Werewolf Boyfriend: Max Finale (special preview)

My old room is way too hot, too stuffy. I am at the mercy of my parents’ thermostat while I am staying here. It’s hard to sleep at all, so I open my window and sit under it for a while to let the cold air wash over me.

I have dreams about the night I left, about Max and being tenderly held in his embrace. My body reacted so naturally to him, everything was so perfect, so right. Then morning came and I was pulled away by fear.

I haven’t touched my phone since I got home. Once again, the fear held me back. But it was also guilt. I knew I would have messages from the girls, possibly even Max. I couldn’t face it. Tonight, though, I feel the pull of curiosity. I plug in my phone and turn it on, indeed finding a ton of messages. But they aren’t what I had expected. The girls are asking me how my trip is, I am getting pictures of Helene’s kids in their new dance costumes. The only thing worrisome is a message from Clementine.

“Dad has asked me to go stay with Helene during Christmas. Did he say anything to you about it? I was supposed to go with him to his doctor’s appointment, but he told me not to. I’m probably thinking too hard about it, but I was curious since you and him talked for a long time the other night.”

I’m not surprised that Max didn’t send a text. He only has a flip phone, after all. But I check, and do find I have a voicemail or two. The first few are nothing, telemarketers and doctor’s appointment reminders. Then, there is Max’s.

“I just woke up.” His voice is craggy and low. “I wasn’t sure what to think when you weren’t here. I’m still not sure. I just know you felt strongly enough that you had to. Uhm-” There is a long pause of silence, but I can hear him breathing. “It’s okay. It’s okay. I’m upset, but that’s just the normal response.” He sighs deeply and heavily. I can almost feel his shoulders sagging through the phone. “I feel that I need to explain myself. Why what happened last night was not just a spur of the moment for me. It was something building inside me, same as it seemed it was building inside you.” 

He takes a deep breath and I can hear the bed creak, the sheets shift, his body move. “When I first met you, it was a punch to the gut. You smelled like Carlotta, and it made me apprehensive to be around you. When you had that fall, I realized why I took a step back, and it is what made me move closer. I was afraid. I have been for a long time. Afraid to love, to open up, to let go of someone’s hand because I was powerless. Like with June, I dated, but I always found reason to let go before I was made to. I let loss control me. I let the idea that one true love was all I would ever be given. But that is another fairy tale that people have made up.”

I hear the sound of the floorboards groan as he walks down the hall away from my room. “A person can love and love and love all that they want. And Elisa, I could love you all I wanted. But loss permeated my every thought, as I am sure it does yours. I saw you weeping because of it that day in the hospital. That was when I knew that I could not let myself fear death when it wasn’t even on me. Even loving you for a moment would be worth my time on this earth. Brief or long, it doesn’t matter to me. I am a fool that I didn’t let myself do that until last night.” His voice breaks and trembles.

He’s crying. 

“I am a fool, who didn’t believe that you could love me. Tiny tried to tell me. She knew better than anyone. She sees more than others can, I know.” He sniffles then breathes. “Your choice is yours, Elisa. I know all too well how a woman’s heart can be. I’ve known and loved five of them, six now. Take your time. I’ll always be here.”

I set my phone down as the message ends. The tears flow free and my heart aches horribly. I just wish I knew what to do.

That afternoon, I finally know. My phone chimes and it’s a message from Clementine. “I know you’re probably busy with family stuff, but I thought you should just know, Dad is in the hospital.”

I could have given myself whiplash at how fast I moved. I had nothing with me except my wallet and phone, but I got on another bus to Hearthway Hollow. The entire time I kept trying to call Clementine or Helene, but I couldn’t get through. They were either busy or I was roaming. My phone died by the time I got to the bus station and, from there, I took a taxi to the hospital.

I race inside to find one of the girls, but I don’t see them and, at the front desk, the nurse says he had already been discharged and sent home.