Chapter 49
2174 Words
Time spent with the family undoubtedly brought her relief. Jay was afraid that the atmosphere would be rather stiff since their father had not come with visit in a very long time, but the presence of their grandparents helped break the ice. No one could ease the tension like Jonathan Tyler. And no one brought people together like his wife. Grace was the epitome of kindness and cheerfulness.
They unwrapped the presents, and since the whole family had a sense humor, the gifts often caused loud laughter or series of jokes and taunts.
In the late afternoon, John and his parents went together with Sean and Maria to Isabela’s house for Christmas party.
- You sure you don’t want to come? – Maria again tried to convince the siblings to go with them
- No, we stay! – Jess said firmly. – Have a good time and don’t get too drunk! – He added with a mischievous smile.
- We promise to be nice, if you promise the same! – Sean shook his finger at them. – You think I don’t know what you’ve planned? – He asked when Jason pretended to be indignant.
- And were we ever irresponsible?! – Mark asked resentfully. – Okay! Recently?! – He corrected himself quickly under grandma’s warning gaze.
- I’ll watch them. – Jay promised.
- So we can go out with a clear conscience. – Grace announced.
- What?! – Carter was clearly indignant. – You threaten us with your finger and she promises to watch over us and everything is okay?!
- Well… - Jonathan laughed loudly. – Your sister looks innocent while you chilled your beer all day!
- Just shut up! – Mark hissed and prodded his elder brother in a warning. – It’s just beer! We won’t mess up! – He promised with a wide smile. – Have fun! – He added pushing them all behind the door. – So! We can get ready!
Less than half an hour later the front door opened and the Weakfield sisters, together with their brother, entered the house. As their house was not so far away, they decided to come on foot. Therefore they looked like a group of wandering snowmen.
- Hi guys! – The twin sisters, Jessie and Liz, greeted everyone cheerfully.
- We’ve got some cheesecake! – Liz handed the cake to Michael.
- Sweet! Come on in! – He invited them inside.
- Where’s Jay? – Mel asked.
- In the kitchen. She’s preparing homemade pizza. – Jess replied.
- I’ll go help her. – She offered. She took the pie from Mike and headed towards Maria’s kingdom.
- What’s wrong with her? – Mark asked.
- I think she’s waiting for some important call. – Bry answered. – Or she’s not in the mood. – He shrugged.
- Let’s have a drink! – Carter suggested.
In the kitchen Jay froze at the sound of the door opening. ‘It’s just a meeting with friends!’ She admonished herself. She took several deep breaths and came back to kneading the dough. When Mel entered the kitchen she immediately felt better.
- Hi! – She greeted her friend with a smile. – How is the Christmas going?
- It was pretty good. – She sighed. – Until we went to visit you. – She put the cake on the counter. – How can I help you?
- You can cut peppers and tomatoes. – She covered the dough with a cloth and dusted off her hands. – I know that it’s hard for you. But! – She stopped her fried from comments. – I promised it would be worth it!
- I’m not sure if it’s good idea. – There was hesitation in her voice.
- What’s that? – Brenda asked as she entered the kitchen with her younger sisters. – Are you up to something?
- No! – Mel assured.
- Yes! – Jay said firmly. – We’re going to kick my brother’s balls. – She said bluntly. – You’re in?
- Hell yeah! – Jessie agreed without thinking. – What’s the plan?
- We don’t have a plan! – Mel still had doubts.
- Your sister lives with a great guy. – Jay ignored her friend’s protests.
- Yeah! – Liz agreed. – Drew is gay! – She pointed out.
- Indeed, but Christian doesn’t know about it! – She noticed. – Unless your brother got the word out?
- Bry? – Jessie snorted. – He doesn’t know anything. Since you broke up… - She fell silent abruptly as Brandy elbowed her.
- How is he doing? – Jay asked.
- It was very hard for him. – Brenda was not going to be gentle. – First you hid the truth from him, then you broke his hear and ran away! – She attacked. – You didn’t even try to explain anything to him! He was looking for you! He moved heaven and earth to fins you, but you did everything to prevent him from doing so! – She took a deep breath. – But he copes. – She added calmer.
A long silence fell between them. There was a lot of anger and bitterness in Brandy’s words, but also truth. Everything she said was true. They were friends since cradle, and that was probably why they did not hate Jay for what she had done to their brother.
- I know it doesn’t mean much, but I had no choice. – She finally said.
- We all know that. – Mel assured her. – And we understand.
- Are you going to spend the whole evening in the kitchen? – Jess put his head inside. – Drinks are waiting!
- We’re almost done! – She assured her brother. – Okay, we don’t have much time, so listen.
Jay leaned towards her friends and quickly presented her evil plan to drive Christian Tyler crazy. All girls, apart from Mel, smiled maliciously. Jay’s brother was going to regret that he broke her best friend’s heart.
***
What more could you ask for in life than an evening with friends and sisters? Loose conversations, jokes, memories. Everything would be fine if it were not for this excruciating pain. Every time he looked at her, he felt as if his heart was being torn out. As if his soul was dying slowly, in agony.
Her smile made him happy, but at the same time caused him terrible torture. He was so close to her. He could smell her. The subtle aroma of vanilla and caramel. Just like it used to be. He always thought that it was her body lotion that smelled so sweet, but he could smell orange and chocolate today, and yet HER scent was still stronger. The fact that he could not touch her drove him crazy. It caused him almost physical pain.
The conversation seemed to take place outside of him. Next to him. He did not even know what the topic of discussion was. All he could think about was Jaysabel. His thoughts were completely filled with memories of shared moments. He felt the touch of her velvet skin again and the taste of her kisses.
- What do you think Bry? – A question addressed directly to him brought him out of thoughts.
- Well… - The turquoise gaze burned him with living fire. – That’s fine for me! – He hoped he had agreed to nothing stupid.
- Great! – Jessie was delighted. – We’ll organize everything!
- We need to fix the menu. – Brenda cut in.
- I’ll take care of music! – Liz was already very excited. – Danny will help me, won’t you? – She smiled at him.
- Sure! – The youngest Tyler was fond of this idea.
As he soon realized, he agreed to organize the New Year’s party at their house. ‘Well, it could be worst!’ He comforted himself silently. His sisters and friends were discussing the upcoming party, but he himself could not concentrate, so he just kept sipping hi beer, daydreaming.
Jay was watching him closely, sipping her wine slowly. She let the others discuss the details and she allowed herself to focus on Bryan completely. It hut, but she loved that pain anyway. He seemed to be very calm and composed. But she sensed his feelings and emotions all too well. He could not fool her in this field.
Suddenly the phone rang. Jay jumped up from her seat to hand the cell to Mel, but she just looked at the screen and she picked it up herself. ‘Time to start the show!’ She thought maliciously.
- Hi Drew! – The joy in her voice was genuine. – How are your holidays? – She had a nice, lively conversation while Mel tried to take her phone back. – Good, thanks! – He said something that made her burst out into loud laughter and caused Bryan goose bumps. – You’re impossible! I give you Mel! Take care! – She handed the phone to her friend and sat comfortably in the armchair.
- I wonder what he’s like. – Liz said when Mel went into the kitchen to talk freely.
- I’ve asked, but Mel doesn’t want to give any details! – Brenda replied.
- She says they live together. – Jessie added.
- What?! – Bryan jumped up, not knowing that he played his role perfectly. – Who is this guy?!
- Chill out! – Liz was clearly having fun. – She was living with Christian earlier! She’s a big girl!
- That’s something else! – He opposed.
- Because you had an eye on her then? – Jessie snorted.
- That’s not the point! – Bryan was pissed off.
- Then what?! – Brenda cut in. – I’d like to meet him!
- Oh yes! – Jay took a sip of her wine with a sly smirk.
- What he’s like? – Liz asked her.
- Hmmm. – Jay pondered. – Cute, intelligent, carrying. And damn sexy! – She added.
- After what you infer? – Carter asked maliciously.
- He opened the door for me when I came for Mel. – She answered with a flash in her eye. – Dressed in jeans and charming smile. He has really attractive lips!
As she spoke, Christian stood up and began pacing nervously around the living room. The way she talked about Mel’s roommate made Bryan vigilant, and his friend’s behavior further fueled his fears. ‘What the f**k is going on?!’ He wondered.
Mel returned to the living room with a wide smile on her lips. Jay knew she could count on Drew, and her brother’s expression was priceless! Christian had made the biggest mistake of his life, and she was going to do anything to make him realize it. She could almost see the jealousy eating him up from within and smiled to herself.
- What’s up with the handsome guy? – She asked. – You’re dirty on the phone for long time! – She chuckled.
- We weren’t… ! – She stopped suddenly. There was no point in fighting Jay once she had made up her mind to carry out the plan. – He sends greetings! – She added with a smile.
- When will we meet him? – Liz asked.
- I’ll think about it. – She kindly promised.
And then the home phone rang.
- Probably Maria wants to check if the house is still standing. – Mark said as Daniel went to pick it up.
- Hello? – He frowned. – Yeah, she’s here. – He looked suspiciously at his sister. – And who is this? – He inquired. – Hold on. It’s for you. – He handed Jay the phone. – Some Holt.
Jay walked aside, closely watched by her brothers and friends. There was a mischievous flash in Mel’s eyes. Her friend knew way too much! It looked as if she had fallen into her own trap. ‘Damn it!’ She swore under her breath. But the worst was Bryan’s burning gaze on her back. She felt hot and her throat was totally dry. She swallowed hard and took a deep breath.
- Writer
