Nine Ways How

Chapter 48| unexpected coming

E L A R A

Who's he at the door? I can't see him from this couch as Neville has opened just half of the door. "Uh, I'm sorry I don't know you, wrong place," Neville says to the person at the door.

"Wait, young man," the person says and my heart is immediately on alert recognizing the voice, "Elara Russell lives here with you, doesn't she?"

"Why?" Neville asks suspiciously and I quickly wipe my tears, this is not the correct time for him to show up. Oh God, how he's here without any notice?

I walk to the door and see Uncle James. A greybeard man with a timeworn and wrinkled face. He's not as old as I thought him to be, because his body doesn't seem aged, except for the small wrinkles he has.

"Elara" he smiles as if he finally found what he was searching for for so long, he comes near and gives me a small hug, "How are you, honey?" he asks.

"I'm fine, uncle, you could have told me before arriving, I would have picked you up from airport" I say and wish he doesn't predict my voice break due to the cry.

"It's fine, a girl told me the address of here down the building. She was kind of weird, I mean the weather here isn't so cold to wear thick jackets-" he pauses, looking into my eyes, "Were you crying? Your eyes are red, Elara" he asks.

"Does this guy hurt you?" Uncle crosses his arms on his chest and I shake my head.

"No. Not at all, he's a nice guy. And I wasn't crying, I just... got something in my eyes which was hurting, but it's fine now" I lie and ask him to come inside.

"Why are you half-naked in front of her" Uncle asks Neville while walking to the couch. Poor Uncle has no idea he's always half-naked at home.

"She doesn't mind" Neville answers and sits beside me, his arm resting on the couch behind my head.

With his this answer, one thing is for sure: I'm officially doomed within the next few minutes if he keeps talking like this.

Uncle gives both of us a weird look.

Why, why couldn't Neville say anything else? "Uh, I'll get you a glass of water" I stand up again and walk to the kitchen, realizing I can't just sit there.

I pour the water into a glass just then Neville walks in too. "Please wear some shirt or anything, the way uncle gave us narrow eyes was embarrassing," I say.

"I'll see, Ela" he says, smirking.

While fighting myself not to blush - I speak, "I'm serious, you're not good at coming up with some good explanation either. He was staring at your tattoos, must have thought of you as some mannerless playboy or something" I say.

His smirk widens, "Well, am I?" he nudges me.

I walk outside the kitchen with Neville and he gets his shirt on his body back before showing up in the lobby, "Took you so long" Uncle says and I let out an awkward laugh. It's getting weird.

He asks me about the media news he heard about me and Neville, which I and Neville covered up so nicely. We talk about so many things and I realize how good and the fun person he is.

"Tell me about this thing, a young girl gave me this paper and before I could ask her about what it's about, she disappeared" Uncle says, taking a sheet out of his pockets and my eyes widened. "People here are weird," he says and fists back the paper in his pocket.

I look at Neville and he looks at me too. Is that the eighth letter with him?

If yes, couldn't it be somebody else?