Concealed Love

Chapter- 16 Why is everyone around me so spiteful of me

   While Jace was boasting about his generosity Dane interrupted him saying " Stop that, do you think no one will know your real intention in doing so?"

        "What do you mean" Jace and Al both asked. Al with curiosity whereas Jace with an offended look.

          Dane leaned himself beside the window " I mean Miss Irene, Miss Ella's housemate, surely your main goal is her." He said crossing his arms and looking at Jace with judging eyes.

        Jace quickly refuted " No way". As for Al, he was amused and turned to Jace " Really now, ah now I remember, Irene is the one you were with yesterday, even on that day at Cervians's pub you were glued to her trying to please her. No wonder... " He looked at him with a mocking smile.

       " What is with you guys, is it so bad to help some ladies in a bind" He tried to defend himself but the other two still looked at him with judging eyes saying " Sincerely helping is not but helping them with ulterior motive is simply scum".

       " Whatever, but you guys should understand, everyone in our group is single, I don't wanna die single like you people". He stated sternly with a hmp, acting hurt that they didn't understand him.

        Al listened to him with an obvious face and said " Who said I'll die single".

Jace: " Of course you are, look at you acting all high and mighty, I'm telling you this for your sake my friend, woman might like those type of man but in the end they always choose the ones who can please and understand them, you should come down a little. "

Al: " Tch, I don't need you to tell me, I will do it my own way" He shrugged him off.

        Jace rolled his eyes saying " Sure sure, first find a girl to chase and we'll talk".

Al: bluntly " I have. "

         This time both Dane and Jace looked at him shocked with wide eyes " What?...Who?". Jace who was a little more imaginative than Dane said " No way, Ella?".

         Al looked at him a bit displeased " Tch, you spend a day with her and started calling her so casually? Huh. "

        Jace find his expression amusing and said " Whoa hoo, boy hold your horses down", Al just ignored him.

        Dane looked a little lost in thought and said, " Than what bout Minerva?"he asked almost accidentally.

        " She and I came to a mutual understanding, we will no longer have anything to do with each other besides being friends" Al said and sigh internally thinking ' no way can I tell them what actually happened and what she said'. " So Dane, It's your time to make a move" He added and winked slyly at him.

          Dane didn't say anything and just turn his face away acting irritated. And both the other guys smirked.

         Al suddenly heaved a big breath and pulling his blanket off he got off his bed, at first they just looked at him silently but when he started taking off his shirt they shouted startled " What are you doing? "

         " What, I'm changing we're all guys here besides it's just my shirts and pants" He said nonchalantly turning his back at them.

Them: " That's not what I mean, you still have to stay in the hospital, you're not completely healed yet".

Al: " Nah, it's fine they're just exaggerating, I'll die of boredom at this rate". Than he turned to Jace and said " Dude can you go sign the paper for my discharge".

Jace: " I don't wanna and where are you going anyway"

        Al looked at him and took out his boss card " I'll give you holidays when you want to go on dates" He offered knowing he'll take it.

         Jace took the offer, " Fine, don't blame me if you get worse later", he was irritated by his inability to refuse. He went to discharge Al which was not really recommend by the doctor but he forced them and they went out.

Dane: " So where are you going? "

         " His house", Al said pointing at Jace. Jace turned back to ask " Why?... Wait you wanna meet her? "

         Al simply smiled not answering nor confirming his question and just walked on. But Jace persistently kept going on " Hey, you didn't even ask me for going to my house".

         Al stooped and looked at him to ask " You're living there as well? ". Jace looked down and said " No, I'm staying at my family home".

          Al smiled satisfied saying " Then, no need for asking you. "

          Jace muttered to himself " Seriously, what is wrong with with everyone, that my house".

* * * * * * * * * * * * *

      Al was standing in front of Jace's front door, he knocked it thinking ' what should I say if she asked why am I here? Before I was so irritated and kinda jealous that she was at Jace's house so I bolted here without thinking anything but now what should I say, I can't tell her that'.

         Luckily for him, like giving him more time to think a maid opened the door for him and said that Ella was in her room and she'll go fetch her meanwhile for him to wait in the living room.

           Ella was typing up some work documentaries in her room and drawing some designs as to how she wanted her new renovated home to be. When she heard that a guest was waiting for her downstairs she quickly dropped her work and went down.

          Al was sitting there making up excuses and before long Ella came out to meet him. Despite staying at home she was dressed neatly and could not welcome him warmly as she herself was a guest in the house.

           " What are you doing here? " She asked sitting on the couch opposite to his with a table in between.

           " Oh, I just got discharged from the hospital and thought that I'll come here and tell you personally" And before she got time to doubt him he quickly added " By the way, I heard you were renovating your house, did something happen? "

         Ella was reluctant to tell him the exact reason but decided to tell him in order for himself to be more careful.

         After he heard it, he was sorry and thankful that she chose to protect him. But he didn't want to sadden the mood so he didn't try to drag the topic any further.

       " By the way I'm saddened that you didn't tell me about it first, if you had I'd have offered you my place instead " He acted hurt.

       But Ella laughed a little and said " Why are you saying like I have nowhere to go and I didn't tell anyone about it. Iri wanted to stay and I knew she would have declined Jace if I didn't stay here as well so I just complied. "

          " But I'm still hurt that you didn't tell me anything", he was acting like an abandoned puppy.

            However Ella was not one to give in easily " It was not that important and besides ain't you the one who called me an old lady and as such I must have forgotten".

            Al tried to refute that she was accusing him wrongly saying " When did..... " But he remembered how he had teased her at the hospital in front of his parents and quickly shut up.

         Seeing his reaction she became the one to act offended.

          Al trying to avoid the topic brought up another and said " Oh yea, I send you messages but you never replied and didn't even checked them".

        Ella still pretending to be offended said " You did? Old people like me rarely used phones so I must have not noticed it". The part about 'not checking her phone' was true, she rarely did and had really missed his messages.

         Al sigh and said " Alright fine, I'm sorry, you know I didn't mean it".

           She giggled and said with a little out of breath " It's okay, besides it's not wrong I really am an old... " She saw Al glaring at her with a small pouting face and stooped making fun of him and said " Fine, I won't bring it up anymore".

          Al thought to himself that the people around him are so vengeful and spiteful at him.

       This time Ella change the topic and asked " So are your wounds healed? Is it okay for you to go around like this?".

       Al told her a white lie " Of course, I was discharged from the hospital by the doctors because I'm fine".

        Just than a servant entered and asked him " Umm, sorry to interrupt you sir, but someone is waiting for you outside".

        Al asked who it was but the servant said " I don't know, he said he come to take you home. "

        " Okay, tell him I'll be there" Al had a vague idea of who it was.

          After the servant left he said to Ella " Thank you for your time, I gues I'll be leaving for today".

          Ella thanked him for visiting and offered to walk him out to which he gladly agreed.

          As they reached the gate, surely as Al had guessed Jonathan was waiting for him anxiously and as soon as he saw Al he fumed at him with a teeny tiny little bit of worry and a truck load of anger which Al had been expecting.

         " How can you leave the hospital without proper permission and how can you leave without telling anyone, your parents are asking about you every minute". While he was scolding Al quickly hopped into the car and said " Okay okay let's go. "

          He looked out at Ella who was standing there surprised thinking that he had just lied to her and before she could get angry at him the engine started and he ran away successfully leaving her to stand there speechless.

          He watched her from the side mirror and chuckled until she was out of sight. Than with an annoyed face turned to Jonathan and ask " How to you know where I was".

           Jonathan kept silent for a while and said after some seconds " I guessed " Which Al shot down directly " Yeah right, it's that Jace ain't it".

           Jonathan remained silent and Al knew he was right and muttered quietly " I'm gonna make him work overtime."

       Right at this moment somewhere in a distant place Jace sneezed and shivered.