Kaden's POV
One week.
That's how long Jessie has been avoiding me.
"I thought it was supposed to be 'the truth shall set you free'.
"And it did, nowhere in there says you won't get dumped for telling the truth though." Elizabeth chuckled over the phone.
"I didn't get dumped, we weren't dating because she's married." I shut off my car in front of the familiar house I've been working on for months now.
"Then why does it bother you?"
"It doesn't." I denied.
"You are a very bad liar Kaden," she said mockingly.
I rolled my eyes entering the house, I saw Tom already here finalizing some work on the stairs. I waved at him as I continued my phone call. "Whatever, enough about me. What happened with your ex? She didn't sound happy that morning when I picked up your phone."
"Aye, she wasn't..."
I stopped putting my stuff down, knowing what that tone meant, "You slept with her."
She sighed, "It wasn't planned, we were having a heated discussion."
"And then it got actually heated." I chuckled. I liked Elizabeth a good amount, since we've been talking we have been nothing but honest to one another and it was nice—we both knew were we stood and that life was currently complicated in that regard. Making each other company was enough for now. "I wish I got fucked out of my frustration."
"I don't know her, but I can see why she didn't. The question is do you?"
I hummed, "Are you back with your ex then?" I asked ignoring her question.
"No, we haven't really talked about anything other than work since then. It's been weird." She muttered.
"Now I can tell why, she's obviously still in love with you and you still have feelings for her. It is painfully obvious." I took out a palette of colors to decide which one of the choices of Jessie would go best with the basement.
"And you would know that how?"
"Intuition, also you know I'm telling the truth." I settled on the cloud grey and went to get the buckets upstairs.
"I have feelings for her... but I don't know about love." Elizabeth sounded more stressed that she let on.
"Morgan told me you were in love with her, so how come you knew then but don't know now?" I wasn't trying to be mean—I was just telling her what I'm certain no one has but needed to listen.
"You know you are a very therapeutic one night stand."
"Oh I've been relegated to one night stand now? You hurt me ms. Sinclair." I took the two buckets of paint down stairs — it was a good thing I was using my AirPods instead of my phone for the call.
"I'm sure I do." There was a pause before she spoke again. "I have a meeting so I have to go."
"There goes my company." I sighed dramatically.
"A shame I know, don't disappear on me."
"Oh I know the consequences of doing that, you'll just show up on my door." I opened the bucket and grabbed the paint roller.
"Morgan doesn't keep anything to herself, does she?" Elizabeth questioned making me laugh.
"No she doesn't." I confirmed.
"I can see... bye Kaden."
"Bye beautiful, talk to you some other time." She hung up and I put my playlist to fill the silence on the basement while I painted it.
After I'm done with the basement there is not much else to do with the house other than some minor stuff here and there. Which meant soon enough I won't have any reason to see Jessie every day—at the start of all of this I would have been ecstatic about ending this job... but now I'm not sure about anything.
I had half the basement done painted by the time I felt a hand on my shoulder—I turned to see Tom and I took out one AirPod.
"What?"
"The owners are upstairs." Tom said—both hands on his hips.
"Both? As in..."
"Yes both, mr and mrs. O'Connor." He said and made me follow him upstairs.
Just what I needed today, Jessie coming not alone but with her fucking deadbeat husband.
I was met by the sight of them, the man was typing away on his phone while Jessie stood on his side checking the house. His free hand loosely on Jessie's, while her hand had a firm hold on his.
"Hello mr. O'Connor, sorry I was working down stairs." I looked at Jessie who had her eyes on me already—not giving away anything. "I would shake hands but I'm rather stained with paint." Not that he even bothered to extend it to me.
Maybe the courtesies were only when my dad was in the room.
The man finally looked up from the phone, "Don't worry I won't be here long, just checking out the progress of the house. I have to head back to work soon."
"Then we'll make this quick, follow us." I glanced quickly between him and Jessie.
With Tom's help I began to explain to him every work we had done in the house. From painting the walls, to changing the floors, remodeling the bathrooms and the changes on the attic.
"I don't like the white of my bedroom," Patrick turned to me. "I want it changed to something darker."
"Something darker?"
Jessie had chosen the color scheme of the bedroom and here he goes trying to ruin what she had chosen.
"Yes, like a grey or dark blue. I'll have my secretary send you possible colors." He took out his phone again. I turned to look at Jessie, but she had her gaze set somewhere else in the room.
"Sure perfect."
"Mind if we show you the attic?" Tom asked him.
"Not really interested what was done with it, let's move on to the rest of the rooms." He moved past us to see the guest bedrooms.
What a shame I would love for you to see where I fucked your wife.
I let Tom follow the man as I stayed back in the room and blocked Jessie's way.
"Let me through Kaden." She didn't bother to look at me.
"What a charmer he is, I can see why you are so happily married." I said sarcastically.
"I don't believe that is any of your business." Jessie's brown eyes met my eyes for the first time in what felt like forever.
"Maybe is not, but I don't care that is not either way." I sighed and looked behind as I heard the steps of Tom and Patrick going down stairs. "Stop avoiding me."
"I thought that's what you've wanted all along? Now that you got it you have a problem with it?" She shook her head in disbelief.
I sighed in defeat, "I shouldn't have broken the arrangement, I'm sorry."
"It doesn't matter."
"It does, I hurt you." I glanced behind me before I got closer to her. "I shouldn't have— I didn't want to hurt you... I realized too late that I would."
"You didn't hurt me, I would have to care in the first place for that." I could see right through this nonchalant facade she was putting.
"You don't believe that." I scoffed.
"You don't know me at all Kaden, what would you know about what I believe or feel at all? You were just a short lived good time." Jessie shot back at me quietly—and somehow her words managed to sting. "Now if you excuse my husband is waiting for me."
I didn't let her through, "Is he? Because he continued the tour without you rather easily, so did he even notice you weren't following him anymore? But tell me did you want to show him first hand in which part of his house his wife got fucked? Because I was certainly hoping he would go up to the attic... although he's probably already seen the dinning table."
Jessie's face was flushed with what I figured to be anger—she tried to push me but I caught her hands and brought her closer to me. She tried to pry my hands off her wrist before I leaned in and kissed her. My grip on her slowly fading away—her now free hands then moving to my face to pull me closer... surprising me.
The heated kiss lasted maybe for two minutes but it sure felt like longer than that to me.
"Jessie I'm heading out!" We heard the masculine voice of her husband yell from downstairs.
What a gentleman.
"Alright!" Jessie responded without taking her eyes off mine—the sound of the front door opening and closing.
"Does he know what his missing? The person that he's wasting? You deserve better." I whispered leaning my forehead against her's.
"Who exactly you? Like you would be any better." Jessie took a step back.
Ouch.
"No." I looked away.
"I'm beginning to hate you." She muttered failing and looking down to my lips.
"Hate is a thin line." I took a step forward to her again and grazed the corner of her lips with my thumb. I've begun to wonder if it's me the one that doesn't want this fucked up affair to end. "Come over later tonight to my place. Let's talk, properly talk."
What am I even trying to do?
"I can't, I'm going out with Patrick tonight." Jessie backed away, "Besides there's nothing to talk Kaden." She finally moved past me and walked out of the room.
"I'm not going to stop until I fix this. No matter if it's not like that, between us anymore. I don't want you out of my life." Jessie had stopped briefly to hear my words before she was gone.
Oh how I wish I still wouldn't care, my life would be easier.
—
A/N - Another one. Thoughts?