Love at the Nth Time

Gesture Towards Affection

Chapter 16

"Jessica, leave, please."

"Are you for real? Seth, you set me aside for this kind of girl?" Jessica left us and entered the party venue right beside where we were. I reached Celine's hand and pressed her palm.

"Let's go somewhere else."

"No."

"Stupid, you're about to cry. Don't make your sister embarrassed because of her crying 24-year-old sister at a party." She let me.

She let me hold her hand, guided by me even though she was behind me. I could feel her warmth towards me with my hand in hers. There's a specific room where I sleep from time to time. It's complete with furniture and things I needed. Located on the second floor of the building, I decided to use the elevator, which Celine did not react to.

I took off my suit and hung it on the wooden clothes pole. Celine sat down on the sofa, and I messaged one of the managers in the production service department to bring a couple of things. Time ticked on the digital clock near the bed. Silence filled the room; I turned voiceless too. Two male waiters delivered the drinks and snacks I requested.

I grabbed her hand, gave her the canned root beer she liked and sat on the single couch in front of the sofa where she was sitting. She's wiping her tears. She was crying little by little.

"Hey, drink it up so you'll calm down." She slowly drank it, took a deep breath, and cried again. I sighed and pulled the couch to move near her. I reached her cheek and grabbed it.

"Come on, look at me." She's pulling away from my hand.

"Get off me."

"Why are you crying with that piece of a jerk?" She cried hard.

"Yeah, he's a piece of jerk b-but..." She hiccupped.

I hated hearing old heartbreak dramas. I kept myself away from situations that would give me unpleasant memories I no longer wished to trigger. I despised hearing it from Celine, yet I couldn't even turn around my face not to listen to it as she needed me.

"I-I know I have t-this feeling that he gets tired of me since I don't wanna do the k-kind of s-s*x he likes whenever he gets home here. I-I don't like it, but is it really that the only way to love me?"

I caressed her hair and watched her face, swollen eyes, pale face, and small reddish lips.

She's too good. That's why she was not meant to be with a man like him. Too good to mess around.

She fell asleep due to the heavy emotions weighing her and the non-stop crying.

"He kept insisting that I come to Bora alone with his guy friends. No way. Even though I have known him for a long time now, I couldn't stop feeling afraid of men." The memory of Celine flashed back as she cried courageously.

I'm also a woman, wherein the conclusion that came from my mouth wasn't impossible to happen in a relationship, especially if it's between a liberated kind of person. It's just the way I said it was wrong. I felt terrible about how things turned out to be with her and that man. Even so, it made me happy and a chance of hope mixed with worry. I was anxious about what I long knew that would happen again as I kept myself in this new venture.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to take it out on you. Well, I wanted to tell you about it and let it out, but not like this, which you gotta have to watch over me the whole night." I smiled.

"You gotta buy me some beer for the trouble you'd caused me."

"Ha? I thought you couldn't drink alcohol? Are you okay with drinking now?"

"Nah, just kidding. Anything from you is fine," I stated, and closed the door of the room. We headed to my office, where Rose and Win stayed after the event, which I'd missed. Win was aware I was with Celine to comfort her and unsure what he told her older sister, Rose. As I entered the office, Win informed me of all the people who asked for my whereabouts and the essential parts of the program. Rose talked to her sister, and my foot headed straight at the curtain, sliding it right. Another room for me was solely a dressing room. I picked up a long coat which Celine could wear atop her dress.

"Seth, your dad, your dad's calling you non-stop," Win exclaimed as I stood near Celine, and she took the coat in my hand. I forgot I had to eat out with guests who had business affairs with fashion brands.

"Thank you," she uttered and wore it. I gazed at Rose, who was busy with her phone and sitting beside Celine.

"Do you need a lift, Rose? I've time-"

"No, you don't." I sighed inaudibly at Win.

"It's fine, Seth. The car's already good. I took it to an auto-shop nearby." I looked away.

"Ah, too bad. I'm craving some company right now." What the hell was I talking about?

"You have company, hello. Your dad and his guests are still waiting for you."

"Win, they're oldies. If I can drink, I'll drown myself with it, rather than the talk and smells they have in their sleeves." A minute of silence. Rose laughed, and I rolled my eyes to the point of sitting down on the sofa beside Celine, which she had to move a bit so I could fit in.

"We can accompany you, but it's getting late. I have a set of appointments tomorrow," responded Rose. My green eyes altered at Celine, who blinked at me.

"Oh, my goodness. I wanna go home and have a beauty sleep," mumbled Win. Celine shook her head.

"I think we need to call it a day. Don't you need to rest? Win's tired too." Win rolled his eyes. What a gay bummer. If the Mexican buddy of mine who had the same radar as me were here. Moreover, I did not want to force Celine to stay.

I checked the time on my wristwatch—past midnight. A sudden knock on the door diverted our attention.

"Seth? Are you still here, baby??" My eyebrows furrowed from the faint familiarity of a woman's voice from the other side of the door. Win opened it, and Jessica bashed into the room and sat down on my lap. "Ahh, babe, I'm too tired and drunk to go home. Can I sleep over, baby?" Her fingernails glid down on my chin, then laid her back entirely on my arm, mumbling.

"How the f**k?" I muttered lowly to Win. He shook his head with both hands.

"Ah, Miss Jessica, this is Win. Boss, actually has a midnight dinner with her dad," Win said, aiding Jessica to stand up, but the woman yanked her away. Rose stood up in her seat.

"We'll be going now first. Thank you for taking care of my sister, Seth." She smiled and headed to the door. Celine stood up.

"Ah, wait-" Jessica pulled me with her arms around my neck.

"Baby, carry me to your room," she demanded. Celine chuckled. I groaned in disbelief and stood up. I put down Jessica on the sofa. "Seth! Where are you going? Come, sleep with me!"

"I'll drive you home, Jessica. Stay here." Grabbing Celine's arm, I eyed Win exiting the room.

"Don't let her roam around drunk." Win nodded with shut lips. He knew he'd get a scolding later as he did not make sure all the guests left the building after the event. I let go of Celine, and they followed me behind. I unfastened another button on my white dress shirt. Damn it. Jessica worked me up.

"I'm sorry for what happened. Let me at least see you out." The two sisters laughed, which caused me to look at them. Rose walked beside me.

"Is that your girlfriend? I didn't know she was your type, but she's sexy. Is she a model?"

"Oh, please. I don't talk about my affairs," I replied seriously. The phone in my pocket buzzed, and I read the message from Win apologizing.

"We gained a lot of potential clients in your field. Do you know Ryan and Niko?" My eyes widened at Rose.

"What? Those two asked your business?"

"Yeah, they wanna know more. I'll set up a schedule to meet them." I glanced at Celine on our backs, and she was busy with her phone. When she woke up and caught me with my lips on the back of her hand, she got awkward and didn't talk to me about it. However, I could still normally talk to her. Did she think of me taking advantage of it?

I stopped at the building entrance and nodded at Rose as she waved her farewell. Ryan and Niko, I had least expected their interest in a small business, and it's not their forte above all. A soft giggle cleared my mind, and Celine hugged me on my body before she ran to follow her sister. I blinked several times to catch up on what had just happened.

I scoffed. She's adorable.