SUITED

CHAPTER 22

"Sometimes I get jealous thinking someone else could make you happier than I could."

No soon after he arrived at the hospital the following morning, he said shortly after greetings, with a grim expression in his eyes.

"Brock seems very interested in you. You ahould be feeling honoured that he would come all this way just to spend one hour with you."

Jonnet looked swiftly at him. She was sitting up against the pillows, looking enchantingly pretty having just brushed her hair until it shone.

"I was surprised myself,' she admitted, slightly puzzled because of the tightness of Nicholas's mouth and that grim expression in his eyes. 'If he was anxious about me he could've inquired over the phone."

"He was certainly anxious,' Nicholas sat down on the chair. 'There's no doubt about that."

Jonnet's puzzlement grew.
"Are you bothered about his visit?" She asked a little nervously.

His head shot up, appearing arrogant all of a sudden.

"Bothered? Why should I be bothered?"

"There's no reason ... But you don't seem pleased either." Her lip quivered and he frowned suddenly when he noticed he had made her upset.

Then he said more gently.
"I'm not displeased, if that's what you mean. It was merely that Brock's visit surprised me. He didn't even let me know he was coming."

Jonnet said nothing and after a small pause, Nicholas went on, watching her closely, 'Brock usually gets no further than flirting."

"Brock has never flirted with me, nor has it even gotten any further!"

"You might not have grasped the fact, but Brock is definitely interested in you. " Nicholas frowned and all of a sudden became unreadable.

"Then Brock wastes his time,' Jonnet said quietly. 'I am certainly not interested in him."

"You don't find him attractive?" Nicholas asked.

"Undoubtedly he's attractive. He has so much - looks, physique, charm and good manners. And I'm sure one day day some girl will fall head over heels in love with him."

Faintly Nicholas smiled, but without humour. He was distant.

"So you do find him attractive?"

She shook her head, bewildered by his manner. Had it been not the fact that he was engaged to Julia, she would've suspected a hint of jealousy in his voice.

"I said, he is attractive. You either misunderstood my words or you twisted them." She spoke a little too harshly, all she wanted was a gentle mood from him, a mood that will lighten her heart and provide another happy memory for her to store away.

"I'm sorry,' was his unexpected response. 'I take it that although you do admit him being a charmer in every way, he hasn't the ability to charm you?"

She paused a moment, watching as he unconsciously leaned back in his chair, his eyes narrowed from habit.

"I'm not in the mood to be charmed, Nicholas. Auntie and I came here for s holiday, and as we shall be leaving soon it would be stupid of me to lead him on in any way."

"I don't think you'll be leaving soon, your aunt seems contentedly settled."

She looked at him in surprise.
"Then you don't mind how long we stay?"

"We like having visitors, it makes pleasant change from our own company."

"Auntie has a house to get back to, and a garden."

"Who's looking after them now?"

"Two neighbours, but we can't stay here indefinitely. "

His grey eyes searched her face.
"Tell me, what will you do once you're home again?"

"I will go back to my job - if it's been kept open for me, which I hope it is."

"And what about weekends?"

"I do a few chores, or a little baking. Mainly I spend my time in the garden, in spring and summer that is. Auntie isn't really strong so gardening is too heavy for her." Her gaze was directed towards his.

Nicholas seemed strangely to be flickering with admiration. Jonnet's colour rose, relieving her tension, and half a smile fluttered to her lips.

A comforting silence followed, while his cool gaze never wavered from her face.

"You don't have much going in your ..." he broke off, half frowning as he glanced away. She knew instinctively that he was angry with himself for the slip which revealed thoughts that he meant to keep to himself.

She didn't have much ... was he pitying her? Every nerve in her body rebelled at that. Pity! She looked at his face, his brow ceased in a frown. He was probably thinking about her life, glimpsimg the dullness, picturing the boring routine.

And Perphaps in addition to the pity he felt for her, was that she only had herself to blame, since her life could have been different had she made the decision which was prompted by heart and not her conscience.

"My life is quite full,' she said stiffly. 'There's no excitement, as I admitted  before, but there's contentment. I'm - I'm perfectly satisfied with it"

Clearly taken back by her tone, he came forward in his chair - he came so close, and his jaw was hard and his eyes glinting with anger, and that seemed a little more frightening. And yet ... oh how she loved him!

All she wanted to do at that moment was to put her hand forward and allow him to take it, as he had done so willingly in the past at every opportunity he get, in those days when his love for her was so passionate and strong.

It was agony not to lean forward and test her head on his shoulders, posseisively, because it was her shoulder and she had every right to be there.

A heaviness collected behind her eyes and her eyes felt dead. Nicholas rose quickly as if he felt his presence was no longer desired. In a stiff voice like her own, he did her goodbye and left.

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