1927: Redemption

Feelings for HIM

“Let the door be wide upon the free hinge, let the light shine bold from the clear window, for the return home is both assured and set in motion.”

2021-DECEMBER-FLORIDA

Before returning to her apartment, Adeline made a visit to the grocery store to buy things for the thanksgiving, and she made a mental note to celebrate it with the beast.

Not a good idea, but let us see what happens.

Adeline thought of going to a food store before the grocery shopping. Apparently, there was a Whole Foods named store which was some organic health food store that sold ridiculously overpriced items, but good food. She did not know why she was going to that place out of all places, but Thanksgiving was almost an evening away, so it might be time-saving for her to buy something fancy.

Cabbie informed her that Whole Foods was only a few blocks over and she had to walk a little, so she was going to be walking instead of taking the subway to cross the road. She was pleased with this because she happened to hate the subway anyway.

Halfway through the journey of avoiding being rammed into people on the sidewalks to Whole Foods, she made it to Whole Foods as it was nearing three-thirty. The place was not too packed and looked like any other fancy health food store designed to look popular to the vegetarian and vegan culture. They succeeded pretty well, too.

Pulling out the grocery list that she made in the morning, Adeline waltzed off to go and grab a cart. Examining the grocery list with narrowed eyes as she wheeled her cart through the produce section. The first item on the list was a dozen apples for pie. Much to her enjoyment, there was already a mesh bag full of apples by one of the fruit stands, which she grabbed after thoroughly inspecting them.

After she grabbed rhubarb, cranberry sauce, blueberries, strawberries, and blackberries from the general vicinity, she pushed her cart in the direction of the beverage aisles, as one Tazo Brambleberry tea was scrawled on the list beneath the word blackberries as she was going to try a recipe that her grandfather always cooked.

It took a minute or two of perusing the aisle to find the tea section, and she just about let out a triumphant shout when she managed to locate the right tea.

“Well, hello, Adeline Martinez.”

She screamed and nearly dropped the bottle of tea in her grasp, whipping around on her heel to see an eerily familiar person standing beside her whom she just met an hour ago, wearing a leather jacket and scuffed up boots.

“Ace?” She squealed, clutching at the cart for the support. “What the hell are you doing here?”

Ace smiled pleasantly, looking pleased with himself for some odd reason. Adeline really could not even begin to understand why.

“I thought I told you to go back to your apartment, but I knew you wouldn’t go. So, just thought to check up on you,” Ace answered. “See how you were doing.”

Cautiously setting the bottle of tea down in the cart before Adeline turned back to him with as much composure as she could manage.

“I thought we were going to meet tomorrow,” Adeline pointed out. “Why would you come and see how I’m doing as we just met an hour ago?”

Ace shrugged, reaching over to pluck one of the boxes of tea off the shelf beside him. He examined it for a moment before he made a sour face and threw it back down.

“You’re wasting your time on him, Adeline Martinez,” he finally said after a moment, crossing his arms over his chest. “If he had to tell you, he would have done it a way back. I trust you are well aware of this.”

Adeline got a perfect idea of whom he was talking about, glaring at him, “I know what I’m doing Ace, those documents are filled with letters. The LETTER which I wanted to read five years back, not now. So, just spare me the details and let me know what and whom I've been dealing with for the last five years.”

Ace sighed, an abruptly serious look coming over his face that she had not seen before, maybe except for when he was telling her that she had to go back in time to stop her father from going back in time.

“Do you know what you’re getting yourself into, Adeline Martinez?” He asked in a quiet voice.

Frowning in confusion, “What are you talking about?”

“I think you know what I’m talking about,” Ace replied easily.

Staring at him, a blank look on her face. “No. I don’t, funnily enough.”

Ace rubbed a hand across his jaw, an inquisitive look coming over his features. “Perhaps you should think back to the realisation that you came to the time when he saved your life.”

“Excuse me?” Adeline yelped, her hands flying to her face. “W-What are you talking about?”

Ace smirked, “There you go, now you remember, don’t you.”

The realisation that stuck her last night, it was the realisation of feelings that bloomed in her heart whenever he touched her, saved her, cooked for her; these were the feelings that have been stayed in her heart for a long time but she never acknowledged them and now when the beast came out of the shadows in front of her, these feelings have started to come out one by one.

“But….. you can’t read minds!” She reminded him, pointing a finger at him.

“Oh, I can’t,” he reassured her quickly. “But there is a difference between reading someone’s mind and reading someone’s facial features.”

Oh damn, this could not be good.

Adeline thought to reply with something particularly intelligent but came up with nothing, and it ended up sounding like she made something of half gasp, half yelp thing.

“I can tell that your feelings for him are a little more than just for a saviour,” Ace said, sounding oddly formal. “And while I have nothing to do with love, I know what happens because of it.”

Her pulse jumped and quickened and her palms were starting to get sweaty. Ace did not seem like the type of guy to screw somebody over on something like this, but she still could not help but feel very, very afraid.

What on Earth was he talking about?

“What do you mean, be more specific please?” Adeline said slowly, biting her lip.

Ace took a step forward, closing the distance between them, lowering his voice. “Think about what you’re doing, Adeline Martinez. You may not know it yet, but you will in enough time. The repercussions of your actions might be more than you bargained for.”

Adeline sucked in a breath, her vision starting to tilt, and clenched tightly at the cart to keep herself steady. She wanted to fire questions at the guy and demand to know why the hell he was bringing this up now after she had already been on the job for five years now.

Well, not fully, but partially.

If he was trying to stop her or whatever, why even bother opening up to her in the first place?

“Look, Ace, I’m not so sure you even kn-”

“Hello, Miss?”

The entire situation was blown out of the water even more by the shopkeeper's appearance at the end of the aisle, a completely undefinable look on his face as he examined Ace.

“Is this man creating a problem here, Miss?” He came and stopped beside her, examining Ace with calculative eyes because of Ace’s dressing.

Adeline ignored the man, staring at Ace, trying to gauge his facial expression to see if something insanely bad was going to happen.

“Well?” She hinted shakily, her voice cracking. “Want to tell me anything else while you’re ahead of yourself?”

Ace smiled, his eyes fixed on the man behind her as he spoke, “Oh, I think I have told you everything I can, Adeline Martinez. See you tomorrow.”

Ace turned on his heel and walked out of sight with his hands tucked in his pockets.

Well, good.

“Miss, you should not be associated with this kind of person.”

Adeline turned back to him, her eyes burning with unshed tears. “What?”

“Crimes have increased in our city, and a lady like you should be well aware of your surroundings.” Said the man, giving Adeline eerie vibes.

“He is….. family.” Said Adeline, shaking her head. “No reason to worry.”

And Adeline left him standing there in the tea aisle, I tent on walking off on her own to get her composure back. The last thing she needed was to break down sobbing in the middle of a grocery store.

Because she had a feeling that things were about to get much, much more complicated.

Why does she think things were going to get more complicated?

Will the beast accept the Thanksgiving celebration with her?

What did Ace mean by her feelings for the Beast?

How does Ace know about everything, did he also read the documents?