Chapter 31

~Eliana~

We had driven for about twenty minutes to get to the food truck, where they sold a large variety of street food. It was Sunday evening, and we ought to have been preparing to go home. Instead, we had both planned individually to spend more than two days with each other. It showed how much alike we were, since we both had the same thoughts.

Alistair put his hand around my waist as we walked together to the food truck that had the most appetising aroma. I smiled, moving closer to him, enjoying the feel of his hand around my waist and the way some people stared at us, admirably.

If there was one person I enjoyed walking beside, it was Alistair, and it wasn’t only because he was a handsome man that had a good dress sense, or the fact that he had beards, it was because he towered above me since he was so tall, and it gave me a sense of safety. It wasn’t that I was short, I had an average height, which was okay, and could pass for “tall", especially since I was a girl. Being next to a muscular and tall guy like Alistair was like showing off that I had protection, and like I already stated, it made me feel safe.

A lady passing by us gave Alistair a wink, not minding the fact that he was already with a beautiful lady. I gave her a look that suggested, “He’s my man. Look at him one more time, and I’ll kill you.” The lady found it hard to meet my eyes, and just hurried away.

“You should stop giving people death stares,” Alistair commented.

“Well, they should stop looking at my man,” I retorted, defiantly.

He looked surprised. “I’m your man?” He asked.

“Of course, you are, or are you someone else’s man?” I asked, eyeing him.

“No, definitely not. I’m yours, and yours alone,” He said, with a chuckle.

“Good,” I told him, and without warning, I turned to face him, put my arms around his neck, and tip-toed, pulling his head down, then gave him a long kiss on his lips, taking his breath away.

“Get a room!” I heard a hostile voice yell, and the people around chuckled.

Soon after, I parted ways with his lips, and smiled at him.

He returned my smile. “And what, my princess, was that for?” He asked.

“I was trying to show off that you’re mine alone. I had to look for another way, since you said that I should stop giving people death stares,” I explained, still smiling hard.

“I love you,” He said, kissing me on the forehead.

“You know I love you, too,” I said, entwining my fingers in his, in preparation to continue walking with him.

“Yes. Now that you’ve successfully taken my breath away, I’m finding it hard to locate the food truck with the most satisfying aroma,” He said.

“Just focus,” I said.

“I can’t focus on anything or anyone, but you,” He told me.

I heaved a sigh. “Too bad. Now, where are we going to eat?” I wondered.

“Fear not, my lady. I just caught the aroma again,” He said, pulling me forward, and taking me to where he thought we should eat.

“You know, Alistair, good aroma doesn’t always mean the food tastes good,” I said.

“Have you heard of this saying, Eliana? Dress the way you want to be addressed, have you heard of it?” He asked.

“Yes, sure. What about it?” I asked.

“It goes the same for food. Smell the way you want to be perceived,” He replied.

At first, it did not make sense to me, but on closer observation, it did make sense. “Quite the wise old man, isn’t it?” I asked.

“Yes, except that I’m young,” He replied.

“You’re young? You know, I’ve never asked what your age is. How old are you?” I asked.

“Thirty-two, why?” He responded.

“Just being curious again. Are you sure you’re not 200 or something? You guys can live for a long time, right?” I asked.

I nodded my head. “Yes, but we can die around the same age of every other human being, except we try to control our aging. Then, we can live for as long as we want,” He replied.

“Oh, really? So, you can live up to 1000 years then,” I said.

He chuckled. “No, sweetie. We’re not vampires, we’re not immortals. We are part-human, it’s only normal that we have the same lifespan of human beings, like whereas a human can live for 100 years, we can go for up to 200 years,” He explained.

“So, no one has lived up to 1000 years as a werewolf?” I asked.

I shrugged. “Some people have, through diabolic means, which I don’t even get, because why would you want to live forever? We usually get killed by hunters, or during a war, or probably through a disease or something. If we can, however, avoid all that, we can definitely stay alive for up to 200 years naturally,” He explained.

“But you do have the ability to heal, don’t you?” I asked.

“We do, but not in cases of terminal diseases. There are limitations to everything, and you should know that,” He said.

He had barely completed his statement, when a lady said, “Exactly the same way there are limitations to standing in front of my truck without buying anything,” She said.

I looked up in surprise, and found out that Alistair and I had been standing in front of a food truck, for God knows how long. I hadn’t even realised it, because I had just been letting him lead me by the hand, while I listened intently to his stories.

“This is where the aroma is,” He declared, wearing a big smile on his face, as though he had won a trophy.

“I see,” I said, picking up a beef skewer. The aroma in the place was actually good, and I hoped the food reflected the aroma in its taste.

“Two burritos, please,” Alistair said, bringing out money from his wallet, which had been hidden in his back pocket all this while.

“Two?” I asked, with a glare, while munching on a piece of meat.

“Sorry, four,” He said, chuckling mildly.

“Looks like she calls the shots in your relationship,” The lady said.

“Nah. She just loves to eat. She’ll eat three, and I’ll have one,” He explained.

I gave a sly smile, and continued munching on the beef, playing with the skewer.

“You have one hell of a appetite for a slim lady,” The lady said, as she packed our order into a plastic bag.

“You know what’s strange though? She doesn’t even have to exercise to maintain how she looks. She practically sleeps and eats all day, but somehow manages to remain this way,” Alistair said, as he gave the lady her money, collecting the plastic bags from her.

“Oh my goodness. Some people were just born lucky,” The lady said, as she fiddled with her purse, apparently looking for the right amount of change to give to Alistair.

“Keep the change. You’re from the Mystic moon pack, aren’t you?” He asked, with a knowing smile, as he stared at the tattoo on her wrist.

“You know I am. Thanks for letting me keep the change,” She said, returning his smile.

“You’re welcome,” He said.

“Take care of the human. You look good together,” She said, giving me a small smile.

I smiled back at her. “You were right, Alistair. Werewolves are truly everywhere,” I said, as we turned around, walking arm-in-arm.

“Exactly. So, which would you prefer we have? Iced coke or beer?” He asked.

“Coke goes better with burritos. We could have beer at night,” I replied.

“Whatever you say, princess,” He said.

“Did you patronise that lady who just sold burritos to us, because you could sense that she was a werewolf, and not basically because of the aroma of her food?” I asked.

He smiled. “Yes. Her food smells really nice, but I also like to patronise one of my own,” He replied.

“I think I’d do the same, too. Why didn’t you tell me though?” I asked.

“Well, I was going to tell you. I’m sorry I didn’t say so earlier,” He replied.

“It’s not an issue,” I told him, as we approached his car.

“So, I was wondering if you’d like to be my date to Sam’s welcome party?” I asked, turning to face him.

“Sam’s having a welcome party?” He asked, looking surprised.

“Yeah, sure. Weren’t you aware of that? He already started sending invites. I’m sure you’ll get your invitation soon,” I told him, wearing a warm smile on my face.

“This weekend was supposed to be about us, Eliana. I don’t get why you’re doing the exact same thing you said you wouldn’t do. You know what I mean, right? Bringing in a third party,” He said, his anger getting the best of him.

“I don’t get it, Alistair. What are you getting so worked up about? I have been true to you all weekend, and I have tried so hard to not make you get upset. How am I bringing in a third party by asking you to be my date?” I retorted, slightly getting angry.

“This date you’re speaking of...isn’t it to a third party’s event?” He asked.

I scoffed. “Tell me, Alistair. If I was inviting you to someone else’s party and asking you to be my date, would you get annoyed or refer to them as a third party?” I asked.

He rolled his eyes, not giving me an answer.

“I guess this isn’t about a third party, then. All this...you getting annoyed and worked up for no reason, is simply because of Sam. You’re insecure and jealous because Sam is my supposed first love, and you’re scared that he’ll take me away from you. I’m disappointed in you, Alistair,” I said, and began storming off.

“Where do you think you are going to?” He asked, calling after me.

I turned around to give him a piece of my mind. “Well, Alistair. I’m going to take a cab back to the lake house, because I can’t stand sitting next to you for even one second,” I said, angrily.

“I don’t understand what is making you so upset,” He yelled.

“You don’t understand? You really don’t understand?” I asked, walking towards him.

“I don’t. Explain to me, Eliana. Make me understand,” He said.

“If you must know, Alistair, I am fed up. I’m totally fed up of you being jealous and acting out like this. You’re not a child, are you? Sam and I are ancient history, and there’s nothing that could bring us back together ever again, and it’s not even like we were ever together. Why don’t you get it?” I asked.

“I’m less concerned about Sam...”

“That is a big fat lie. If you were less concerned about him, you wouldn’t turn off my phone when he’s giving me a call, neither would you go snooping behind me, to know if he is the one I’m texting that is making me smile,” I told him, interrupting whatever it was that he was about to say.

“You knew?” He asked, wearing a surprised look on his face.

“Of course, I knew. You may think I don’t know anything that goes on, but I am not stupid, Alistair. The fact that I choose to ignore and overlook some things doesn’t make me stupid. You make it seem like I’m the only one who has had something to do with my friend, but it’s glaring that you and Jennifer have a history together.

“However, I’ve never spoken a word about it, because I know for sure that it’s me who’s in your life now, and that your feelings for me won’t change. If you could have that sort of faith in me and trust me, it would go a long way. You don’t have to be this way or act so jealousy, it doesn’t suit you. I don’t know what you have in mind, Alistair, but it’s already been two days, and this mini vacation with you is officially over,” I said, and turned my back on him, walking away, with an anger that rarely manifested in me.

“Eliana! Eliana!” He called, running after me.

I didn’t want to talk to him, I didn’t want to listen to his excuses, lies and apologies. I just wanted to be left alone, and to be very far away from him, till I could clear my head and calm down. If he got too close to me and I decided to give him a response, I was going to react in a very bitchy way, which he would never forget in a hurry. Taking decisions when I was angry was the most stupid thing I could possibly do, because I’d end up regretting it when I finally calmed down, and stopped being angry.

I flagged down a cab, and got into the backseat as quickly as I could, urging the driver to move immediately from the area, before Alistair could get a chance to stop the car, and make me say things I didn’t want to say, or encourage me to take a drastic decision.

Truthfully, I wanted things to go smoothly between him and I, but if he couldn’t keep his emotions in check, I was afraid that things may go downhill, which I was so sure that neither of us wanted. I loved Alistair, and I was going to stay right by his side, but that wasn’t going to be possible if he didn’t give me a reason to stay.