The Best Candidate

Chapter 24

A/N: The image above does not belong to me. It belongs to the person who uploaded it on the internet.

Third Person POV

"What have we got here?" Mook asked excitedly as she accepted the large shopping bag containing two large food containers from Tul. "Whatever is inside smells so good."

"It should," Tul said. "I cooked both dishes myself."

"Oh if you cooked them yourself, then I would never doubt as to their tastiness," Mook said with conviction.

"Sweetheart!" Mook called out to Max. "Guess who came to bring us dinner?"

When Max did not respond, Tul and Ella went into the dining room.

"Here you are!" Ella exclaimed when she found Max, still holding on to the edge of the table to support his weight. "Guess what else Tul and I brought for you two love birds!"

Ella raised the big case of Heineken and set it on the table.

Tul took the case saying, "Not on the table, Ella. Here let me set them on the kitchen counter. Max, I'm taking the liberty of placing several of them in your fridge to keep them chilled."

"Sure," Max said weakly. He did not know how to react to Tul's and Ella's sudden unexpected presence.

Well, actually, Max felt apprehensive. He had the feeling that Tul and Ella would announce their official relationship over dinner.

Yes, this sudden special dinner and drinks had been organized for such a special occasion, to announce their new relationship, much like announcing the birth of a baby, or that someone was pregnant, or whatever.

Suddenly the idea became too much for Max to handle.

"You guys will have to excuse me," Max said, leaving the dining room. "I'm not feeling well. I need to lie down."

"Let me bring you to your room," Tul abandoned his task of placing the beer bottles inside the fridge. "I don't want you collapsing on your way to your room."

"I can manage," Max nudged away the arm that Tul tried to place around his waist.

Tul ignored Max's protest and continued to accompany Max as Max walked towards his bedroom.

When Max and Tul got inside the room, suddenly without warning, before Max could react, Tul lifted him and set him gently down on his bed.

"You didn't have to do that!" Max protested. "I could very well have climbed onto my bed by myself! Go back to the dining room and have dinner and drinks with the ladies."

"Stop being so stubborn, and let me take care of you," Tul scolded Max.

Max did not respond but instead turned to his side with his back towards Tul.

"Stay here while I get you a bowl of the egg drop soup that Mook made for you," Tul said as he walked out of the room and made his way to the dining room.

"I'm going to bring a bowl of egg drop soup to Max," Tul announced to Mook and Ella.

"No, stay right here and eat dinner with Ella," Mook said. "I will be the one to assist Max with dinner."

"No, no, no, stay with Ella," Tul declined Mook's offer. "I will take care of Max."

"Yes, keep me company here, Mook," Ella reinforced Tul's instruction.

"Fine, then," Mook said, choosing the chair next to Ella.

No sooner than Tul had left the dining room when he ran back, his eyes wide with shock.

"Max has disappeared!" he announced to Mook and Ella before wildly running out of the front door and into the driveway where he discovered that Max's car was no longer in the driveway.

"Noooh!" Mook and Ella said together, and together they stood from their chairs to run out into the driveway with Tul.