“Maxx told me he is taking you out on a date tonight,” dad says, interrupting, and I glance over to see him watching us with crossed arms. “Why didn’t you say you had a date?”
“I did say I was going out, dad,” I groan. I want to say I didn’t have a clue I had a date with Maxx apparently.
“Not on a date with the neighbor, you didn’t,” he remarks, and I roll my eyes at him as I walk over to the sink. I put the flowers on the side, getting a tall glass and filling it with water. I put the roses in the glass, so they will be okay until I get home later.
“I will look after her, Ross,” Maxx says, and I turn sharply around, surprised that my dad told Maxx his first name. Dad looks over at me and nods once, and I know somehow Maxx has gotten my dad to like him after one damn conversation while I was upstairs. How is that possible? The guy is an asshole.
“I have a feeling you will, or I will find a way to make you regret hurting my little girl. I want her home by eleven,” he tells Maxx, patting his shoulder as he walks past and stops next to the kitchen door. “Have a good night, Aura.” I wait for the sound of the lounge door shutting before I wave my hands in the air and give Maxx a look that suggests he explain why he is here.
“Come on, we have a date to get to and it’s a bit of a drive away,” he says, and I frown at him. That is not explaining anything.
“You want to take me on a date? Seriously?” I mutter.
“Nope, but I want to get you out the house before Austin turns up. That asshole is not blackmailing you for a date,” he growls out.
“He said he would—” I start off but get interrupted.
“I know. Austin forgets his sister is weak and as vulnerable as our clan would be if he acts on any of his threats,” he says. “He is just pushing his luck by blackmailing you.”
“You think it’s all words?” I ask, feeling somewhat relieved.
“I know it is. Austin and his clan could have come here and tried to attack if they had nothing to fear. They know they can’t beat us, that’s why we have an agreement. They know I would kill them all in a blink of an eye if they touched anyone in my clan,” he states calmly, and the deadly silence after his statement just hangs in the air. “Now let’s get going.” He opens the door and waves a hand for me to walk out like he didn’t just suggest murdering a load of people. I sigh, knowing there isn’t much I can say to that, and I don’t want to go on a date with Austin, so I can’t just stay home. When I have gone over all my options for tonight and figured out that I’m stuck with the guy that rejected me, I give up and walk past him. I go to the front door and open it to walk out, hearing Maxx following behind me. He has parked his car just behind my dad’s, and he clicks it unlocked as I get to it. I open the passenger door and get inside, putting my handbag on the floor as Maxx gets in.
“Where are we going then?” I ask. I assume he is going to take me somewhere local to hide out for a few hours before coming back. I just hope it’s not Iris’s house or somewhere possibly worse than that to hide.
“To the local mountain. They have a restaurant inside the mountain, and my friend is going to let me take you on a walk through the beautiful caves after we eat,” he tells me, and I frown as I turn to look at him. He only smirks back at me as he does his seatbelt up.
“You are actually taking me on a date? I really didn’t expect that,” I say, knowing that a date between us isn’t the best idea. I can’t help that sometimes I like the idiot, and other times, I want to throw him under a bus or something. I don’t even know if throwing him under a bus would hurt him at all, being that he can just disappear and reappear. I sigh, knowing that I am never going to figure out Maxx Faraway.
“Maybe I don’t like being predictable,” he says and starts the car, driving off without another word. This is definitely not predictable.
Chapter Twenty-One
“This place is incredible, and so well-hidden. You wouldn’t know it was here unless you were told,” I mumble as we drive up a hidden path off a main road. The road twists and turns before going through a tunnel, and when you come out, this amazing view is waiting for you. I look up at the cave entrance which is lit up with lanterns, two star lights hanging down at the sides, and it lights the entire area up. There is a big sign hanging down that says, “Light Within”, which I assume is the restaurant name. There are two people parking their cars, and Maxx parks us just behind them. I watch the couples get out, the way they hold each other close as they walk to the restaurant. For some reason, seeing actual couples on dates here makes me nervous to be here with Maxx. I glance over at him, and he is watching me with an expression I cannot read. I look away and try to think of something else as Maxx pulls the key out the ignition, and the interior lights come on. We have been driving about an hour to get here and sinking further into the middle of nowhere. We did finally pass through a village not long ago, which by the way Maxx drove through it with no sat-nav on, tells me he knows the place well. I am still confused why he is taking me on a date when he made it clear we will never be together. I go to say something when Maxx finally speaks, replying to my earlier comment like no time has passed since.
“I think that’s why the locals love it so much, it doesn’t get overpacked with people because only locals know it exists,” he says. “I only know of it because a friend from my old school works here.”
“I can see why they would want to keep this place quiet,” I say, unclicking my seatbelt. “It’s a natural beauty.” I look over at Maxx who is staring at me with a look of understanding and again something I can’t read before he snaps out of it and climbs out of the car. I get out after shaking my head, and grab my bag, sliding its strap over my shoulder as Maxx locks the car and comes to my side. I’m surprised when Maxx stands really close as we walk to the restaurant, close enough that our arms brush every few seconds. I try not to focus on how close Maxx is as we walk through the entrance into the massive restaurant. The main part is a long path, carved out of stone, with a host stand at the front and a bar at the bottom with the kitchens right behind them. Then the sides of the path are the table booths, which are inside little carved out mini caves. There are three levels of the mini caves, and when we get closer, I can see different colored crystals stuck to the top of each one, with lights mixed in between which reflect off the crystals.
“Maxx, my man, good to see you after such a long time!” A young guy with red hair, a cheeky expression and a waiter’s outfit on walks over to us. Maxx and the guy do the typical guy hug, patting each other’s back.
“Louie, this is Freckles,” Maxx introduces us, still not saying my real name to my annoyance. I doubt he is ever going to call me it at this point. It will just be Freckles forever.
“Freckles? Odd name there. Though it is lovely to meet you,” Louie says and holds out a hand for me to shake.
“My real name is Aura. Only dickhead over here likes to call me Freckles,” I say, sliding my hand into his as he laughs.
“I see you have Maxx all figured out already. I’m glad I don’t have to warn a pretty girl like you what Maxx is like,” Louie says with a big grin, letting go of my hand as Maxx whacks his arm playfully.
“Alright, alright, stop flirting with my date. I’m hungry,” Maxx says, interrupting, but he is still smiling, so the asshole side of him isn’t back yet. I don’t hold out all hope that it won’t come back at some point. Louie winks at me before picking up some menus from the side and nodding his head down the pathway. We walk five down before he stops, sliding the menus on the booth table. I sit on the left side while Maxx gets comfy on the other, his leg pressed against mine, completely distracting me from anything else.
“Can I get you any drinks?” Louie asks, looking between us.
“A beer for me, my friend,” Maxx says. “Freckles?”
“A diet Coke, please,” I say, and Louie writes it down before grinning at us.
“Have a good night. The waitress will be back to get your food order when you’re ready,” he says and winks at me before walking off. There is an awkward silence between us as I pick the menu up and start searching for something I want to eat.
"The chicken is the best here, they do this sautéed one that is my favorite," Maxx tells me, reaching over and pointing at the listing on my menu. I quickly read that there are five different types of sautéed chicken with different sauces, and it is the house special.
"Alright then, I will try what you are having," I say, closing the menu and placing it over Maxx's closed one.
"Are you excited for the swimming race next week?" Maxx asks, reminding me of the friendly swimming match the coach has planned. We don’t have any meets for two months, but she thinks racing against each other will be good for team spirit or something. I don’t know how anything could be worse than it is now. The team, and the rest of the school, avoids me like the plague. Landon tried explaining how humans can sense our kind in their own way, and that is why they don’t trust me. He thinks because I am spending more time around them than humans, it is making me feel less human. I don’t know what I believe anymore, but I have given up on trying to be friends with the people around school.
"I'm excited to beat you," I say, grinning as he laughs.
"You can't beat me, but you're more than welcome to try," he replies.
"Pfft, you should be scared. I will whip your ass," I retort.
"I’m not into whipping, but if that is your kinda thing..." he teases me, and my cheeks turn pink as he laughs. The waitress thankfully comes over, sliding our drinks onto the table, and takes our order and our menus before she leaves.
"How many guys have you dated, Freckles?" Maxx asks, just as I’m sipping on my drink, and I try not to choke on it as I look up at him with wide eyes.
"Why would I tell you that?" I ask.
