Chapter Three

It had been a while after Elise’s meeting with Yasei. His last statement threw her for a loop, but she didn’t want to waste too much time on that. She wasn’t going to take his words as seriously; there was nothing they had in common. Let’s face facts, the circles they belonged to were completely different. She loved being away from the crowd.

While he was just the face which drew people in there was no way she’d ever become a trope of opposites attract. Besides, everything that was calm about her life kept focused on herself.She was not going to take his words seriously; there was no particular interest they had in common. Even if he tried to convince her otherwise she felt like it was as if something just didn't make sense.

The latter which was swirling around in her thoughts accurately could have been she lost her faith in people. The facts remained he was just in a different part of a social group she’d never mesh well with. She loved being away from the crowd, yet he was just someone who knew how to draw people in.

Elise never really enjoyed tropes, the opposite attracts tropes that felt ironic for this situation.

Her life, everything that made her comfortable was a calm peaceful nothing was disturbed about it. She didn't need a whole storm to flood her life. Besides, there was no reason for her to interact with Yasey Honpō again. It didn't make sense, he had to have wanted something from her because people were without their agendas.

Shaking her head from restless thoughts, her nerves felt like they were getting the best of her. Attachments and Relationships. Those always stirred up conflict in emotions inside her heart, the wish to imagine interacting with people normally would be like.

A dream was just as fictional as she read in her books. Life in her own term was full of dysfunctional parents, past trauma, and her anxiety creating her to fixate too much on things. Yeah, she wasn't considered normal even to get own parents, so why did she need to have friends when they would do the same to her.

After all she already had one horrible experience in trying to make a friend, but that event still made her feel like it was a never ending nightmare in itself. The silly childish part of Elise, she dreamed about being normal , or at least not a mental train wreck where people look at her like a circus animal. With her parents, she was never in a stable environment to be in a place to do so with moving around all the time.

Not to mention, the mental and emotional abuse she suffered as a child for having an anxious condition . As in her parents' own words, just let those silly ideas of social relationship fade away like a fog. Now, she was able to cope in her own way with being alone. But, lumping everyone in that category was foolish. She knew not every person was the same. Her Aunt and therapist would always tell her that, and she was aware of the fact.

Elise just got comfortable with being alone, it made it more manageable as she wouldn't be hurt. At least she kept her distance and maintained her little bubble. If keeping everyone out was so easy for her, yet she was thrown out of balance since Yasei talked to her. A wind chime bell perked her ears, she glanced down at her phone. She saw the notification. It was a text message from her Aunt, with her thumb right to open it while reading what it said.

Sweetheart, have you looked at the site I sent?

Elise read the text and it made her eyes avert gaze from her phone screen. Aunt Melaine, or Melaine Woods, she was a kind and compassionate woman, who had been what a real mother her own should have been to her.

She had two children, her cousin Eric, and Miles, her eldest son Eric was already married with his college sweetheart Vega Monte. While Miles was off traveling the world with his girlfriend, it was nice to be able to see what a real family looked like.

Yet, the very woman who helped her through life unlike her own parents. Aunt Melaine had sent her numerous links to social groups, which aided in understanding anxiety, and to get her to be more comfortable with socializing.

With her trauma, she just got too nervous and scared to even attempt.The woman was compassionate and patient with Elise, yet the fact of the social groups helped her social trauma. She wasn’t ready to do something like that which gave her apprehension for it. This woman was nurturing and kind like a mother she always wished to have growing up.

She would always get links from self help sites, and apps to help her handle or gradually overcome her issues. Sometimes, it was easy to lie and say, ‘ you’re fine.’ Elise couldn’t lie to her aunt even if there was a temptation to do so, yet she could feel that little voice enter her mind.

‘Lisse, it’s not gonna work out.’

Yeah, she was not the best liar if even anything she was just a humble goodie goodie, not that she felt bothered by it. So, she had to buckle up for the text she would send honestly. This was the truth. Begrudgingly, she didn’t want to mention Yasei, because she knew how her aunt would be. God, she could practically hear be soft and break out into supportive cheering of even the fraction of social steps forward. With a huff of breath, she resigned herself to texting her back with a simple message that read:

I have not been to them yet, Aunt Mel. But, I'll be sure to get to it. Been a little distracted lately.

At the quick press of the send button, Elsie sent the text hearing just a faint bell ping to signal it's been sent. Truthfully, college life had kept her focused, mainly making her grateful for no more distractions. Nothing but studying she has her day where she is in her element, and the one thing she could be relaxed with. No one bothered her for the typical label she was given in school as a loner nerd, a smile touched her lips at least it kept her away from trouble.

Inside her own mind, it was just so she could protect herself from other people. Or as her uncle liked to call it a wall to protect herself from the pain she experienced all her life. Parties and social gossip that passed from highschool to college. It just spelled a recipe for a tea room nightmare and drama. Both of which she didn't want to slip into like her peers. Two main goals for her future, sure, those people she called her parents thought her dreams of graduating early were foolish.

The fact she busted her \*\*\* off to leave behind

high school much more than it was sweet to get some sort of vindication. In a multitude of ways, she was finally free to get out of the toxic home life to have her own apartment. A job at her aunt and uncle’s bakery was a way for her to make money, yes, Morning Fix , a new business that has another chain in the avenue of success. There was a simple joy in baking and cooking she found giving her a reason to pursue a career in food.

Luckily, her college had some of the best pastry chefs which made her able to stay close to home. A lot of hours were spent studying sometimes, with a lot of caffeine to get extra time to go over her notes. Her mind went to thinking of the startling presence by Yasei. Shaking her head, a chuckle left her lips beside it was just a random occurrence she saw him there. One of the many descriptions that could be described about the guy, his eyes felt like the sea drawing someone into their depths.

Unknowingly if they would show there usually spark of excitement, mischief, or a deep indescribable guard for those who he gave good reason to keep away. Thinking about his was a free spirit, she chuckled slightly it most definitely showed with his hair. A pretty sandy sort of dark brown in shade, a chopped messily layered with long strands down his back, and parted down the middle to frame his chiseled features though sharp. Elise could admit he was handsome, a character rebel of a boy though as he looked wild he was clever like a fox.

Long lashes, unique one dimple smile \(Depending on if he was up to no good. A guess only on her part she had a hunch she was right.\) In short, he was a poster boy naturally for anything with slightly tawny skin, complimenting his roguish but youthful boyish aesthetic. The stories or gossip about him just said he was mysterious, she wasn’t one to fall into basic assumptions. Each gender wanted a piece of Yasei Honpō, not that she cared about that, her opinion of sexuality was love was just pure love regardless of gender.

Yes, his physique seemed to hit all the women in her class ideal type of build. Thankfully, she was happy that she had her music during the down time in lectures to enjoy. Her simple life without complications was something she wanted, if it was not shaken up by Yasei and those who fawned over him. Another text made buzz on her kitchen counter, she saw the nickname as Ric, Elise's older cousin whose wedding she had gone to last year. His husband Vega, he was a charming guy who drew people into a conversation.

Hell, she had no real explanation about how she was able to easily talk to her cousin’s husband. It had to do with more of how he understood her as they talked, and she wanted to make sure what kind of person he’d been. One thing led to them talking, it even surprised her because she never initiated a conversation willingly. She never understood why she was capable of doing so the first time she met him.

Truthfully, everyone was so shook with surprise about how she was talking with someone that wasn’t her cousin or her Aunt, whose jaw was literally dropping to the floor in shock. Her uncle did so right along with her. Maybe she sensed it was just how Vega was so in love with her cousin, not to mention the fact he had a sister himself who dealt with her on mentally kick backs like she did. Or well that was going to be a bit difficult to explain for Elise, as why she was just able to talk to him.

Who was the cute guy, Lisse? Are you finally making an attempt to be socially approached..? Because he seemed to like approaching you. ;3

Oh, god.

Her eyes went swiftly over the notification reading the text message about Yasei. Her mind scrambled in concern like she literally hoped he didn’t think, they were friends or making any weird assumptions. Pinching the bridge of her nose, she knew there would be questions asked about Yasei.

How did he even see him?

Damage control, this is all needed to do to correct things— she didn’t need his existence to mess with her life like this. Biting her lips, chewing it in thought as she typed to Eric. Mhm, this would be a perfectly good explanation to avoid any misunderstandings.

*Just someone who happened to be at the library. Nothing is going on, or ever will going on between us. You know I like being a little hermit, Riccy*.

All that said and sent, a little wind chime sound sent the text message that made her breath a bit easier. Eric was typing she could tell but he knew her inside and out. He pops into check up on her, his sage advice always seemed to make her life and other times he could be annoying as well. Why was this a concern? No one ever, ever willing came up to speak with her, so she felt nervous and afraid Yasei of all people came to do so.

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