” She has to because the dots connect. She noticed how he gets annoyed whenever she talks about a guy. He always finds a way to end the conversation. He hates when she talks about Ethan. He hates when she brings the topic of Aaron.
 
“He invited Aaron to join us for dinner at his moms’ last night. No.” She shakes her head. “Maybe you guys misunderstood him. You see, we grew up together and it explains everything. Max just has a soft spot for me in his heart because I’m like his little sister and he’s like my little brother. We’re both the only child to our parents so, it explains a lot.”