TWELVE
2167 Words
Sylvia tossed and turned as she heard noises in the night. Thinking it was a dream, she did not open her eyes. The noise stopped and then it continued. Then, she heard the sound of someone hitting wood while the soft moans of pain continued, and her eyes flew open. She came down from her bed and walked out of her room.
She entered Jaden’s room and stumbled a little. The place was darker than her room and she tried to adjust her eyes. Then, as she walked to the bed, she found out that Jaden was shivering seriously. Her heart leapt.
Jumping back to life, she put on the lamp on the bedside table.
“Jaden? Jaden?” she whispered.
She checked his temperature and gasped. It was hot! Was he going to die? She looked around and noticed the temperature in the room was incredibly cold. Then, she rushed and put off the air conditioner. Drat. How could she have forgotten to put it off? Then, she poured cold water into a bowl and took a towel from the bathroom. She wrapped him tighter with the covers and started mopping his head with the towel.
She continued until he gradually became warm and stopped moaning. Relieved, she stopped and sighed heavily.
“Jaden? Can you hear me now? Jaden?”
His lips tightened and his eyes flew open.
Ah! Sylvia exhaled. What a relief. He was alive.
“How are you feeling now?”
He nodded slightly.
“I’m glad you’ve opened your eyes. I was already scared. But why didn’t you put off the A.C.?”
“I didn’t know it was on.”
She nodded and checked the time. Her eyes widened. It was few minutes past three. Wait a minute. Was it not just few minutes ago she went into her room to sleep? Urghh! Why was this night short?
Jaden shivered a little and she jumped.
“Are you okay?”
“I’m fine,” he replied, slightly irritated at her caring attitude.
She flinched slightly and he realised his tone had been a little bit harsh. He regretted it immediately.
“I’m sorry.”
“No, it’s okay.” She got up.
“Are you... going?”
She folded her arms across her chest and glared at him. “You’re a grown up. You don’t want people caring for you, isn’t it? Maybe, I shouldn’t even have come. You would have taken expert care of yourself!”
“I’m sorry,” he muttered. “Please come and sit.”
She eyed him a little and dropped her arms. She huffed and went to sit on his bed.
“I’m sorry I shouted,” she muttered after a while.
“You’re changing,” was his reply.
Her face flew to his. “What?”
“You’re not supposed to say sorry. You were angry. You had every right to shout at me and you did. You’re not supposed to apologize for doing what you felt like doing, especially when I needed it.”
She didn’t say anything. Not yet.
“But why did you suddenly get sick?” she asked, breaking the silence.
He shrugged.
She rolled her eyes. “That’s not an answer.”
“I don’t want to give one.”
“Your boss demands one.”
He rolled his eyes and groaned. “Now that’s what I hate about being under someone else.”
“You were never meant to be.”
He kept silent.
“So?”
He groaned again. “Okay.” He paused. “I got it from yesterday morning’s swim.”
Her eyes shone. “The one you had with me?”
“Yeah, the same one.”
Her hands flew to her mouth. “Oh my God, I’m sorry.”
“No problem.”
She stared at him for a while before rolling her eyes and huffing. “Why are you so modest?”
He shrugged. “That’s how you make me behave.”
She blinked. Butterflies fluttered at the pit of her stomach. What had he just said? Well, it could mean anything, couldn’t it?
“Um... were you cold already in the morning?”
“Yeah, a little.”
“Then, why didn’t you refuse?”
He shrugged again. “You’re the boss. You wanted me to swim. And besides, I couldn’t possibly refuse a beautiful lady’s request.”
The butterflies fluttered again. This time, with more vigour than the last. And way longer. She turned her face away from his and lowered her head a little. How could he make things like this happen to her?
“Next time, do not do it if it’ll hurt you,” she said.
He smiled a little and nodded. He had seen her reaction to what he had said. Well, not the fluttering of the invisible butterflies but he had seen the way her face had changed. She was attracted to him, he knew it. And yes, he was happy that she was. Or shouldn’t he be?
“Sylvia?”
“Yeah,” she replied and looked up at him.
But he didn’t say anything and they just sat there, staring at each other. Then, she lowered her eyes.
“Why did you call me?”
He hadn’t wanted to say anything in particular. He guessed he had just wanted to look at her face up close.
“Go and sleep. We have church tomorrow.”
She broke into a smile. “Was that what you wanted to say or you just made it up?” She looked at him.
He smiled too. “What do you think?”
She turned her face away. She knew why he had called her, which meant he knew she was attracted to him. Yeah, right.
She got up from the bed.
“Pass me that pillow.”
He held the pillow and looked at her. “Please, don’t tell me you’re sleeping here.”
She shrugged. “That’s what I want to do.”
He groaned silently and raised the pillow. He held the pillow up but didn’t give it to her.
“C’mon, give it to me.”
“Are you sure it’s the right thing to do?”
Yeah, wasn’t she just being stupid?
“Yes. If I make the mistake of going back to sleep in my room, I might not hear you if you need me. It was only by the grace of God that I heard you earlier. And if I didn’t, something else could have happened to you.”
He nodded inwardly. Yeah, that was reason enough, but still...
“C’mon, we’re wasting time right now.”
He reluctantly gave her the pillow while she smiled. She walked over to the sofa and rearranged the blanket on it.
“Hope this thing is comfortable?”
“I guess it is,” Jaden replied.
She let out a breath and laid down on the sofa.
“Hope you don’t roll much?”
“No.”
“Good.”
She chuckled. She drew the tail of the blanket over her legs and sighed.
“Good night,” she said.
He put out the lamplight. “Yeah, good night. Though, it’s morning already.”
She smiled. “Jade?”
“Yeah?”
“Don’t try to do anything stupid. I’m not dumb to trust you by sleeping here.”
He smiled and nodded, although she didn’t see him.
THE NEXT MORNING, it was six in the morning and Sylvia was still asleep. Jaden had woken up and was surprised at first to see Sylvia in his room. But then he remembered everything that had happened.
She still looked beautiful in her sleep and he could easily imagine waking up with her beside him every morning. Well, he banished the thought immediately it crossed his mind. It was not going to happen. Lord. She made him wish for things he couldn’t have. No, scratch that. He shouldn’t have. At least, not with her.
Few minutes after seven, Sylvia turned and woke up. Blinking, she yawned and looked round the room. Where was she? And what the hell was she doing here? Then, she remembered last night and puffed out a breath. Now, this was a story Sally and Sandra would love to hear.
Just then, Jaden came in from the bathroom with a towel round his waist. Droplets of water still seeped from his body. He was using another towel to clean his back and chest. Then, he glanced at her direction and saw her.
“Morning,” Sylvia mumbled, trying not to look like she had been staring at him.
Jaden nodded and went to his wardrobe and started selecting his clothes.
She glanced at him. “Are you feeling better now?”
“Yeah, I am. Your mum came in this morning and gave me some tablets to take. She really is a nice woman.”
“Yeah, she is,” she muttered. She knew exactly what her mum had come to do. And how glad she must have been when she saw that Sylvia had actually slept in Jaden’s room.
“What time are we going out of the house today? Did she tell you?”
“Seven forty–five.”
Sylvia looked at the clock and gasped. “Jeez. It’s almost ten minutes past seven.” She glared at Jaden. “Why didn’t you wake me up?”
He shrugged. “I didn’t want to disturb you and maybe, you were too beautiful in your sleep.”
She still glared at him and got up. “Wait a minute. Did I drool?”
Jaden frowned and shook his head. “You drool?”
She stuttered and shrugged defensively.
Jaden chuckled. He drooled too, at times when he slept. He brought out his cream and was about to rub it on his body.
“Hey! What do you think you’re doing now?” Sylvia shouted and arranged the blanket quickly before she threw the pillow on Jaden’s bed. “At least, wait till I leave the room. And you can arrange that, thanks.”
She rushed to go out.
“Sylvia. Thanks for last night. Maybe I would have been dead this morning,” Jaden said quickly before she could go out.
She nodded and went out. She undressed quickly when she got to her room and rushed into her bathroom. She took out her toothbrush and quickly washed her mouth before entering the shower cubicle. After about six minutes, she came out and entered her room still cleaning her wet body. She locked her room door and in less than fifteen minutes, she was dressed up in a black knee–length gown that enhanced her hour–glass figure.
She also wore a John Hardy naga necklace, diamond–sapphire earrings, and silver–diamond cuff bracelet. She applied little make–up, took her Lieder crystal clutch and wore her suede peep–toe pumps. She took a last look at herself in the full–length mirror before going out of her room. Wearing her wristwatch, she glanced at the time. It was almost seven forty–five. She walked to the staircase and went to the living room. Her dad was already there.
“Good morning, dad,” she greeted.
“Good morning, darling. How was your night?” He was dressed in a two–piece black suit with a blue shirt and a black–and–blue striped bow tie.
“It was a little bit short. No one’s here yet?”
“They’re outside. I’m just waiting for your mum.”
“Oh. Okay.”
“You overslept?”
She nodded.
Just then, Ashley came in dressed in an ice–blue floor–length formal gown with metallic accent, a pair of silver stilettos and silver clip–on earrings.
“Good morning, mum.”
“Good morning, love. You’re set already?” Ashley asked.
Sylvia shrugged. “Yeah, I am.”
“Well, I should’ve known you’ll be fast as usual. I wanted to wake you up but Jaden insisted that you needed to rest.”
“Oh!”
“C’mon, let’s go,” Wayne said and picked up his car keys.
They all went outside and found everyone outside. Jaden turned as she came out and nearly gasped out loud. Darn. She was beautiful, he thought.
She saw Jaden and smiled at him. Then, he walked up to her.
“You’re fast.”
She smiled.
Wayne was driving his black Nissan Pathfinder Jeep. Ashley got into the Jeep and he followed suit. Ben was driving a blue Hatchback as Wayne had ordered and all the workers got in.
“C’mon, let’s go.”
Sylvia and Jaden went to Sylvia’s dark blue BMW and Jaden opened the car door for her. She got in. He got in too and started the engine, reversed and tailed the other two vehicles.
- Writer
