Take Me Back To Paddington (SERIES)

Chapter 24 - The Soul Seller

"This is the place?" Baxter asked when both of us now were standing across the The Ten Bells, a pub where I promised to meet Draco Krauss.

"Yeah. This is it"

Few cars already passed by but we were still hadn't crossed the road yet, indulging ourselves in the unspoken feelings and words as our eyes were darted at a door that had fairy lights around it as if it was baiting for anyone to get in.

"Nick?" I called his name, turning my head towards him.

He looked at me instantly with the look in his eyes that I couldn't explain what it was. But I could tell that he was scared, just like what I was feeling, yet he still stood here beside me.

Sighing, I asked him an important question.  "What are you doing here?"

"I'll go with you"

"You don't have to, you know that right?"

He nodded.

"But I still want to"

"Why are you troubling yourself, Nick?"

He didn't answer me but I felt his fingers instead, climbing on the palm of my hand until they took their place in between mine, holding tight.

"Because you have me," He responded with his voice that was so soothing to hear at this heart-racing moment of my life. "I won't leave you alone, we can do this together"

I stared at his sincerity as it was feeding my nervousness; so calm, so kind.

Baxter didn't stop me from doing this even though I knew he was just as worried as my two best friends. He didn't encourage me to do it either, considering he was a Christian too, like Chae and Jennifer. He had some knowledge about his religion and everything that evolved around it including those unseen things. He knew the danger of them as well.

But he still let me chose; what decision to make, what was the best for myself and for Chae, what I was confident of achieving, until I felt like Baxter was the only one who heard me without the need for me to speak up.

He understood my needs and he supported them, even though they were risky, I knew exactly what he was doing here, holding my hand. He just wanted to be there for me, just in case things went wrong during the process.

Nick wanted to at least be there to help, to do anything he could, which was what I supposed to do for Chae when she was alone in my apartment, when she needed me.

"I don't know how I can repay you, Nick" I showed my biggest gratitude to him, thinking that I wouldn't have felt better if it wasn't because of the emotional support he had been giving me since Chae's death.

"You can actually" He smiled as his pure looking eyes began to sparkle with tears.

"Tell me"

"Make it count" He answered. "Do your very best for Chae, that's all I want"

I reciprocated his smile, giving him few nods as my promise to him, and to myself too. I had gone this far, my true love for Chae had gone this far.

So there was no reason for me not to make it count.

I finally took my steps and crossed the road with Nick's hand gripping mine after I noticed what time it was; 9:55p.m.

Pushing the door, I dragged Baxter into the pub with me while my eyes were looking for the man who would be the medium between me and the demon, acting like he was an agent that would connect the seller and the buyer.

That could be the concept of how selling and buying process would be carried out.

In the nervousness I contained, I was actually relieved to see Draco Krauss, sitting on the same bar stool as yesterday. He really did wait for me like he said he would and didn't run away with my money. He wouldn't be here if he was a scammer, right?