Always next to you

Chapter Thirty-Two

JONAS

I was stuck lying next to him. Jessi and Mia decided before I could protest. If I knew I would end up laying next to him all night, I would have gone home after making porridge for Nicole.

After Nicole went to bed, Jessi forced me to stay with her while Aiden and Oliver fixed the new setup. I still barely knew anything that happened, but everyone wanted to make Nicole feel safe.

It hadn't been that long since Jessi and I met her, but she was already one of us. Aiden was here because he probably felt protective of Nicole even though he lost all rights to be.

My friend was very foolish, and I was no different. Oliver explained what had happened in the past, but it wasn't enough to forgive him. Regardless of what happened, he hurt me.

I trusted Oliver with my life. I was willing to kill everyone for him, but I got betrayed in return. Oliver claims he never betrayed me, but that was still yet to be proven. Things like this were why I trusted no one.

There were so many secrets. I hated it. It kept me up at night and unfocused at work. Days like these made me envious of Aiden. He turned his back on everything, but it was too late for me. After meeting my mother, I pitied him.

Aiden was probably as clueless as I was. Even now, he was hoping Nicole would trust him when he never told her his true feelings. She probably thinks he really likes Diana. That was his mistake.

If I liked someone as amazing as Nicole, I'd never let her go. I'll leave no room for doubt and make sure she is always next to me. I promised to keep Oliver next to me, but he ran away from me.

Now he was back. Not as the traitor I imagined him to be, but for work. In my defence, I couldn't do anything to him if he was here for work. He doesn't even work directly under me. When Oliver was involved, I questioned everything.

Would he have returned if we never hired his company for this project? Knowing him, that was unlikely. Maybe my family was the problem, but why couldn't he trust me? Why didn't Oliver believe in my abilities?

Danny was helping me investigate the truth, but I couldn't wait anymore. I heard everyone else get up and go to the living room, but I wanted to try sleeping again. I still had a lot of work meetings to handle for Mrs. Callisto. There was also the thing Aiden and I were investigating.

It was a struggle to sleep lying next to Oliver. By my calculations, I managed to get about two hours' worth of sleep. However, my body jerked awake anytime someone got up. Every time I would have to go through the struggle of putting myself back to sleep.

After Jessi left, it was almost impossible, and I was close to giving up. The slightest sound disturbed my sleep thanks to my family's training. My father lived in fear of getting killed all the time until he finally reached his end. I felt this way frequently, especially when I wasn't in my bed. Oliver's loud breathing was annoying.

How could he sleep so soundly next to me?

For a second, I was tempted to open my eyes and peek at his sleeping face. I was setting myself up for another trap, but it was hard staying still. The man I once loved was lying next to me. You would think that after hating him all these years my boy would too, but that wasn't the case.

I gave up on sleeping back and opened my eyes to stare at the ceiling. However, I felt a soft heat on the side of my face from a familiar gaze. My body used to love it when he watched me, but this time I was shocked.

I turned to my side and, as I suspected, Oliver was staring. His bed hair was all over the place, but he still looked cute. I fight the urge to run my hands through them. His soft cinnamon eyes sucked me into handsome features, and I found myself blushing at the thought of kissing him.