Mia's pov:
All of them get up and immediately smile happily at Jacob except for her. She's rooted to her place angrily looking down.
Jacob lets go of my hand and greets all his friends. Austin, Jacob's Friend brings me out of my thoughts, "Alot more simpler and beautiful this time but oh my god! You looked really hot the last time we met, hii Mia." I smile in embarrassment. Jacob looks in our direction and gives him a solid death stare making him chuckle lightly.
"Sorry about the last time... things were..." he cuts me off.
"Funny... someone who can get on his nerves. It was entertaining to watch that." I don't say anything to him and just smile in embarrassment.
They are all looking at me awkwardly and me to them when Jacob suddenly realises it's time for him to introduce us, "Guys, this is Mia my..." he pauses but doesn't take too much time saying the next thing which almost makes my heart burst in happiness.
"Girlfriend.. my girlfriend." Both of us stare at each other forgetting about everything else and I beam at him happily hearing those words come out of his mouth. I am his what? Girlfriend... I wanna dance right here on this table but I hold back.
All of us take a seat... I am squeezed between Austin and Jacob. Austin introduces me to everyone one by one and they are all welcoming towards me Ofcourse except Amy. Her eyes are constantly on me and Jacob. Jacob on the other hand isn't even sparing her a look and talking to everyone else about casual topics.
"Drink Mia?" Austin asks me.
"Probably shouldn't... no thanks." Jacob eyes with amusement.
Alcohol is my enemy and after yesterday I should make sure not to drink in front of Jacob. I get myself some water instead.
"Well Nia, how did you end up with a guy like Jay? I mean you both seem poles apart. What I have heard from Austin is you're a teacher of some small town school." Amy asks me in her bitchy voice.
Jacob's Friends looks at me weirdly after hearing Amy's words.
Yeah neither rich nor Beautiful Mia Anderson with the rich and handsome Jacob Miller... obviously these questions will be raised especially by his ex who is a victoria's secret model afterall. It makes me angry but her question isn't entirely wrong. Jacob's jaw clenches in anger and he is about to say something back to her when Austin answers instead, "That's because Jacob has finally found true love in someone as amazing as MIA. It doesn't matter how different they are as individuals but matters how good they are when they are together." Both I and Jacob feel very touched hearing all this from Austin. Both of us smile at him and it also reminds me of our conversation from the first time we met when he said Jacob isn't a bad guy but a good guy at heart which turned out to be so true.
Austin raises his wine glass for a toast, "To Jacob and Mia." Everyone raises their glasses to click and aren't looking at us weirdly anymore. All his friends make small conversation with me about my job and tell me in return about theirs. Amy is trying to converse with Jacob but seeing Jacob's one word replies to her is making me at ease and relived from all the insecurities I had about them. She no longer bothers me.
I am mostly conversing with Austin about Kevin's case with his old agency and his new show staring on Netflix. I get why Austin and Jacob are bestfriends... they are really similar. I smile occasionally seeing Jacob holding or caressing my hand without even looking at me. Austin sees our tangled hands and shakes his head, "never imagined him to be so cheesy with someone." He whispers to me and I laugh a little.
When the food is about to serve I excuse myself to the washroom.
I look at myself in the mirror and readjust my hair when I see someone else standing next to me... Amy. She's staring at me with her hands folded.
"Jay's flavor of the month... let me say you're the worst of all of them. You're way out of his league and so tacky." She tells me angrily. I don't say anything to her and just wash my hands and try to leave when she gets in my way again.
"Dont get too attached to him... its gonna end for you guys sooner or later. He only loves his money and himself, so look out for yourself." With that warning she leaves.
I look into the mirror again suddenly feeling angry for not saying anything back to her. For her information he likes tacky... why didn't I say anything arggh.
I take a deep breath and get back to the table and sit silently. Jacob is reminiscing all the old memories with his friends which makes me realize how social he was back in the days. Star soccer player, handsome, had the hottest girlfriend... definition of typical popular boy. Now all he does is work.
He looks really happy chatting with them that I don't feel like telling him the conversation from the bathroom and just sit there silently eating my food.
"What's up with your mood? Are you fine?" Jacob suddenly whispers in my ear.
I stare at Amy who devilishly smiles at me and drinks her wine. My face is definitely showing her that she won.
I try to fake smile at Jacob and tell him nothing much but he eyes me suspiciously. Deep down her words are hurting me even though our contract will end soon.... I have never felt so deep for anyone and this is why I started hoping for more.... I started hoping for this to be something more than a contract. Even though I stop myself from going close to him... I end up feeling closer to him and day by day I am going on a path...I never should have gone to since the beginning.
"Remember how you and Amy were caught making out in the janitor's closet?" One of the guys... Nick I think says loudly which gets me out of my thoughts. Everyone stares at him and ask him to shut up. Here goes my heart... breaking into pieces again. My face falls and Jacob stares at me guiltyly. He's kind of regretting getting me here. There were alot more occasions where Jacob and Amy's topic came out... and obviously they will I mean they dated for years.
"My boyfriend... this serious guy here did such mischiefs in high school?" I emphasize on the word boyfriend and ask them chirpily... I cannot let Amy think that she won so I take this lightly and ask them. Jacob gives me a knowing smile and squeezes my hand below the table but I take my hand back from him and listen to everyone without looking at him. He looks at me dejected and looks away at the table again.
"You have no idea Mia... he bunked so many classes and somehow still ended up getting A's." They all start telling me other things Jacob did excluding Amy and I happily hear all of that. Now I devilishly smile at Amy drinking my water. She angrily stares back at me.
Austin catches our little staring contest, "All ok?" He whispers to me. I nod at him and smile. "Don't let her bother you, I meant what I said earlier." I smile feeling touched again because of his gesture.
The night finally comes to an end and all of them happily say goodbye to each other, "It was so good to see you Mia. Austin is right, Jacob has got the right match." Sharon tells me with a smile and I smile shyly and whisper thankyou to her.
Austin gives me a side hug, "It was so good to properly meet you today Mia."
"Me too Austin." Jacob suddenly keeps a hand on my shoulder and talk to Austin about some office work which is out of my understanding.
I and Jacob both ignore Amy and go hand in hand to his car. I look back and see Amy staring at us, mine Amy mine.
Once I am out of there... I stop pretending to be ok and sit inside the car silently looking outside the window. "Thanks for being so understanding, the way you handled the situation... my friends were really impressed." I still don't say anything and stare at the almost empty roads of Seattle.
My conversation with Amy in the bathroom... mention about their life in high school is making me really jealous and angry. I didn't think of myself as a jealous type but I am.
Jacob sighs heavily, "I am sorry, I didn't know she was coming."
"Don't bump into her or talk to her ever again. Remember the rules." I mock him and our conversation from the art gallery and he smiles. Seeing how he ignored her most of the evening makes me less angry.
"Well you were talking to Austin like you were there with him and not me." Wow he's getting jealous of his own bestfriend... really?
"He's your bestfriend Jacob and he was trying his best to make me feel comfortable unlike you who was reminiscing memories with his ex. And the speech he gave for us, I am so thankful that you have a bestfriend like him." I tell him still sounding a bit angry.
He doesn't say anything and drives silently to his house. We reach at his parking lot, I immediately get out of the car and start walking without waiting for him. We get inside the elevator and he makes no effort to talk to me. He's as angry as I am... why would he take me to a place where his ex would be present as well? Argh! Makes me angry again.
He gets out of the elevator first to open his apartment without glancing me a look. We get inside the apartment and I directly go to the kitchen to gulp down some water. I take the water out of the fridge and check if its water or beer this time first. His beer bottles are different than the usual ones.. I don't know which ones were even those. Once I read water, I gulp some sips down to calm myself from all that anger. Jacob is sitting on the living room sofa and staring at me and my actions.
"Sorry for the evening and I didn't know she'd come.. I mean after my breakup my friends stopped talking to her as well."
I am tempted to ask what happened but I don't and give him a casual reply, "Why are you explaining me?" I put the bottle on the table in between the sofas and sit opposite him with folded hands.
"Because you were jealous." The word makes me angrier but I don't say anything to him.
"You couldn't stand seeing someone from my past for five minutes and you made me sit for an entire evening with your ex girlfriend. How is that fair?" I tell him angrily.
"I didn't know she was coming. If I did... I wouldn't have taken you there." Saying he wouldn't have taken me instead of saying he would have said no for the plan and spent time with me. Jacob Miller you're terrible.
"Jay.... my jay.... we did this in high school... we made out in the janitor's closet." I try to copy Amy's expressions which makes him laugh. I am serious here but seeing him laugh... No Mia, don't let him take you for granted.
He takes my water bottle from the table and gulps down all the water in one go. Did he just drink from the same bottle as mine?
I clear my throat and try to start the conversation about this evening and to clear things out why I stopped him and also how we should continue this after the contract ends, he called me his girlfriend after all, "Jacob... I..." He suddenly comes and kisses me slowly. I am taken aback but I start kissing him back too. He stops after a minute and says,
"You don't want to complicate things, I get it. I am okay with these little things. I know if we go ahead than this it will be difficult for us after the contract and this relationship ends. " The contract.... our reality, here I was hoping for more but ended up being introduced to the reality again that this ends in few months. The hope that he might want to continue this after the contract ends here but he doesn't.... I feel hurt and upset. This hurts more and Amy's words keeps ringing in my head again and again. "He only loves his money and himself."
Does he? His care towards me in the past few days showed that this is more than the contract but I was mistaken.
"I will leave tomorrow for my house and I don't care if it's still going through the changes you're making. I can't be a burden to you anymore."
"Not at all..." I cut him midway.
"I feel really tired so I am gonna go and sleep. Thanks for letting me stay here the last few days. Goodnight." He nods but doesn't say anything. The air somewhat feels awkward and I escape the awkward space as fast as I can and go to the guest room.
Jacob's pov:
I think about the email I read which Austin asked me to read while inviting me for the dinner this evening. The bomb incident and Mia's house incident are connected and done by the same person. They are some enemies for sure and I can't continue this with her if she's in so much danger. They don't know for sure who's doing this but they found a note in Mia's apartment which had the same handwriting as the one from the bomb incident.
"I know your little secret and I won't let you stay happy Miller." The note was scary... I am not scared for me but for this beautiful person. If I end up taking up the whole company in my hand which would happen in a few months then it will get really difficult for Mia to handle all this drama that comes with me. So it is for the better to end this right here with the contract and let her find.... somebody better who doesn't have all this drama in his life and keeps her more happy than I do. I know she's upset but this is my way to keep her safe.
Next morning I drive her back to her house. She's quiet than usual obviously because of yesterday but suddenly starts talking, "Thank you for helping me this past few days. Means alot to me." I smile but don't say anything.
I park the car near her building and both of us get out of the car. "You don't need to come, I'll go from here." She says that while taking out her handbag of clothes she brought.
"I actually had to show you the changes my staff made." She nods and we walk to her apartment in silence.
I hold her hand expecting her to take it back but she doesn't and I somehow feel she understood, why I said what I said yesterday. We reach there and I take out the card key.
"I installed a safer lock with card key so if anybody ever tries to break this the alarm would start blasting and you'll also get a notification on your phone." She looks at the door and me in surprise. I open her door and we get inside a newer and better designed apartment. I also got a door installed between her kitchen and her room. I got wooden flooring and an entirely white furniture which is my preference including her bed, her little bar stools to eat near the kitchen, her study table. I also changed her television to a better one and installed it opposite to her bed. I feel satisfied seeing all this.
When I look at Mia she's in awe of it but recovers from it and looks at me with embarrassment, "Jacob, this is too much... how do I pay you back for all this? I can't take all this please."
"I know this sounds ridiculous but you have made me really happy these past few months. Please accept this as a gift and in return keep paying me the rent you used to pay to your landlord every month."
"I feel a bit cheap.... but from my side I don't care about your money at all."
I bring her closer to me and keep my forehead on hers, "I know... that's why I feel like giving the best to you because you're so precious, Mia Anderson. Please don't be upset and accept this for my assurance that now you're living in a safe house." She doesn't say anything for sometime and looks down but nods and hugs me.
After sometime I let her go and decide to leave for office. We bid goodbye to each other with a simple hug and I leave without turning back. Is it possible to be happy one second and sad the next second? I am sad to let her go in few months. I know both of us wants more out of this and she confesses it too but I am the holding back because of the turns of events in my life. Our worlds are opposite and I envy her world because its simple to be in her world than mine. I so wish to give up my world and enter into hers but I can't because of my duty as a son and as a grandson.
At night I stare at the empty bed and remember how after her drunken confession I and Mia cuddled here and slept together. It feels so empty not to have her around. I hope she's feeling comfortable now in her space and in her bed.
Mia's pov:
I finish reading the chapters I am supposed to teach the children tomorrow and get ready for bed. This entire day I have tried to keep Jacob out of my mind as much as I could. I lie on my bed and regret going to sleep because I am immediately brought back to the morning, I woke up after I got drunk. Us in each other's arms feeling like it was home that I have been looking for since years.
Does he not feel what I do? He did confess he likes me but is it supposed to end in 3 months? I felt so stupid when I blurt out that I like him... the aftermath of my confession is like a rejection on my face because I am always reminded of the contract when I try to forget it.
I tried to be as normal as I could but each day... I find myself falling in love with the wrong person yet again and this time it will be so hard that it's going to be almost impossible to get over it.