Jessie's POV
"You couldn't press your hair? You know, when it's straight, it shows your full length compared to when it's curly. Men love long hair," my mother says as we walk.
I look at her over my shoulder; she is in a sapphire blue off-shoulder dress, bare of any accessories. To be honest, it is not the best of her attires; the emerald color does her justice.
I check my phone to see how long I have to endure this torture. It is only nine PM, and yet I feel like I have been reading three chapters of a book on the same scene.
"I would love to see Kai and the rest of the girls," I say to my mother, referring to my sisters.
She observes me for a while. "Not yet; we have to make sure you have changed," she states. "You hurt them, and if you can't be reliable and consistent with them..."
"I just want to see them, even from afar, Mum," I beg.
"Okay, let's see how the night works out first." She gives an ambiguous answer.
I decide not to push the issue further, especially since her response has given me hope.
"You must be Jessica," a man standing with my father says.
I greet him and the others. When I get to my father, only awkwardness remains; I don't know how to address him, and he doesn't make it easy to guide me on what extent I am supposed to interact with him. He shut me off completely, not worthy of his greetings or acknowledgment.
Even his companions note the weirdness between us.
"Gentlemen, let's gather around to kick off the party," my mother interjects.
I watch my father and his company start to walk toward the door that leads to the garden where the reception is.
"Where is your husband?" my mother asks, and I turn to see if he followed us.
I can't find him. Maybe he is planning to come out later.
"Wait here for him; the media will be waiting outside. You should walk out together in an intimate manner, stand, and pose for some photos. Then you will have one where you both kiss passionately," she gives out her instructions. I roll my eyes; it feels like a director giving me a script. Oh yeah, it is a roleâOliver even reminded me of thatâhow easy I keep forgetting.
"Don't embarrass us," she warns.
As if Oliver will pretend and agree to all of those rules.
"I won't even dream of it, Mother," I say to get her off my case.
"Don't keep the guests waiting," she says, kisses my cheek, and walks away.
I am left alone with the workers who are serving the guests as they move around. I wait for Oliver to show up, but he never does. Thirty minutes go by, and he still hasn't arrived. The whispers will start soon, if they haven't alreadyâWhere is Mr. Cooper? Why hasn't he shown up with his wife? This will trigger my mother coming here and putting all the blame on me for keeping the guests waiting.
What is taking him so long?
I decide to go back to his bedroom to check what is keeping him. I am sure if Iris had never run away and married him, they would be happy; she would never have to go through what I am currently going through. She was loved, and I am... tolerated.
I knock on the door and receive no answer. Immediately, my alarm goes off, and I am taken back to room 350; earlier, Oliver didn't look well. What if something did happen to him?
I twist the knob, and the door flies open.
"Oliver?" I call out as my heart sinks at what is before me.
****
The next day
"I said I am sorry. Please, I can't bear you of all people being mad at me," I pout.
Layla sips her coffee and looks up at me with feigned anger.
"You know you can't stay mad at me for long. Whom are you going to share your gossip with?" I joke.
"I have other friends," Layla moves her head in a funny manner.
"Oh really?" I taunt her.
"Since you upgraded and don't work at La Cooper anymore, Terry and I have become quite close," she sips her coffee again.
"Terry from the laundry floor?" I ask, surprised.
She nods.
"What can you share with her? She is a bore and will only try to recruit you to the cult she calls religion," I say in disbelief.
"I am open-minded; I don't judge," Layla says, trying to hold back her laugh. I know her too well to know two seconds with Terry is enough to make her want to pull her hair out.
I decide to play along. "Okay, I am happy for you."
She groans. "Fine, I am bored to death without you at La Cooper, and I am mad that I called you when I needed you. You cut me off and only reached back when you were in need," she confesses.
When she says all of that aloud, it sounds worse. I hate that we are fighting. We have always been joined at the hip, never fought until I got married.
The only drama I had in my life was with Grey and Talia. Back then, it seemed like the worst that could happen. But now, those problems seem almost trivial by comparisonâa drizzle versus a storm.
"I am sorry, and if Fred is not ready to value your way of commitment, it is time to let go. It is hard; easier said than done, but time makes it possible," I say.
She smiles, but it never reaches her eyes. "I...I..." She stops from what she wanted to say. "You are right." She finally answers.
I take a bite of my donut and wipe off any excess cream from the sides of my mouth. I look again at Layla, who is intensely staring at me, and offer a smile.
"What about you? Don't you think it's time to put your foot down? You've been tough before, Jessie. You stood your ground back then. What's stopping you now?" Layla asks.
I pause, the weight of her words settling deep. She's rightâI was tough, but it was a different kind of tough. One that came with recklessness, with the feeling that I had nothing left to lose. I wasn't afraid of breaking things, not even myself. But now... it's different.
"I know," I say softly, my voice almost a whisper. "I was strong before, but that strength came with a kind of carelessness. Back then, I didn't think about the consequences because I didn't care. And now... I'm scared that if I stand up for myself again, I'll wake up that part of me. The one that's dark. The one that didn't care about what got destroyed in the process."
I take a deep breath, in and out, trying to steady myself. "It feels like only one version of me can exist at a timeâthe one who fights or the one who holds it all together. And I don't know which one is worse."
"You are trying to be careful with people who are being careless with you. Awaken that demon, Jessie. If they all leave, you have me to fall back on," Layla advises.
I smile and nod, grateful for her words, but she really has no idea about the weight of the demons I carry. If this were the past, I would've already hurt her without a second thought. She doesn't know how dangerous I can be, even to the people I care about.
A reminder on my phone goes off; I am supposed to go see Oliver. Yesterday, I looked for him and he was gone. He actually stood me up; I was embarrassed, blamed for his absence at the party, and couldn't reach him.
I don't know what I will say to him or do if I see him, but I am hoping that by the time I get to his office or wherever he is, I will have figured it out.
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