As work closed, Jasmin hugged her bag and bid goodbye to Andrew before taking her leave. Cainan’s black Prado was on the other side of the building and she knew it was him waiting for her.
Their relationship was suffering from what she would call bipolar syndrome because one day they could be all fun and friendly with each other and the next, trying to avoid each other and another day trying to kill each other.
In the three weeks, they had been dating, they had had a few fallouts, one of which was after she turned down his offer for a car and personal driver. He believed something bad would happen to her since she closed from work late some days. She told him that having a personal driver and car made no sense, she was a waiter and that meant a simple life and she didn’t see how a car and driver was a simple life. She knew he was only looking out for her safety so when he proposed picking her from work, she agreed to it.
She got over to his car and the door opened to her she silently entered and he drove them off.
“How was your day?” he asked after moments of silence.
“It was good,” she replied.
“You sure about that? You’re quite quiet for someone who had a good day.”
“My good friend is yet to return from her journey so don’t blame me if my mood isn’t usual,” she grumbled out even though he was right to be suspicious.
Her day didn’t go so good and it wasn’t because of Anita’s absence even though she told him that it was. Jude had a hand in it, but she couldn’t tell him that. He had kicked against her working last week after what happened with the reporters and up to him, she wouldn’t even be waiting at the restaurant but she loved her friend Anita and wanted to do something that made her happy and she was happy with waiting. Telling him she was harassed at work would only complicated things which she didn’t want.
His hand took her hand into his and gently squeezed down on it, and the action, as well as the reaction of her body, comes as a surprise to her and she almost pulled away from his touch. His hand as always were warm and soft and they caused a shiver to run down her spine and she didn’t know what the appropriate reaction was going to be.
“Mom wants to meet you, and she invited us to dinner with her husband and stepchildren. She came over yesterday and told me to bring you along tonight. I was supposed to tell you that this morning, but I had an emergency at work and I forgot. And when I remembered it was after I closed from work and felt it was already too late.”
Too much information within ten seconds.
“She would be expecting us.” she said with a small voice. “she’s probably made dinner and would be setting table for the two of us.”
He nodded in agreement, that was how it normally went, “Yes, but I can tell her to reschedule.”
She became silent for a while before saying, “That food would go to waste, I don’t think there is a need for that.”
Cainan laughs out loud, there was always something that ticked in her at the mention of food, “So you want to come to dinner?”
“Yes, I’d like to meet your mother and her husband and their family.”
Cainan couldn’t help the warm smile that came on his face, “Fine then, I had a gown picked out for you he said reaching to the back and bringing out the shopping bag and handing it over to her.
She narrowed her gaze at him, “You had this all planned out, you knew I wouldn’t say no and you played me.”
His eyes glinted in guilt, “A part of me knew you might want to come along, but I wasn’t going to decide for you, I got the dressed on half certainty.”
“I bet you tell yourself that to sleep better at night,” she made a face at him.
“I sleep better when I dream of you.”
Her cheeks heat up and she immediately looked away from him, words like that always made her heart swell and Cainan was fond of saying them lately.
He started referring to her as “beautiful,” after last week as well as “darling” and other cute names. He also complimented her a lot and it was unusual and she didn’t know if he was just playing the role of a perfect boyfriend or if he really meant what he said.
Well as of last week, he told her to stop calling what they had a pretend relationship. He insisted that it wasn’t a pretend relationship but rather one where they both knew their role and followed the rules and instructions. He clarified that the only thing she was pretending to do was steal his heart and him hers but that everything else was real.
She didn’t ask him if he meant his compliment though, that would be leaving herself vulnerable…or at least that was what she told herself whenever those stupid butterflies fluttered in her stomach.
The rest drive was silent and when they arrived at her place, she made her way out of the car, but Cainan remained seated in the car.
“Bathing and getting ready will take more than an hour, you can’t stay in the car for all that time.”
“I don’t mind,” he answered with a small smile.
“Well I do, come on out and let’s go in.”
He didn’t hesitate before getting out and they made their way into the house.
