Four

For a moment, Jasmine stood still, with a mix of emotions running through her, a feeling of admiration for the very handsome creature standing in front of her, and a feeling of disappointment, as she was hoping Alex was finally here for her.

Liam on the other hand stood in awe at the sight of Jasmine. He felt as though this was the first time he had ever seen such a beauty. But there was something off about her… ‘what on earth could make such a beautiful lady look so sad under the rain?’ He thought to himself.

Jasmine's heart fell upon seeing a man that was not Alex. She had expected that somehow, he would show up and everything would be okay, but unfortunately, she wasn't so lucky to have that. She didn’t wait to hear a word from the handsome stranger, she bowed her head in pain, and walked away as disappointment clouded her entire being. She couldn't stop her shoulders from shaking and the tears from pouring out of her eyes.

Breaking his gaze from the most beautiful lady he had ever seen, was one of the most difficult things Liam did. But it had to be done. He had to shake off the fantasy he was already beginning to have about this beautiful stranger. His cousin was waiting for him and he needed answers urgently. He had hoped to ask the lady for information about the ‘Ivy’ that Alex had asked him to look for, but he saw the devastating mood she was in and decided against it.

Liam ignored the sore feeling in his stomach and drove into the building. He came out with an umbrella and walked down to the only door he saw in the building.

"Hello," he said as he knocked. After a while, he didn't get a response. He walked to the window and peeped in. Liam couldn't see anything through the curtains that covered the window. Sighing, he walked back into his car and drove off.

Whilst driving, he saw the beautiful lady he had seen before still walking in the rain, and he couldn't resist talking to her. Jasmine walked sluggishly under the rain. She needed a shoulder to cry on and she didn't care who it was.

Liam's countenance fell as he noticed that the beautiful lady was still crying. He didn't pay much attention to her tears before, because he thought it was just the rain that was running down her face but when he took a closer look at her through his mirror, he could see her shoulders shaking and her whole body trembling.

"Hello pretty angel," he said when his car was close to her and his windshield was wound down. Jasmine turned and looked at him. Liam became more mesmerized by her beauty. She had the kind of looks that could make any man want her and could get all the girls to be jealous that they weren't her. Even when she was crying, she was still very beautiful.

"What's wrong?" He asked when he noticed that the girl wasn't speaking. The silence that continued threatened to break him. He wanted more than anything to hear her voice, he was sure that it would be as beautiful as she looked.

"Why don't you get into the car and we can talk about it?" Jasmine weighed her options. They were no cars in sight and she couldn't keep walking in the rain, if she did, she would fall sick. Liam looked handsome and well-mannered, besides, she desperately needed to be around someone. Jasmine kept mute as she turned around to the passenger's seat. Liam opened the door and she got in. He wasted no time in turning the heater on in the car to help her feel warm.

"What's wrong, darling?"

"My name is Jasmine. Not darling," she said without looking up.

"Oh, I'm sorry. Forgive my manners. I'm Liam. Nice to meet you. So, mind telling me what the problem is?"

Jasmine had fooled herself into believing that she could go without crying in the car of a stranger but once she was reminded of her sad tale, she couldn't help but break down in Liam's car. Her mind was still having a hard time adjusting to the fact that Alex had left her without saying a word. Thoughts of how stupid she must have been to actually believe that someone from his class could actually like her flooded her mind and she cried the more.

Her body felt cold from the rain and she could feel herself trembling, but her insides were hot from the pain that she tried to suppress.

"My boyfriend broke up with me and he didn't even have the balls to tell me to my face."

"Oh, my. I am so sorry about that. You know, he doesn't deserve you," Liam said as he moved closer to her and took her in his arms. She felt so soft to touch but she was also freezing. Taking a coat from his back seat, he covered her up. Her cries were so loud that Liam could feel his own heart breaking. He decided to do anything he had to ensure that she would be okay.

"How about I take you home so that you can drink a hot cup of coffee?" Liam asked.

"I would love that, thank you," Jasmine said and gave him the address to Bethany's apartment. The duo was silent as Liam drove to her apartment but the air around them didn't make Jasmine nervous. She enjoyed just sitting next to him and not saying a word. Jasmine had gotten so comfortable in Liam's car that she didn't want to go out of it even after she had arrived at her destination.

"So, this is the place?" Liam said as he stretched his neck to get a better view of the building.

"Yes, it is. Thank you once again for dropping me off."

"Hey, it's not a problem. And promise me you won't cry yourself to sleep because of that douchebag."

"I promise," Jasmine said as she made to open the door.

"Hey." She stopped when she heard his voice. "Do you mind giving me your number so that we could talk later?"

"Oh, I would love to, but I can't right now. I was robbed a few days ago and I haven't been able to get a phone since then."

"Okay. Can I come to see you tomorrow morning, then?"

"Yeah. You can, But I leave for work by 7:30 a.m. every morning."

"Okay, I will be here before that time," Liam said with a smile on his face which made Jasmine blush.

"Okay. I’ll see you then. Have a lovely night," she said as she stepped out of the car grinning from ear to ear. Jasmine wasn't happy with the way her day went but she wasn't totally sad with the way it ended either. She could appreciate the sounds the birds were making as she stepped into Bethany's apartment. While saying 'hello, to the ragged neighbor that she had never spoken to before, Jasmine was sure that she would sleep peacefully.

The smile on her face was evident to Bethany as soon as she stepped into the room.

"Wow, with a smile as big as that it's safe to say that Alex finally showed up…?" Bethany said as she dropped the remote she was holding and with wide eyes stared at Jasmine.

"He didn't," Jasmine said as she fell on the sofa facing her best friend. She tried to maintain a smug look, hoping that it would hide her emotions, but when she was with a lady who had known her for donkey years, it was difficult to keep any emotions hidden.

"Well, if he didn't show up, then why are you smiling?" Tearing her gaze from the television, she went back to looking at Jasmine.

"Well, I just don't want to let him weigh me down. It's obvious that he has moved on and I should do the same too."

"Yeah, but it's just so sudden. Wait a second," Bethany sat up and the mischievous grin on her face was enough to inform Jasmine that she was making up scenes in her head that Jasmine wouldn't agree with. "Did you meet someone new?"

"I don't know what you are talking about," Jasmine said as she got up from the sofa and ran to the room.

"You did, didn't you?" Bethany screamed as she ran after her. "Jasmine, tell me all about him."

"Look, I am exhausted and I in want to sleep. So, can we do this later?" Jasmine said as she got into the bathroom and shut the door. She soaked herself in the bathtub and thoughts of Alexander came rushing back into her head. She tried to control the tears as she told herself not to cry over him, but her tears just came rushing out. Bethany heard her whimpering in the bathroom and she went in to console her. She finally got her out of the bathroom and into bed where Jasmine cuddled into Bethany's arms and cried herself to sleep.

She awoke a few minutes later with a scream that startled Bethany awake.

"What? What happened?" Bethany said as she turned speedily and turned on the bedside lamp. Jasmine sat frozen. Out of concern, Bethany reached over to touch her and despite the heat in the room, her body was frozen.

"Jas, talk to me. What happened?"

"I had a dream about Alex," Jasmine said as she turned to look at Bethany. Her eyes gleamed with fear and Bethany could feel goosebumps cover her skin. "And it wasn't a good dream."