They say Love is Just Around the Corner.. but Where to find that Corner?
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Jake stood in front of Briana with nothing but hurt in his eyes. At some point of time in the day, he actually cursed himself for not seeing past her. When he finally discovered that it was Briana who he had been looking for, everything seemed to fall back in place.
That day when Briana came to help him pack his things in the hotel after that night at the club, he remembered noticing bruises on her knees and hands. Hell, she even had some hickeys that he thought were from Ricky. Then, the other day, he saw the same mole on her breast as seen on that girl.
Later, he even noticed change in her behavior, when she overworked herself, just to make sure that he was fine, took care of him, got him out of the jail with demanding nothing in return.
Moreover, Mia never had the bracelet that Briana had from the pictures he saw on his phone.
How the hell in the world could he be so blind?????
Why didn't he notice the changes that came over Briana after that night???
"Jake You're scaring me..", she yelped as she tried to wiggle her hand out of his grip. But it didn't help, but trigger him and he tightened his hold on her.
"Now, I'm scaring you? Really?", he asked, sarcastically.
"OkWhat is it?", she asked, giving up.
He left her hand, instantly, which hung by her side limply.
"I came here to tell you something", he started as he walked past her. "Since, you were my assistant for most of the time, I think you have the right to know about some of the most important things in my life", he said.
Briana turned around to look at him but to her dismay, his back was still facing her as he walked around her.
"So far you know everything about my life, from my family to my friends and colleagues, right?", he turned around to look at her. Briana didn't know how to react so she just nodded, slightly. "Good, but there's still one thing that you need to know", he said, trying to compose himself. "About-about my love life", he said gulping down visibly.
Briana's breath got stuck in her throat as soon as he mentioned about his love. She knew she was never even a potential love to Jake but him mentioning about these things to her, got her nerve-wrecked.
"I'm sure you're aware that I'm getting married to this girl called Mia, who happens to be the one I met in New York. Well she said that she knows me well because she spent time with me in the club", he said, pressing on 'spend time'. Turns out, she might not really be the one who had spent time with me!", he said circling around Briana as he spoke. "But something else happened that night with me in the NY Club..", he turned around to look at her reaction and to his relief, Briana's face expressions had changed, hinting that she knew something about that night. She looked nervous, like a deer caught in the headlights.
"That night at the Club, I met this girl, enchanted by her fragrance and beauty", he continued. "We danced for some time and then had the most amazing night of our lives, though I'm not sure if she liked it the way I did", he said, looking back at her. Briana's head was lowered as she listened to him carefully. "Unfortunately, I was so wasted for my own good, that I don't happen to remember her face at all!", he said, walking towards the wall that held her pictures with her family. He looked at her pictures in awe as some of them depicted her childhood. "And That girl, just took my breath away. I couldn't forget her even though I don't remember her. She had this aura around her that couldn't let me get over her. She was the most beautiful woman I'd ever spent my time with. I miss her, each and every inch of her. But look at me!", he huffed. "I just can't get her now!", he sniggered.
Briana was following his each and every move, now. She had a little hint of what he was talking about but that night, before her, Jake was seen with a lot of other women. So it was difficult for her to understand who exactly he was talking about, not like she remembered all of them. She was about to interrupt him when he started talking again.
"But Briana, I've fallen in love... I've fallen in love with that girl", he stammered, "With the girl whom I don't even remember!", he finished. Briana couldn't hold back her tears as soon as she heard him say he loves someone else
Jake shifted his attention from the pictures to her. He found her standing at the same spot where he left her, as she tried to control her whimpers. Jake almost rushed to her, wanting to hold her in his arms so that she could shed her tears, but he stopped. He controlled himself as he wanted to see whether she feels anything for him or not. Whether he's special to her or not, and for that- he had to wait!
"She was beautiful, amazing and most wonderful woman I'd even seen. I could stay with her and devour her all my life. I want to be with her, to make her happy and be the reason behind her every emotion. I want her, Briana, I want her so bad that I can't even explain", he yelled as he tried to control his anger, frustration and disappointment. "Only God know how much I've tried to look for her.. but all in vain. I felt useless for not even able to find the girl that I'd unintentionally, irresponsibly, irreversibly fallen in love with", he grunted, punching the wall that held her family pictures.
Briana flinched at the sudden action but didn't utter a word. Her heart broke at every word he said. She wanted to be that girl so bad but had no clue that it was actually her that he was talking about. She wiped her tears instantly when he turned around to look at her. Briana's head was lowered as she couldn't look at him. She knew he was watching her and that was all the more reason why she couldn't lift her head.
She heard footsteps approaching her but dared not to look at him. Jake stood mere inches away from her, as Briana tried all she could to hold back her tears. Suddenly, Jake put his fingers under her chin and gently lifted her head. As soon as he saw her face, his heart shattered into million pieces. She had blood shot eyes from all the sobbing and her nose looked as red as a reindeer. He smiled for a moment as he looked at the most beautiful creature on earth.
Jake had no clue that Briana was so vulnerable and beautiful. She looked just like a snow princess with eyes as beautiful as an amber. He lifted his hand and tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ears, revealing the beauty that this woman possessed.
Oh God, how on earth did he miss to notice such a Goddess?
She sniffled a little as she batted her lashes to keep the tears at bay. That's when Jake realized that he had been looking at her for way too long. He gently pulled his hand away and let some distance between them.
He backed away a little as he sealed his lips in a thin line. Having your Love so close to you, yet so far from you was the worst thing ever!
Knowing that someone belongs to you but you still can't have them is like a wound being opened repeatedly. He wanted her, to cherish her, to keep her, to be with her and love her just like he imagined but how when he already had someone else in her life. Moreover, he was getting married a day after, so was there any chance for them to be together?
He didn't want to have the burden of not professing his love to her, all his life. So he dug his hand into his pocket and pulled out an emerald green velvet box from it. He looked between the box and her for some time, before handing it over to her.
Briana looked at the box for a second and then back at him. Her brows scrunched up in confusion as she wasn't able to understand where this conversation was going.
Unware of the face that the fate of their lives was in her hands, she looked back at him. He had left it all on her. He knew she will understand everything the moment she opens the box.
"I want you to help me find that girl. I don't know who she is and where she is, but I'm sure you'll find her, before I finally relieve you of all your responsibilities, as my assistant", he said, gesturing to that box. "This box contains something that reminds me of her", he said looking right at the box in her hands. "I'm sure you're smart enough to find out the actual owner of his box", he said.
He looked at her face, unable to hold his hand back anymore as he reached for her face and wiped out a tear that was about to flow down her cheeks. With that done, he turned around and started walking towards the exit. But he stopped midway, only to turn around and look at her.
"Briana?", he called.
Unable to say anything, she turned her head towards him and found him looking right at her.
"I'm sure you'll do right by me", with that said, he turned around and left the house.
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