Chapter 48: Chapter 48

“He’s calling you again.”

Alice looked down to her phone that was on the counter before she picked it up and shoved it in her back pocket. “Should’ve left it in my purse,” she said, handing out another takeout order she just packed. She was really good at what she does. She loves her job so much and everything is going so well at the coffee shop except the part where her boss has feelings for her.

“He’s a real creep, you know? I kinda feel like he’s up to something,” Brooke uttered spontaneously. She was sitting on a bar stool, her arms crossed over her chest.

Alice sighs as she shakes her head. There wasn’t any new customer yet, so she joined Brooke by the bar stool and grabbed a seat. “I don’t know. I just feel like he’s just obsessed with me that he can’t leave my sight. This morning, I found him sleeping by our door. He literally spent the night there. Ben told me he’d ask him to leave but Aaron stubbornly refused to.” Alice sighed tiredly.

She doesn’t even know how she feels about Aaron anymore. She felt irritated, worried, anxious… she doesn’t feel anything now anymore. The more Aaron shows his obsession, the more she wants him out of her life.

At first, she thought she wanted to be with him after she left Dominic. She thought she wanted to be with him even while she was with Dominic. But with time, she realized how fool she had made herself to look for pushing him to love her. She felt revolted and ashamed that she literally begged a man for affection.

“So, you’re giving Ryan a chance…”

“Shh, Brooke! What the heck?” She clasped her palm over Brooke’s mouth because Ryan just walked out of his office and he’s walking towards them.

He gives Alice an expressive look as he walked toward the counter. “Do we have some of that cocoa left or do I have to run and get it?” He wasn’t talking to either of them.

“No. We also need cream and heavy milk,” clerk who was standing by the cashier answers him. He nods his head and looked at Alice before turning to leave.

“We haven’t spoken about it yet,” she murmured, watching his retreating back. She has been avoiding him for the past one week with the excuse that her parents were still around and how occupied she was.

“But are you willing to give him a chance?” Brooke was swinging her short legs from the bar stool and it was hard for Alice to take her seriously.

“I don’t think I can mix business with pleasure.” She gets to her feet but Brooke grabs her arm and drew her back on her seat.

“You’re not mixing business with pleasure. You’re falling in love and being in a relationship with the guy you love. Besides, this is a coffee shop not a market.” The innocent smile on Brooke’s face makes Alice to chuckle.

“I feel like he sent you to persuade me. Did he send you? How much did he pay you for this? Because I don’t know why you’re strict about him. I don’t see him the way he wants me to…”

“You seriously want to turn nineteen single?” Brooke rolled her eyes with a scoff.

Alice’s mouth gap as she shook her head in disbelief. “Since when did being in a relationship become an enforced life style? Look, I only see Ryan as my neighbour and boss, and that’s it. Maybe in the future but not right now. I need to focus on building myself.”

“Yeah, before you do that. You should deal with him first.” Brooke was staring at the entrance while she spoke. Alice traced the direction she was staring at. Aaron gives her an awkward smile because he knows he wasn’t supposed to be here.

“Oh, dear God,” Alice mumbled, walking around the counter. He opened the door and the bell rings. He raised his head to look at the bell. Alice was already standing in front of him when he looked down.

She was furrowing her brows and as usual, she wasn’t happy to see him. She grabbed his arm and guided through the back door.

“Could you please knock it off with the silly games you’re playing? It’s really getting old and I’m tired of it,” she said blearily. They were standing by the dumpster and it made her regret bringing them out here. She doesn’t want to take him to the staff room or kitchen because it might be occupied. And she wasn’t ready to argue with him in the middle of the café.

His head falls down as he stretches his hand onto the back of his neck. He massaged it gently before cutting his eyes back to hers. They were reading each other’s expression. She clearly seemed annoyed but she was trying to hide it whereas he looks paranoid and she doesn’t feel the need to ask him why.

“I’m such a burden I know, and I’m sorry.”

“Aaron, you are not a burden. You’re just…”

“Just a sociopath who’s not ready to give up on true love. You see, Alice… I’ve made so many mistakes that I am not proud of… I am ashamed of them. But I think it’s part of being a person, you know? I’ve made promises but didn’t stick to my words. I’ve given you hope but didn’t keep up with those too. I know I’ve fucked up but I never knew you were going to give up on us when you thought I have. I mean, what more do you want me to do? I’ve done everything just to show you that I love you and I’m willing to make us work. I fucking managed to travel all the way from Alaska just come make things right with you while I’m struggling but you don’t seem to see any of my effort.”

For the first time in months, his words really got to her because her eyes were darted down. She couldn’t even raise her head to look him in the eye after how she’d treated him and the futile words she had said to him. Nevertheless, it wasn’t enough to convince her to take him back.

“Look, I appreciate everything you’ve done to make us work but… I just don’t feel that way anymore. I’ve moved on and I don’t see myself moving backwards. I believe that you’re a really nice guy but you’re not what I want anymore. I just hope you’ll understand that.” She could feel the regret slide all the way through her but she ignores it. If this makes Aaron upset or uncomfortable, he is going to have to bear the burden of the fact that she has moved on.

“What if in the future?”

She sighs because he’s still not willing to let go of her after so many trials. “I have to go, Aaron it’s my shift and I shouldn’t be out here.”

He stares at her in a calming way for couple of seconds and nods. “I should go too, my flight is in an hour and a half.”

She felt a stab in her stomach but waves it off before he could see the disappointment on her face. “You’re leaving?” She asked him and it sounded like she doesn’t want him to.

He smiled at that. “Yeah, I have to. I can’t keep staying here when I know you don’t want me around.” He begins walking backwards as he shoves his hands in his jeans pocket. “I hope you change your mind and come home, though. Because I still believe there’ll an us.” He turns around and walk away.

Some say it’s painful to wait for someone. Some say it’s painful to forget someone. But the worst pain comes when you don’t know whether to wait or forget.

She was standing there when he reached the road and walked straight down the pavement. She was still standing there when she couldn’t see him anymore. She was still by the dumpster when Ryan stood beside her. She doesn’t bother to look at him. He was looking straight ahead, just where she was staring at. Her eyes remain glassy for a moment before she sucks in a heavy breath and exhales it.

“It’s not my breaktime yet, I need to head back.”

“I told Brooke to cover for you for a couple of minutes,” he said, gently holding her wrist to stop her.

She looks at him, not anticipating what they’re about to discuss because she had just finished conversing with an ex-lover and she was about to repeat the same conversation again. Maybe Ryan would listen and let her be unlike Aaron.

“We can’t talk here. Someone might be listening to us.” She would give any excuse just to avoid this conversation.

He shakes his head. He wasn’t smiling or frowning. His face was relaxed as he stared down at her. “So what if someone was listening to us.” It wasn’t a question, she could sense it. He just doesn’t care who’s listening to them. He wants everyone to listen to them. He wants everyone to know that he has falling for her and he wants to be with her.

“About what you said, Ryan, I honestly don’t think we could…”

“Alice… could you just give me a minute to talk? At least let me try to convince you.” She looks him straight in the eye for brief seconds before nodding. Whatever he was going to say wasn’t going to change her mind but she’d give him the chance to speak.

“I don’t know what I am supposed to do with everything I feel for you. I have no idea what happened when we first met but since then, I couldn’t get you off my mind even when I try to. You made me forget what I was going through at the time without even putting effort to. Just give me a chance and I’ll prove I’m worthy of being your lifetime partner.”

She shakes her head instantly, swallowing back the bile clogging her air way in her throat. She was not going to allow herself to fall for what she might think is love within her. She would not allow herself to go back to what is wrong, what continues to hurt her, yet, she somehow finds herself back within these men's traps, in the chains they've made for her.

At least not with a new love. Her heart was with one person and she doesn't think that'd ever change even if she tries to. "I can't be with you, Ryan. Even if I want to." Her eyes dart down to his chest for couple of seconds and then wanders back to his pained eyes.

"Why not?" His voice was sounded pained. Everything about him seemed pained. And she caused it. This was exactly how she felt when Aaron neglected her.

"Because I'm in love with someone else." And she had promised her father to never fall in love with an outcast. She'd vowed to never fall in love with anyone for as long as she stays here. She remembered what her father told her about finding her mate. That single thought demolishes every single chance she has of considering Ryan's proposal.

Her eyes fall again when he sighs. His hands are in his pockets but his eyes never averted from her face. "Is it Max?" He asked, attempting to hide the massive jealousy running through him.

Her lack of response makes him assume that's his answer. He brings his hands out from his pocket and gently grabbed her shoulders, making her to look at him. "You're in love with Max, right?"

His voice sounds pained, but when he makes eye contact with her, that pained sound is nothing compared to the turmoil in his expression.

"I'm not in love with Max. He's my best friend and that's how things are going to be between us for the rest of our lives," she affirmed. Her eyes were staring back at his as she furrowed her brows.

"Then who is it?" He's being paranoid now and overreacting.

This was one of his behaviours she couldn't see herself coping with. He's a bit insecure and worries too much.

"Is it that guy that came the other night?"

She knew he was talking about Dominic because she doubts if he'd ever come across Aaron. Even if he did, she was sure he doesn't know Aaron's her ex.

She shrugs his hands off her and shifted back. "We just don't fit together, Ryan. Let's stick to being a boss and employee. I'd appreciate that."

**

She had just closed from work when Max texted her to remind her they were at his Mom’s place together with her parents. She had almost forgotten they were having dinner at Shannon’s place tonight.

Brooke offered to drop her off at the house and she couldn’t be any less happier about it. She has never used a cab before and she doesn’t even know how to. It scares her to just jump into a stranger’s car and trust them to take actually take you where you want to go.

“So how did things go with Ryan earlier? I didn’t see him after he asked me to cover up for you.” They were in her car, already on the way to Shannon’s house.

Ryan’s subject was the last thing she wanted to speak of but she knew what she was getting herself into when she accepted Brooke’s aid. “Just set things straight and told him we don’t fit together…”

“We don’t fit together? Seriously? You told him that?”

No one would convince Alice that Brooke wasn’t working for him on this. If not that, why was she raising her voice over nothing?

“You’re overreacting on this, don’t you think?” Alice spoke, glancing at her. Brooke took a glimpse at her and shook her head.

“It’s your choice honestly. But I wanted you guys to work because you’d make such a cute couple.” She ends her sentence with a dreamy sigh and it made Alice to feign a gag. Brooke smacked her lips and chuckled. “You are something else, Alice.”

“Speaking of cute couple. How come I never hear you speak of your own lover?” She asked, changing the matter to Brooke.

Brooke shoulder-shrugs as she pressed her lips together. They were in a traffic so, it gave Brooke the chance to breathe a little. “I have a boyfriend,” she claimed, avoiding Alice’s penetrating look.

“Really? What’s his name and how come you’ve never spoken about him? How come I’ve never seen him call you or visit you at the coffee shop?”

Brooke waves it off as though it was nothing. “He’s… military… he’s a navy officer…”

“Brooke,” Alice called out sternly, raising an eyebrow up. There was something devious about her speech and Alice was about to find out.

“Okay, fine… I don’t have a boyfriend. I haven’t had one since I was seventeen.” They were now on a free road, just five minutes until they reach Shannon’s place. It meant Alice has to ask everything in under five minutes.

“What happened?” She asked. Brooke was three years older than her. So, she hasn’t been in a relationship in four years.

“I trusted him and he cheated on me… with my favourite cousin. He was my first and only boyfriend. I haven’t been able to trust man since then.”

Alice stares at her in incredulity and sympathy. She couldn’t imagine the kind of pain and misery Brooke went through just to find out her lover was fooling around with her cousin whom she may have trusts.

“I’m over him anyways. I actually forget he exists, you know? I’m stronger and better now. Just waiting for the right guy to lift me off my feet.” Her grin makes Alice to heave a sigh of relieve. It meant Brooke really meant it when she said she had moved on. She falls back in her seat just as they arrive at the address she had given her.

“Enjoy your dinner. I have to head home right now and deal with some… stuff.” She smiled at her and squeezed her shoulder lightly. Alice thanked her before climbing out of the car and heading toward the entrance.

She was already drained up but she managed to pull up another smile as she walked into the house. They were already seated at the dining hall, waiting for her.

“Hey,” she said, waving at them. “Hope, I didn’t miss anything.” She settled down beside Max. She looks at him and noticed how drained and uneasy he looks. She knew it wasn’t from work—it has to do with what she had missed.

“You actually missed a lot,” Linda answered her, chuckling nervously.

“We just made a big announcement,” Max’s mother, Shannon spoke enthusiastically as she clasps her hands together.

She looks at Max again but he wasn’t looking at her. His head was ducked as he massaged his the back of his neck. His jaw seemed tensed because he was crushing his teeth together to avoid making a scene.

“Max, would you like to do the honours?” Shannon asked and he slowly raised his head to look at his mother. The look on his face scares her but she clears her throat and avert her gaze to Alice.

“We’ve decided to have our wedding back home—Halibut Cove, Alaska. In Scuris Pack.” She was holding Jim’s hand when she broke the news to Alice.

Alice jerked her head back as she blinked severally. “Wed… wedding? You’re getting married?”

“Isn’t that the point of the ring he gave me? Anyways. The wedding is in three months.”

“Three months?” She repeated immediately, turning her head towards Max. No wonder he appears pissed tonight. She was sure he wouldn’t be able to eat his dinner.

“Isn’t it just lovely? Congratulations to you two.” Linda cooed, holding Shannon’s hand.

Alice cleared her throat and nodded. “Yeah… congratulations.”

Alice had one thing bothering her but she can’t just open her mouth and blurt it out.

Does Jim know Shannon is a werewolf? Does he even know he’s sitting on a table filled with werewolves?