1 Happy Valentine's Day

"Argh!"

A scream that also became one with a sigh sounded in Jade's ears as she was walking in the Wet Cold Wood. Jade kept walking and seeking the source of the voice. He tried not to get caught.

"Please, don't!"

[It's a girl's voice!] she thought.

"Help! help!"

Jade finally runs. She wished she could find the girl's voice. She didn't care if her steps would only make anyone more able to see her. She just wanted to help at night in the woods of the city of Alaska.

"Damn it!" she stumbled and fell. Then at that moment, she did not hear the girl's voice again. She immediately felt guilty and lowered her head. She was the one who heard her scream, at least that's what she thought. But before she got to where the girl was, Jade stumbled and the voice disappeared.

KRAKKK!

The broken branch that was stepped on made Jade turn around and she saw a tall person standing in front of her.

A sturdy hand that Jade couldn't see reached out to her. "Let me help you," said a man's voice.

Jade, who had been afraid, finally accepted the outstretched hand and suddenly felt surprised because the man's skin was so cold. But even so, Jade still didn't want to think about it too much.

"Th-thank you, Sir-"

"Max. My name is Maximillian and you can call me Max," said the man named Maximillian. "And don't call me Sir. Just call me by name."

Jade nodded under the bright moonlight above her. "Max. Thank you, Max."

"And what's your name?"

"Ah ... I-I'm Jade. Yeah. Jade."

Again, Max stretched out his hand to shake Jade formally. They then shook their hands and smiled at each other.

"Well, Jade, what are you doing at night like this? Anyway, come on, we're on our way out of the woods."

Jade and Max walk through the forest. She followed in the footsteps of the man who was by her side and tall enough for her to be short. She no longer felt fear and nervousness, but instead, she was happy because she had a friend just met.

"I can't sleep. It's my habit to walk out in the middle of the night in the woods like this," Jade replied.

"You're not afraid of something? Then why did you look like you just fell?"

"Afraid of what? I have no fear of anything. And about that," her voice suddenly stopped. She was reminded again of the girl's voice that she heard but just disappeared. "I heard a girl's voice asking for help and I wanted to help her. Then I ran but I tripped and the sound disappeared," she continued.

Max's brow furrowed. He swallowed his saliva until his Adam's apple moved and his face looked different when he heard Jade's explanation.

"Maybe it was just your hallucination, Jade."

But Jade shook her head. "No, it wasn't!" She stopped in her tracks when they were nearing the side of the road. Jade's two golden eyes stared at Max's eyes, which looked sharp and gripping in front of her. Instantly, Jade backed away in shock.

"What is it?" Max asked.

"No-nothing, it's just, I've seen you more clearly than in the forest earlier. You're ... handsome," Jade said appreciatively.

Max smiled. "Thanks, Jade. Come on, let's go out a bit more so you can see me obviously."

Jade went first and Max was behind her. His body felt turbulent and excited when he saw Jade in front of him. Even though she was covered in a hoodie and thick coat, he could hear Jade's pulse, which made him feel provoked.

Finding an empty seat, Jade sat there and Max was still standing looking at her. "Ah, do you mind if we sit here?" Jade asked.

"Hmm, it's fine. I'll sit by your side then."

Max sat his ass and looked straight ahead. He was so close to Jade that it made it even more difficult for him. He was even speechless unless Jade was about to start it.

Being with Jade had always been his dream. He doesn't know who pushed him to be this brave to approach Jade. Whereas in the past, he knew that the girl by his side now was almost every night walking around the forest alone. And Max tries to guard him against afar while looking for prey.

Max looked at the watch in his right hand. It would be midnight in the midnight and he would give Jade something she would never forget.

"By the way, where's your house, Max?" Jade asked, breaking the silence.

"My house is in the woods. I mean, opposite our current location."

"Oh? Then you're very far from your house. Is that okay with you?"

Max shook his head. "No problem. I'm 19 years old and free to leave the house unattended and without questioning from my parents."

Jade sighed. "Ah, you're lucky. I still have to keep my parents' permission. I mean, my dad. My mom's gone and I just live with Zack, my dad. He's so protective of me."

"I know."

"You know that?"

"Errr ... I mean, a male parent will always be so protective of his daughter," Max corrected, which he almost thought Jade would find out.

Jade nodded. "But every night out like this, I sneak in secretly. If he finds out, I'll be scolded badly!"

"Why?"

Jade looked left and right. She ascertained whether anyone besides them was there or not. But when she realized that no one was there, she then slightly approached Max.

"Zack told me I should always carry this with me," Jade suddenly pulled out a small tube filled with ground pepper from her coat pockets. Max looked at it and he smiled as if belittling what Jade's father gave his daughter.

"What is that for?" Max asked, pretending not to know.

But Jade shrugged her shoulders. "Zack just said that if I run into someone who looks evil or looks like he wants to pounce on me, I should put this pepper powder in their eyes. That's why I've had my hands in my coat pockets. I'm afraid you're a bad person. Sorry for thinking that way."

This time, Max chuckled. Jade was full of honesty and he felt that Jade knew nothing about the creature her father was referring to or was cold-blooded.

"Close your eyes, Jade," Max ordered her to change the subject.

"Oh? What for? You don't want to commit a crime to me, do you?"

"If I wanted to do it, it would have been a long time ago. Just close your eyes and don't peek."

Jade closed her eyes. Max stared at Jade's beautiful face for a moment until his eyes saw the pulse on her neck. He endured the turmoil and realized that he had a primary purpose.

Max ran quickly to get a flower and returned to Jade without the girl knowing. He looked at the red rose. He had wanted to give Jade something like this for a long time at a time that sounded so romantic just like humans.

"Now open your eyes slowly," Max ordered as he showed the flower in Jade's face.

Jade's two beautiful eyes with curly eyelashes opened. She looked so shocked and looked at Max in disbelief. "Max ... what is this?"

"Happy Valentine's Day. Time to say it, right?"

"Are you celebrating it?"

Max nodded. "Just with you. I've wanted to celebrate with you for a long time. I've wanted to talk to you for a long time, Jade. And tonight I ventured."

Jade didn't understand what Max was saying. Her brow furrowed at the man. "What do you mean by 'a long time', Max?"

"Take this flower first, Jade."

Hesitantly, Jade reached for the flower and she smelled it which gave off a fragrant aroma. "Thank You."

"Jade ... I've been waiting for you for a long time. I like you," Max said at the same time.

The smile on Jade's face faded along with Max's sudden confession and made her even more clueless. To her, they had just met, and to her, how could someone just meet her so quickly like her? Moreover, Max put the word 'a long time' in his words which made Jade even more curious.

"Max, I-I don't understand," said Jade shaking her head. "Listen, I mean ... I'm grateful that you gave me these flowers on Valentine's Day. I feel special, but-"

"And you're special to me. Jade ... I've known you from afar," Max cut in, and now his words were becoming increasingly incomprehensible to Jade.