Chapter 64: I Will Keep My Distance

Cody

Jasmine and I head to the park across from my office. My day was going smoothly until Silver approached me. She explained that last night wasn’t because she was drunk, which wasn't what I wanted to hear. I told her I am not interested and would keep repeating it until she listened. I'm glad Jasmine is here, but I wish she hadn’t witnessed the intense conversation between Silver and me. I had planned to tell her tonight, giving me time to figure out how to do it. Now, I have to tell her sooner, and she probably won’t want to wait until I get home because she'll sense something's wrong.

We find a spot on the grass. It's warm, so the grass is dry; we don't need a blanket or anything. Jasmine serves our lunch.

“How is the hangover, baby girl?”

“Still there, but easing. It was my own stupid fault for drinking so much.” She groans.

“You were having fun. You deserved to have some fun.” I smile, taking a sip of my iced coffee.

“I guess. Cody, I know you said we could talk about it later, but what is going on between you and Silver? You looked stressed and uncomfortable. She looked annoyed. Did you two have a fight last night?”

I sigh and run my fingers through my hair. “It wasn’t really a fight. She tried to corner me in the bathroom and make a move. I hoped it was just because she was drunk, but today she made it clear that wasn’t the case.”

“What?” Jasmine hisses, her jaw tightening. “Was last night her first attempt?"

‘Yes, I was surprised and didn’t see it coming. I immediately rejected her, but she doesn’t seem to understand. I will keep turning her down until she realizes I am not interested. I wasn’t hiding this from you; I intended to tell you tonight. I swear I turned her down, Jasmine.”

I hope she believes me. I haven’t provided any recent reasons for her to doubt my trustworthiness, but that doesn’t mean the thought hasn't crossed her mind. I haven’t always been the best person.

“If she refuses to listen to you, I will ensure she hears me," Jasmine snaps, her body tightening. “I'm not about to compete with another woman who believes she can take whatever she wants.”

I take Jasmine’s hand gently. “You don’t have to compete with anyone else. I only want you."

Maybe Silver will listen if Jasmine tells her, but I want to avoid drama at work. I can't tell Jasmine not to handle it. If roles were reversed, I would confront the guys without hesitation.

“Cody, are you certain? You're still young. Are you sure you want to settle down with me? You'll have many chances with other women. Are you truly willing to give all that up to be with me?” she whispers, sadness evident in her tone.

“Jasmine, why would you say something like that? Have I given you any reason to think that?”

“No, but things have changed, Cody. We're no longer in high school; we're in the real world. California provides many opportunities and benefits. Are you certain you only want to stay with me? This is your moment to be free. Live your life without constraints. I don’t want you to resent me in a few years. I don’t want to be the cause of you missing out on what other guys your age are experiencing.”

I have no idea where all of this is coming from. Yes, we aren’t in high school any longer, but no matter how different life is, my feelings for her aren’t. Our relationship is still the same.

“Of course not! I could never resent you, Jasmine. I don’t care about what other guys my age are doing. I am happy with how things are. I’ve done enough of those things in high school to last a lifetime. Please don’t doubt me or my feelings for you, Jasmine. Not having you in my life would be terrible. I’d be unhappy again. I don’t want anything to change between us. Do you?”

I was worried when she said those things to me, but now I wonder if she's doing so to be free from our relationship.

Jasmine shakes her head frantically. “No, I don’t want that either. I just wanted to make sure you didn’t, because this would be your chance to get out. Cody, I am happy with my life with you. You know me, I was never one for sleeping around or going too wild. That hasn’t changed. Our relationship is the most important thing to me.”

I relax. Thank God for that, because it would kill me if Jasmine called things off. Without her, I would go down a very destructive path.

“Okay then. We are both happy with how things are. There is nothing to worry about. We are on the same page, and that is all that matters.” I smile.

I reach out and gently place my hand on her cheek, softly kissing her. “I love you, Jasmine, and that will never change. I promise.”

She smiles as we part. “I love you too. Now, regarding the issue: if I were to fight Silver, would you get fired?” She laughs.

“Probably. I can’t tell you to let it be because, if the roles were reversed, you know I would kick his ass. But please, don’t stoop to her level. Don’t do anything that will get you into trouble or get me fired.”

“Cody, I wouldn’t endanger your job or myself that way. I assure you, I won’t physically hurt her—I could never do that. However, I need to talk to her, not just for my own sake but also for yours. I don’t want her to make things difficult at work because she refuses to see when someone isn’t interested. I can’t just ignore it."

“I know. I am sorry that another issue is getting in our way.”

“I'll handle this, but for now, let's enjoy our lunch since your break is almost over. If you plan another party at our place, please note that Silver is not invited. I don’t want her in our home; it's hard enough that she's around you daily. I also don’t want her looking for reasons to be near you outside of work.”

"Anything you need, sweetheart,” I say, giving her a quick kiss on the lips.

I plan to keep my distance from Silver as much as possible. It won’t be easy during work hours, but outside of work, I can ensure she stays far from Jasmine and me.