Traffic

Chapter 2

After the last chat about his future, Jack hadn't repeated the discussion with his uncles. Actually, they seemed very busy with other issues; they didn't annoy him with the same talk every day, he barely saw them around the house—not that he was complaining—he was just curious about what could possibly keep them so busy. The answer arrived a week later when they introduced him to their godchild Elena Reaser, the protégé who they hadn't seen for five years. 

The girl was taken to the house because her parents died in a car accident weeks ago, and they were the only family left to her. He remembered his own sadness and he understood what she felt; he was alone too, he knew what it was to lose your parents, and now she was in the same situation as him. 

He was smiling, relieved, since he knew his uncles would take care of her as she was their daughter; however, he found it weird that this was the first time he knew of her. 

"Elena used to live abroad" he heard Alejandro explain. "Her parents moved to America when she was ten, so there was no point in talking about her" he smiled after his big lie. 

"I see..." he whispered, looking at the girl. She was beautiful, the most beautiful creature his eyes had ever met; brunette, long hair, white skin, and deep blue eyes that gazed him curiously. The uncles watched silently how the two kids looked at each other; they were taking in every detail.

"Right" Alejandro interrupted, "The most important thing is that you're with us now, dear" she smiled at her. 

Elena nodded satisfied. She was relieved to know that she would be in a house where she would be taken care of; her godfathers were very kind, and though she had few memories of them, she could see that they were good people. Looking at their nephew, she thought she had never seen such a handsome, mature and charming man. She didn't even know his name, but was already attracted to him. She drew breath and said to Alejandro. 

"Thank you again, godfather" she said smiling. "I promise I won't be any trouble." 

"Don't say that, little darling" he interrupted, "You'd never be any trouble here." He smiled at her, "I'm sure you'll have a great time with the three of us." 

"That's right, dear" Thomas agreed, flashing a look to his nephew, who looked at them frowning; apparently he caught the joke. 

"Oh, Elena, come here" Alejandro smiled at her and indicated her to come closer with a wave, "This is my nephew, Jack Bailey." 

She approached them smiling and blushed by seeing how the man was eyeing her, his stare on hers, not willing to let it go. 

"Jack, son" he looked at the boy trying not to laugh, "This is Elena Reaser, our godchild" he winked. "From this day on, she will live with us; I expect you'll treat her very kindly." 

"It's a pleasure" she whispered, offering her hand. 

He couldn't take his eyes off her. He strode so fast that he tripped over a coffee table, banging his knee, and drowned a yell when he reached the ground. They watched him smirking; Elena laughed at the sight of that man on his knees, grabbing his leg and cursing. She bended until she was at his level and reached for him, still laughing. 

"Are you all right?" she asked, trying really hard not to laugh at his expression. 

Jack saw her coming near and heard her laugh; his heart rocketed; she was refreshing. He looked at her still angry by the pain he caused himself with his unrestrained excitement. Alejandro and Thomas were watching, smiling satisfied; they knew that soon, a wedding would be taking place, though they were each pleased for different reasons. 

Thomas smirked maliciously watching his plans go so well; Alejandro couldn't help to feel happy for the boy. He obviously liked the girl; though he wanted his inheritance money, he had to admit that he was relieved to know that his nephew found the perfect wife; he smiled tenderly. 

"All right, kids" he coughed a little to conceal laughter, "Thomas and I have to go to work." 

"Right" the other twin said with complicity, "I'm sorry, dear, but we'll meet later." He smiled, "See you then." 

"Jack" Alejandro called, "Please, show the house to Elena and take her to her room. You don't need to go to the office for now." He smiled at the expression of his nephew still on the ground, with the girl beside him, "From now on, you'll be in charge of taking care of her and helping her with anything she might need" he finished, fighting hard to keep from laughing. 

She stroked his godchild's head and left the house along with his brother. Elena smiled at their words; she looked at the man, who was looking back at her in a mysterious way. 

"Are you better now?" she asked again and got on her feet. He watched him stand up and shake his legs. He seemed out of pain now. 

"I'm OK, thank you Elena" he smiled, enjoying pronouncing her name. 

"I'm glad" she confessed a bit blushed; she wasn't expecting him to say her name, "I didn't mean to offend you; I had never laughed at someone." 

Jack was about to say something when she started laughing again; it was amazing. Her laugh made his heart go faster; he even felt some tickling in his stomach. She sat on a couch, still laughing. 

"Well, it was actually funny" he admitted, folding his arms. 

"I'm really sorry, it's just that it's been so long since I laughed so hard!" she put a hand on her mouth, ashamed. 

Jack stared at her and he felt his annoyance melt away; he couldn't blame her for laughing, he was rather embarrassed; he never thought he was so clumsy. 

"It's OK" he smiled. 

She looked at him still smiling. She crossed her legs and smoothed her hair. Jack watched her with a knot in his throat; the girl was oozing sensuality. Was she doing it on purpose? He looked away. 

"Mr. Bailey" she called him, forcing him to look at her again, "Could you show me my room? The flight was really long and I'd like to take a shower." 

Jack looked at her frowning. Did she call him Mr.? Did he really look like someone to call Mr.? Am I that old? He asked himself, feeling the weight of his age.

"Mr. Bailey?" she asked, surprised to see that he was not answering. 

"Mr...." he repeated looking her, narrowing his eyes, "Do I look that old?" he asked approaching her, and sat on the couch, next to her. 

"It's not that" she smiled, "I was raised that way. You are obviously older than me, so I have to address you respectfully" she explained, ashamed; she didn't think he would be bothered. 

"I don't like the 'obviously' part" he confessed, folding his arms again, "I know how old I am, so I don't like it when people remind me at any chance" he whispered, making a face. 

Elena listened with a smile; she didn't know his age, but was sure that he was older than her, though with that childish face he looked younger, like a prickly boy. 

"I'm sorry" she apologized, "But I don't know your age, I'm only assuming." 

He looked at her frowning again. She was very frank, and presumably a teaser; he liked that. It was something refreshingly new for his current routine. 

"Just for the record, Ms. Reaser" he said defiantly, "I'm 28 years old, and in my criterion that isn't old enough to address me as Mister." He finished and waited for her response. 

"You're right" she smiled admitting his statement, "But you're much older than me" she explained. 

He looked at her surprised. How old was she? 

"I don't understand" he uttered, "How old are you, Elena?" and stared at her. 

She suddenly felt ashamed. She didn't think he was that old. 

"So?" he urged her.

"I'm sorry; it's just that I'm so young, well, depending on your criterion, Mr. Bailey." 

He winced at hearing her calling that; he disliked it. 

"I don't see the problem. Age doesn't matter." 

"I agree" she smiled, "Though some people only notice that. I'm 20." 

Jack opened his mouth in surprise. She was 20? This beauty was just 20 years old? It was incredible!

 "You don't expect me to believe it, right?" He looked at her hoping she would accept this joke. 

"I'm not lying" she replied, "What makes you think that?" 

"The fact that you don't look that young." 

"So what?" She stared back at him, "I thought you were around 25, and that didn't make me doubt you." 

"I'm sorry, you surprised me. You look a bit older" he surveyed her from head to toe.

She got tense, her cheeks went red. 

"Don't worry" she said, getting suddenly nervous. 

Jack went silent. Her age was making him suspicious, and after fantasizing about what he wanted to do with her, he knew it wouldn't be possible; she was too young for him. This made him feel slightly depressed. 

"Mr. Bailey?" she called. 

"Yes?" He looked at her, his spirits a bit deflated. 

"Could you show me my room?" she requested, "I'd really like to rest before dinner." 

"Of course" he answered in a whisper. He massaged his temples; a faint pulsing was starting to spread in his head. He knew this wasn't right; he'd have to treat her as the guest she was, nothing more. He sighed. 

"Thank you" she got on her feet. 

"Elena, I just want to ask you something" he put a face, "Please, don't call me Mr. Bailey again." 

She looked confused. Was he upset? 

"I really apologize" she was embarrassed, "My parents were very conservative; they even called my classmates by their last names." 

"It must've been hard" he smiled, "Yet, would you try? We're not that formal here. Not even at work people call me that." 

"Sure, I just have to get used to it" she accepted. 

Jack stood up and took her hand. 

"It was a pleasure to meet you, Ms. Reaser" and kissed the hand he was holding. 

Elena's face blushed intensely. Why did he do that? 

"That was very inappropriate" she said, pulling back her hand, "Do you always behave like this with women you just met?" She asked frowning. 

Jack got tense. Was she offended? 

"I apologize, I just meant to introduce myself properly" he didn't know what else to say, "I didn't mean to offend you." 

"Well, I think I'll find my room on my own" she announced, "Thank you for minding, Mr. Bailey." 

And she left. She didn't look back; she just went up the stairs. She wasn't carrying any luggage; her grandfathers told her that her stuff was already in the room. She walked down the wide corridor, opening every door. The first one was a studio; the one on front was some type of office with stools for building design, with planes hanging on the walls. 

The third room was a library, an enormous room filled with books. It was the most extensive and complete collection of written art that she had ever seen in her short life. She smiled like a child at the thought of finding brand new reading material there. She always carried her favorite books with her, but she also was looking for more. She sighed happily and told herself that after showering and taking a nap, she would come back here and devour some dozens of books. She giggled mischievously and continued searching. 

An entertainment room. A closet was full of suits and coats. Another office. She sighed, resigned to not finding her room. Farther ahead, she saw a sing with her name on it, on the last door at the end of the corridor. She went there, feeling like a fool. 

"Mr. Bailey could've told me," she told herself, pulling a face. 

She was about to enter when she noticed that the door to the room in front of hers was slightly open, and her curiosity was so strong that she decided to go in the room to see what weird things she could find there.

***

Jack gasped in surprise. What had just happened? What kind of girl got offended over a kiss on her hand in these times? Unbelievable! He sat again on the couch; now he was really angry. What was her problem? She acted like he had tried to kiss her. He folded his arms. He wasn't that angry; he was rather confused. He would never expect a girl to react that way. 

Though, he liked that mix of rebelliousness and nervousness, as well as her suddenly leaving the room; he decided to give her the last word and time to rest. They would have plenty of time to meet again—and to get to know her, he told himself smiling. 

He was about to leave to his room when he saw something lying on the couch. He lifted it up; it was a cream colored wallet. She forgot it there; he thought of leaving it there and letting her find it, but he was hoping that Elena had lied about her age. His own words sounded false. 

Women always lie about their age, he told himself, trying to convince himself. 

He opened the wallet and looked for an ID. He read: Name, Address—she had to update this, it still had an American address, s*x, Blood type, Allergies, Phone—he wrote it down, and finally Age. 

No way... 

Elena wasn't lying. If her looks and attitude suggested the opposite, it wasn't her fault; she was only 20 years old, whether he believed it or not. He sighed, feeling bad; he sneaked in a girl's personal wallet because he doubted her, because he didn't want her to be so young. He cursed at himself and decided that the best thing to do was returning the wallet. He went up the stairs, walked down the corridor. He knew which room had been assigned to her by his uncles; he went there and got in without calling first, but she wasn't there. 

"Where is she?" he asked confused.

He was about to go look for her in the other rooms when he noticed that his door was slightly open; he found it strange, since he didn't remember leaving it that way. He entered silently and stood by the threshold, watching. 

Elena was eyeing all the stuff he had in his room. He suddenly felt ashamed; a bedroom is private. He had his books on the desk, besides some clean clothes on the bed. He preferred to stand there and not interrupt, though; he found it fascinating. 

She was really concentrated on the things she was seeing; she noticed the books on the desk. The bedroom owner liked drama and suspense, just like her. She could also catch a glimpse of some romance books, too, and giggled.

Music, their tastes were also similar, but not so much for movies. She sighed and went to another part; she saw a mirror, a wardrobe; she blushed at the sight of male underwear welcoming her, spread on the bed. This was clearly a male's room. 

"Must be one my godfathers'" she whispered turning around, and almost faints when she saw Jack at the door, looking her back with a playful glow. 

"This is not any of them bedroom" he smiled, "It's mine" he stated, approaching her. 

Elena was frozen. She was snooping around a man's bedroom! She looked at him embarrassed; she wanted to apologize, but she was still angry at him; she didn't know what to say. 

"I'm sorry, Mr. Bailey" she frowned, "I didn't know this was your room, I was just looking for mine." 

"Didn't you see the sign with your name on it, on the door?" he asked; he enjoyed the way she blushed when she heard this. 

"No..." she confessed, "I didn't. I was entering every room until I find mine." 

"Oh, I see" he nodded, "And how come you entered this room first?" 

"Well I..." she tried, "was curious; the door was open and I thought that if I had already checked the rest of the rooms, it wouldn't be any harm checking this one too", she concluded and smiled at her explanation. 

Jack choked a laugh; he didn't think she would be so honest. She looked calm, like a child who had made some mischief and yet knew he didn't do anything bad. And what was best, she didn't seem to be angry anymore. 

"Very good" he replied, "I can tell you that I'd have done the same if I was you." 

"Would you really do it?" she fixed her eyes on him, "Even if you knew you were entering a girl's room?" 

"You didn't seem to mind" he smiled playfully. 

Elena opened her mouth to speak, but said nothing. There was nothing she could say now; they were playing the same game. 

"Your room awaits, Ms. Reaser" he signed the exit. She felt her cheeks flame, turned around and went out striding. Jack smiled and closed the door; there was no doubt he wouldn't get bored of her. 

Elena opened the door, feeling full with indignation, but when she saw the room, it vanished: it was beautiful, the most beautiful room she had ever seen in her short life. It had a little living room, a bathroom with an enormous bathtub, the hugest closet her eyes had ever set on—with a wardrobe that made her salivate—and a decorated bed with a golden canopy. 

"I can't believe it, I love it" she whispered, a smiled on her face. 

"Do you like it?" she heard at her back. 

She turned to see who the owner of the voice was. 

"It seems a bit feminine for my taste, but the designer made a great job."

"It doesn't matter, it's perfect" she ignored his comment. 

Jack saw her smile like a child in a toy store, and couldn't help feeling tenderness. 

"I'm glad" he said and sat on the bed, "My uncles will be happy to know." 

"I'll tell them when they get home" she was giving her back again. 

"They'll be here for dinner" he said and crossed his legs. 

Elena was touring the place, discovering more details that amazed her. 

"The clothes in the wardrobe, did they belong to someone?" she ventured asking. 

Jack smiled. 

"Not to any of my girlfriends, if that's what you're asking" his smile grew even more. 

"That's not what I meant" she moaned, ashamed. "I mean I was surprised to find them there." 

"My uncles bought all that stuff. I guess they wanted to surprise you." 

"They bought it for me?" she asked, not believing. 

"That's right." 

"Thank you!" she smiled merrily. 

"It's nothing" he said, his voice grave. He stood up and lifted his arm. "Here" he was holding the wallet, "You left it on the couch." 

"Oh, thank you" she smiled again, "I hadn't noticed" she looked at him and felt weird. The atmosphere that had created was not nice; it was so thick, you could feel tension. She cleared her throat and kept her smile, "Well, I need to shower, or bathe, if you don't mind, Mr. Bailey." 

"At all" he nodded, "Rest, Ms. Reaser, I'll let you know when dinner is ready" he smiled maliciously and went to the door. "By the way, I forgive you for entering my room and sneaking in my stuff" he smiled when he saw her blushing again, "Only because I did the same with your wallet." 

She looked at her with anger. 

"How dare you?" she screamed, feeling like punching him. 

He only smiled once more and went out; while he was going out, he said his last words. 

"Yes, you're too young." 

Elena went silent. Was it really hard to believe that she was 20? Why didn't he believe her? He should have had a good reason to look in her wallet. She smiled, but didn't know why. She wouldn't get bored in that house; she opened her suitcase and got out her books and a photo of and her parents with her as a baby. 

She looked quickly at the clothes in the wardrobe; everything was beautiful, and her size. She smiled, picked a few things, and went in the bathroom. 

Jack entered his room feeling excited. He won this battle. He had to get even with her, and he would. After all, they still had dinner time.