Ryder the Love Expert | Protector 2.1

Chapter 12

Chapter 12

       "I have a question," Mae said to me while I was going through my locker, trying to find my biology notebook. I was usually a very organized person but there were sometimes where I could literally care less and just threw my stuff in my locker.

       "What is it?" I asked.

       "Well, my mom really wants to meet you," she said. "Would you be willing to come over to dinner tonight? It's the only night my mom has off for a while."

       I sighed. "I would, but I can't. My grandparents are coming over for dinner today because there's something my parents want to tell them."

       "Oh," Mae said, sounding a bit disappointed.

       "I can always meet your mom without coming over for dinner," I said. "Like maybe the weekend where she's not working around lunch time."

       Mae's disappointed look turned into a thin smile. "Okay."

       I finally found my biology notebook in my messy locker, so I took it out and closed it. "I would let you meet my family, but they're kind of....crazy, to put it nicely."

       "How so?" Mae asked.

       "Well...." I said slowly. "Ever since my mom was a teenager, her and my grandpa have been big on shipping. If they see a couple, they'll ship them. And right now, Maeder is the only thing they talk about, even before we started dating."

       Mae kept her thin smile on her face. "So you've talked about me before?"

       "Honestly, when Tulip met you in the grocery store, she decided to tell my dad I had a girlfriend," I said. "And thus, Maeder was born."

       "Well, in my opinion, your family sounds cool," Mae said. "Especially after you told me about your parents. And you have how many siblings again? Four?"

       "Soon to be five," I said.

       "Wow, that's a lot," she said. "I only have a sister, but she's currently studying abroad. In France."

       "Trust me, having a lot can be a pain," I said. "I mean, I love my siblings, but they're really annoying, especially the triplets." In fact, I was surprised they weren't bombarding me and Mae right now.... 

       I probably jinxed it.

       "Even having one sibling can be a pain," Mae said. "I love my sister dearly, but she loves teasing me. So, I have a question I've been wondering about. This whole love expert thing. How did it start?"

       "In school, I can't even remember," I said. "But I do remember that when I was three, I gave both my dad and his cousin's husband advice because they were sucking at making their girls happy."

       "You were three?" she asked. "Wow. You must be Cupid."

        "I wouldn't doubt it," I said. "That would mean I'm immortal and let's face it. I'm too good-looking to die."

       Mae rolled her eyes. "You have a very high level of arrogance."

       "I like to think of it was confidence," I corrected.

       "Either way, it's a high level," Mae said.

       "You know what else is a high level? How much I like you."

       "And I see the cheesiness is up there too," Mae said.

       "Cheesy, no way," I said. "I'm not cheesy."