A Game With The Billionaire

Chapter 14:

Emma:

It’s movie night, or as the girls like to call it- romance movie night where we come together, Nicole, Emily, Arya and I and drink expensive champagne and watch cheesy romance movies.

We normally try to find a night that everyone is free so it usually falls on any day of the week. It was supposed to be held tomorrow but Arya said she was going to be busy tomorrow so we scheduled it today.

We rotate the houses, but Nicole offered to host it at her house. Emily and Arya are seated on the floor, tugging at their blankets as they lean on the couch.

Nicole and I are seated on the chair.

“I really don’t get the importance of romance movies.” Nicole grumbles the moment that credit starts to roll, she always complains after the end of every romance movie, saying either how ‘cheesy and unrealistic’ it was and ‘why do people even watch this type of stuff?’ yet she sits with us once every week and watches.

“That was so emotional.” Emily dabs the corner of her eyes with a napkin and Nicole rolls his eyes. “The umbrella scene makes me want to sob.”

“How is that even considered romantic? Big deal, it’s raining, he rushes to her with an umbrella and they kiss under the damn rain? Who does that?” Nicole stands up from the couch and disappears into the kitchen, returning minutes later with a bottle of pinot noir, she pours it into everyone's glass and sits back. “Right, Arya?”

“That was so romantic.” Arya gushes, “and gosh, that kiss at the end after he confesses he can’t live without her? Every lady deserves that.”

“Who’s speaking? Arya, you’re literally married to that type of man and you have a beautiful daughter. You are living every lady’s dream.” Emily rolls her eyes and Arya laughs.

Arya’s and Devon’s love story is quite an inspiring one, they met each other in a cruise ship and ended up having a one night stand and it was around the time she called off her wedding to a major douchebag, she gave birth to Vera, one thing led to another, they are happily married and ever so in love.

I won’t say I envy their love life; it’s more like there’s a particular numbness there. Sometimes, I think that I had that kind of love story once, to be honest, when I was much younger (and so naive), I imagined Jeremy and I starting our own family, I imagined kids running up the stairs, but when you sit down and see the love of your life present something that you both own as his, all that illusion shatters immediately.

“Honestly, the day Nicole falls in love is the day pigs fly.” Arya says and everyone bursts into a fit of laughter, even Nicole, because apparently, she finds the extent of her own love life funny. We’re interrupted by the ringing of the door bell and Emily stands, bare footed, and heads for the door.

“Arya! Devon is here.” She says giddily from the door and we all watch as Arya’s face lightens up, she rushes towards the door and hugs her husband tightly.

“I am here to pick up my wife.” He says, stepping in. Everyone knows Devon as a cold, icy man, kind of like Nicole, but Arya seemed to crack his whole layers, and the only people he shows his warmth to are Arya and their daughter, Vera. “Good day, ladies.”

Arya playfully smacks him at their arm and he coughs and damn it, I miss being in love, I miss those shared glances and getting all giddy to talk to them. I miss staring up at the ceiling at midnight and their face just popping into my mind, I miss that unknown joy that comes from knowing there’s someone who can’t afford to lose you.

“Oh my goodness, the single life is so bad! I want a man like Devon Brookes who’s obsessed with me, and treats me like a goddamn princess.” Emily says, taking a sip from the champagne.

Devon raises a brow as Arya gathers her purse, kisses us all goodbye and leaves with Devon. I feel bad for Emily, loving someone who can’t love her back.

Sometimes, I want to walk over to where Ethan is and smack the living senses inside of him, you have someone who’s over you, who wants you and yet you can’t freaking see that?

Nicole stares at me for some time. “You seem all tensed up, how’s the company?”

“It’s good, everything’s good.” I reply, trying not to meet her gaze.

“You need to get laid.”

I almost choke out the champagne. “What?”

“Reason with me, you’re faking dating my cousin, he’s an eye candy, it’s easy; just sleep with him, get all those tension out of your body. Trust me, you are going to feel better.”

“But sleeping together complicates things.” I say.

“Simple, don’t mix emotions with pleasure. It’s my number one rule. I know that if I have someone like Jeremy Hart in the house where we live together, I am going to get laid.” Nicole explains, before she shoves me out of her house.

Nicole takes Emily upstairs and says she will spend the night with her. I take my purse and head home.

Home, the word sounds strange, home is where Jeremy Hart is. When I open the door, I am surprised to see Jeremy sitting on the couch, legs crossed together as he swipes through his phone. When he looks up at me, his brows furrow.

“Emma.” He curtly says.

“I was with the girls,” I explain, even though there’s absolutely no reason to. “We do this thing where we watch romance movies. Nicole makes it worth it by criticising this every scene.” I remove my coat and hang in on the rack, avoiding his eyes while I do so.

“Romance movies?” Jeremy seems intrigued enough and I make the mistake of looking at him, his brown eyes are brighter. “I didn’t know.”

“Yeah well, Emily gave me a romance novel, and I haven’t looked back ever since. Just because you broke my heart doesn’t mean I stopped believing in love.” The moment the words leave my mouth, I instantly regret it because his eyes turn apologetic and I don’t freaking want any of this all over again. “Can we just pretend that I didn’t just say that right now?”

He nods, and I head towards the kitchen and he follows silently behind me. I want to reach for the jar of home-made cookies that my mother included in the self care basket but it’s on top of the cabinet and I am too short to reach that.

“Let me help,” Jeremy’s deep voice resounds behind me and as he reaches up to grab the cookie, his body unknowingly presses against mine and heat tingles up my spine. I am self aware of how he smells. Goodness, he smells so good, maybe Nicole was right. I do need to get laid.

He gives me the jar of cookies, “There you go.”

“Thank you.” I say, my voice weak. I feel like a little kid as I collect the jar of cookies, “want some?” He helped me reach for it, I might as well share.

“I can never miss your mother’s cookies. I used to look forward to it.” Jeremy says, walking to the living room and I take a moment to stare as the gray sweatpants hang loosely around his hips. It’s settled, I am going to die of unreleased tension.

We sit on the couch and I give Jeremy a cookie, he munches on it quietly and I eat mine without saying a word.

“You know,” Jeremy’s voice is low. “We haven’t started working on the game.”

“What?” I ask, still chewing, savouring the taste of the cookie.

“The whole reason I agreed to this whole faking dating thing.” Jeremy raises a brow.

“Oh. Right.” We agreed to make a game together. “Yeah, I am already working on that. I thought of some interesting storyline this morning in the office. I can email it to you tonight, if you want.”

“I thought we were going to work on it together.” He says, making me nod.

“Yes, we are going to work on it together, just not together-together. I make suggestions, you make suggestions, we email each other about it.”

“You do realize that we live in the same house, Emma. Emailing each other sounds like you don’t even want to be in the same room with me.”

Of course I don’t freaking want to be in the same room with you!

“Well, those are my rules.” I bite hard on the cookie.

“Emma,” Jeremy says in that commanding tone, making me freeze on my second bite. “I want us to work on the game together, as in the same room together. How long are you going to keep on doing this? Avoiding me, avoiding us.”

“There’s no us.” I say, standing up suddenly. “There’s no way in hell I am ending up with you. You know what? I don’t have the strength to do this tonight. Goodnight, Jeremy.” Without waiting, I turn and go to my room, taking my jar of cookies with me.