Chapter 116.Each one satisfied-3

“So,” Mylo asked, a faint, teasing smirk playing on his lips as the elevator hummed downward. “Did you enjoy yourself?”

Aaina crossed her arms, looking away.

“It was tolerable,” she muttered, her chin tipped up defensively. “Meha makes good chicken. And Chloe is way too nice for a giant jerk like you.”

“Careful,” Mylo chuckled. “Or I’ll tell Meha to only feed you boiled carrots next time.”

“You wouldn’t dare!”

The elevator chimed, and the metal doors slid open to the ground floor.

They stepped out into the cool evening air. The streetlights cast a warm, orange glow over the pavement of the apartment complex courtyard.

Mylo casually extended his large hand toward her.

“Come on,” he said. “Before you trip over your own feet in the dark.”

Aaina glared at his hand. “I am not a baby. I know how to walk.”

“Hold my hand, brat, or I’m telling your grandpa you tried to extort me for child support today.”

Aaina gasped, her face flushing a furious pink. “You’re a snitch!”

“I’m a survivor,” Mylo grinned.

She grumbled a series of colorful complaints under her breath, but her small hand reached out, wrapping tightly around his fingers. Her grip was surprisingly strong, holding on like an anchor.

They walked in comfortable rhythm, the sounds of the distant city traffic humming in the background.

“You really almost gave Chloe a heart attack, you know,” Mylo pointed out, swinging their joined hands slightly as they walked past the courtyard fountain.

“She was practically asking for it!” Aaina argued, looking up at him with a defiant scowl. “Did you see her face? It was hilarious.”

“I saw my life flashing before my eyes,” Mylo deadpanned.

“Oh, please. You loved it,” Aaina scoffed, kicking a loose pebble across the pavement. “Besides, I think it broke the ice. She stopped looking so stiff like a robot teacher after that.”

“You have a terrifying definition of breaking the ice.”

“Well, it worked, didn’t it?” she smirked triumphantly. “She was laughing by the end. You should be thanking me.”

“I am not thanking you for making my teacher think I’m a teenage deadbeat dad,” Mylo sighed, though he couldn’t hide his amused smile. “Just don’t do it again. She actually has the power to expel me.”

“I make no promises,” Aaina hummed happily.

They walked in comfortable silence for another minute. Up ahead, an old building came into view. Walking past the dirty floor and smelly garbage, they head to the back.

As they got closer to her front door, Aaina’s footsteps slowly started to drag.

Her grip on his hand tightened just a fraction. The bratty, confident energy she had been radiating all evening suddenly vanished.

She stopped walking entirely a few feet away from her porch.

Mylo paused, looking down at her. She was staring fixedly at the tips of her sneakers, digging the toe of her shoe into the dirt. A deep, heavy pink flush crawled up her neck, painting her cheeks.

“Hey, Mylo?” Aaina asked.

Gone was the sarcastic tone. Her voice had dropped into a sulky, embarrassed, incredibly tiny whisper.

“Yeah?” Mylo asked gently.

Aaina grabbed the hem of her jacket with her free hand, her knuckles turning white. She stubbornly refused to look up at him.

“Can I…” she swallowed hard, shifting her weight nervously. “…Can I come over again sometime? In the future?”

Mylo looked down at the top of her head.

The tough, sarcastic armor had completely melted away, leaving just a lonely fourteen-year-old girl.

A soft, genuine smile broke across Mylo’s face.

He reached out with his free hand and rested it on top of her head, giving her hair a gentle, affectionate ruffle.

“You can come over anytime you want, Aaina,” Mylo said warmly. “My door is always open.”

Aaina looked up, her eyes wide and shining in the dim light. A bright, happy smile finally broke through her embarrassed pout.

She let go of his hand and practically skipped the rest of the way down the path.

They turned the corner, heading toward the older, neglected wing of the apartment.

The atmosphere shifted immediately.

The hallway lighting here flickered dimly. Mylo wrinkled his nose as a foul, unpleasant smell hit the air.

He glanced around. Several ripped trash bags were piled near the corner of the corridor, leaking something dark onto the cracked concrete. The walls were stained and peeling.

No wonder she likes hanging out, Mylo thought, a quiet pang of sympathy hitting his chest.

Aaina didn’t seem to notice the smell. She skipped right up to the rusted metal gate at the very end of the hall and knocked loudly.

A moment later, the heavy door creaked open.

Uncle Joe stood in the doorway, wearing an old undershirt and holding a worn-out rag. The elderly caretaker’s face lit up with relief when he saw them.

“Ah, Mr. Mylo,” Uncle Joe smiled, opening the gate wider to let Aaina slip inside. “Thank you for bringing her back. I hope she wasn’t too much trouble.”

“She was a perfect menace, Uncle Joe,” Mylo joked, offering a polite nod. “Have a good night.”

“You too. Thank you again for the food.”

Mylo turned around, stuffing his hands back into his pockets, ready to head back up to the warmth of his own apartment.

“Hey! Wait!”

Mylo paused and looked back over his shoulder.

Aaina had poked her head back out through the half-open door. Her face was entirely flushed, red all the way to the tips of her ears. She gripped the edge of the doorframe like a lifeline.

She opened her mouth, closed it, and then took a deep, nervous breath.

“Since you begged me to come over…” Aaina stammered, her voice clumsy and incredibly shy. “I… I guess I will at least make you my friend!”

Before Mylo could even process the words, she yanked her head back inside.

SLAM.

The heavy door shut tightly right in his face.

Mylo stood alone in the dim, foul-smelling corridor, staring at the closed door.

A quiet chuckle escaped his lips. He shook his head fondly, turning back.

The heavy metal gate clanged shut, sealing out the damp, unpleasant smell of the lower corridor.

It was small and cramped, consisting of a single living room, a tiny kitchen, and only one proper bedroom, which belonged to Aaina. In the corner of the living room, a neatly folded thin mattress sat waiting for Uncle Joe, who slept on the floor every night to give his granddaughter her own space.

Aaina leaned against the front door for a second, a lingering, happy blush dusting her cheeks. She kicked off her sneakers and started heading toward her bedroom to change.

“So,” Uncle Joe’s warm, raspy voice called out from the small kitchenette, where he was pouring a glass of water. “How was the dinner?”

Aaina paused in the hallway. The defensive, bratty mask she wore outside completely dropped, replaced by a relaxed, soft expression.

“It was… funny,” she admitted, a small, genuine smile tugging at her lips as she remembered the absolute chaos of the evening, the screaming, and the flying vegetables. “Really funny.”

Uncle Joe walked into the living room, leaning heavily against the worn-out sofa. He looked at his granddaughter gently.

The deep lines around his eyes crinkled with affection. He had rarely seen her look this genuinely happy, this light. The heavy, cynical edge she usually carried to protect herself was completely gone.

“You really like hanging out with him, don’t you?” Uncle Joe asked softly.