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Aidoneus and Persefone lasted another two hours in the coffee shop as they spoke about various topics. There were also times when they spoke with the owners of the shop, who were very humble and kind. That was when Aidoneus asked Persefone if she wanted to walk before he drove her back. She agreed but decided to use the restroom before going. When Persefone stood and went to use the bathroom, Aidoneus noticed that she accidentally left her phone on the chair. He got the phone and put it on the table so Persefone wouldn't forget; as he waited, the phone vibrated.
A message was received. The young werewolf didn't like to pry into people's business and privacy, but he couldn't deny his curiosity. He pushed the power button to get a view of the type of message she got.
It was from an unknown number, and from what could be gathered, parts of the message said, "I miss you. Please talk..."
The rest of the message couldn't be read since the phone had to be logged in. It was a message from another male, and Aidoneus felt his werewolf side getting angry. He couldn't help since werewolves are possessive and territorial. "Is she seeing another man beside me?" Aidoneus shook his head. "I can't think that way. Maybe it's a misunderstanding." His thoughts were interrupted when Persefone returned to the coffee shop; he composed himself. "H-Hey, are you ready?"
"Sure am."
"Don't forget your phone, it was on the chair."
Persefone looked at her phone; her eyes widened slightly. She got her phone and put it in her small purse. "Thanks. It's a brand new phone since my old one was a bit of a nuisance. Ready to go?"
Aidoneus nodded; the duo said their goodbyes to the shop owners and walked outside. They decided to walk on the sidewalk to get some fresh air. The werewolf tried his best to act neutral, but his werewolf side was seething with rage. Questions were going through his mind as he tried to figure out who tried to text his mate. There was a possibility it could be a family member, but the message looked to be intimate. He was so entrapped in his thoughts that he didn't hear Persefone speaking to him. "Aidoneus!"
"Hm, what?"
"I asked if you were okay. You look very thoughtful."
"Oh, sorry about that. I remembered something, it was about my parents." Aidoneus felt disgusted with himself for lying to his mate. They barely met, and he didn't know her entire story; Aidoneus wanted to know who texted her but didn't want to look demanding.
"Your parents? Are you having conflicts about who you are going to visit?"
The werewolf sighed. "It's complicated. Sorry, I shouldn't have acted that way. The holidays are times that I consider very special. When times change so do one's perception about the holidays." He hoped that Persefone would believe him and that she would tell him more about her personal life so he could figure out who that mystery person was.
"Don't apologize for something like that. I feel the same way." Persefone didn't like talking too much about her personal life; she feared people could use it against her. She glanced at Aidoneus, who still looked thoughtful; he was honest about parts of his life. Although he was good-looking, he had problems in his life. "My parents are still together but whenever I see them, I feel that they just tolerate one another."
"Tolerate one another?"
Persefone looked hesitant to speak further about her family life. However, she felt Aidoneus spoke a bit about his divorced parents, so it would be fair if she did the same. "In my culture, when one is married, one has to stick it out, even through worse. My parents take the sanctity of marriage to heart even if they're not happy together."
Aidonues could tell that Persefone looked hurt when she spoke about her parents' situation. He knew how it felt when his parents went through their divorce. "How do you know that they're not happy? Have they spoken to you about it?"
"No, my parents are too proud, and they grew up in an environment where they don't speak about their feelings due to the fear of being judged." Persefone sighed as she looked at the trees on the sidewalk's corners. The sounds of the leaves rustling made her feel at ease. "A couple of weeks ago, my mother found out that my father had an emotional affair. He sent money to a woman he met online but had second thoughts. However, it was too late, the receipts were found, and I thought divorce was going to happen. It didn't."
"I'm so sorry that you had to go through that. Are your parents at least trying to make it work?" Persefone shook her head; the sadness in her eyes was apparent. "I thought my parents had it worse. At least they tried working it out."
"My parents decided to forget the whole thing, and my dad promised to get rid of all of his social media and never do it again. However, they are still not doing anything to improve their relationship; it's hopeless."
Aidoneus stopped, which prompted her to do the same. "I understand you since I went through it with my parents. Sometimes, we want to help our parents deal with their problems. However, as our parents do with us, we must live with them with their lives and decisions. It may hurt us, but sometimes, we must learn to let others make their own choices."
The duo looked at one another; a spark went through their bodies, making them shiver. Their moment was interrupted when Persefone's phone vibrated. Both blinked; Persefone reached for her phone to see who was calling her. Aidoneus noticed that her expression changed into annoyance; she closed the call. "Sorry about that.'
"Is something wrong? I could tell that you look bothered." He knew something was happening and hoped that Persefone would give him a clue about who texted her.
"It's nothing, just a former...friend. Anyway, I need to get home."
"Sure. Um, would you like to meet again? I enjoyed my time with you."
Persefone smiled. "Of course. I also enjoyed my time with you. I picked somewhere; you can pick somewhere."
Aidoneus was thoughtful. He thought about taking her to one of the places that his father took Maeve. However, he considered the possibility that Maeve and Persefone would talk about their dates, and he thought against it. Then, an idea popped into his mind. "You know, there is a small cafe in Hacienda Heights that I would like to go to. The owner not only sells tea and coffee but also bento boxes. The cafe is also close to a famous, free temple; if interested, we could go there afterward." The werewolf hoped Persefone would accept his idea and didn't think poorly of him.
"That sounds very nice. I didn't know that Hacienda Heights had a famous temple. I'm in!"
"G-Great. Let's head back, and I'll take you home." Aidoneus felt relieved that his mate accepted his idea but still couldn't stop thinking about who had texted and tried to call her. "I need advice and I might have to get it from an unlikely source."
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