Chapter 0067
I couldn’t help but call out after him. “A habit? Seriously?” I raised my voice, unable to hold back. “Then maybe don’t force me to go out to a fancy restaurant with you and your family. I didn’t really have much of a choice in my attire.”
But Gavin didn’t respond. He simply got back into the backseat of the car, slamming the door shut behind him. I watched as the car pulled away and he headed back toward the villa. With a sigh, I marched up to my front door.
I reached into my bag for my set of keys, and as I unlocked the door, I glanced back to find that Gavin hadn’t driven off yet. He was waiting until I was safely inside. It was a small thing, but it made me feel a bit better, like maybe he did care, even if he didn’t always show it.
I pushed the door open and stepped into the dark house, feeling the weight of the evening settle over me. The moment the door clicked shut behind me, I heard the sound of the car driving off. I let out the breath I hadn’t realized I was holding, and my body finally began to relax.
I pulled Gavin’s coat tighter around me, inhaling deeply. The familiar scent of him was still there, and for a moment, I allowed myself to let it comfort me.
The next day…
“What are we going to practice today?” Matt asked eagerly as we headed outside. We’d just finished his homework, and I’d promised him we would do some extra training.
“I was thinking we could practice defense,” I replied, adjusting the strap on my bag. “I think you need to learn to better protect yourself in case of an emergency. A rogue attack could happen at any time.”
“Our warriors are the best; they would never let any rogues in our borders,” Matt said proudly.
“Maybe so, but you can never be too careful, Master Matthew,” I teased, giving him a playful grin.
He smirked but didn’t argue. Instead, he followed me as I demonstrated some of the new defensive moves I’d been working on in my own classes. To my surprise, he picked them up quickly and mimicked the movements almost flawlessly. I couldn’t help but be impressed.
“Wow,” I said after he blocked my attack for the hundredth time. “You’re really good at this.”
“Defense was one of the things my father taught me,” he explained with a shrug. “He also said I needed to be prepared for anything.”
“Well, he’s a wise man,” I said, grabbing a water bottle from the ice bucket I’d set up for our session. I handed Matt one and grabbed another for myself.
“He is,” Matt said thoughtfully. “He’s the best when he’s around.”
I noticed the shift in his tone, and my heart ached for him.
“Do you wish he could be around more often?” I asked softly.
He stared at the water bottle in his hands, fiddling with the cap. After a beat, he murmured, “It would be nice… But I get that he’s busy.”
I could tell that something was bothering him. I gently placed my hand on his shoulder and gave it a reassuring squeeze. “I’m sorry, Matt,” I said sincerely.
He glanced up at me, his eyes full of unspoken emotions. But before I could say anything else, he spoke up again.
“Kind of,” he murmured, looking sheepish. His cheeks flushed pink. “I might have gotten in trouble at school today… and now they want to have a parent-teacher conference.”
My eyebrows shot up in surprise. “Does Gavin know?”
Matt shook his head quickly, his voice dropping to a hoarse whisper. “He’ll be so mad if he finds out. I can’t tell him.”
“Well, if you don’t tell him, then what are you going to do?” I asked gently. “Your teachers are expecting your parent there.”
Matt took a deep breath, then looked up at me with wide, pleading eyes. “I was wondering if maybe you could be my mom for the conference…”
I blinked in surprise, unsure if I’d heard him right. “But Matt, I’m not your mom,” I said carefully.
“I know that,” he said quickly, his voice pleading. “But you could pretend. Just for the conference!”
My mind immediately jumped to the consequences. “Your father would kill us both if he found out about this,” I said, shaking my head in disbelief. “I can’t risk my job.”
“You aren’t going to get fired, Judy. You’re the first tutor I actually like,” Matt insisted, his eyes wide with desperation. “My dad won’t risk losing you. Please, Judy. He won’t have to know if we don’t tell him. If he finds out about me getting in trouble, he’ll disown me.”
I could see the panic in his eyes, the weight of his words. I frowned, deeply concerned by what he was saying.
“He would never do that, Matt,” I said softly, trying to reassure him.
“I can’t lose him…” Matt whispered, his voice trembling.
Seeing the raw vulnerability in his eyes, I couldn’t bring myself to say no. My heart tugged for him.
I sighed, knowing I couldn’t let him go through this alone. “Okay, I’ll help you, Matt,” I said, my voice steady. “I’ll pretend to be your mother for the conference.”
Matt’s face lit up with relief, and he threw his arms around me in a tight hug. “Thank you! You don’t know how much this means to me!”
I smiled and patted his back. “Let’s just hope your dad never finds out about this.”
