My fingers shivered as I took my phone into my hands. There was no way I could tell him the truth. I tapped my fingers on the screen, thinking.
"I vacated. I am staying at my friend's place."
My phone dropped to the bed as he called me. I looked at the door to check if Mr. Wolfe was there. For some reason, I felt scared of him knowing my whatever relationship with Matthew. Only when I realized he was not there did I answer the call.
"Hello!"
"You vacated? You didn't tell me this." Matthew nearly shouted.
"Yeah! It happened suddenly. I was not able to pay the rent on time, so I had to vacate. I'll meet you tomorrow."
We then talked for a few minutes before ending the call. The next morning, I decided to meet Matthew, but I didn't understand what to tell Mr. Wolfe. According to his words, he had to know every matter related to me, but I couldn't bring myself to call him.
Besides, I had all the day. I was sure Mr. Wolfe wouldn't come until night. Deciding to not inform him, I left the house and met Matthew at the coffee shop nearby his school.
"You should've informed me before. I would've helped you in vacating the house." He said, sipping his coffee.
I simply smiled and kept my focus on the coffee mug.
I started to feel so bad about lying. I didn't want to lie to him, but at the same time, I didn't want him to think of me as a slut because of the truth.
As I lost myself in my thoughts and worries, he held my hand, asking, "Elira! Are you worried about something?"
I raised my eyebrows, looking at him.
"Is there something that's worrying you and you are not able to tell anyone?" He looked at me suspiciously.
I shook my head negatively. "Why do you ask?"
He shrugged his shoulders, saying, "Because you look worried. It's written all over your face."
He took both of my hands into his. "You didn't pay the rent because you saved up all the money for Mira's treatment, right? And you didn't vacate willingly. You were forced to do it."
A genuine smile appeared on my lips as I looked at his worried face. I avoided his gaze, as I couldn't just look him in the eye and lie. "You can say it happened that way."
"Stay with me."
My heart pounded. My cheeks turned red while I looked at him with my confused face. I didn't understand if I heard it right.
"What?" I narrowed my eyebrows.
"You don't have to stay with someone else. You can stay with me and feel comfortable. My home is yours."
There was something in his eyes. Worry? Affection? Love?
I gulped as I sensed it. I couldn't believe what I was seeing, and my heart wouldn't stop beating at an unusual pace. My toes curled as I expected him to say something more, but all I got was silence.
"Why?" I looked at him curiously. "Why did you say your house is mine?"
He pressed his lips together without avoiding my gaze. I was so eager to hear those words from him, but his reply only poured water into the burning flames.
"Because I can't see my friend struggling for shelter."
Disappointment hit me like a wave, and my face turned pale. But then the realization hit me. Even if there was something, I couldn't be with him considering my contract with Mr. Wolfe. It was better to stay as usual.
Then I spoke after noticing the time, "I think your break time is almost over. You should go."
He nodded. We then walked out of the cafe, and when I was about to walk away, he held my hand, stopping me.
"Elira! I lied." He shouted. "My home is yours not because you are my friend. You are something more to me. I think I am in love with you."
My heart skipped a beat at his words. Despite how much I wanted to hear those words, I couldn't feel joy. It only increased my worry.
"Matt…" I bent my head down.
"Don't you love me?" There was a kind of hurt in his tone.
"I am not the correct person for you…"
He didn't let me finish my sentence. He only pulled me closer to him, saying, "I know you love me. Don't overthink, Elira."
I took a deep breath, controlling my emotions. The feelings I had for Matthew were so pure and real, but I didn't want to build the relationship on the ladder of lies and secrets. I pulled myself away, saying, "I also have feelings for you, Matt. But I have things to take care of. There's a lot you don't know about me, which I can't bring myself to tell you. I don't know if you can love everything about me…"
"I love you." He cut me off. "I love everything about you." He then held my hands, smiling, "I can understand you can't commit now. I don't force you about anything now. I will give you space. Be it days or months, I will wait for you."
My eyes filled with happy tears as I heard him. He again pulled me into a gentle hug, saying, "I only wanted to express what I felt for you. Let's stay normal as usual until you are ready. Okay?"
I nodded my head. His words gave me the strength that I truly needed. It made me think he'd understand everything if I told him, but the scared part of me stopped me from revealing it yet.
Then we both parted ways. On my way home, I couldn't help but smile. But the happiness was not alone. It was always surrounded by a layer of worry and lies. I couldn't bring myself to tell him the truth added to the non-disclosure clause of the contract.
The logical part of me urged me to manage just for eighteen months. As soon as the contract ended and we were done taking the devil's help, I'd waste no time and tell everything to Matthew. But would he wait till then?
With a mix of emotions, I entered the main hall and was startled to see Mr. Wolfe on the sofa, playing with his lighter.
"Welcome home, babygirl!"