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CHAPTER THIRTEEN

He bent down and blew a big amount of air on my stomach that resulted in some weird noises and made me giggle. I remembered doing the same with Sam when he was I kid. He continued doing the same and I couldn't stop laughing.

"Ray.... Stop .... " I managed to say in between chortling.

He ignored me and now began tickling me. I hit his ass with my knee and he fell over me.

That helped!

Except well, we were now in a very awkward position. His face was inches away from mine and his cold breath fanned my lips as his eyes were locked with mine. His hands found their way down to mine as he held them into his. I breathed heavily.

I was nervous.

Why was I nervous?

I didn't feel the same when I was so close to Jim. Or anyone else for that matter.

This was strange.

I pressed my legs together and tried to ignore whatever I felt there.

But damn!

He was making it harder.

His lips touched mine. Gently.

And I closed my eyes.

I heard the door knob click.

"I am so going to kill Lucy! Uh... uh..."

Blake.

I pushed Raymond off me and he landed on the floor as he muttered something under his breath. "Ow!"

Blake giggled and I smiled awkwardly at her.

"I'll catch up with you guys later." I said and go up to leave.

Raymond nodded at me, "Bye Snow!"

I woke up with the constant and loud banging on my door. I checked my phone. It was 11 a.m.

I buried my face into my pillow and put another one over my head.

The banging continued.

I lazily – and irritably – got out of my bed and unlocked my door.

"Jim? What the hell?!" I groaned.

"Its Sunday Cupcake! Our day!" He said cheerfully.

Ah, right. How could I forget?

Well, I could forget.

Jim and I had decided to spend the day together – as he still was serious about his 'Go-out-on-a-date-with-me' thing.

I shrugged my shoulders, turned around and looked longingly at my bed. Tranquillity.

"I'll see you downstairs in an hour or two." And I slammed the door in his face and set my alarm before going back to sleep.

After waking up, taking a long shower and getting ready in my fuchsia top over denim shorts paired with brown boot wedges, I met Jim in the garage where he was talking to Freddie.

He spotted me and said, "Finally!" His hands flying everywhere.

"You look hot by the way." He stated.

Freddie gave me a short nod and left us. I wondered if he ever did anything other than nodding at people.

"Let's get going now, shall we? You've already ruined my beach plan so we'll head straight for lunch." Jim sounded annoyed. I heard him like that for the first time ever. He was always very sweet and happy kind of a guy.

"Great. I'm starving." I rolled my eyes and got into the car. I did not appreciate the fact that he insisted on driving today. I mean, I loved driving myself around and not being driven by somebody else.

He drove to the nearest Chinese take-out and bought lunch without even asking me what I wanted. He seemed all weird today to me. Totally.

But I kept my calm and just decided to go with the flow. He stopped when we reached the beach – what? – and got down to open the door for me.

"I thought I ruined your beach plan?" I asked him getting out.

"Yeah I just changed my mind." He shrugged and went over to get something out of the car's trunk. He came back with a mat in one hand and a basket in another.

We went and sat ourselves on an empty spot in the sand. If only he told me his plans before, I wouldn't be wearing boots to the beach! I, however, managed to get there right.

"Can I ask you something Jim?" I questioned him once we were comfortably seated and started with the food.

"Anything, Cupcake." He said without looking up at me, his full attention focused on the noodles in his plate.

(Yeah, he had brought plates in that basket. And forks too! Hilarious, I know.)

Such a guy.

"What is it with you and Raymond?" He stopped eating and stared at me with shock written clearly all over his face.

"What do you mean?" He squinted his eyes at me.

"I asked Ray about it and he said I should ask you."

"I don't feel like hiding anything from you, Cupcake, as you are close to both of us.

Long story cut short. Raymond's dad cheated my father and took over his entire company and named it on his own. We've been enemies since then."

"Oh." Well, that was acceptable.

But last time I checked, Raymond hated his dad. And even Jim did – now that I know it. Then they could be friends. I mean, they say that an enemy's enemy is our friend, right?

I asked him something out of the blue though.

"So that means Raymond is the heir of The Stratford Corporations?"

Jim nodded gloomily and I realised that I had asked him the wrong question. Instead I asked him to tell me more about it and he told me everything from scratch.

I came to know how their dad's used to be best friends turned into business partners and how when Jim's father was fighting his disease; he spilled all his business secrets and strategies to Raymond's father and how Raymond's father took advantage of the old suffering man's trust by back stabbing him and taking over everything they had which was legally theirs' – Jim and Henry's – leaving them without even a place to live in and how Raymond had no role to play in this all but still Jim hated him for he had the same blood as his dad running through his veins.

I wondered what Raymond's say would be in all of this and made a mental note to ask him later.

We – Jim and I – then went swimming in the sea. I didn't know he had brought swimsuits along with him. It was a beautiful day. I took a sunbath as Jim just kept staring me all over.

I was so tired by evening that I asked Jim to take me back home. But he denied and instead told me that I had something special waiting for me.

He took me to one of the town's most expensive restaurants for a candle light dinner.

"I think I might kiss you now." He whispered in my ears as we slow danced on the stage with so many other young couples.

"Don't you dare Jim." I smiled back at him.

"Just one. I promise." And with that he leaned closer to me.

But I placed my index finger on his lips on time and stopped him from coming any closer. He pouted and spun me around before resting his hand on my back as I arched backward and flung one of my legs into the air announcing the end of our dance.

It was a day well spent. I had a good time with Jim and like a decent obedient boy, he didn't cross any limit.