12
Theo
“I need to talk to you.”
Maxwell’s words froze me to the spot. That was a phrase you never wanted to hear.
He found me in my room as I was sitting in front of a notebook, jotting down ways to fix the situation we were in, except I was only getting more and more frustrated.
After our kiss in the greenhouse, I’d gone straight back to my room to avoid making it seem like Maxwell and I were doing something together. We returned to life as usual, with Maxwell pretending to care for Lark’s condition, and me keeping my distance, pretending like I wasn’t head-over-heels for him. Hiding one thing after another was taking a toll on me, and I could barely focus on figuring a way out of this mess I’d created.
But now my heart dropped to the pit of my stomach. All my thoughts disappeared and I dropped my pen, turning towards Maxwell. He had a serious expression that didn’t inspire much hope in me.
A dreadful thought pushed to the forefront of my mind. Was Maxwell here to cut things off? Was he finally sick and tired of all the lying, and sneaking around? Was he upset that I’d ripped him from his life and into tumultuous circumstances?
“Maxwell,” I began, my voice creaking.
Determination shone on his face, and that frightened me. In response, doubt filled my mind.
Was our short lived relationship about to end?
“Pierce knows,” Maxwell said. “And I think Adriel does, too.”
Disappointment hit me and I slumped into my seat. “They do?”
“Yeah.” Maxwell rubbed his arm. “But don’t you see? Now that means this whole thing is over.”
It’s over.He doesn’t want to be here anymore. He’s leaving.
“Oh,” I said simply, feeling too defeated to say anything more. “I guess it was a stupid plan after all.”
“Maybe so,” Maxwell said with a slight smile, “but at least we don’t have to worry about it any longer.”
I regarded him, not sure where he was going with this. “So where does that leave us?” I asked cautiously. “If you need help packing, I can help.”
“Packing? What?”
I frowned. “You said this whole thing was over. Besides, if Adriel and Pierce know we were just lying, then they probably won’t want you staying here anymore.”
That also meant my chance of proving to Adriel that I was safe to be around humans was gone, too, and I didn’t know when I’d have another shot. Maxwell would be gone. After all the effort, and our kiss, it was all about to come crashing down.
Maxwell furrowed his brow, then waved his hands. “No, no, I talked to Pierce. He said he’s fine with me staying!”
“He is?” I asked incredulously. “But why? I mean, not that I’m complaining.”
He shrugged and a soft pink tinge bloomed in his cheeks. “I think he, er, knows about us. He said he had a feeling about it even before I left.”
That sly bastard,I thought with a grin.
“Leave it to Pierce to let us continue with that stupid scheme,” I said. “How did he find out, anyway?”
Maxwell’s smile fell slightly. “Lark hurt herself by accident, with all the fake scratching. That’s when Benji and I knew it was time to call it quits. Pierce admitted he didn’t think it would get that far, either.” He shook his head and took a few steps closer. “But it’s over with now, and we don’t have to hide anymore. All we have to do is prove to Adriel that this is serious. I think if we do that, we can clear your name.”
The doubt in my mind turned to relief and hope. “Oh, thank god.” I ran a hand through my hair and laughed. “When you came in, I was afraid you were gonna break up with me.”
Maxwell tilted his head. “No. Actually, I kind of had the opposite idea. I’m not sure how you feel about it, but I thought I’d bring it up anyway. Since we’re--a couple now? Is that it?”
I smiled as joy filled me. “Yeah, I’d say we’re a couple.”
