She's the Devil | ✔

Chapter Thirteen

Xavier

"Will you go out on an actual date with me?" I blurt out to Macaria as we lean on her car, talking about the math test we both probably failed. She looks at me with wide eyes, raising an eyebrow at me.

I rub the back of my neck, wondering if her silence was a good or bad thing. I open my mouth to take it back, but she cuts me off.

"Of course." She answers, leaning her head on my shoulder.

"Okay, good." I drape an arm around her shoulders, holding her close to my side.

"Did you think I would say no?" When I don't respond, she twists her head up to look at me, "It's not every day that a girl finds a man willing to go to hell and back for her."

I smile down at her, I'm fucking insane. She returns the smile, "I don't know what's wrong with you, Xavier."

"Everything." I reply.

¥

The date is at my house. In the backyard. Macaria deserves better, she deserves luxury. Fuck, how'd I manage to mess this up so badly? I sent mom on vacation, booked her a nice weekend with her friends out of town at a paradise resort. She needed to get away, something in the back of my mind kept nagging me to take care of her. To spoil her. That she needs it.

I like Macaria, but I love my mom. I'm sure Macaria will appreciate this. I did think it through. Sort of.

A knock on the door stops my pacing and silences my second thoughts. Sighing, with one last look at my hair in the mirror and a good cringe at how it sticks up at odd angles, I go to the door. I need to stop running my hands through my hair when I'm nervous. Taking one last deep breath, I unlock the door and pull it open.

Macaria stands in front of me, dressed comfortably, as I told her. She has on a maroon t-shirt and leggings. How she manages to look so stunning all the time is beyond me. Her smile falters.

"Did I dress wrong?"

"No, you're just beautiful." I mumble, stepping aside to let her in. She steps inside, her cheeks a light pink.

I wrap my arms around her, unable to resist holding her against me. She chuckles, pressing her ear agaisnt my chest. "I see you miss me."

"Maybe." I mumble and press a kiss to the top of her head, pushing her away from me gently. "Come on,"

I grab her hand, pulling her deeper into the house. My backyard is large, surrounded by trees. The patio right outside the kitchen holds chairs and tables. Off the patio to the right is a built in swimming pool, stretching the length of the house. In the pool floots one of those ten foot inflatable family pools, filled with blankets and pillows. I have a bonfire set up a little down the yard, with strings of white lights hanging from the tree branches that hang over the yard. I glance back at Macaria, to see her face light up with an almost child like wonder.

"It's not anything fancy," I tell her, leading her over to the bonfire. "I'm so-"

"Don't apologize," She rotates around in a circle, staring up at the lights. "This is amazing."

"Really?"

"Of course." She throws her hugs around me, hugging me. When she pulls away, she plants a kiss on my cheek. "No one's ever don't anything like this for me."

"Really?" I raise an eyebrow.

She gives me a pointed look, "You met my father, does he really seem like the type to let me date?"

I grin, "And to think, he decided that I should be the one."

Macaria pauses, pursing her lips. It's short, but long enough for me to think she's not telling me something. Then she just shakes her head, smiling.

"Let's not forget he did nearly drive you insane. I think you earned it." She nudges me.

"Damn right I did," I get up, moving to th opposite side of the bonfire to turn the radio on and grab stuff for s'mores. When I turn around, Macaria is standing.

I look at her over to the bonfire, watching as she stares into the flames, her body moving with the soft flow of music. The flames reflect on the dark canvas of her eyes, giving her a breathtakingly hellish look. I smile to myself, my eyes following the wave her body moves with the flames as they whip in the slight breeze.

I would have never done this for another girl. Now of them were important enough to me. Of course I treated them right, took them out to dinner, bought them little gifts. But I only did what I felt obligated to do.

I tried to act like a hardass. To be cool and play with hearts. In the end that's just what I did. Those girls feel for me, they fell hard and when they did, I had to let them go. It sounds terrible, how I used them as distractions. My father's death destroyed me for years. It pained me to know that my lack of communication and feelings was the reason the light left their eyes.

But a part of me enjoyed it, the fact that someone was hurting just like me. It was a toxic mindset for me, something I didn't want anymore. So when mom said she was ready to move, there was no fight from my end. I knew that if I stayed where I was surrounded by douchebags who sought to destroy and gained pleasure from it; I'd surely end up like them.

So I dropped the bad boy, cold hearted act and came here. I didn't expect to meet Macaria, who made my heart race and my nerves stand on end. It's weird to think that she might be it for me, after three weeks of knowing each other.

My dad always told me when I asked about his love for mom, "I looked at her, and saw my future in her eyes".

Which is kind of funny, because right now Macaria has fire dancing in her eyes.