Saving the Villain

Days later…

Luke sipping from his strawberry juice, sitting on the chair outside the convenience store. He tilted his head to the side, and then to the other, eyes fixed on the person across from him.

"Err… is something wrong?" Luke inquired at Maxen, leaning his face over the table. "My brother, your mood every day just keeps growing worse and worse. What's up?"

"Nothing," Maxen answered grumpily.

"Nah ah. Something is definitely wrong." Luke shook his head, leaning back, folding his arms under his chest. "I'm not dumb to believe that this is nothing. Cosette is also avoiding hanging out with us, so there's definitely a lover's quarrel here."

He then narrowed his eyes, studying Maxen deeply. "Lover's quarrel. That's a surprise, considering she's like a leech that wouldn't come off no matter what you do. What did you do to make her so angry?"

Maxen just stared at Luke, listening to the latter's slightly accusatory remarks. Although the two of them were like brothers, Cosette was just as important in their relationship. After all, she was the person who bridged the two of them. Hence, her value to Luke was just as equal to his respect and admiration for Maxen.

Cosette was like Luke's little sister… even though she was months older.

After some time, Maxen let out a deep and helpless sigh. His shoulders relaxed, stretching his legs under the table.

"There was a misunderstanding… about the future, I think," he confessed.

"Future? Wow… please tell me it's not a fight about a disagreement about how many children will you two have!" Luke gasped. "We still have one year before finishing high school. You guys will need to go through multiple family planning before those big talks."

"It's not that." Maxen shook his head and sighed once again. "It's more about marriage — a wedding."

Luke's expression turned blank. He should've known that with Cosette's personality, she would bring up this topic sooner or later.

'That girl!' he mentally ground his teeth. 'Why is she always rushing things, eh?!'

"We were having a… conversation the other night and somehow, we got to a point where we were talking about our future. She hinted I should propose on her 18th birthday, but I told her it was too early for that," continued Maxen, recalling how their conversation unfolded too quickly he wasn't able to catch up. "One of the reasons is that deciding in the early teens always ends up painful. Even if I want to marry her today, I don't want to tie her down early instead of enjoying her life as a young lady."

His frown deepened. "However, she perceived it as me, not being sure whether our relationship would work."

"Doesn't she make a point, though?"

Maxen lifted his eyes to Luke, only to see the latter looking at him almost innocently.

"I mean, it's not like you will propose to her now. I understand your worries, but just like you said, young people like us tend to rush things. Most of the time, making big decisions in the early years of our lives always ends up as regretful decisions. That's true, and I will not disagree with that," Luke remarked, basing things on his own understanding. "However, we're talking about Cosette."

"You also have to keep in mind that Cosette was raised in such a competitive environment. She already made big decisions where countless people and livelihoods were in her hand at a young age — just like my brother," he continued. "I don't think she didn't think about it thoroughly. I mean, if she isn't sure about you, many other people could've swayed her feelings. Take that Ezekiel Stone, for instance."

"I'm not trying to offend you or criticize you, my brother. But for me, if her feelings were that shallow, you wouldn't even have this dilemma right now. Instead, there were too many guys out there who wants to be with her; some for her money, while others for her heart." Luke shrugged, keeping his cool and trying his best not to be biased. "Her disappointment is valid. I'm not pressuring you to marry since it's too early for that, but if you are sure about her and your relationship, there wouldn't be an argument."

Luke took a deliberate pause as he leaned forward. He propped his arms against the edge of the table, and his expression turned solemn.

"Maxen, you're not sure about Cosette, are you?" he asked seriously, staring at Maxen deep in the eye. "Are you not seeing your future with her?"

"No. That's not it." Maxen's answer was quick. He didn't even need to think of an answer because, deep in his heart, he already knew the answer.

Cosette was the love of his life and Maxen couldn't see his future with anybody else except Cosette.

"Then what's stopping you? Her birthday is coming up in a few months, and she'll be officially a lady. Once that happens, do you think you're the only person who will want her attention?" Luke tilted his head to the side. "Trust me. I might've been a part of the middle-class people now, but I know a lot of elites. Not only guys our age will line up for her with customized flowers, exquisite chocolates, and lavish gifts, but also those young adults who were looking for a good match."

"Are you getting what I'm saying? Her birthday also means she's up in the market." Luke raised a finger and shook it sideways. "Don't give those guys any chance. Cosette might be very annoying, but she can be very mature if she wanted to be. She's sure about you, which means she had seen her future with you, but just like you said, making big decisions in your early teens might end up as a painful scar."

"Be sure that this regret is not something that you wished you could have done, and not something you have done," he added, giving Maxen a meaningful look. "You gotta step up your game, brother. Because once Cosette slipped away from your clutches, many would try to catch her. Sad to hear if you put it this way, but that's reality. There were many fish in the sea, but remember that there are high-quality fish that people would dive in to search for it underwater."

"It just so happened she's not just any fish, but a siren." Luke slowly leaned back, shrugging. "I did my best to be a good friend. It's your choice to take it as a whole or just bits and pieces from it — oh, Remo's here. Hey!"

Maxen watched Luke wave, but his mind dwelled on Luke's wisdom