CHAPTER 32
Max reached the small plate of brownies and put them on their seat. "Here. Eat some." He offered.
She smiled at his thoughtfulness. "Thanks. Sweets can lighten my mood."
"Mine too. I like this. It's not too sweet." He plopped another brownie to his mouth.
"All the sweets I ask to be made had been customized to my taste. I don't like it when it's too sweet."
Her strength slowly returned.
"Really? At ours too. No wonder I like the snacks made here." He sipped his chocolate again.
Her eyes slightly bulged. "Sa inyo rin? Kaya pala sakto lang talaga sa panglasa ko mga matatamis doon. (At yours too? So that was why the sweets there were just up to my taste.)" She beamed at him.
She reached for the brownies and ate it. She stared at her hot choco. She remembered her being wild earlier. It was the first time that happened to her. And someone did that to her. She still couldn't believe it. She felt like she was bullied.
She thought of what she'd done wrong to them. Yes, she may had provoked them by words but that was nothing compared to what they did back to her. She hadn't noticed that she fell into a daze in her deep thoughts.
Max looked at his companion. She had been staring at her cup for a while. Her mind was in space.
"You're still in shock." He stated lowly and lifted his hand to reached the back of her head. He was caressing her still wet hair.
Aurora turned to him with her eyes wide. She woke up from being in a dazed. She withdrew her gaze. She blinked her eyes. She just noticed that she was spacing out.
"I'm sorry that I got you involved." She started.
What was she saying? "I don't mind." He spoke. It felt natural for him that he was there. Actually, it seemed that he should be there.
Max was with Lesa that time and their other batch mates. They were talking, catching up. He knew that Aurora was annoyed from what her cousin said. But it was between them so he didn't want to intervene.
When her cousin led him away, she glanced back at her. He caught glances of her at the pool. She was relentless, fanning herself. He had a hunch that it was because of her cousin. He returned her attention to the people in front of him.
He looked at her way again and could see that she was on her phone but walking away from her current position. He noticed three girls following her. One of his friends tapped his shoulder and withdrew his gaze again from her.
In just a few seconds, he heard a sudden shriek and a splash of water. His head snapped back to the direction of the pool. Aurora was nowhere in sight. He immediately ran to her when he saw her figure in the water. He called her when he was in the area already.
"Aurora!" He quickly took off her blazer and was about to jump on the water when he noticed that she was swimming her way up to the railing. He just remembered that she knew how to swim. But he was worried of her sudden fall that she may stay in shock. Added to that her outfit that would make her struggle more in the water.
He approached the railing. "Aurora." He called again. He touched a knee on the and placed his blazer beside him as he offered a hand for her.
"I'm sorry too that you had to witness that side of me." She glanced at him, and returned her attention to eating the sweets. "I didn't expect to react like that. I was just so freaking mad. I never expected anyone could do that to me." She was shaking her head. "I was like a lunatic. I completely lost my temper." She sighed heavily and lifted the cup to her lips.
He was still caressing the back of her head. He was staring at her. Following her every move. His eyes darted to her lips. After sipping, she licked her lower lip for some chocolate left at the side. He swallowed hard. There was an urge in him that he wanted to be the one to lick those and nip on her soft, addictive lips.
"Though, I regretted that I wasn't able to do something back."
He blinked and stopped his hand as she turned to him. He quickly looked away though she had no idea what was on his mind but he was still guilty. He shouldn't feel those things to her. It was so damn wrong.
He inched away from her. He wasn't that kind of guy. He shook his head to wake himself. "You really plan to exchange faces with them?" He said and finished his cup of hot choco. It wasn't hot anymore.
Aurora snorted at what he said. It was an excuse to not make a sour face from his inching away from her. "Come on. Even an orc won't take a chance with those faces." She chuckled knowing how insulting her words were. But she made Max laugh.
Max didn't understand why he found her insults funny. He was also thinking of how far her arrogance could go. He found it amusing most of the times, though it was wrong. He was shaking his head while smiling. "I just don't want your beautiful face to get scratched." He picked up a brownie and brought it to his lips.
She slightly turned her head at him. "Oh, you find me beautiful?" She asked with side of her lips curled up. Giving him that hooded look in her eyes.
God. One of the most beautiful I've ever seen. His mind's instant reply. "Of course, you are." She drank her hot chocolate again. "All the orcs would love to have your face." He added.
Aurora spurted her drink. The chocolate dripped down her cloth. She was even coughing. Max hurriedly attended to her. He grabbed the cup in her hand that most of the contents had been thrown on her attire. He snatched the paper towels on the tray and was obliviously wiping her chest. He was also rubbing her back to help her calm down from coughing.
"Let me." She held his hand because he was still oblivious to what he was doing from the worry on his face.
Max just noticed where his hand was. His eyes widened and lips parted from shock of what he'd done. His palm was at her breast and she was only wearing a thin sleeping pair. He was touching her bulging breasts. He looked at Aurora's eyes. She cocked a brow at him. Her hand was still holding his.
"You like touching it?" She plastered on a naughty smile.
"I'm sorry." He blurted and grabbed his hand from hers. He turned away as she was reaching for paper towels to wipe herself. He was facing his back to her. He could hear her chuckles.
He scrunched his eyes closed. "Fuck!" He cursed inaudibly for her not to hear. The embarrassment made him feel like a fool. And his sinful imagination was in action too.
"How many times do you want me to change clothes, Maximus?" She was stilling laughing and Aurora stood up. "Stay here. I'll be back. I need to clean and change because of its stickiness." She tapped his shoulder for it seemed like he didn't hear her. He slowly turned his head around.
She greeted him with a grin on her face. "Stay here." She repeated. "It's okay." She gave him a reassuring smile that she wasn't mad at him. He nodded, and she started to get back to her room.
When Max was left alone on the sofa, he lazily leaned back and tapped his forehead. His eyes closed and he groaned from what happened. His hand flinched when it seemed to remember from its muscle memory of what it just touched. He clenched his fist and wanted to punch himself to stop his wrong thoughts.
He shouldn't feel this to someone else. He had to gather his thought to think rightfully. This was all wrong.
His phone vibrated to his side. He glanced at it and picked up to answer the call.
Aurora was still grinning when she remembered Max's reaction of what he'd done. She knew that he didn't mean it. But it was just sop damn funny upon seeing his embarrassed face.
She was still in her bathroom and was using a wet towel to wipe her skin. She also changed into fresh clothes. She quickly got back to where she left him. She was wearing fluffy slippers so her footsteps almost didn't make any sound.
She was near the area when she heard Max speaking. He was talking to someone in his phone. She didn't intend to eavesdrop but she stopped on her tracks and took a step back to hide herself in the corner when she heard what he said.
"Please, babe, not now. I'll call you later when I get home, okay?" He sounded resigned, tired to argue.