A FEW YEARS BACK "She is avoiding me." Jayden placed his glass tankard filled with beer on the table. "Trust me. That's for good." Mason said as he sipped on his beer. He rolled his eyes at that. "Why are you against us?" He asked him. "Because it's a fool's errand, Jayden. Her mom died. She is so vulnerable right now. And if you are near her, she will depend on you. Do you love her?" "Mason, I.." "It's so easy, Jayden. It's a yes or no. Do you love her?" His question was a bitter pill to swallow. He asked himself the same question more than a thousand times, and he always got only one answer. "No, I don't think what I feel for her is love. It's just....." "You pity her, Jayden. As awful as it may sound, you pity her. There are many girls who loved you before. But Ayla became an exception because she was different from them. It's not love. You know that too." No, it's not pity. But there was no good reason to justify what he
A FEW YEARS AGO Because it was raining. Because she needed space. Because she thought that's what happened next, or she thought it was high time she did things as others did. Whatever reason she gave to herself, nothing kept her at ease. "Stop fidgeting, Ayla. I won't eat you." He took her hand in his hands and walked to the bedroom. As always, his flat was a complete mess, a clean mess, she would add, because things were out of order but never dirty. To go inside his apartment along with Mason is one thing and to go along with Jay is another. She still had no idea how she put herself in that position- following a man to his after kissing for god knows how many minutes. His bedroom was an exception. There's no spot in there. The king-sized bed, the grey curtains, the walk-in closet, and a mini couch. It looked like it was never touched. Then she realized that he never really use his bedroom. He always works in the second bedroom which he made into a mini-of
PRESENT DAY AYLA My phone rang for the third time and I silenced it by clicking on the volume button. "So nothing happened that night?" I asked Yeona, trying to sound so casual as if it doesn't affect me. "You never lied to me because you were really bad at lying and pretending just like how you are trying to act normal now with everything I said. By the way, that was the only night when nothing happened. Ever since then, you guys were head over heels for each other. Come here," She whispered while leaning towards the table. The restaurant was not much crowded. But she called me as if we were discussing the nation's security. I leaned forward to hear her out. She covered her mouth as she whispered, "There were days when you were not able to walk properly." We may not be discussing the nation's secret. I didn't know that we can be discussing things that oddly seemed dirty. I never once had passionate sex as far as I remember. Hearing her say t
AYLA PRESENT DAY Everything happened in a blink of an eye. What's taking time is processing it. Yeona is with the cops explaining to them everything that has happened. I was too terrified to speak a word. Maybe terrified is not the exact word. I am shocked. Why would any want to kill me? How come I had become responsible for another person's death whom I didn't remember? Jayden walked in with a glass of water in his hand. "Drink," he ordered. That's what he has been doing since he came to my rescue. He was furious, and I am not in the situation to comprehend to whom this rage is directed and why. I raised my head to look at him, and another tear slipped my eye when I noticed the scar he got on his palm because of me. He still had the cloth I tied to stop the bleeding before. Once again, the moment of horror played in my mind. A man I had never seen before tried to attack me in my own house, and somehow Jayden came to rescue me. Not even once did he hesitate before he put my
She was busy checking her phone. Never did she immerse herself in mobile to the point where she ignored all the vehicles. It's a kind of freedom and a feeling of security she has been experiencing lately, as Jayden is always with her. "Did Nasa release something?" He asked her, trying to grab the phone. She took two steps back without raising her head. "Will you at least look at me? I have traveled miles to meet you." He said only to receive nothing in turn. He rolled his eyes, "Don't tell me that you got a new boyfriend." No response. "Come here," He said, trying to take her into his arms. He knew she couldn't resist his touch. She took two other steps back onto the road. He immediately dragged her by her waist and switched their sides so that his back is towards the road and she didn't even realize that he did that to prevent a bike from hitting her. Her eyes are still on her phone. His hands are on his hips, eyes demanding a look wit
Ayla Present Day It has been two days since the incident. It has been more than thirty-six hours since I fall asleep. I am practically living on caffeine. I see Max, trying to choke me whenever I close my eyes or I would see Jayden and those goddamn memories. I don't know which one is more pathetic. Tomorrow, I have an appointment with Kemal, my therapist. He has been helping me deal with things ever since my accident. I am scared of being alone at home. Every time I go out, I get a feeling that someone's following me. But at the office, it was different. These are Jayden's territories. No Max can get inside easily. We always have tight security. I am on our bosses' floor, waiting for Steph to complete her work so that we can go home. She insisted that she stay with me. I feel that a day with Steph could do some good. My phone beeped as I was lost in my thoughts, looking out of the window at all the city lights. "You forgot your ointment." The mes
AYLA PRESENT DAY I have always been so proud of myself whenever I look at my house. It wasn't that big, but it wasn't small either. I spent my mom's insurance money, my small savings, and the cheque my father gave me after graduation on this lease. Why the hell does this seem so little now? It has been five minutes since Steph left, since the moment she looked at Jayden and smirked since Jayden slammed the door in her face and he turned towards me. That's all he did. We were staring at each other till now. I tried to look everywhere but him. I heard him exhale deeply, and he sat on my couch, pulling his hair over his head. "You don't remember me?" He questioned. I shook my head slowly. He shook his head in disbelief. "According to you, when was the first time you heard about me?" He questioned. "When you attended our college for a....." He cursed under his breath. "So for you, the first time we met was when you spill that coffee on my shirt?"
A FEW YEARS AGO NOTTINGHAM "Why are you here? Didn't you have an appointment with some company's CEO? You had a presentation. What are you doing here? You don't have to come. Jay...," Nothing she said traveled through his ears. His eyes were fixed on the scar she got on her forehead. "It's nothing," she whispered when he moved the few strands of her hair back. "Where else?" He asked sternly. She threw him a scowl even though her eyes were glossy and she was hurting. "Nowhere," She replied. "You should go," She said again, gently pushing him with her hand. He caught her hand to inspect the wounds. He finally released a breath when he found none. "Don't do that." He ordered. "Don't push me away no matter what." She dropped her head, fidgeting with her fingers. "That's not what I am doing." She murmured. "I don't want you to worry. The purpose of your meeting is too big to stop for trivial things like this."