5 PM
Saturday September 3rd
" South Carolina is beautiful! It's just as I remember, I've got to send you the pictures I've taken so far!"
Grandma FaceTimed me a few minutes ago and we've been talking about her flight and her move. She looks radiant and glowy as she talks which makes me smile, she deserves it all.
I sit at my vanity to get ready for tonight's dinner with Mrs . Dubois , and I begin skin prep before adding a bit of foundation and concealer.
" You don't need all that! " she says with a scoff.
I smile at her and begin blending before I do the rest of my face. I went simple on the eyes and decided my lips will be my staple as I put on a dark red lip.
" I love that color on you! It really brings out your eyes!"
" This is the one! " Alec says out of breath as he's holding a long black dress and baby Ivy in the other.
" Well I'll let you get dressed dear, you look as lovely as ever and I know you'll get a job offer! I love you!"
"Thank you grandma, i love you!" I say before hanging up.
" How is she? " Alec asks.
" She's glowing." I say with a smile.
Alec and Ivy leave the room so I can slip on my dress. I paid it with some black heels , a black clutch , and some gold accessories before calling it quits.
" Alec! How do I look?"
He comes back in the room and gasps while he covers his mouth.
" You are breathtaking. Now come on or you'll be late " he says ushering me out.
A limo is waiting as I head outside and I look at it in awe before I climb in to see Maya and Jasper.
" In another lifetime. " she says looking at me.
I laugh before thanking her and I look over to Jasper who is looking at me with his mouth slightly open and his eyes are a bit wide. We both laugh, snapping him out of his daze.
" You look breathtaking Adalaide."
" Thank you guys! Y'all both look great!" I say with a smile.
A short 30 minutes later we arrive at a beautiful lit up building. Our driver opens the door with a smile before we head towards the glass doors.
We walk in and I see a lady in an all black uniform look at us expectantly.
" Hello and welcome to Fleur De'Amore! My name is Camille and I am to escort you to Mrs. Dubois. "
Soft lighting illuminates the restaurant. The ceiling looks as if it had been hand painted with intricate details. Fresh roses sit at every table, complimenting the red cushioned chairs. Customers sip their wine while quietly chatting and laughing amongst one another.
We head upstairs and I see that there are fewer customers up here. I spot Mrs. Dubois who is standing up from her chair to greet us.
" Welcome! Please sit down and join me, thank you Camille." she says.
We sit down and I sip the cold ice water in front of me. Everyone else opts for a red wine and the bottle is soon brought out.
" So, tell me what you all think of the restaurant." she says before drinking from her glass.
"There is such a romantic and sultry vibe going through the restaurant, it's beautiful." I say looking around.
" I agree with Miss Willow, the ceiling art is beautiful. Did you commission the art?" Jasper asks genuinely interested.
Mrs. Dubois smiles before nodding.
"It's simply breathtaking." Maya says as she also looks around.
We're definitely kissing her ass right now , but how can you not?
" I'm glad you like the building Miss Willow, you as well Miss Keyes." she says with a smile.
Is this foreshadowing?
" Shall we order? " she asks before waving over a waitress.
I start to fiddle with my rings under the table feeling a bit anxious. We order our food before we make small talk about how our jobs are going.
Our food comes rather quickly and we dive in. After the first bite, I have to stop myself from inhaling the entire meal.
" As you all know my main restaurants are in France, and my time here is coming to an end. I've spoken with Mr. Price privately and he has accepted a job at one of my restaurants in France. "
I look at Jasper for confirmation to which he nods. I quickly lean over and hug him, Maya does too. We congratulate him and I feel extremely happy for him.
Taking a sip of her wine, she looks between Maya and I.
" As for the both of you, I want the two of you here managing this restaurant. Together , the both of you are a force to be reckoned with. But this is a full time job , meaning you'll have to leave your old ones." she says.
"I accept!" Maya says quickly.
"This is an honor, I accept as well! " I say.
Mrs. Rowe and I have had a conversation in the beginning of me working under Mrs. Dubois wing that if I were offered a full time job, I would take it. I was hesitant at first, but after a lot of convincing I gave in.
"I'm thrilled to hear that. Jasper and I will be leaving in a few days, and the both of you can start here immediately. "
" To new beginnings!" she toasts.
" To new beginnings! "
Later
" Holy shit Jasper! I'm so proud of all of us!" I beam as we head up the elevator.
"Me too. It was a hard secret to keep, I'll miss it here. Everything has already been transferred academics wise, I just have to move in. "
We step out of the elevator and I stop us from walking.
" This isn't going to be the last time I see you, right?" I ask.
" I'll see you tomorrow." he says with a smile.
He looks into my eyes and I see hesitation written all over them.
"What's wr-"
Jasper cuts me off by placing his lips on mine. Shock takes over me before I gently push him, breaking his kiss.
" Jasper, I can't. "
" You can't? " he asks with confusion.
" I will admit that you are very charming and sparks have flown between us but-"
"Don't tell me this is about Maddox! Adalaide, he doesn't know you like I do. He doesn't like you the way I do! " he says coming closer.
Like a switch, there it was. His eyes are fueled by anger as his breathing is heavy. I feel myself become uncomfortable and slightly afraid of the situation.
"Please let me finish, this isn't about-"
"Shut up!" He yells slamming his fist into the wall beside me.
I take off running down the hall, him yelling after me. I quickly unlock the apartment and slam the door behind me. Turning around, all the guys stand there beaming with happiness.
" CONGRATULATIONS! " they shout.
"Did you guys know?" I ask shakily as they engulf me in a hug.
" We didn', we just assumed! " Quinn says holding me tight.
" Looks like someone got their smooch on." Rome quietly says with a smirk.
Everyone pulls away from me before looking at me.
"It wasn't-"
" Was it Jasper." Maddox asks.
"Yes but it wasn't-"
" Are you serious Adalaide?! He's practically a stranger and you're over here throwing yourself at him?! " he shouts.
"Maddox, don't shout in front of Ivy." Alec says holding her.
I feel my throat tightening and I'm starting to panic. I want to shout that it wasn't like that, that I pushed him away. But then they all start arguing.
"Throwing herself at him? Do you hear the way-"
"Shut the fuck up Rome, I'm not talking to you!"
Quinn looks at me and he quickly realizes I'm about to have a panic attack. He tightly holds onto me before telling me to breathe.
"Guys-"
"Maddox he clearly likes Adalaide and after upon it. Something someone won't do because he's a fucking coward." Xavier says cutting Quinn off.
Maddox gets in Xavier's face but he doesn't back down. Alec takes Ivy into her room and closes the door, and then it happens fast.
Maddox punches Xavier in the face. He quickly shakes it off before he slams Maddox into the wall and shouts.
Quinn covers my eyes with his body and muffles my ears as I begin to cry.
"Look at yourself Maddox!"
"Rome take them out the apartment. Now. " Quinn snaps.
"You two let's go, take it outside now!" Rome shouts.
"I can't breathe." I stumble out as I begin to hyperventilate.
My legs give out as we both go to the ground and Quinn scoops me up. He places me in his lap before wrapping his arms around me.
"Lai, listen to me. I need you to follow my breathing okay?"
"What's going on?!"
"She's having a panic attack let me get to her."
"No! We're going outside so the both of you can calm the fuck down!"
"I'm calm just let me get to her!"
"Y'all are making it worse! Don't you see that?!" Rome states.
Silence fills the room and I push my head into Quinn's chest, trying to listen to his heartbeat. He gently rubs my head as he puts me through a breathing exercise and then tries to distract me.
"Tell me about the dinner Lai, how did it go?"
"It-it was good. I got..I got the job as m-manager." I stumble out.
"What was the restaurant like? Tell me every detail you remember."
I tell him every detail I remember as I feel my breathing slowly go back to normal. We sit there as he wipes my tears and holds me.
"I'm so proud of you Lai. You deserve all of the happiness that life can offer. You're our family, and we all love you so damn much. You got stuck with a crazy bunch." He laughs out.
I laugh before nodding. Soon the door to the apartment opens and in walks Rome. He quickly sits on the ground before engulfing me in a hug. Letting go, I see Alec is now on the ground as well with a glass of water.
"Thank you." I whisper out.
"I sent them home. I'm sorry you had to see that side of Maddox and Xavier. Xavier is very protective of his family and that side of him is rare. Maddox knew he went to far."
"Did he get him back?" Quinn says trying to lighten up the mood.
"You know he did. They have matching busted lips." Rome laughs out.
I shake my head before letting out a breath.
"Jasper kissed me. But it wasn't like that, I pushed him away and he thought it was because of Maddox. I tried to talk to him, but it was like a switch had flipped in his head. He was so angry.."
Quinn tightens his hold on me as Rome and Alec share a glance.
"Adalaide..."
"He punched the wall beside my face. I ran, he was yelling after me and I kept running until I was in the apartment... and well you know the rest." I say with a sad laugh.
The air becomes tense. I let out a sigh and I look at them.
"I'm sorry I ruined the night. I feel awful-"
"You didn't ruin anything, don't ever apologize for something you had no control over." Alec says shaking his head.
I give him a small smile.
"The night isn't over yet either...I declare a movie night." Rome decides.
All the guys nod in agreement before looking at me. I laugh and nod my head. Rome stands up before helping me up. I finally kick off my heels and I wince.
"How about you go take a warm bath? We will get everything set up."
"Okay, I'll be quick."
"No, take your time. We will be right here." Quinn says.
I nod before I leave the room and head into Ivy's nursery. She is sound asleep and her soft snores can be heard. I kiss her forehead before I walk out of the room and into my bathroom.
I run hot water into the bath before I unzip my dress and take off my makeup. Sitting down, a sigh of content leaves my lips as the hot water soothes my muscles.
A few stray tears leave my eyes as I still feel guilty about how this night had gone.
Did I lead Jasper on?
Part of me knows that I broke the kiss off because of Maddox. But a big part of it was because of me. I cherished what we had, and I never saw it going any further. Jasper had obviously thought differently, and he showed me his true colors in the end.
Draining the water as it becomes colder, I dry off and apply some lotion. I do my skincare before I throw my hair up onto a bun. Pulling on some shorts and an oversized hoodie, I walk out and into the living room.
The guys turned off the big lights and have the fairy lights on. There are blankets and pillows on the couch and the floor, and the smell of popcorn wafts through my nose.
I plop down beside Alec before throwing a blanket over me. I smuggle some popcorn from Quinn's bucket, getting caught in the process.
He narrows his eyes at me before flicking a piece of popcorn in my face. Laughing, Xavier hands me the remote.
"Whatever you want to watch."
I quickly put on 10 Things I Hate About You.
The guys give me a look and I laugh.
"Y'all said whatever I want! I'm sure y'all will like it." I say.
Halfway through the movie, I pause it to get more popcorn.
"Wait! No!"
"Where's the remote? Press play Quinn!"
"She took it with her!"
I let out a laugh before waving the remote in their face.
I love these guys, my family.
Whewww 12th chap!
How do we feel?
Maddox?
So Jasper isn't what he seems huh...
Edited :p