Saving the Villain

"You're mine now."

Maxen looked at Cosette with slight surprise, letting out a dry laugh as he processed her words. He leaned his arm against the table, lips curling into a charming smirk.

"No." he shook his head. "You are." — Cosette was his now... forever.

Cosette pursed her lips to suppress her smile, looking up at him. Both of them chuckled, shaking their head, pleased at the outcome of their situation.

"Eat, Max," she mumbled, forking a piece on her plate.

"Mhm." His eyes were soft, smiling.

The two of them continued to eat happily. Their stomach hadn't been full, but their hearts felt full already. Even though they didn't exchange words much throughout their breakfast, they were already satisfied each time they stole a glance at each other, only for their eyes to meet.

For Cosette, she had been beating herself since this morning from those vivid dreams. What happened last night between her and Maxen wasn't helping, as it added to her worry about how to face him. She thought Maxen would either pretend it didn't happen, which was the most obvious thing he would do, or become a total jerk and subject her to a relationship with no strings attached.

Just the sheer thought of the latter was akin to giving her heart as a hostage. So, how the talk ended was akin to a thorn being plucked out of her throat.

Meanwhile, Maxen was beyond overjoyed. It was true he barely slept last night after carrying her to her bedroom. Myriads of questions hovered over his head and even prepared himself for heartache for expecting anything from her the next day. However, just those words, 'you're mine now,' washed away all those worries.

Cosette had always been so reassuring, considerate, and decisive. He was glad he had learned from her, and took a leap of faith instead of putting what happened behind them. If only he did, this would haunt him forever and he wouldn't be smiling the way he was smiling while eating.

Today... was a good day. It might've started a little rough for the both of them with the confusion filling their heads, but their mutual agreement just flipped everything like a switch.

After Maxen and Cosette finished their meal, they headed to the garden to take a casual walk. They walked side by side, leaving a palm-length gap between them. Cosette lowered her eyes, biting her lips, while Maxen constantly cast her a glance.

"I don't know what to say," she breathed out in distress, looking up at him to reveal the faint tint on her cheek. Maxen massaged his nape, glancing at her with the same conflict in his eyes.

"Me too," he confessed. "We rarely talk."

"Right..." Cosette pinched the space between her brows. Now that she thought about it, Maxen wasn't much of a talker and would only speak when necessary. It was mostly Cosette who carried the conversation, but now that she was too flustered, she couldn't even bring up the silliest thing.

"Should we really have to?" she snapped her eyes at Maxen, seeing him look ahead as he walked on the gravel path leisurely. "I'm fine having you around. You don't need to talk that much or at least, you don't need to force a conversation. I'm content... with your presence, and that's good enough for me."

Cosette stopped in her tracks, eyes on him.

"Max..." she whispered, a subtle smile dominating her face as she stared at his back. Maxen stopped after three more steps, looking back at her with his hands inside his pocket.

"Just stay the way you are. The only thing that changed between us is that..." he paused, taking out his hand and extending it to her. "... we can now hold hands."

'My god...' Cosette's heart drummed against her chest because Maxen looked like an angel offering his hand to guide her to the paradise up above. His slight smile might have fallen short because he wasn't used to smiling, but his eyes sheltered a million unspoken words that weren't needed to be uttered for her not to feel the affection in them.

With a smile, Cosette reached for his hand and clasped it. As she took several steps to stand beside him, his fingers slipped in between the gaps of her fingers.

"Are you not scared if someone saw us?" she asked with a grin, making him look up to ponder.

"Right..." Maxen ran his tongue across his inner cheek, raising his brows. "Should I let go?"

Cosette frowned and slapped his shoulder. Her violent action made him flinch, rubbing his shoulder using his free hand.

"How could you..." she clicked her tongue in irritation, glaring daggers at him. "What if they see us? You told my dad you and I kissed."

"That's different from then and now."

"What, how? Scared?"

Maxen remained silent for a moment before he nodded. "Mhm. I am."

"My dad doesn't bite."

"He doesn't, but he can kick me out and I won't see you day and night." He shrugged, taking a deep breath as he took a step forward. But he didn't let her hand go, looking ahead with a slight smile. "I don't mind returning to that small apartment room and living in the dirt. But I'm more worried about the fact I won't see you more often."

Cosette blushed, skipping her steps to catch up to him so they were walking side by side. "Then you should let my hand go."

"It's worth the risk." He cast her a look. "I'm in debt to your father, and the only way I can repay this debt for realigning my life is for me to do better in life and help others when my hard work bears fruit. And also, to not shame his daughter for choosing me... when she had a better option."

"You're not an option," she mumbled, looking ahead while Maxen glanced at her. "You're the only option."

He bit his lower lips, drawing a deep breath to stop himself from showing more of his affection. He should not be greedy like last night and be satisfied holding her hand.

"They won't talk, don't worry," Cosette reassured as her lips stretched from ear to ear, winking at Maxen. "The servants already knew."

"About us?"

"About me. My feelings," she confessed, looking back at the mansion to the side. "Most of them have been working here for years, and they know I had a huge crush on someone. But this dummy doesn't even realize it even when I wake up early in the morning to make his lunchboxes."

Cosette could not help but let out a 'tch' as she looked up at him. "Not everyone is as dense as you, Max. Gosh... all that courtship and this dummy still hadn't realized it until this moment."

Maxen's steps slowly came to a halt, fixing his eyes on her. When she noticed her hand was being left behind, Cosette looked back at him with raised brows.

"Yes?" she hummed, cocking her head to the side.

"Why?" he asked, filling her eyes with puzzlement. "What did you see in me that time?"

Her lips stretched until her teeth were showing. "You."

"Me...?" he let out a dry laugh. "Does he look better than others?"

"That's a weird question to ask." Cosette marched back until she was standing before him. "Was there anyone better than Maxen?"

There was, he answered in his head. There was a ton on his list, actually. Not just Luke or Asher, but there were even better guys out there who liked her.

But her eyes still sparkled while looking at him up close, and Maxen had seen this look in her eyes even back when he deemed himself unattractive. The luster in her eyes back then and now was the same, and there was no vestige of fakery in them. Maxen stared at her clear hazel eyes that were mirroring him, and just like the time when he had more fat and traces of stress, he looked a man with value in them.

There were tons of guys who would line up to get her slightest attention, but never once had she ever noticed she would look at them the same way. Maybe she had this distinct look in her eyes in front of Luke and Asher, but they weren't as sweet and affectionate as whenever she would look at him.

He was at his worst when she came, and he wanted her to have his very best.

Maxen raised his other hand and cupped her beautiful face. His eyes softened, just like how his heart warmed up.

"Thank you..." he whispered with a subtle and gentle smile. "... for seeing me."

Cosette pursed her lips bashfully, slapping his chest mildly. "Gosh... this is really a novel. I don't think such things really happen in real life," she mumbled, suppressing herself from squealing her lungs out.

"I like... you." This time, she flinched and looked back at him. "Did that sound weird?"

She shook her head and grinned. "Say it again."

"No."

"Please?" she tugged his hand mildly while sporting puppy eyes.

"I..." he breathed out, finding it harder now that he had to repeat it the second time. "... like you."

Cosette grinned from ear to ear. "I like you more." And before he could process her words, she dragged him for a run to keep him busy.

Surely, their summer was quite a vacation full of twists and turns that neither of them expected. However, both of them could safely say it was one memorable summer. A time… they would forever cherish to adulthood.

-- END OF VOLUME 2 --