My Elf Soulmate
Chapter 21

So turns out that the duplicate had disappeared about two days ago. Before that, it seemed to have also had a malfunction because according to my mom, it had been acting strangely, and by strangely I mean constantly walking into doors. Sad enough for me during its moment of malfunctioning it had ended up breaking my phone.

"So, where exactly did you disappear off too?" Mom asked seeming to know that the was more to the conversation. My mom knew me too well, we had always been close so it made sense that even before I had said practically nothing she would know that the was more to this situation. I was never one to runoff so this was completely for both me and her.

"In another town." I said lying through my teeth but not completely lying at the same time, I was in another town which just happened to be far away. I just hoped that she would believe me. The was no way that I could possibly tell her that the was another world besides ours which had a different species of people and in that world, I happened to have found my soulmate. The whole thing sounded crazy even to me.

"Okay," My mom said not sounding completely convinced. "Besides all that you're glowing sweetheart." My mom said with a smile of her own, "You must have had a great time wherever you were, I just wish that you would have told me where you were off to before you disappeared. I have so many questions."

"I'm really happy Mom, Paxton, the man that I'm with, treats me so well. I think that I love him." I said to my mom, "And I also understand that you probably still want a lot of answers."

"Why do I have this feeling that you want to tell me something life-changing." My mom said looking at me with her calculative glance.

"There actually is something." I said biting my bottom lip as I tried to anticipate how my mom would react to what I wanted to tell her.

"What is it, Honey, whatever it is can't be that bad, if it's even bad? " Mom asked with a tone of encouragement and patience.

"I'm thinking of moving in with him." I blurted out hoping that my mom would not think that I was going crazy not that I wouldn't understand her if she did. Here I was less than even 3 months later telling my mom that I wanted to move in with a man when I had never even told her that I was going out to see a guy in my whole life.

"That's a big move sweetheart, are you sure?I mean it's your choice but I am a bit worried that it might be too soon to make such a decision. I know that I can't really stop you. I do, however, wish that you could stay and think over this for a couple of months, it has only been a couple of days since you've met this man. I don't want you to rush into things just for them to end up being hurtful in the end. Then again I suppose we learn and grow from our mistakes and hurts. Anyway, can I at least get the chance to meet him so that I can see who had the capability of stealing my little Annie's heart?" My mom cooed as she pinched my cheeks making me swat her hands away and causing her to laugh in amusement. I could tell that she was worried, but she also seemed genuinely curious about the whole thing. At the same time, she also looked like she was ready for me to tell that I was joking about the entire thing.

"He is pretty shy, Mom, but I'll see what I can do. Maybe I can even convince him to stay over for dinner tonight." I said with a shrug as I worried about what Paxton was doing now that he was alone for the first time since the incident. I just hoped that he was okay.

"That's actually a great idea, sweetheart, for how long are you planning on staying before you leave again and which town are you going to?" Mom asked, seeming worried again. "I just want to make sure that you're safe, plus I want to know where you are going in case something happens, I need to know where I should start searching for you." Mom said.

"Mom, don't be so pessimistic." I whined knowing that she was stressing for nothing, then again it made sense, but I wasn't sure whether to tell her the truth or not, this was about Paxton and his world so I felt like he had to give me the green light first.

"I'm sorry, sweetheart, it's a dangerous world out there, and bad things happen every day, a mother can't help but worry about her daughter, especially when she seems like she's more than ready to elope with someone." Mom said with genuine care.

"Elope??" I asked with wide eyes filled with surprise, "No, no, no, I'm not planning on eloping with anyone. To prove it to you, how about I ask Paxton to come over for dinner, and then he and I will fill you in on everything that you would like to know. That way all of this can make more sense to you. that is if he decides to come, of course." I added, not wanting to raise her hopes up to high for nothing.

"It's a deal, now how about you help me clean up a bit before that? The house is a bit dusty." Mom said as she stood up to fetch the broom. I couldn't help but shake my head a little as I looked at the well-organized and clean house.

"Sure, what should I do?" I asked my mother as I followed right behind her, and just like that, I spent the day cleaning up the house and washing the laundry with my mom, who luckily was not going to work today.

~•~•~•~

"Hello, my love, is the something that you need?" Paxton asked when he answered his phone.

"Actually there is." I trailed off.

"What is it?" He asked sounding a little worried.

"My mom would like to meet you." I said and heard him taking in a sharp intake of air.

"When?" He asked sounding more rigid than I would have liked.

"I might have suggested that we have dinner over here tonight." I hesitantly said feeling a little guilty for putting all of this on him.

"I won't lie I'm a little shaken up about this, but I'll come, any specific dressing code?" He asked.

"No, just be comfortable." I said swooning inside from how sweet he was being, unless he also took this as a chance to get this first meeting over and done with.

"When should I be there and what should I bring?" He asked.

"You can come at some time around 19:00 and then you don't have to worry about bringing anything except, yourself babe." I said and heard him nervously laugh.

"Okay then, I'll see you in a bit Sweetheart." He said, not sounding near as nervous as I was expecting, then again he could have been hiding the nerves in order to not worry me.

"Later then, text me, when you get here." I told him hoping that if I was right next to him from the moment that he exited the car to the moment that we ate dinner he would feel a little more comfortable.

"Will do my love," He said, "Bye." He continued.

"Bye." I said and hung up knowing that he wouldn't.

"Were you talking to your love?" Mom asked as she entered my room wiggling her eyebrows while she gave me a knowing look.

"Yes I was, he says that he'll come for dinner," I told my mother as I stood up from my bed. "And Mom please don't scare him away," I said before walking away. "As if that would be possible," I mumbled under my breath knowing that unlike Paxton and Penelope, my mom was as human as we came and would not hear anything.

"I wouldn't dream of it," She said releasing a laugh. "By the way I'm making baked potatoes, grilled chicken, pasta, some mixed vegetables, and whatever else might pop into my mind. Is Paxton a picky eater?" Mom asked as she and I walked into the kitchen.

"No, he does like fruits and I think that he might also like vegetables though," I said as I took out the potatoes, rinsed them, cut them in half, and seasoned them before I put them in the oven to bake. After doing the potatoes I moved on to the next thing which happened to be pasta, and worked on preparing it. I continued on like this with my mother also busying herself with the chicken and vegetables until we eventually finished. After that, my mother insisted on making dessert and me being the sweet-toothed person that I was encouraged the idea as I went upstairs to change because I had smudged something on my dress and I wanted to change into something nicer.

I quickly took another shower and got dressed into a dress of mine that I had never worn, ever since I had received it as a gift from Renee, it was a maroon, figure-hugging turtleneck, mid-thigh lengthened dress that had crisscross strings that showed a bit of cleavage. I then put on a pair of nude heels and some loop earrings, I topped off my look by applying lipgloss and sprayed on my berry-scented perfume and then I was set since I had decided to leave my hair down.

I looked at myself in the mirror and I have to admit that I liked what I saw and I really wanted Paxton to like what he would see too.

My new phone vibrated signalling that I had just gotten a message.

'I'm here my love.' I read on my phone screen making a smile spread across my face as I exited my room and made my way to the front door.

"Mom, I'll be back with Paxton in a second!" I called out and heard an 'okay honey' response as I got out of the door and closed it behind me. I made my way to the car with my heart beating at a thousand miles an hour, I felt nervous for some reason. When I got to the car, I got into the passenger seat and closed the door behind me.

"Hey." I greeted as I looked at Paxton who looked mesmerised which of course made me happy, I had achieved my goal.

"Hello, you look gorgeous, my love," He said with his eyes still captivated on me.

"Thank you, you look handsome yourself," I said doing a quick once-over of his outfit. He wore dark blue jeans with a crisp white shirt that he had tucked into his pants, he had on a watch that I had not seen on him before until today and he had on some great cologne.

"Let's go." I said turning around to open the door only to be pulled over so that I was straddling Paxton's lap and my lips were captured into a kiss. I placed one of my hands on Paxton's shoulder and the other on his cheek as I enjoyed the kiss.

"I really meant it when I said that you're gorgeous, in fact, I can't help but to feel a little jealous at the thought that another man had seen you dressed like this." He said trailing a row of kisses down my neck making me shiver in pleasure, this was new to me but I could already tell that I liked it.

"The hasn't been another man but you that's seen me in this dress." I moaned out.

"Good." He said as his lips captured mine again, I moved my fingers into his hair and gently tugged onto it making Paxton moan into the kiss.

"Pax, we have to go now, babe." I said as I tried to pry my lips away from his only for Paxton to recapture them again.

"I just missed you so much, it's been a long day without you." He said as he slowly pulled away and let our lips brush against each other as he spoke.

"My needy elf." I said with a smile as I trailed my fingers down from his jaw to his neck and landed them on his shoulder blade.

"You have no idea how much," He said as he laid a quick peck on my lips. "Anyway, we better get out now." He said as he passed me back over to the passenger seat, I watched him reach over to the backseat where he pulled over some chocolates, and a bouquet of flowers.

"Ncooh, are these for my mom?" I asked and watched as nervousness settled in on Paxton's face.

"Yes, I wanted to make a good first impression." He explained.

"She'll love them." I said as I stepped out of the car, straightened out my dress, and fixed my hair, my lipgloss was basically history now.

Paxton moved around the car and intertwined his fingers with mine with one of his hands and then he held the gifts with his other one as we both made our way to the front door with me feeling excited and him feeling nervous.