Page 11 of Aching for His Discretion

“I-I have to go… tell Mama I love her, and I’ll call her tomorrow,” I said softly and ended the call as I held my face in my hands.

This wasn’t going to be easy, I know, but they have never shown me any kind of support, none at all. I already knew the long journey I had ahead of me was going to be challenging, but they didn’t have to rub it in my face like they always did. And because I wore my heart on my sleeve with them, my tears were practically never-ending.

Through the walls, I could hear Mitchel still packing some of his things again. I could only hope he would be careful, considering the state I saw him in earlier.

A few minutes passed, and I heard silence. Grayson jumped off my lap and rushed to the door as he meowed for someone to hear him from outside. I heard a few knocks at my door, andI stood, wiping my eyes as I went over to the door. I opened it slightly to see Levi looking straight at me.

“Mr. Amante… hi,” I said softly, and he gazed down at me.

“Tesoro, you don’t seem too well. Were you crying?” he asked, and I shook my head, lying. He tilted his head to the side. “I don’t like liars, baby. What’s wrong?” he asked, slowly pushing the door open, and I sighed heavily.

This is the second or third time he’s seen me vulnerable. Part of me wonders if he just has bad timing or if I’m a crybaby…Probably the latter.

“M-my brothers were just being a bit mean to me. It’s nothing, just a normal sibling fight,” I said, shaking my head as it sounded childish, even coming out of my mouth. He didn’t say anything as he just stared at me.I could really use a hug… where did Grayson go?

“...Do you want a hug?” he asked, almost reading my mind.

Hearing those words coming from him seemed a little unnatural, but I was grateful for them nonetheless. “I would love a hug,” I said happily as I wrapped my arms around him and sighed contently.

He cautiously wrapped his arms around me as well. If my brothers knew I was hugging and crushing on a man I met not too long ago, especially a man like Mr. Amante, I would never hear the end of it. But I enjoyed the feeling of his strong arms around me far too much to be concerned with the logistics of us spending time together.

I let out the remainder of my final tears, and soon, we entered my living room.

He sat on the couch, and I handed him a mug of tea. He looked at the mug curiously, and I laughed internally since it had an adorable panda design he was fixated on and studying. He took a sip after examining it a bit more and asked me a question as I sat beside him.

“What did they say?” he asked, and I shrugged, looking away. I felt a small surge of excitement when he pulled my face back to look at him, and I gulped softly.

“What did they say, Tesoro?” he repeated, and I blushed slightly as I averted my eyes from his intense gaze.

“They... were just telling me I’m not cut out to be a doctor and that I should come home and be with my family. It’s a stupid thing to cry over, I know,” I said, shrugging.

“It’s not,” he began. “You shouldn’t limit yourself to what you think they want. Don’t let anyone,especially a man, not allow you to pursue your dreams.”

I bit my lip as a dark joke came to mind, and I tilted my head as I said to him, “I don’t suppose you’ll tell me you’d kill them too since they made me cry, hmm?”

He took another sip before responding, his face remaining comically serious.

“If you want me to, I would.”

I giggled at his response and thought back to earlier, wondering why he was here again.

“Did you help Mitchel finish packing for his move?” I asked him, and he nodded slowly. “He seemed a little battered when I saw him earlier. Did something heavy fall on him by accident? There was a lot of commotion the other night,” I asked, wondering.

He shrugged. “Something like that…”

I nodded slowly as he stared at me for a little while longer before standing up. A brief silence ensued, and I could feel my heart race slightly. His eyes seemed to linger on me, and he bit his lip in thought. I glanced down at his mouth shamelessly before looking back into his alluring eyes.

He looked away after a moment and breathed in slightly. “I should get going,” he muttered, and I felt a bit sad as he stood.

“B-but you just got here,” I whispered, not realizing what I was saying at the moment as he shook his head, avoiding eye contact with me.

“I... can’t stay,” he responded, and I placed my mug on the table, standing as he walked toward the door.

“Was it something I said?” I asked him softly.

He paused by the door. I had the feeling he was going to tell me yes, and I felt a bit upset as I was possibly going to be losing what could’ve been a new friend.

Instead of responding, he turned around abruptly, and his next move shocked me.

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