Elena crossed her fingers.

"So… Have you thought anything about our marriage?"

She looked down as her face burned to a tinge of red. She was embarrassed. But she had come this far, she cannot back off now. Wasn't the reason she got in this dress was purely to be more like the ideal girl in Devin's eyes?

'So damn creepy she is!'

While any other teenage guy would be really enjoying the situation. Not Devin. Not having any family he was forced to face the adult world early on. Unlike his behaviour, he was much more mature for his age.

So 'Creepy' was the only word he could associate with Elena. What kind of girl nags a guy to marry her who doesn't even know her?

"You!" Devin's eyes were bloodshot. He was done tolerating her. He was damn annoyed by the girl. He pulled her by her collar as he lifted her up.

"What do you think you are huh? Some kind of royalty that I would fawn to marry you? Some kind of Madonna that can play with the hearts of men as she pleases?"

Elena could feel the anger transferred through his touch.

"Devin, sorry. I didn't intend to anger you… please forgive me," She begged. Her eyes are getting teary by the second.

Devin sighed. He was no jerk, he wasn't going to hit a girl unless the girl hits him first no matter how angry he gets. He opened the door to his apartment and pushed Elena outside.

"Get out of my sight!" Saying so he slammed the door at her.

Elena and Devin were back to square one. The [Negotiation] Skill even though magical had failed to dominate Devin's decisions. After all Devin was a man of values and magic or not, it was hard to deflect him from them. In the end he had rejected her proposal.

Elena was distraught. Thrown outside of the apartment tears were rolling from her eyes.

"Sorry but I cannot separate myself from you. Not anymore..."

She rubbed her face freeing herself of the tears but it was soon flooded again. She didn't even have the courage to knock at the door again for fear that Devin would get more angry at her, making matters worse.

She sat outside of his apartment leaning herself against the wooden door as she curled herself up into a ball. Sinking her head between her legs as she cried.

"Devin, I need you… why don't you understand?"

She was lost in her own soliloquy and complaining. For the whole night she sat outside at his door shivering in the cold.

***

Susan, a woman in her 50s locked her door as she headed out for work. She was Devin's neighbour but due to her work, she had little to no interaction with him and hardly knows him.

But today was something strange...

She found a girl sitting outside of Devin's apartment all curled up in the cold.

'Who's she?' she couldn't help but wonder what had happened.

"Excuse me?"

Elena looked up to find Susan smiling at her.

"Wh… What are you doing here, girl?" The woman asked, her voice spluttering due to the shock she had received.

Elena's appearance had caught her off guard. She was beautiful. For a moment Susan felt like she swung the wrong way. But what caught her attention next were the tear marks on Elena's face.

*Cough*

"Devin, he won't let me in. He is angry at me." She said as she burst her dam again.

"Devin?"

'He had got himself a gorgeous girlfriend I must say.'

But Susan couldn't help but feel sorry for her.

'What kind of guy was he to push away such a cute girl? Guys should be grateful that girls like us even talk to them!'

"Devin is not getting you in? He is a stupid guy who only knows how to get in trouble. You don't have to cry for him. He doesn't deserve you. I am sure there will be plenty of better guys lining up for you"

But Elena shook her head.

"No… if anyone it has to be Devin. I don't care about others," she said as she wiped her tears again.

The woman could only roll her eyes.

'No matter how pretty she is. In the end she is just a fool. Girls should be controlling guys, not the other way around.'

Realizing that Elena didn't belong to her train of thought Susan decided to leave Elena at her own wit.

Susan sighed.

'Youngsters these days.'

She mumbled and frowned as she left for her job leaving Elena behind in tears.

That is when…

Devin opened the door preparing to leave for his school. It was just his early morning drill. But seeing Elena still sitting in front of his house could only make him frown.

"You haven't left yet. What are you still doing here?"

Devin could not even imagine how she could stay outside of the apartment the whole night. The tear marks were still prevalent on her face proving how much she had cried..

'Why, doesn't she leave already? What does she even want with me?'

Elena no longer appeared as 'creepy' in Devin's eyes. Rather she appeared desperate.

Elena looked at Devin with puppy eyes.

"How can I leave without you?" Elena claimed.

Devin could only roll his eyes as he shut the door behind him.

'That stupidity again. What kind of madness is this?'

***

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