Treyton and Stephen eyed one another. "So this brute is her ex." The Alpha eyed the human male from head to toe, and he had to admit that Stephen was good-looking and young. However, Treyton felt he had more attributes than Stephen did: honesty, respect, and wisdom. His thoughts were interrupted when he felt a gentle tug on his arm. When the Alpha looked at Maeve, she looked nervous. Treyton cleared his throat and regained his composure; he motioned out his right hand. "Hello, the name is Treyton Bledig. If I can be frank, I wouldn't have expected to meet you."
Stephen raised an eyebrow; he didn't expect Treyton to be so civil. He wondered if Maeve had told Treyton about him. The young man slowly motioned out his hand and firmly grabbed Treyton's; they shook hands. "Well, greetings to you too. The name Stephen." Their grips were firm, and their eyes never left the others. It was as if they challenged one another to see who would come out on top.
Maeve felt the tension from them both; she didn't want trouble and decided to intervene. She cleared her throat, making the men to end the handshake. "S-Stephen, I never would've imagined that you would come here."
The young scratched the back of his neck. "Yeah, same here. I came here on a date, but she's in the restroom. While waiting, I noticed you, and well..."
"You thought you would say hello. Quite thoughtful of you." Treyton smiled, but deep down, he wasn't happy with the situation. He knew that there was a chance that Stephen would regret the breakup and try to get Maeve back. It was something that Treyton would not allow. "It's a coincidence that you came here with your date. Maeve and I are dating. We came here to buy Christmas gifts."
Stephen's expression was unreadable, and it was something Maeve found annoying. He never liked expressing himself well to others, her included. "Maybe that's why I didn't see the red flags." Maeve then hugged Treyton's arm. "Stephen, I am happy that you are moving on, as I am. Now, if you will excuse us, we need to finish our meal to go home."
"I will get going, I don't want to keep my date waiting." The couple watched as Stephen walked away and disappeared among the people.
Maeve sighed in relief. "Thank goodness! I'm so sorry about this! I never thought that he would show up here."
Maeve returned to her spot, where she and Treyton sat down to finish their meals. "It's not your fault. Life can be a fickle creature." The Alpha then put his hand over her left hand. "What I'm worried about is how you are feeling."
"I-I am still shocked and angry. He called me a while back, but I reminded him that he was the one who broke up with me, and there is no reason for him to call me."
It made Treyton happy that Maeve wanted to move on, but he couldn't help but feel that her ex dating other women may still have bothered her. "Forgive me for asking, but do you feel hurt that your ex is, you know, dating others?"
"A bit, I'm not going to lie. However, it brings me relief that we are both moving on." Maeve looked at Treyton and smiled. "It brings me joy that I have a chance to start over. If I didn't, then...I wouldn't have met you."
A blush came across Treyton's face; he cleared his throat, trying hard not to blush more than he was. "Well, uh, I guess I can say the same. If my wife hadn't decided to divorce me, then I wouldn't have met you." He was silent momentarily. "I guess that sounded wrong."
The two laughed a bit. "We both went through heartaches but met and realized we have many things in common."
"I agree. So after we're done eating, do you still want to go home, or do you want to explore more of the village?"
"I thought about going home, but I can't let Stephen's presence bother me. I want to explore more of the shops here. If it is okay with you, I want to see what else I can find."
The Alpha smiled. "I look forward to it."
Meanwhile, Aidoneus was in Starbucks looking into his laptop for textbooks for the next semester's classes he would take. His mind wandered, and he thought about Persefone. He had the urge to call her but thought it was too soon. The young man didn't want her to think that he was desperate; he was. He then looked at his phone and contemplated whether or not to call Persefone. "Maybe I should call her to see how she's doing." Aidoneus got his phone and dialed Persefone's number. The rings were heard on the other end; the young man heard his heart beating anxiously. When there was still no answer, Aidoneus was about to hang up until...
"Hello?"
Aidoneus stilled with his phone in hand. "Oh, uh, hey, Persefone. It's me." He wanted to facepalm himself. "Real smooth, you dunce!"
Persefone giggled. "Oh, I wouldn't have guessed. How are you doing?"
"I-I'm doing good. How about you?"
"Same here. I'm mentally preparing myself for Monday. I work at a school, but I'm looking forward to Christmas break."
"Well, you're lucky to work in a school since you get a lot of vacations. I'm still at university, looking for my textbooks, and we're already on winter break." It was silent between them, and Aidoneus felt disappointed in himself. "I need to say something else! He cleared his voice. "So, uh, I was calling to see if you would be interested in hanging out?"
Persefone was silent, and it made the young man nervous; he was nervous. "Yeah, I would love to. Did you have something in mind?"
"Well, since we're still getting to know one another, would you be okay with a coffee date?" Aidoneus felt that a coffee date was too simple, but many male classmates complained that women always wanted dinner dates. Many dates never returned their calls whenever they agreed, and they found out they were used for free meals. Aidoneus wanted to make a good impression but felt he had to be confident and firm even if Persefone was his mate.
"Yeah, that sounds good! I know this cool Victorian-goth-style coffee shop in Garden Grove. I have been there once, but the drinks are so delicious! Would you be okay with that?"
Aidoneus felt relieved. "Sure, that sounds good. I have never been to a Victorian-style coffee place. Would you be open to go tomorrow, before going to work?"
"Yeah, Sundays aren't that busy, but we should go a bit early since it's popular. How about 10 a.m.?"
"That sounds perfect. If you like, I can pick you up somewhere you might be comfortable."
"I usually take the bus,, but yeah, if you can pick me up in front of a Subway near where I live, it would be appreciated. I will send you the directions."
The two said their goodbyes and hung up. About three minutes later, Aidoneus received a text message with the address of the subway and coffee place. Aidoneus felt happy that Persefone accepted his invitation, and he hoped to make a better impression of their coffee date the next day.
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