✷Chapter Eleven✷
Savoring the last bite from her plate, Teresa took a gulp from the wine glass she held at the tip of her finger. She felt very satisfied after having filled her stomach with the delicious meal Glenda prepared before leaving for the day.
Teresa was sad she didn't get to converse with the younger lady, she only hoped that the week spent here would bring better opportunities, she was the type of person Teresa finds herself comfortable to speak with.
"Thank you for the lovely meal, Grandpa Dan." Teresa passed her gratitude to the older man sitting at the head of the six seater wooden dining table.
The older man smiled as he took a bite from the well cooked potatoes with his fork. He drank a glass of water before replying to her. "You're very much welcome. After stressing you and Gideon, the best thing I could do for you both is putting in enough for your stomachs." Daniel's smile never left his face as he took another bite from his plate.
Teresa had that feeling one gets if someone was looking at her. She lifted her eyes to the seat opposite, immediately locking her gaze with that of Jacob, who had a deep frown on his face. It was obvious he'd been staring at her for a long time. The way he looked at her felt like he was trying hard to read through her.
Ever since their argument this morning he kept to himself. Doing weird things like, breaking fallen branches for hours that he had produced huge piles of wood. Another weird thing he had done was doing press-ups for one hour inside the room they both slept in.
She wondered if he ever gets tired, she was sure his whole body would be sore the next day.
Though Teresa wasn't going to deny how intense the sight of him shirtless was while he did those things. She swore she saw his vein pop out while he did those push-ups in the room when she had walked in to take a nap. She could remember jumping up in surprise at the sight of his sweaty skin from his torso to his head, the way his biceps flexed as he went up and down almost made her gasp like a drowning fish.
He had only given her a quick glance before resuming back to the task at hand. While she quickly dashed out of the room as if she'd caught him doing a forbidden act.
Teresa cleared her throat as she snapped a gaze away from his. She pushed her seat backwards before walking towards where Grandpa Daniel had sat to offer her goodnight greetings. She bent down a little, giving him a hug from where he sat.
Grandpa Daniel caught hold of her hand as she was about to head to her room. "I was thinking you and Rachel should follow me to town tomorrow. I'd love for my friends to get to know my future daughter in-law." He said, raising his green eyes at her. Teresa almost tensed at the word daughter in-law but was quick to react. She could feel the guilt coming in full force, almost knocking her down to the ground. She found herself hating lying to the kind old man. She'd wanted to decline but she saw the hopeful look in his eyes and immediately agreed not wanting to dishearten the man.
Happy with her response, he let her go, while she offered Rachel and Gideon a goodnight hug. Ignoring Jacob she quickly heads to the staircase, glancing briefly behind her, she sees Daniel's questioning eyes at her action, but chooses to shrug it off. The last thing she would do is pretend to be a loving fiancée of Jacob in front of his grandfather. It will only complicate things even more for her.
Teresa let out a sigh the moment she closed the door to the room she slept in. Her eyes were closed as she took in deep breath as if she'd just ran a marathon. She opened her eyes to the bright room.
Not wasting any more time than she had. Teresa took wide steps towards the closet, she pulled the closet door open, dragging out the extra sheet Gideon had brought into the room this afternoon.
She began arranging the bedsheets on the floor by the corner of the bed just a few inches apart from the post of the bed. Quickly she dragged a pillow from the bed, dropping it down at the top of the bedsheets.
She changed to her regular large shirt and a sweatpant, she put off the lights but left the nightstand lamp on, before laying on the sheets she spread.
The last thing she'd want was Jacob entering the room while she was still awake. But the more time she spent laying on the floor, the harder she found it to fall asleep.
Her ears were wide open as she took in the sound of Daniel's loud laughter accompanied with Rachel's laughter. She could also hear Jacob and Gideon's voices as they talked with their grandfather.
From what she heard from the ground she laid. They sounded so happy.
Teresa's heart skipped when she heard the booming sound of Jacob's undeniable laughter.
She was far too surprised. This happened to be the first time she heard him laugh. Somehow she found herself wishing she was down there with them, but at the same time she fears her presence will only bring an unwelcome tension.
She had planned to spend the week she had here hiding, but it seems that will have to wait until tomorrow. She somehow knew the next day was going to be an eventful one.
The sound of the door, clicking open, made Teresa jolt up slightly, almost blowing her sleeping pretense away, but the king-sized bed prevented it from happening.
She heard his soft footsteps, and could only guess he was walking barefooted. Her heart was immediately beating unhealthy fast. His familiar pinewood cologne filled the air, making her body almost shudder with the effect he brought her. The temperature of the room changed from warm to cold. She found herself already sweating.
Teresa held his footsteps walking around the other side of the bed. She made sure her eyes were naturally close, like she was deep in her slumber. Her breath in a slow rhythm. She prayed her acting was intact, as she could fill his scrutinizing gaze on her.
She'd expected he'd have walked away from her, but what she hadn't expected was him gently removing the sheet from her body. A gasp almost jumped off from her mouth when he lifted her up carefully in his arms.
Her body unconsciously became rigid. She clenched her hands tight to her chest, while still keeping her eyes shut. She wondered why he haven't caught on her pretense.
What was he going to do to her?
She couldn't help but become puzzled by his action.
She became more worried the moment she felt the familiar softness of the bed in her back.
Teresa swore she was going to give him a pinch if her plans on making her share the same bed with him. He covered her with a duvet, making sure she laid properly, with the feather pillow underneath her head.
His hand slowly removes the tendril of her hair away from her face, she successfully suppresses a shudder. Fearing his plan was to share the bed with her, Teresa opened her eyes and mouth to put him in his place. She stopped as her sight welcomed the darkness of the room.
Jacob's voice brought her to a complete final stop. "I wish you knew how much the thought of you hating me hurts me really bad." He broke the silence of the room.
Teresa's eyes tried to adjust with the dark room, as she took in the black figure of Jacob. He sat at the edge of the bed by her side, his back facing her line of sight.
She found herself unable to do anything as she began trying to digest what he'd just said.
He was hurt because of her? That was the last thing she'd have ever expected him to say. His choice of words made her fear that maybe he might actually have feelings for her like the guys in the book who likes a girl from his childhood and was unable to confess his feelings until later.
Jacob wasn't that sort of person. He was more of a realistic type of person, he wasn't a romantic type of person who falls in love, or says emotional things about himself. He was the opposite.
That was who she thought he was. But now she wasn't so sure.
He sigh tiredly, as he spoke to her while he thought she wasn't awake, or she hoped he thought she was. "All I ever wanted was for you to see. Just for once I wished you to see all I did for you wasn't to make you suffer, but instead to make you see me." He whispered the last word so vulnerable that she let in a silent breath.
Thankfully he stood up from the bed, but not before tracing her jawline with his finger. She closed her eyes when he leaned in to place a small kiss on her forehead. She felt his warm breath caress her warm skin, as the sensation his lips brought her made a moan escape her lips. The thought of him suspecting her being awake made her forge a sleepy yawn, while saying sleepy nonsense.
His warmth left her, as he occupied the bedsheets where she laid on a few minutes ago.
Seconds turned into minutes, minutes turned into hours, Teresa's mind was restless and baffled by his confession and the thought of him liking her enough to fight for her attention, even if he had done it the wrong way made her mind completely blank.
She heard the sound of his breath slowing down and realized he'd fallen asleep.
Stretching her hand to her phone on the nightstand, she checked the time to realize it was past midnight.
It was very late. She closed her eyes to let sleep overtake her. She'd think about what he just said later when day breaks.
But the sleep never came.
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There's more to come in the next chapter as Teresa is about to find out about Jacob's sick game.
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