Prologue
He's from the west, she's from the east. He's tough and rough, she's soft and gentle. He's all instincts while she's a logical thinker. He's a beast and she's his human. He's Yin and she's his Yang.
He has been waiting for his other half f...
I have to admit, being around Ethan is not that bad as it seemed earlier. Maybe it's just me being paranoid. Or maybe I didn't know him enough to trust him. This entire time I had so many presumptions of him, but, he proved me wrong during this dinner. He took me to a lovely, cozy café, treated me to a yummy dinner, and was being a gentleman the whole time. Whatever I spoke, he believed it and at any point, if I felt uncomfortable or gloomy, I don't know how he knew that, but he did and somehow he managed to comfort me.
Why do I feel so conflicted when I'm with him? It's like his mere presence is enough to bring down my guard and I don't like that. Rather I feel vulnerable around him. But do I trust him? Maybe.
So after paying the bill, which by the way, I insisted to share but he put me down by saying "What kind of a host would I be, if I let my dear guests pay for it?", we are now strolling in the market, doing a little window shopping. There were plenty of pretty little shops, some were food stalls selling their freshly cooked delicacies, with the appetizing smells wafting in the air, some were cute gift shops with fancy items decorating their showcase. It was all so sparkling and enchanting to me! All I could do was be mesmerized by all this sparkling beauty! Ethan seemed to take notice of this as well because the next thing I know was that he took hold of my hand and gently guided me to one of the stores.
"Sorry, I kind of dragged you to the store without asking. But this place has some really good quality goodies. Thought you would like something here."
I just nodded at him, "It's okay". And he was saying the truth, the store might have looked like a humble and dull wooden garage, but the inside was spic and span, sparkly and glittery. An entire wall decorated in simple jewelry, there were steel necklaces with cute single pendants. Some were in sets.
I was just browsing through those when my eyes found this simple necklace with a cute pendant, which might be difficult to find back at home:
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I simply held it in my hands, when I heard him ask, "Do you like it?".
"Yes, it's so simple, unique but also so pretty! I mean, like I haven't seen a pendant like this before. All I'm used to seeing are flowers, fruits, or alphabets pendant. This is certainly different in a good way."
"I agree." He said, but I think the meaning was different. I looked at him and his eyes had an emotion that I couldn't decipher properly. Was it adoration? Admiration? No, that can't be it. Now I'm pretty sure, I was gawking at him.
"Ahem, do you want it? That snapped me out of my reverie. "Umm, no, I was just looking at it. I'm not sure if I want it or not".
"You say that but your eyes tell me a different thing. It's alright if you want it. You can consider it as my treat."
"No, really, I mean you have already done enough for me Ethan. I couldn't possibly ask for more."
"You sure?"
"Pretty sure."
We stood there, looking at each other, just basking in each other's attention.
Brrr... Brrr... Brrr...
My vibrating phone snapped me out of the daze, which I keep falling into. We both looked apart.
"Hello?"
"Where are you?! Still out in the market?"
"Yes, I'm on my way back. I'll meet you in your room."
"Alright, but be quick. I'm starving!"
"Alright, alright. Bye!"
"Who was it?", Ethan asked and he seemed a bit annoyed. I wonder why.
"It was Arun. He's worried that I might lose my way. That and he's waiting for my company at dinner."
His face looked a little disappointed. With a sigh, "Alright love, let's go."
My heart skipped a beat. 'Love?!' Probably doesn't mean anything. Yes, that's it. I just nodded my head and started moving.
The walk back was rather quiet, but it was comfortable quiet. Soon we reached the gate of the lodge. I turned around to say bye, when he gently grabbed my hand and said: "I had a lovely time dear, I hope we can have many more of such evenings."
I was stumped. How can a man, whom I just met, can have such a huge effect on me?!
I could only give a small nod and an equally small bye before I walked into Arun's room.
I walked into Arun's room.
"Hi! And why are you blushing?!".
Ethan's POV
I think I'm in heaven right now!! This was one of the best evenings I ever enjoyed. 'My mate', oh how I loved saying those words over and over in my head. I kept thinking about our time together now, replaying those little moments. Those cute expressions of hers, the way she fiddles with her hands when she's nervous, her giggles, her soft demeanor. She might be petite but she had that gentle aura that made her seem more of a cute kitten.
The beast inside was satisfied for the moment. Every time she would smile, he would growl softly, hoping that she would bring down her barriers a little bit more. But for now, we have to settle for this. Patience is the key here, right?
As soon as I stepped into my packhouse, John anxiously walked up to me, "Ethan, we have a problem. Border control found out a few rogue footprints and they are trying to trace them." As they say, trouble's always around the corner, waiting for the chance to pounce on you. Mine just did. And all soft purring of the beast soon turned into a feral growl, baring all fangs, raising his hackles, ever so ready to rip those rogues if they did something criminal.
Now the beast would become more vicious because he would do anything to protect his mate.
