The Marvelous Elijah’s Return

Chapter 43

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The office was filled with silence once again for a few moments until Mason suddenly laughed loudly, startling Dean and making him jump in surprise. “Bryan is a very attractive man, isn’t he,” Mason remarked with a chuckle as he wiped a tear from the corner of his eye. “Of course he would have an interest in a lady! He’s always flirting when we are out, drinking.” “Yeah…?” Dean responded quietly before he continued, “So… Who do you think he’s serious about right now?” An intense expression covered Mason’s face as he stared directly at Dean without looking away, furrowing his brows as he asked, “You have a daughter, right?Melina… Haha, is this about her?”

“Uh… I wish! But, no.” Dean answered quickly with a chuckle, shaking his head in denial.

A curious glint entered Mason’s eyes as he inquired, and then he relaxed in his seat, mumbling, “Bryan is like a loose cannon. The guy is a player… He doesn’t acknowledge a woman openly because he is constantly looking around for a new one, and he is quite popular among the women…”

Those words caught Dean off guard, and he snapped his head towards Mason abruptly with wide eyes, and then his expression softened as he mumbled, “I see,”

“Well, you didn’t hear those words from me though… and if they get out, you will regret it, Dean… So watch your mouth.” Mason narrowed his eyes and raised his brows threateningly. After a few moments of hesitation, Dean simply stood up, straightening his jacket, as he said, “I understand, Mason. Thank you for telling me.”

“But why are you asking me about him specifically?” Mason questioned suspiciously, raising an eyebrow. Smirking slightly, Dean looked directly at Mason as he replied, “Curiosity, of course. Now, I gotta get going. Have a nice day.”

As he was leaving, Mason chuckled and shook his head with amusement before replying,” You’re a strange man, Dean.”

The car was quiet as Elijah drove Peach and him away from the motel at seven, his thoughts were still a mess.

After everything that happened between them today, he knew they both needed fresh air to get over the emotional roller coaster that had just passed their way. Now that everything had settled down a bit, the fact that she said that she liked Elijah a lot kept replaying in Peach’s head, and she rested her head against the glass, blowing out her cheeks. “Where to?” Elijah asked, glancing at her for the briefest of seconds before looking back at the road.

Shutting her eyes, Peach sighed out her frustration and whispered without thinking, “Gosh, I could use a drink.”

Elijah chuckled, glancing over at her briefly again, and mumbled, “That is understandable.” Not expecting him to hear her, Peach looked up when she realized what she said and cleared her throat awkwardly as her face went red immediately. When Elijah noticed her embarrassment, however, his face lit up with a grin, and he teased,” Are you sure I should be feeding you alcohol? Do you even have an alcohol tolerance?” Cheeks still slightly burning, Peach shot him a death glare but couldn’t help the small smile on her face.

Then she poked up her lips, raised a brow, and lied, “I can handle my alcohol like a champ.”

A laugh escaped Elijah’s mouth, his head shaking in amusement, and Peach watched his lips curve upwards, his eyes crinkling and his nose scrunching ever so slightly.

The sight of him in such a mood made something flutter inside of her heart, and the feeling only intensified when he spoke, “Yeah, no shit..? I don’t want your mom getting mad at me for making you drink.”

“Hey!” Peach playfully hit him on the arm, scowling, “I’m not a kid! Besides, this isn’t my first time drinking…”

Looking away from the road, Elijah shot her a look that clearly stated, ‘really?,’ and Peach felt herself go red in the face again, “Yeah, yeah…” Peach muttered embarrassedly, and then, after taking a deep breath to calm her nerves, continued, “but I’ll try not to get drunk.”

She glanced over at Elijah, who was watching her in silence. A small smirk played at the corner of his mouth, which Peach caught, and she felt her heart race faster than a horse galloping at full speed.

“Good, because I am not carrying you out if you get drunk or something,” Elijah teased her with a slight chuckle. “So we’re good?”

Smiling sweetly at him, Peach nodded her head, her voice coming out more soft and melodic than usual, “Yes. We are good.” The Neon Green Bar was filled with loud music, chatting noise, and laughter, and when Elijah pushed the front door open, all that noise came rushing outside as he and Peach walked into the bar.

They stood there for a second, trying to take in the whole scene, and hesitantly Peach gazed at Elijah’s arm, wondering if she should hold it or not. Before she could make a decision, Elijah suddenly took her hand and locked her fingers with his.

“Let’s go find some seats,” he said in response to her unasked question. Then he led her through the crowd until they reached an empty booth, and Peach sat down, resting her head back against the booth seat as her eyes scanned the room.

‘Why did I lie about being able to handle myself around alcohol when I have never tasted it… Boring, poor, me… This is going to be fun,’ Peach thought bitterly, letting out a deep sigh. Pouting, she then turned her attention towards Elijah and saw that he was already looking at

her, and the sight of him made her stomach twist nervously.

“What?” Peach huffed, lowering her gaze from his eyes. “What are you taking?” Elijah asked her calmly, leaning forward and placing one elbow on the table. His face was right in her line of sight now, and Peach felt heat rise to her cheeks once again, and she quickly looked away. “Uhh, I’m not sure actually,” Peach admitted shyly, shifting uncomfortably. Then her ears picked up the sound of a woman’s voice, “I will have a cosmopolitan cocktail.” “Cosmopolitan cocktail!” Peach exclaimed happily, smiling wide and turning back towards Elijah. His brow immediately raised in surprise when he heard her outburst, and he gave her a questioning glance, “What? Do you know what that is?” Of course, she didn’t, but she already started with a lie, and she wasn’t ready to stop just yet. So she merely shrugged nonchalantly and nodded her head, pretending to have not understood what he was talking about. “Are you sure?” Elijah asked, looking skeptical as if he didn’t believe her words, and Peach simply smiled wider and whispered, “Positive.” After a brief pause, Elijah let out a long, defeated sigh, and whispered, “Whatever makes you feel better, kiddo… Wait here. I will make the order.” Then he withdrew from his seat and headed back into the throng of people, making his way towards the bar.

Sitting alone now, Peach felt a sense of loneliness overcome her, and she looked behind Elijah, watching his back as he walked away to where the bartender was. “I’ll be damn. Look who’s here!” A sharp, feminine voice said from close to her, causing Peach to jump slightly and face her front. Staring back at her was a fancy lady, wearing heels and a tight white top with ripped black jeans.

Her blonde hair was styled loosely, and Peach noticed two large diamond earrings hanging from each earlobe, along with matching bracelets and neck. A forced faint smile stretched across Peach’s face as she murmured, “Uh, hello, I’m… um… sorry, do I know you?” “You might not…” The blonde smirked arrogantly as she looked down at Peach’s outfit, “But I definitely do. You are Melina’s cousin, right?” A sense of annoyance rose up within Peach at the mention of Melina’s name, and she really didn’t want to deal with whoever this girl was.

“Yes,” Peach answered curtly, narrowing her eyes at the blonde. “Well, I am Jessica… Jessica Astor,” She smirked widely, flashing a pearly white, straight set of teeth.

The fact that it was one of Jessica’s rich, spoiled friends was annoying the hell out of Peach,

and she rolled her eyes before saying, “Okay..?” Suddenly, Elijah returned to the booth with two drinks in his hands and slid them onto the table before sitting down and looking at Peach and then at Jessica. Not needing an introduction because he knew her, Elijah’s brows snapped together in a frown as he stared intently at Jessica. Smiling, she studied him from his perfectly shaped brows, his sharp jawline, his angular chin, and down to his neck, the way his t-shirt clung to his skin, outlining every curve of his muscle.

“Damn, I can not believe Melina thought you were worth just two million… With that face and body, to me, you are worth something a lot more desirable than a million dollars,” Jessica cooed as she rested her arms on the table, staring at him seductively.