C9 Chapter 9–You can't fall for him

He leads me into the crowd and then I lose Jade in the crowd. I cannot find him anywhere one minute I see him coming towards me the next minute I can't find him. The guy who came to take my hands introduced himself as Aiden Brown who happens to be Jade's cousin. After our conversation, I happen to like him as a friend. He has a very great sense of humour, he is fun to be with and he has this thick British accent. He must have lived in the United Kingdom for a long time. "Please excuse me I want to make use of the restroom," I say.

"Ok".

On my way to the restroom, I come in contact with Jade.

I'm about to ask him where he has been before he cuts me off.

"How could you of all people be chatting with my cousin?"

"Sorry I'm lost here, can you please explain to me what you mean by that because are there some restricted set of people I'm supposed to be talking to?"

"I am sorry. I wasn't supposed to put it that way but my cousin and I are not on good terms."

"So where do I come in here?" I say.

"You don't. I'm not just convenient that you are talking to him."

"Why is that? and who are you to tell me the people I should talk to and the people I shouldn't?"

"I know I shouldn't be telling you who to talk to and who not to. Ok. let me go straight to the point and stop beating around the bush. I was jealous when you came in looking so stunning in that dress not that if you were wearing something else you wouldn't look gorgeous because even in a potato sack I would still find you attractive but then there was a lot of eyes looking at you in such a way that only me was meant to and when I caught your gaze I wanted everyone in there to know you were off limit so I came to take your hand in mine and he just messed it up. He didn't just stop there he started telling you things that were making, you laugh and all I have been doing is pissing you off."

I stand there completely speechless trying to process everything Marshall just said.

"Please say something."

"I honestly don't know what to say. You barely know me so I don't know where all this is coming from."

"I know I sound crazy and I promised myself that relationships are over for me and the duration of time we met is quite short but when I saw you sleeping in my bed, there was this joy that I haven't felt in a while just seeing you on my bed and in my shirt."

"All this information is a little too much to take in," I say.

"I won't rush you but I hope nobody takes you away from me. Aiden is known to always get what he wants and I saw that " I want you look " in his eyes"

" You must have been watching us for a while. Anyways, I see him as a friend."

"Thanks. This means a lot to me."

The next thing I know is his lips are against mine and before I can react he stops and walks away. I feel a strange stir within. I'm supposed to happy that the deal is going smoother than I thought but there's this pain I'm feeling for Jade when his heart gets broken a second time. They say what you don't know won't hurt you. I see things like this happen in movies and they live happy lives but this isn't fairytale. I hope for the best though.

The party didn't make any sense to me all of a sudden. Strange things I haven't felt before are stirring up and my mind keeps on going back to the consequences of bridging the contract. "What if we had to break rules for love, "my inner man says. Love is not going to pay bills and that will be asking for too much in return. I can't. I don't want to go back to that kind of life. The rest of the party goes by in a blur and Aiden offered to take me home seeing my sudden change and spacing out.

"Do you mind telling me what happened back there over some pizza and ice cream because ever since we left you've been uncomfortable and one minute you are following what I'm saying the next you are out of this world? what's wrong," he says.

"All this affection is something I haven't felt from a lot of people before just from Mrs Pat and Iya Risi and all of a sudden I'm getting a lot of affection from all angle. Jade, my boss and you and it's scaring me. I don't even know why I am telling you this seeing we just met and all but I feel so relaxed around you which is quite strange."

"You should be because I'm a gentleman who is willing to offer this beauty a listening ear and not only that, my mother trained me well. Jade? I see. You know you can confide in me right? I do not want to force anything you are not comfortable talking about out. Take your time."

"I used to live in the orphanage but I had to escape to find a new life to know what's outside those walls. Then something big came and changed my life." Being able to talk to someone as lifted a weight from my chest.

Aiden seems to be a good friend I don't want to lose and not even Jade's jealousy can affect that. After telling him everything except the in-depth details of the contract, I feel so light. He even gave me a shoulder to cry on. I'm so happy right now. The rest of the ride to Domino's is engulfed by silence.

"Thanks for today, "I say as he stops the car in front of my apartment.

"Don't mention it's the least I could do. Just get yourself some rest. I'll have your car delivered later on today by my driver and I will drop by tomorrow to be sure you are okay. Good night, sweet dreams and don't let the bugs bite."

"Sweet dreams," I reply with a smile and make my way inside.

What exactly can make Jade be in bad terms with Aiden because he is a good person and the short period we've been together, shows he is an easy-going person. I change into a big t-shirt grab an apple from the fridge and head to my room. It's hard to fall asleep because an image of Jade pops up in my head. After what seems like forever, I finally fall asleep.

I wake up from the continuous knock on the door and I quickly jump out of bed to see who is at the door. I open the door to find Aiden's handsome self at the door and I shut it immediately. I probably look terrible with bed hair and the big looking shirt I am in but I don't want him to see me as a weird extra self-conscious person so I open the door after using my hand to comb through my hair. Remind me why I never wear my hair bonnet to bed.

"Hi, good morning how was your night."

"It was good," I say as I yarn.

"I meant it when I said I was going to check up on you and you look like you didn't get much sleep."

"Come in, please. Thanks, I'm better though. Have a seat, please. Should I make you a cup of coffee?"

I forget that I'm just in a t-shirt that stops mid-thigh with my nipples pointing out from beneath my cloth but I am quickly reminded when I follow Aiden's gaze which lands right on my bare legs and his lack of reply to the question I asked earlier confirms his distraction.

I clear my throat and he quickly looks away with the speed of lightning.

"Sorry, you were saying?"

"Would you like a cup of coffee and French roast?"

"Yes please."

I head upstairs and wear a short that stops at my knee and go downstairs to prepare breakfast.

Half of the day has gone and Aiden and I have been playing different games from scrabble to monopoly, to chess and cards. Some I learnt at the orphanage and some he thought me. Aiden orders for Chinese food which I told him I didn't know how to eat but he promised that I'll enjoy it which I did. My Saturday was fun and the rest of Sunday after church service I used to draw my sketches. My total concentration on my sketches has helped me take my mind off whatever strange thing I was feeling for Jade.