Icing on the Cake

TWO

SYLVIA WOKE up just when Jaden entered his room. It was already after eight in the evening and she decided to go out. She quickly showered and changed into a pair of jeans and a pink top. She took a pair of sandals from her wardrobe and held them in her hands. She let her hair down and applied very little make-up.

Then, she opened her door quietly so that she would not wake Jaden in case he was asleep. She closed her door and then tiptoed down the corridor to the front door. Her car keys were still with her and she thanked the heavens for that.

She wore her sandals when she got outside the door that led to the garage and looked for any security guard. She hid in between the cars in the garage until she got to her car. She quickly entered, put her purse on the passenger’s seat, and heaved a sigh of relief.

She put the key into the keyhole and looked outside her window to check again if anyone was in sight when she heard the car door open. Jaden slid into the passenger’s seat, holding her purse in his hands.

She screamed in shock and glared at him, angry at him not only because he startled her but because he had been the one to catch her. She guessed things would not be easy with him around.

“What are you doing here?” Sylvia demanded in a steely voice.

“Whoa! Watch your voice, it could turn to a man’s,” he replied, smiling. He shrugged. “What else would I be doing here? I thought we were about to go out. C’mon, start the car. We’re late already,” he said coolly.

Sylvia exhaled exasperatedly and looked back at Jaden. “Were you ever a secret agent? How did you find me here?” Her voice had become surprisingly soft, although it was still inflected with exasperation.

He shrugged again, trying hard not to smile at that. “That’s my job. But I never was a secret agent.”

She looked at him for a while, irritated at his coolness and turned to open the car door when Jaden held her back. She turned back to Jaden, her heart racing while she stared at him before he quickly removed his hand. He looked at her to talk but couldn’t once he was facing her. They were like that for a while before Sylvia averted her gaze.

“What is it?” she asked her voice still free of the steel that was once in them.

“Just start the car and let’s go wherever you’re going.”

And without any other word, she started the engine and drove out of the garage. She drove until she reached the gate which slid open and she drove out of the compound to any night party she would find.

IT WAS MORE than three hours since Jaden and Sylvia had left the house. First, she had driven to her friends’ houses but she did not meet either of them. She guessed they were still at work so she decided not to disturb them. Besides, if they found out she was going to a club, she knew they would try to stop her.

Then, she had driven to a friend’s house and they both chose to go to the club together. Her friend, or rather, her fiancé – as she’d called him – Dave however suggested they go to a restaurant first so she had agreed. They had been in a relationship for about a year and half. Then, later on, they had gone to the club.

Jaden had been outside by the car when Sylvia and Dave had gone in but later went inside to keep an eye on Sylvia. Lots of girls were ogling him but he ignored them. Some were even bold enough to make advances at him but he turned all of them down, all the time thanking his stars that he wasn’t Ludascott.

Now, almost eleven-thirty he decided they had to go home. Sighting Sylvia as she was about to open another alcoholic drink, he shot to his feet. This was the second bottle she was opening and one bottle was far more than enough. He reached her side in no time and snatched the bottle away from her hands. An already drunk Sylvia raised her face to look at him and narrowed her eyes. Jaden placed the bottle on another table behind her and looked at her.

Sylvia lazily wagged a finger in front of his face and drawled, “Better let me be or else...”

She stopped and looked for the bottle. When she didn’t see it, she raised the empty bottle and turned it upside down to see if any drink would come out. When it didn’t, she raised it to her face and inspected it closely.

“Since when did this bottle start leaking?” she drawled again and looked at Jaden.

“Just where is that boyfriend of yours?” Jaden muttered, eyeing her in disdain and then, searching the room for Dave. He saw him dancing with two ladies with one of them plastering kisses all over his face.

Jaden looked back at Sylvia who was muttering something angrily about her dad and ‘the new driver’. It was as if she was insulting the new driver.

Jaden sighed and grabbed her hand as she reached for the bottle behind her. He raised her up from the chair and was about to drag her out of the bar when Dave came out from nowhere.

“Hey, what are you doing?” Dave asked. He had an alcoholic drink on his left hand and one of the girls he was dancing with a while ago – or better still, playing around with – was at his other side, still rocking her body against him as he was still dancing to the song that played.

“I’m taking her home,” Jaden replied, now knowing why he didn’t like Dave from the start.

“Hey, but you can’t do that.”

“Why?”

“The party is not over yet and she’s my woman, not yours,” Dave said with a tilt to his mouth as he spoke.

Jaden rolled his eyes. “Then what about the one next to you?”

“Oh, this one, she’s my sweetheart,” he said and kissed the woman.

Jaden scowled, disgusted. He played around with women too but not like this. At least he was never thought of as a cheat since he didn’t keep long-term girlfriends, as he knew he couldn’t. It was obvious Dave was drunk anyway or he wouldn’t be telling this to his supposed girlfriend’s driver.

“As you can see, she is drunk, really drunk,” Jaden said as if to emphasize her state. “So, I need to take her home.”

“Okay, sure. Just make sure she calls me when she gets home so we can fix another date since this one is ruined already.”

Jaden just stared at Dave as he spoke. Well, it seems as if Dave didn’t care for Sylvia at all not to even talk about love.

“Are you not going to accompany her home?” Jaden asked.

“Why? You can take good care of her.”

Jaden sighed at Dave’s foolishness. “I thought she was your woman?”

“Oh, of course, she is. Isn’t she pretty? And she loves me, a lot,” Dave said and laughed. He turned to the woman behind him and told her to wait that he was coming back for her so they would finish up what they had started. The woman nodded and left while he turned back to Jaden.

Jaden scoffed. “Do you even love her?”

Dave staggered a little and wiped his face. “Yeah... of course I do.”

“Then, you should follow her home.”

“It’s not as if she’s your sister. Even though, I’m still in the middle of some fun here.”

Crap! Just where did Sylvia get this kind of guy from? Did she really know who her boyfriend was? But then, he was guessing she would be really angry if she woke up the next morning and discovered that Jaden had left without her lovely boyfriend. So he had to get him out of the club too.

“So what do you value now? Is it your woman or some fun you’re having here?” Jaden asked sarcastically, rolling his eyes.

Dave stared at Jaden for a while before giving in. “Okay, if that’s how you want it,” he replied, eyeing Jaden. “I wanted to come along before you asked anyway.”

He went over to the bartender and said some things to him while Jaden took Sylvia outside to the car. They got to the car and he put her in the backseat of the car. He closed the car door and sighted Dave as he came towards the car with a scowl on his face. Jaden didn’t know much about love but he knew enough to know that this Dave had never been in love with Sylvia. At least, his buddy, Keith had been in love once and this did not look at all like love.

They both got into the car with Dave sitting beside Sylvia and Jaden drove off.