(Jessamine’s POV)“Jess!”“Hmm…” I moaned, rolling to the other side to avoid someone’s hand shaking my arm. With my eyes still close, I groped the mattress, hoping to get my pillow. Why wasn’t it beneath my head?“Jess, wake up.”The person waking me up chuckled but did not give up. “I still wanna sleep…” My mouth was downturned, ready to wail as I wondered why she sounded like my housemate.“Aiden left.”Two words from Deborah. Two words like cold water splashed on my face, waking me up. I got up quickly, then groaned, holding my head because I got dizzy from sitting down immediately.“Argh! My head,” I cried, thinking it might detach my body.“That was quick,” chuckled Deborah. “I should have thought of that earlier. Why would Aiden close the curtains?” She yanked the curtain open, welcoming the sunlight into my room.“What did Aiden do?” I winced at the sunlight coming into my room. “What time is it?” I asked, shutting my eyes and opening them slowly.“Nine, Love.” Deborah walked
(Jessamine’s POV)“We talked this morning, and I explained everything to him,” Aiden answered, reaching for my hands.My heart stopped beating as he squeezed my hands gently. When our eyes met, I gaped, remembering that look. It was the same compassion flooding across his face when I cried like a lunatic when I told him how I wanted to have my first kiss that night, but the boy I was hoping to do it with liked someone else. To stop me from crying, jokingly, Aiden told me he would sacrifice one kiss for me, and before I could ask what he meant, he lowered his head and pressed his lips to mine.That kiss scarred my heart deeply. My heart got broken because of that damned kiss. He pressed his soft lips into mine because he felt sorry for me, wanting me to stop crying. I was such a crybaby that he didn’t enjoy the prom. Instead, he stayed with me in the tree house, wasting his time on me.“Mr. Doug is right. We should go on a real date,” Aiden uttered the words.I blinked. It was like he
(Aiden’s POV)“What do you want to eat?” I asked, glancing over my shoulder to see Jessamine washing the apple in the sink. “You haven’t eaten your breakfast yet.”I opened the refrigerator, looking for some leftovers or maybe something to cook. I chuckled and swept Charlie gently to the side when our puppy made an attempt to enter the fridge. He barked, trying again, but this time, Jessamine scooped him before he could place his paws on the crisper.“Nice try, Charlie,” she laughed, standing beside me and reading the labels from the food containers. “I’m not sure. I’m not really hungry. We can have pasta… There’s still chicken here. Maybe a sandwich for a yummy breakfast.”I was not looking at the labels but at the woman beside me, as she was far more interesting to taste than any food. My heart pounded when Jessamine turned her head toward me, leaving a small gap between our faces. I stood up straight but didn’t move away from her.“Should we… Umm… should we…” I sighed, unsure how t
(Aiden’s POV)“Opss… Wait, boss!” Aaron muttered.My heart stopped beating, and after a second, it pounded hard, hurting my chest. My nostrils flared in anger, curling my hands while thinking Derek had done something crazy to Jessamine inside the movie house. Sasha, sitting and pretending to be my beautiful date, pressed her lips, probably suppressing a laugh, when I sat upright and lifted my hand to fix the Bluetooth bud in my ear.I didn’t know what got me, but after calling Jessamine this morning, instead of showing up in the apartment, I came up with this crazy plan of following her discreetly with my partners’ help. Aaron bought a ticket and watched Jessamine and her date like a hawk, I hope, while Sasha and I went to the restaurant my best friend mentioned earlier where they would eat after watching the movie.“My bad,” Aaron chuckled. “He was only reaching for the popcorn.”I clenched my teeth, stopping myself from cursing him.“I told you I should watch the movie, not Aaron,”
(Aiden’s POV)“Aiden?” Jessamine repeated.I thought Jessamine was unhappy to see me, but then her lips curved into a sweet, excited smile. Then that smile disappeared when she heard Sasha clearing her throat, trying to get noticed.“Oh,” my best friend murmured, smiling meekly at my date, blushing as she glanced at her.Aaron would agree that Sasha looked stunningly beautiful in her wrap chiffon black dress, but she was the only one I never dared date, not even in my dreams.“Aiden, who is she?” Sasha asked in her shrewish tone.“Jessamine, my best friend. The one I told you a while ago,” I explained briefly, making sure Jessamine heard me. “Please, excuse me.” I stood up and walked in their direction. “Is there a problem?”“Hi!” Derek greeted, his forehead sweating. “You look familiar. Have I seen you before?”“Uncle Jay’s,” Jessamine reminded him.“Ah!” Derek nodded and smiled awkwardly at me. “We’re leaving. I didn’t know they needed a reservation here. I mean, Carterville is a sm
(Aiden’s POV)To stop kissing Jessamine was challenging, but I managed to drag my mouth away from her lips. I pulled her closer, wrapping my arms around her body, and kissed her forehead.“Let’s go back inside, okay? I don’t want Derek to think I stole his date tonight,” I muttered.Although it was the plan, I didn’t want it to look obvious. I had plans for her tonight, wanting to surprise her with something, but I wasn’t sure if it would happen because of some misunderstanding about Sasha. Although she didn’t fight me, she nodded but headed quietly inside the restaurant.Sasha and Derek were already enjoying the dinner and talking about Carterville when we joined them at the table. It was one of my secretary’s many talents, making a man talk. Sometimes Aaron would joke about her being a witch, using magic spells because even he could not keep a secret from her.“Are you okay?” Derek asked, standing up to pull the chair for her.“Yeah,” she smiled shyly, probably still embarrassed by
(Aiden’s POV)“You’re a cradle snatcher, Adam.” Aaron clucked his tongue.He glanced at Jessamine, sitting on the porch with his wife. She picked up the cup of coffee Sasha gave her and smiled at something my secretary said.“She’s twenty-four,” I gritted my teeth, lifting my hand to massage my nape. “This isn’t what I planned, Aaron. I didn’t bring you here so Sasha could play cupid.”Aaron sat on an old couch and wandered his eyes around the house, ignoring me. “This needs renovation,” he said instead of commenting on what I had said. “Why are you giving this place to her? Why not just sell this?”I breathed, looking around our old house. This place in a ten-hectare land was the only inheritance I got from my mother when she died, but I kept this all these years because of the memories I had with her. I had thought of this place when I read Jessamine’s marketing plan and research. This was a perfect location for the business she had in mind.“This is too precious to me,” I answered,
(Aiden’s POV)There was pretty not much conversation after the kiss. I asked Aaron to drive us home as soon as we returned to the house. Jessamine must be sober now, sitting far away from me in the back seat, not talking to me. She must have realized the weight of her proposal.When Aaron stopped the car in front of the apartment, Jessamine said goodbye and exited the vehicle in a hurry, not waiting for me. Aaron rolled the window down when I got out of the car.“Adam, don’t forget the AI on diagnostics. Investors and clients from healthcare industries are excited about the accuracy of your work. Don’t play around,” he reminded me.“You don’t have to remind me,” I muttered, glancing at the door Jessamine left open. “Begin the renovation of the place. I’ll keep Jessamine busy.”“And your father, Mr. Knight?” Sasha chuckled, tilting her head to see me.“Tell him I’m not running away,” I snarled, squeezing my eyes shut and cursing inwardly. “And please, I’m Aiden. AIDEN ANDERSON.”I knew