It was the first thing I wanted to do when I set foot on the grounds of uni. It was the first thing I felt I should do, just to get it out of the way.
Surprise surprise, he wasn't there. I spent the entire day just trying to be in open areas because I knew that if he saw me, he'd most likely approach me. I tried to linger around places I'd assume he'd find me — be of easy access or something.
Nada.
I even tried to peep for the two friends I saw him with on two different occasions but they seemed to be nonexistent as well.
So I guess that lead me right up to this moment, me getting out of Andrea's car and basically gaping at the massive house we are currently walking towards. It's huge, unbelievably big. I mean I guess I thought Micah was rich but I didn't think he was rich as in it's hard to comprehend how rich he is. Well, not him, but his family.
The house is beautiful as well, as if it could be in magazines or something. The windows are massive. The front door looks massive as well. In the driveway is, what I'm counting, three cars that look expensive to even look at it. The front garden is lovely, rich in colour and refreshing to look at.
"He lives here? Like, it's his property or something?" I whisper-yell at her, just because I feel like shouting or even speaking out loud here seems forbidden, the way it seems surreal and enriched in power.
Andrea grins at me. "To be fair, he kind of has a big... family. A lot of them stay here as well. But it's hosted and owned by his father, so yes, in a sense, it's his as well."
"Well, goodness me." I mumble, stepping closer to Andrea as we step onto the large porch. "Since his family also lives here, shouldn't we... I don't know, call before we visit? I could have just called to meet him."
"Do you have his number?"
"Don't you?"
"Why would I?" She raises a perfect eyebrow at me. "No, I don't. Don't worry. It's a Friday, most of them might not even be here. We're fine."
She — as if she's so used to coming here — opens the door without the need to knock, and then opens it wider for us both to enter.
The inside is just as beautiful as the house, if not more than, so there I am gasping at the sight. It looks way too fancy to even elaborate on how rich it is. One wrong move, and I could be paying a fortune. Even my footsteps feel out of place.
Approaching us is who I am assuming is a butler or something. Dark hair, quite tall and seemingly in his thirties. He walks right up to us with his hands behind his back and a more or less formal attire. He even has a small beard happening on his face; I notice this as he gets closer.
"Good afternoon, Andrea." He looks at you. "Good afternoon."
"Hi." I mumble with a small wave, taking a step closer to Andrea out of nervousness, considering he knows her.
"Lovely to see you again, Julius." Andrea looks around the house. "I accompanied my friend to see... Micah. Is he available?"
They give each other a look. Julius then glances at me, eyes scanning my body a bit before looking back at Andrea. "He is not available at the moment. He's in training—"
"That's fine. Go ahead and call him. Tell him Gertrude is here."
"And who might Gertrude be for him to be pulled out of training?"
"Julius, I get that the job is to be cautious and make sure there is order around here. That makes sense, but Micah would lose his mind if he found that you sent us away all because he was training. You'll be doing him a favour to tell him that Gert, here, wants to see him."
Julius is still, blinking at the both of us before he sighs. "I'll go and inform him. You two are to wait here."
The two of us nod at him, watching as he turns around and heads right over towards the biggest glass door I've ever seen in my life. I then peep at Andrea, who literally has the biggest grin on her face.
"He'll come. He'll come. Trust me."
"He sounds busy."
"He doesn't seem like a person who seems too busy for you." She smiles now. "So..."
"Also, how does he know you? Julius? Like, he knows you."
"Like I said, family friend. I kind of know what happens around here. I don't come here that often, but yeah. That's how I know Micah. Not exactly because we don't talk or anything, but I know of his existence and stuff."
I nod slowly, eyes wandering around the whole reception area. Not too far, I can see the kitchen and then a set of stairs on either side of the reception, of which I'm assuming takes us upstairs.
"It's so rich. And quiet. Where is everyone?"
"Training, or probably out working." She shrugs, walking towards the large mirror I just noticed towards the end of the reception. "The housekeepers are around—"
"House keepers?" I whisper-yell, walking closer to her. "There are house keepers? Why?"
"Have you see the size of this house, Gert? Who else will clean it?"
I pout, watching as she gathers her red locks and pull it up to put it in a bun. I then glance around once again. "I feel out of place, I won't even lie."
"Well, if you do end up having a thing for him, you'll be coming here quite often, as far as I can only imagine. So, you might as well get used to it."
"Don't speak so confidently." I mumble, folding my arms.
We both turn to the sound of loud footsteps, and then Julius comes out of nowhere. He blinks his lazy eyes at me. "Micah will see you now. He says to meet him on the balcony."
"Where is the balcony?" I ask.
"Follow me." He nudges his head. "Andrea? Will you be joining?"
I look at her as she shakes her head. "I'll probably be in the kitchen, and I'll ask Martha to make me something."
"Alright then. Gertrude, would you kindly follow me." He nudges his head again and leads the way.
Meanwhile, I partially hesitate to follow him since Andrea isn't coming. She simply grins and pushes my shoulder. "You got this, friend."
With a sigh, I slightly jog after Julius who doesn't even stop for a moment for me to catch up. After a sharp turn, we head right to the glass door that leads us out the house and onto the big balcony. Ahead of us, I'm assuming if I take the stairs on the side, is a huge garden heading a forest, and I tilt my head at that.
They also have a forest? Interesting.
"He will meet you here." Julius states as he watches me walk further onto the balcony. "May I get you anything to drink in the meantime?"
"I-I'm fine, thank you. I won't even be here for long so, you know." I shrug.
Julius nods once and then heads back into the house. That leave me alone, here, analysing the furniture. They have five big beach benches or whatever, with grey pillow cases. I lean against the railing as I peep at the flowerpots and the small table not too far from me.
They really are rich. He didn't even try and win me with his money, because if he did I maybe would have probably decided to give him a chance long ago.
Only jokes. Maybe.
I can't even believe I'm a bit nervous. I mean, I was when I first started waking towards the house, but now I actually am because it's actually happening. I might just tell him, when I see him now, to leave me alone and all of that, but I won't.
I'll tell him the truth. I'll tell him—
"Mate."
My heart literally crawls to my throat and holds it roughly, as I turn around and peep at Micah. He stands too close, yet he silently approached me so of course I did not hear him since I've been deep in my thoughts.
He stands right besides me, although there's a bit of a gap between us, and his face is towards the forest. His hair moves slightly as the light breeze hits us. He has on a black tank top, partially loose but also fitting, and he pairs it with grey sweat pants. I don't look down to see it, I just see it through my peripheral view.
"Hey." I mumble.
"What you needed to talk about couldn't wait?" He turns to me. "How did you get my address?"
"Andrea. Your family friend."
He nods slowly and then looks back towards the forest. "So... what did you want to speak about?"
He is being... hostile. I don't know, I can't say exactly what he's thinking or how he is behaving, but comparing every other time he sees me and this moment, he is literally all over me and will not let me breathe in oxygen if it isn't infused with him or something.
I scratch my scalp a bit and hum. "I didn't know you were busy so, we can always wait until Monday. It's not an emergency or something. I can tell you're in a bad mood so—"
"I'm not in a bad mood." He cuts in, now fully turning to me. "I'm sorry if it seems like I am. I'm just busy with training, I wasn't expecting visitors nor was I expecting to see you today."
"Well, you weren't on campus."
"I was busy." He repeats, but I see that knowing smile on his face. "You noticed? Did you look for me?"
Are those forsaken butterflies in my stomach? "Don't flatter yourself, of course I didn't. And also, you guys have a lovely home. It's quite big so I'm not sure how you manage, but it's really nice."
"I appreciate that." He hums, grinning a bit. "Why are you here, Gertrude?"
My lips part as I decide to speak the first words on my mind, yet instead, I realise that this may be a long conversation and standing up for the duration of it may not be a good idea.
"Can we sit?"
"Yeah." He lazily points towards the beach benches. "Do you want anything to drink?"
Julius asked the same thing. If I say yes now, then Julius would have to bring it, not? Then he would look at me weirdly because I said no to him but yes to Micah. What if he gets into trouble or something?
"I'm fine. I drank a lot before I got here." I turn to sit on the second bench, getting comfortable as he settles on the first. "Ahm... so, you know, after what happened— after what you did for me on Valentine's..."
"How are you, now?" I furrow my eyebrows at his question. "After that day. How do you feel?"
I'm flattered by his question, I can't exactly say why. "I feel fine. Yeah. I mean it is what it is, right? I'm fine now, so, yeah."
I can't even believe I feel somewhat anxious; speaking to him. Just the way his blue eyes watch every aspect of my being. How still he is, and his attention being solely on me.
"I wanted to talk to you about... wait, how are you? Since, you know, you asked me."
"I'm fine. Just busy with training." He shrugs a bit.
I nod slowly. "Well, I guess it's good to be busy than to be bored." He hums, but I'm not sure if he is agreeing or disagreeing. "So, yes, I wanted to talk to you about what you said to me. That day. About giving you a chance and everything. I spoke to Andrea and, you know, she encouraged me to, which confused me but it's fine. Anyway, so I thought about it and I guess..." I shrug and nod. "Yeah. I think before I can give you an answer, there's just a lot of confusion that needs to be cleared up and understood. Starting with this; why me?"
"Why you?"
"Yes. There are lovely girls throughout the campus. I'm a person with baggage and all of that. I think I consider myself somewhat pretty, but I mean, nothing to attract men or something—"
"I'd disagree." Micah boldly cuts in, and I look at him with an eyebrow raised and a pout pointing towards him. He simply blinks his blue eyes at me.
"Ahm... I... you can't, like..." I sigh heavily, hand covering my face as my cheeks flare up. I can't believe I'm flattered by his words. "Okay, anyway, like I was saying. All of that and you claim that your goddess says I am your lover? It just seems too fictional to me. Anyone can come at me with a concept and say I'm meant to be their main character. Why me?"
"Anyone can claim that you're meant to be with them, I won't disagree with you there. However, what I'm telling you and what I've been telling you has been nothing but the truth. You are my mate. I am a wolf. I do believe and know that Moon Goddess Luna made us destined for each other. That's the reality. It's the truth. I can understand how... unreal as it seems, because if somebody came and told me they were a ghost, I'd think they're on crack. But it's also that leap of faith. Belief. You have to believe me, it's important."
"That we're meant to be?"
"That everything I said is true."
"You know what theories are?" I ask, and he raises an eyebrow at me. "Just a lot of words with no evidence of what you are saying pointing to the truth of what you are saying. That's what theories are. Fictional theories very much links to what you've done. Where is the evidence? I asked you, remember when we went to the botanical garden. I asked you to show me proof. I asked you to show me your wolf. You didn't."
"I couldn't, Gertrude. The difference is I couldn't. It's not like I didn't want to, but you also have to understand where I am coming from. It's insane of me to shift into my wolf in a bus full of people who don't know what and who I am. That puts me at risk, genuinely."
"I can understand that to an extent. But there's still a but. Where does that put me? I can't believe in something I don't know, and that's logical. I-I want to see your wolf. I want proof of what you are speaking about, just so that it doesn't become a bunch of words and ideas and whatnot, that you've thrown at me with the expectation of me believing you. That's where I am coming from. I'm sure if you were in my shoes, you'd also expect some sort of truth. Some sort of demonstration. I can't say yes to something that just... doesn't make sense. I want you to show me. Show me your wolf. We're here now, and you're in the comfort of your own home."
He pauses a bit, looking away towards the forest for as good as a couple of minutes before he runs both hands through his hair with contemplation, hesitation. He's processing what I've said and he is digesting it. To me, it seems as though he is having a hard time to digest it all.
I can't help but nervously shift in my seating, and clear my throat a bit.
"I understand why you'd want it to be that way." He starts off, eyeing the distance. "We've had instances where somebody would show a human being their true form, and the next day, we have police officers parading our property. We've been taught not to show anyone our wolf, even if we trust them. It's for the sake of our safety and not having to pack up all of our things and move somewhere, where no one would suspect a thing. So, Gertrude," he shifts his blue gaze to me, "you have to understand why that's not possible. The only way I can show you is if I am certain that you... that this is happening. That you want to be my mate as well. If you choose me, I'll choose you and I will show you my wolf and more. But if you don't, then I have to choose the safety of my family."
Everything he says makes sense. It makes sense for him and his family. For me, it's not the same. It's almost like a trap.
I sigh, slouching as I rest my elbows on my knees. "I get that. I do. However, that isn't fair on me. I can't make that decision first before anything else. I don't want surprises. I need to know what I am getting myself into first. It's like... signing a contract and not knowing what it entails." I look into his eyes. "I know... I know what I want. Now. I think. But I want to be certain as well."
I can almost see the gears grinding in his head. He licks his lips, running his fingers through his scalp slowly. "You want to see my wolf first?"
"I do."
"How do I know you won't change your mind? You won't go telling people?"
"I can be miserable, I get that, but I only have one friend and a father. I doubt they'd care to hear it, and I think they'd think I'm making things up." I smirk and he chuckles lightly. "I won't go telling anyone, you can count on my word at least."
He nods, glancing away from me momentarily, and I simultaneously appreciate this boy's beauty. He's almost flawless. How lucky.
He gets up fixing his pants before he glances down at me. "Come."
"Where to?"
"We're going down there." He points at the large garden and those thick trees standing tall in huge bundles a distance from us.
I get up, following him as he leads the way down the stairs and onto the bright green grass. The sun is hiding behind thick, light grey clouds, yet the grass glows so unnaturally. My tracks come to a stop when Micah's steps halt, and then he turns around and looks down at me.
His back is towards the large forest not too far, and mine is towards the house. I blink up at him as he glances at the woods for a bit before looking at me again. "Count to ten." He reaches for my hands and raises them to my face. "Count to ten and when you're ready, open your eyes and turn around."
"Count to ten?" I move my hands from my face, staring up at him in confusion.
"And when you're ready, turn around and open your eyes."
"Where are you going?"
"I'll be back." He smiles at me, lifting my hands again. "Just do as I say, okay?" I sigh, closing my eyes as he lightly pressed my hands to cover my eyes. Then he moves away. "Start counting."
My ears perk as I hear him moving away from me. Not only that, but I feel his body heat move away from me. I start counting, and every number closer to the destination brings anxiety to my stomach. My nickels clench, my shoulders raise up and my mind starts racing from one end to the other and then some.
"Eight... nine..." I pause, trying to listen to anything off, anything close by that might give me jump scares. "Ten."