8

"Of course," was the grateful response I gave. "Although I must confess, I still have a hard time accepting the actions you have taken," she said.

"Comprehensible," he nodded his head in assent. "However, I would appreciate it if you wouldn't judge me solely based on hearsay."

Oh yeah, I muttered absentmindedly. "Oh yeah." "I completely lost track of that."

"Anyway," he continued without breaking his rhythm, "I'll get into the specifics at the earliest opportunity. In the meantime, let's go inside where it's quieter and have a conversation for a while."

I gave a hesitant nod in response. After that, I accompanied him into the house and sat down on the sofa next to him there. After a few moments, I became aware of a peculiar odor that was permeating the air. It made me think of pine trees, but I could also smell some fresh flowers in the background. In addition, it appeared to have come from some location in the vicinity of the kitchen. I was intrigued, so I turned my attention toward him and watched him closely. After giving me a fleeting look, he turned back to focus on what was happening on the television screen. However, after remaining still for a number of minutes while watching TV in silence, his eyes eventually returned to me. This time, he gave me a meaningful stare that fixed me in place.

He asked in a hushed voice, "Can you smell it?" "Or are you imagining things?"

"What do you smell?" I inquired with some trepidation.

"Pine needles," he clarified while maintaining a patient demeanor. "In addition, there are wildflowers."

"Huh?"

He informed me that the aromas were coming from the garden that was located outside. "More specifically, from the territory that encompasses the pond."

I couldn't help but frown in doubt. "Why?"

He stated his statement in a composed manner, "I buried my father's body there."

As soon as I heard the news, I went completely numb. "Wh-why?"

"To protect his spirit," he explained in a straightforward manner. "Until he discovers the path to peace."

I heaved a choking sound. "Spirits?"

"Yes," he stated with a solemn expression. "There is no such thing as an immortal werewolf. They die just like everyone else does. On the other hand, in contrast to humans, we maintain our level of consciousness even in the last moments of our lives. The vast majority of us, however, select to die quietly while we are asleep."

I let out a trembling "Oooohhh..." as I exhaled. "And you think that interring your father in this cemetery will help make that a reality?"

"Well, yes," he admitted openly to the question. "In any case, I certainly hope so. If this continues, I may never get the chance to properly say goodbye to him."

I let out a shocked gasp. "You're serious?"

He insisted with a firm tone, "Of course." "Even if it doesn't work out, it's not a waste of time to try."

After an extended period of silence on my part, I finally managed to respond. Then, after some time had passed, I came to the conclusion that I needed to take prompt action if I wanted to stop him from excavating the remains of his father. Unhappily, my first instinct was to grab onto him and try to stop him in some way, but that wasn't the best course of action. But unfortunately for me, he was more powerful than I was and a lot quicker than I was. In addition, I was uncertain as to whether or not he intended to actually bury his father's body anywhere in the neighborhood. In the event that he was merely joking around, interrupting him could easily lead to a significant misunderstanding. As a result, I made the decision to put him to the test by asking him a few questions.

"Okay," I began, "let me ask you this: Is there really a reason why you need to dig up your dad's body now?" "Okay," I said again, "let me ask you this."

Before giving his response, he showed a brief moment of hesitation. "Yes," he conceded after some thought. "The truth is that it has been years since I've seen him. Not ever since I left the house we used to share."

I had to force a swallow as I awaited his response with trepidation. On the other hand, much to my relief, he did not divulge any additional information about his father. Instead, he did nothing but keep staring at me intently the whole time.

He wondered out loud, "Would it make you happier if I told you that I intend to bring his coffin with me when I move to America? " "After all, doing so would grant you a great number of opportunities to observe his appearance once more."

I responded with a resounding "nope." "I cannot in good conscience grant you permission to carry out that action."

Aran gave a light chuckle and shrugged his shoulders in a nonchalant manner. "That makes sense. I suppose I'll have to think of something else to do in this situation."

I told him in a commanding tone, "Just stay away from the pond." "Do not touch anything or anyone in the area without first informing me of your intention to do so."

After giving me the once over for a couple of seconds, he nodded in assent. After that, he moved closer to me and gave me a passionate kiss on the lips. After that, our lips began to separate, and we noticed that our breathing had significantly slowed down. Following that, there was a period of time during which neither one of us uttered a single word. After what seemed like an eternity, I finally broke the silence by muttering, "I love you."

He responded by looking at me lovingly and saying, "I know."

After that, he got to his feet and walked past me on his way to the exit. Just as he was about to leave the room, he turned around and asked, "By the way, how is the job search coming along?"

I blinked in surprise. What do you mean, "Job?"

After leaving the entranceway, he flashed a broad grin and made his way back to the couch, where he sat down next to me. After that, he reached out and grabbed my hand, gripping it firmly within his own. A split second later, he murmured in my ear in a low voice, "I'm sorry." "Do you remember what I told you the day before? Concerning my goals to launch my own business, what are your thoughts?"

I mumbled, "Uh huh" while my attention was elsewhere.

"Good," he exclaimed in a cheery tone of assurance to me. "The fact that I have finally become a citizen of the United States should make it possible for me to legally register the business in my name. This indicates that I will no longer be required to conceal who I am."

"Really?" I questioned in surprise.

"Yep," he enthusiastically confirmed. "The only thing I need to do is submit the necessary paperwork to the relevant authorities. My official certificate of incorporation will be sent to me once they have decided whether or not to approve my application. After that point, nobody will ever be able to dispute my claim to ownership of the company, unless I choose to sell it outright at some point in the future. If I so choose, I can hand over the rights to run my business to another person at any time thanks to legal protections. Or even bring an end to its operations entirely if I change my mind. Due to the fact that the entire process is governed by federal regulations, it is impossible for anyone to interfere with the decisions that have been made. You need to understand that companies that are organized as LLCs are categorized as "passive entities" rather than "active corporations." As a direct consequence of this, the owners of these businesses are afforded the privilege of limited liability protection against lawsuits brought forth by third parties."

My jaw dropped open in awe as he talked. "Wow! That's amazing!"

"Yeah," he nodded enthusiastically in agreement. "Therefore, there is absolutely no risk of bankruptcy or legal action being taken against my business. It doesn't matter what kind of trouble there is, it won't have any impact on me personally. The only things that could go wrong are the assets of my company. Everything else remains in its original state."

"Amazing," I echoed while holding my breath. "Doesn't that imply that you're completely safe from the possibility of going bankrupt?"

"Not quite," he pointed out to me in his correction. "In concept, it makes a lot of sense. But things aren't quite that straightforward in real life. To begin, I'd be out all of the money that I've put into the company over the course of its existence. Second, the majority of the personal property that I own would be taken away from me. And to make matters even worse, I wouldn't be eligible for unemployment benefits either. If I didn't find another job right away after my company went out of business, I would probably end up living on the street. And if that were to take place, there is no way I would be able to afford the rent."

"What?!" I screamed out in disbelief. "Are you saying that I would be responsible for providing you with food and a place to sleep?!!"

"No," he quickly objected to the suggestion. "It's not quite like that at all. All I'm asking is that you provide me with a place to stay while I look for a new job. That's all I'm suggesting. Taking into consideration that I am currently jobless, it shouldn't set me back very much money at all. In addition to that, it's a pretty small town overall. The search for a suitable apartment should take less than two weeks to complete. So long as I don't run into any surprises along the way, everything should go smoothly."

I snapped, "Wait," as an interruption. "Permit me to make sure I understand. Do you mean to say that you want me to take care of your financial needs until you find a new job? Doesn't that violate any laws?"

He had a sarcastic laugh as he shook his head. He asserted with full self-assurance, "In point of fact, it is entirely within the law." "There is no rule or regulation that prohibits a married couple from working together to pool their resources. Especially in the case where both parties agree to the terms of such arrangements. In addition to that, you are already providing me with emotional support. Why should you be punished when everyone else is engaging in the same behavior physically?"

To which I retorted, "Because you're my boyfriend," in a defiant manner. "And this is why."

"Your boyfriend," he sneered at you in a mocking manner. "Hmmm... Well, whatever works the best for you, darling, I say go with that. Please keep in mind that I am prepared to wait for you indefinitely if that turns out to be necessary."

"Ughh..." I let out a groan of irritation. "You're impossible sometimes."

He gave me a naughty grin and then patted my cheek in an affectionate manner. "I know. Nevertheless, you must love me, right?"

I couldn't help but roll my eyes in exasperation and let out a deep sigh. After that, I turned my head to look at him and asked, "Will you guarantee that you won't bother me again tonight?"

"Sure," he assured me in a ready manner. "But only on the condition that you commit to detailing every single thing that went wrong today. You are probably familiar with the things that caused you to feel miserable."

I made a thoughtful expression with my lips, and then I slowly nodded. Then I shut my eyes and went through in my head everything that had happened throughout the day. After I had finished speaking, I stood there with my mouth gaping and my eyes fixed on him in anticipation. At long last, he broke into a friendly smile and came over to sit on the edge of the bed next to me. After that, he gently placed his hands on either side of my face while maintaining a slight forward lean. While he was paying close attention to what I was saying, the tips of his thumbs gently stroked my cheeks. However, after a few minutes had passed, he suddenly distanced himself from me and looked at me in a perplexed manner.

"Is this all right?" He inquired with some circumspection. "What I mean is, do you find it too strange? Do you feel more comfortable talking in private than you do expressing your emotions openly in front of other people? Because I don't want to force you into doing something that will make you feel awkward or awkwardly forced."

I gave him the assurance while vigorously shaking my head and saying, "No! Never in a million years. It's not a problem to talk to you. In point of fact, I've been looking for an opportunity to discuss all of this with another person for some time now. To be honest, it wasn't until fairly recently that I realized how much I'd missed having someone to confide in."

Oh, he muttered under his breath in displeasure. "I'm sorry."