Chapter 8: Chapter 8

“What’s really happening Aaron? You have completely changed. This isn’t the boy I knew back in Virginia. Are you depressed?”

Aaron sent a quizzical look his parent’s way. He dropped his fork and got to his feet, picking up his backpack.

“You better sit back down, Mister. Because we’re not done talking. Your mother is talking to you and you will sit your filthy ass down and listen to her,” Mr. Cooper clamored.

Aaron halted and slowly turned. He looked at the both of them in disbelief. They’ve been on his neck for the past few weeks, asking ridiculous questions like why does he go to bed early or why does he frequently eat dinner in his room.

These are one of the reasons why he couldn’t wait to save enough to move out of the house. He loves them but they annoy him so much that it made him feel the urge to leave the house and never return.

“If I spend another five minutes here, I’d be late for work,” he said calmly. He didn’t want to fight anymore. “And for the last time, mom. I am not depressed. This is a new environment; how do you expect me to be the same as I was back in Virginia…”

“It still doesn’t give you the right to miss dinner every night…”

“I just had breakfast with you guys, didn’t I? That should be enough…” He flounces out the door without another word or a back glance.

“Aaron! Aaron!” He didn’t pay heed to his mother calling. If only they knew he was doing it to protect them. He knew if he stayed for another minute, he’d shift and do something that would make them turn him to the police.

They were still yet to know that he was bitten by a werewolf and he had inexplicably turned into one. And now when it’s the full moon, his eyes turn blood and all he craves for is to kill his loved ones.

The recurrence of the last few days throughout the full moon hits him, making him to pause by the pavement. He dropped his backpack as he held his temple. The agonizing sound was too lurid, making his head to ache so bad. He was hearing so many voices, loud constructions sound that were miles away.

The sun was somehow too bright for him. Everything seemed to melt around him, making it hard for him to think straight. He saw something outrageous about Alice the day the full moon occurred but it somehow instantly disappeared from his head. He could still recall that he had found out something about her but he couldn’t put a finger on what it was.

“Are you okay?”

The world went silent as his awareness reinstated back. He briskly opened his eyes, gasping for air. He picked up his backpack and bolted his way down the sidewalk.

The stranger shook his head and walked away, thinking it might just be a panic attack.

**

Unhappy lines etched up on her foreheads. She scanned the place, hoping to get a glimpse of him but he wasn’t there. She perched on rock, staring down at the lake as the water stood almost still. She hugged her knees and breathe out.

She didn’t know why Aaron hasn’t been showing up but she hoped he was alright. She hasn’t seen him since they went out to get ice cream. She missed him so much and all she wanted now was to see him. Tell him what has happened when he was preoccupied.

If only she had a phone to speak with him. She had so much to tell him. Or maybe she just wanted to see him. Hear him tell her about his day, tell her how beautiful she is and how much he loves her hair—kiss her till she was dazed away.

She bites down on her lip and sighed again. How did she manage to grow so fond of someone in such short period of time?

She didn’t plan to fall for him or get attached. A part of her wanted to leave him and never show up—she couldn’t. She wanted to see him every day… Spend her whole evening, teasing each other and playing games. Truth or dare…

She wanted to play that game again. Dare him to do the most insane things she could possibly think of. Or maybe swim again and kiss underwater.

Alice didn’t know exactly how she felt about Aaron. Some part of her wanted him so badly and at the same time telling her what they were doing is totally unacceptable. Especially when she remembers her father and Dominic.

With the way he wanted her to be with Dominic, she doubts if he’d even agree if she brought someone home left alone a human being like Aaron. The thought of that made her upset and she felt the urge to scream out her anger.

One thing she’d keep in mind was she would never accept someone she knew she wasn’t sure of and didn’t feel the connection between them. She had tried to see herself with Dominic but failed. He was completely the opposite of what she wanted in a man.

For Aaron, it was different. She truly smiles when she’s with him. She genuinely laughs and feel happy whenever she’s around him. He made her feel at home—he made her feel special. For the first time she literally felt like the only girl that mattered in the world. How could she not accept Aaron to be her mate?

She dropped down from the rock when an idea clicked in. She had totally forgotten he had once showed her where he worked.

She made her way to the road without hesitation and half an hour later, she found herself standing in front of Ray’s gift store, where Aaron works.

She took a deep breath and pushed door open. She doorbell rang catching his attention. He gaped his eyes open, stunned to see her standing before him.

“Alice?” He called out making his way to where she stood. She chuckled nervously, unable to make a move. She instantly regretted showing up. Maybe it was too much, maybe she shouldn’t have. She should’ve waited until he decided to show up. Maybe he was occupied with work or something else.

“What are you doing here?” He lunges forward and wrapped her up in a big, tight hug. She closed her eyes and leaned into his embrace. He kissed her cheek before setting his eyes on her. “How did you get here?”

She looked up at him. “I walked,” she said naively.

He gaped his eyes open—he could swear his jaw dropped to the floor. From the place he picked her up days back to here was like at least fifteen minutes drive. How did she manage to walk that far to here.

“How?” He asked, leading her to the back store. “You haven’t been showing up for quite some time now and I feel like something was wrong. And don’t worry, I don’t feel tired.”

Smiling with pleasure, Aaron closes the gap between them. He reaches down to brush a lock of hair away from her forehead. “I am so glad you’re here, Alice. I’ve missed you so much and I am so sorry for disappearing for that long without any explanation. Believe me, you’ve been on my mind for the past days we’ve been apart.”

Her heart warms up as her smile grew wider. “But why haven’t you been showing up? You got me worried.”

“I’m sorry.” He chuckled as he leaned in to kiss her. The touch of his lips was sweet and gentle. Unable to resist the intoxicating pull of him, she winds her arms around his neck and return the embrace. Her legs turn liquid as he opens his mouth to let her in.

He moves his hands down her body, skimming over her lower back to graze the curves of her ass. She hitched her leg higher, savoring the pressure of his body against hers.

When she finally pulled back, breathless, he brushes a lock of hair out of her face. He smiled down at her, making her stomach to churn with butterflies.

He leans close to her, pressing a kiss to her cheek as he whispers in her ear, “I’ve missed these moments…”

She chuckled softly, freeing herself from his hold. “Someone might just come in right now,” she said, trying to compose herself from how her legs have gone feeble.

“Right! How about I close work now and we spend the rest of the evening together? We could get some ice cream and your favorite chocolate bar.”

“Snickers bar?” She asked, her eyes glittering with anticipation.

“Let me get my backpack and pack up my stuff,” he told her and kissed her temple.

They headed out to the ice cream shop and bought ice cream on a cone.

“This is so much better than the first one,” she confessed taking another lick of her ice cream. He could see the excitement in her eyes and how devoted she was in her ice cream. He could only smile and nod. He didn’t want to say much and distract her from her little happy world.

Before they reached to their destination, Alice had already finished her ice cream and he couldn’t help it when she snatched his own away.

“Just don’t get a tummy ache.”

She didn’t pay heed to his warning—she wouldn’t mind having another three scoops of ice cream. She loved it so much and she doubts if she’d ever get sick of it.

He led the way to a nearby park and they finally settled down on a bench. He wrapped his arm around her shoulders, making her to peer at him. She smiled brightly and laid her head on his shoulder. The sun was setting, the park was scarce and the weather was cool. Everything seemed so perfect.

“Can we play a game?” He asked her. She heaved a sigh, pondering on where he was taking it. Were they going to play truth or dare, or was it a different game? She didn’t want to say yes and end up being dared to jump into the pond and catch a swan or do a backflip… she can’t deal with any of that.

“It’s not truth or dare, I promise,” he told her, as if he could read her mind. “Okay,” she mumbled, her eyes closed as she relished his body against hers.

“It’s called little confessions. I will confess something I may have never told anyone and you’d do the same. If one fails, you have to do whatever the other player says, understood.”

She perked her head up and looked at him. “Did you make this up?” She gave him a pointed look. “Because I feel like you just made this up for some reasons.”

He chuckled nervously, scratching the back of his head. “Maybe.”

She rolled her eyes as a smile escape her lips. “I’m only going to play this because you’re too cute to be told no,” she said to him and laid her head back on his shoulder.

His smiled widened as he gently stroked her arm, and kissed her head. “I’ll go first,” he said and heaved a sigh. He didn’t know exactly what to tell her but he wanted her to know some things about him—not the part that he wasn’t normal. No, he wasn’t ready to reveal that to her yet.

He was afraid of how she’d react. His instinct kept telling him to speak up and come clean but another part of him was drawing him down and telling him she’d run away if she finds out.

“I am not in a good state with my parents. We persistently fight for some absurd reasons and I could swear that I hate them.”

She jolts her head up and gazed at him. “That makes two of us. But don’t say that you hate them, they’re just being parents.” She playfully hits his chest, making him to laugh out.

“Okay, true. But they are such a pain in the ass. I scrupulously can’t wait to move out of that house. Would you move in with me if I get my own place?”

She rolled her eyes as she chuckled fretfully. “You say the most unbearable things…”

He stared at her guilelessly. He held a stoic expression, letting her know that he wasn’t joking. He wanted to get a place and move in with her.

How infatuated was he with her?

“I don’t mind losing everything for you, Alice,” he confessed again.

“Okay that’s two already. It’s my turn,” she said, her cheeks hurting from all the smiles and laughter.

“If I tell you this, promise you wouldn’t overreact or freak out?”

“You’re obviously going to say something that’s going to make me panic, so I can’t promise not to exaggerate.”

She lets out a shaky breath, already mourning what she was about to tell him. She had already made up her mind to tell him few things about her, even if it meant he was going to see her less or whatever he was going to think of her. She’d always be honest with him and try not to hide things.

“There’s a guy called Dominic and he’s sort of into me. He’s quite domineering and arrogant. I don’t like him at all but… my father kind of wants me to be with him when I turn eighteen next month…”

For several moments, Aaron sat there staring at her as anger curled up hot and unstoppable in his guts, like a blazing inferno that wanted to burn him from the inside out.

It made her to think of the worse—she panicked. “But I don’t… love him. I don’t want to be with him. I would never let my father force me into marrying him, okay?” She laced their fingers together and caressed it. Somehow, it made him less worked up.

He rests his hand on her thigh, and she could feel his warmth even through the fabric of her dress. “I’m not angry with you Alice. I’m just upset that you’re being forced against your will…”

“I’m not being forced,” she cuts in, her voice was a bit louder than his. She breaths out, placing her hand on top of his. He caressed her fingers tenderly, the forbidden look in Aaron’s expression grows stronger. It ignites something deep within her…

“Then promise you’ll be with me no matter what.” She didn’t say anything to him. She just stared at him, lost at words. She wasn’t going to say something she wasn’t sure of. She wasn’t going to say something she didn’t want to.

“I don’t know where our lives would take us. I don’t even know if we would end up together forever. But I promise to be by your side no matter what we have to face in life. Even if we are not physically together… we will be together in thoughts. I am willing to go through anything for you but please don’t ever take my love for granted. Never let me down. Never break my heart. I love you without limitations with all my heart and soul, and if you give me the chance Alice, I’d make you my wife.”