Chapter 28. An unwanted company
She left. She had drawn the line that I hadn't seen in time. By the look in her eyes, she would stand firm on the other side. Apparently, I was the one who had crossed it without realizing. I let out a huff. I was annoyed. Why are you annoyed, Johnson? She deserved to slap you for insinuating she was a manipulator.
"Damn it…" I muttered through clenched teeth, punching the wall next to the door. "You look like a teenager." I ran a hand through my perfectly styled hair, now disheveled. I looked around the room. "Why did you bring her to your old room, Jackson?" That question echoed in my head. I sat on the edge of the bed and stared at the posters on the wall for a while. My mother refused to make any changes to this place, saying it was like going back to the good times when she had both her children at home. There was a knock at the door. I turned my head, and my heart raced. Is it her? A foolish smile appeared on my lips. I got up and walked to the door, put my hand on the knob, and opened it.
It wasn't her. It was Georgina.
"What are you doing here?" I asked, somewhat puzzled. She tried to enter, but I refused to move. "I'm not going to ask again, Georgina." I clenched my jaw tightly.
"I want to talk to you," she said, not breaking eye contact.
"I have nothing to talk about. So go back to the party and spare me the trouble of having my head of security come and take you straight to your car."
"I want to be with you. I know I got worked up earlier outside, but just seeing you pay attention to a woman who isn't me… drives me crazy."
"Richard, take Miss Vans to her car." She looked at my head of security, who had arrived at her side, taking her by surprise.
"Jackson, please, don't do this," she pleaded.
"You know what?" She batted her eyelashes, and her green eyes waited for me to continue. "If you hadn't bought the apartment behind my back with your friend Solange," I leaned toward her, still under the doorframe, "I would have considered a second date. But what I hate most in this world is being lied to and having things done behind my back." Her eyes widened, her lips parted to speak, but no words came out. I gestured to Richard to escort her and closed the door in her face. She was that kind of unwanted company. I approached the window overlooking the garden, where the whole event was illuminated. You couldn't see inside the tents, just the dance floor with the guests dancing and the stage where the DJ and live band were. I received a message after a few minutes informing me that Georgina had left, and that Lilly and Máxima were saying their goodbyes and preparing to leave. I left the room and headed straight to the stairs, then went directly to the garden where Richard was. He saw me and approached.
"Where is she?" I asked, looking around.
"She's going to the parking lot with Mrs. Máxima. Mrs. Máxima's car is parked by the side garden."
"Well done, Richard." He smiled, and I knew he was secretly enjoying this. I walked to the main entrance, where guests were in my way, some arriving, others leaving. I dodged a few and then saw Máxima disable her car alarm. She circled the car and looked in my direction before getting in, a smile appearing on her lips.
"Máxima," I called. She erased her smile and looked at me as if she hadn't seen me approaching. Lilly was about to get in but stopped with her hand on the open passenger door.
"Yes, Johnson?" She was a couple of meters away, and I had to think quickly.
"Umm, my mother," think fast, "sent me to get you. I don't know what for."
Máxima nodded and then looked at Lilly.
"Will you wait for me? I'll see what Isidora needs." Lilly nodded, intending to get in. "But in the meantime, let Jackson keep you company until I get back."
"That's not necessary," Lilly said in a cold, disinterested tone, which irritated me.
"What? Are you so uncomfortable with me keeping you company while she returns?" I snapped, more irritated than a moment ago. I shoved my hands into my pants pockets. She looked in my direction, raising an eyebrow.
"No offense, Mr. Johnson, but I don't care," she replied, annoyed.
"Hey, hey!" Máxima said, somewhat surprised to see us arguing. She closed the car door and approached Lilly. "Has Jackson bothered you?" She sounded somewhat puzzled.
"No, no, of course not," Lilly said, trying to hide her annoyance. "Mr. Johnson hasn't bothered me, but it's really not necessary for him to keep me company when he could be with Miss Vans." As she mentioned Georgina's last name, she looked in my direction. "Isn't that right, sir?"
"She has left," I replied to her words.
"Just give me a moment, okay?" Maxine said to her, and Lilly had no choice but to nod. Then Maxine walked past me to go find my mother, which would surprise her when she found out she wasn't really looking for her. I approached Lilly, my heart beating rapidly.
"Lilly," I called out to her as she leaned against the car door. She turned her face, and her brown eyes looked at me intently.
"Miss Bradley," she corrected me. Her response took me by surprise, and I cleared my throat.
"Lilly, I want to apologize for insinuating that you were manipulative. I wasn't thinking clearly. My head was overwhelmed." I walked closer, closing the distance between us.
"And are you also going to apologize for the kiss?" she asked almost in a whisper. I took a deep breath and exhaled slowly through my nose.
"I will only apologize for offending you, but never for kissing you." Her cheeks flushed, but I could see annoyance in her brown eyes.
"Did you have fun with Georgina?" she suddenly asked. I frowned, confused by her question.
"What does Georgina have to do with this?" I asked.
"She said you called her to come up because I had left you alone." My annoyance grew inside me.
"I didn't call her. I don't have her number and I don't want it. She came up and reached the door of the room, but I didn't let her in. Richard escorted her out immediately."
"Oh," was all she said, looking away. I took her chin and turned her face to look at me.
"What is this?" I asked with a mix of anxiety. She shrugged her shoulders quickly.
"I don't know, but it's moving too fast, Jackson. We need to stop it..." I looked at her lips, still holding her chin, then released her and gently stroked her lower lip with my thumb. I wanted to kiss her at that moment, and from her reaction, I imagined she did too.
"Do you want to stop it?" Her brown eyes looked at me expectantly. I removed my thumb from her lip.
"I'm just an English girl. I don't have a luxurious lifestyle, I don't have what others have."
"What does it matter that you're English? And what do others have that you don't?" She pressed her lips tightly.
"I'm not your type, that's what I mean."
"Do I have a type?" I asked in a surprised tone. "If you know, tell me what it is." I crossed my arms.
"I'm not like Georgina Vans," she replied. I laughed. "Don't laugh, she's beautiful, she's perfect..."
"Do you think I'm looking for perfection in a woman?" I scoffed. "You don't know me," I said sincerely, like I never had with anyone.
"Exactly, I don't know you, and whatever is happening, it's not right. You have rules in your company that need to be respected. I just got out of a long commitment..."
"Is it because of him?" She frowned. "Is it that Oliver guy? Do you plan to get back with him?" That feeling of anger grew quickly inside me.
"No," she said confidently. I could see her eyes glistening. "He doesn't deserve to be loved as I did in the past." Her words touched me deeply, and there was a silence between us. In the distance, we could hear the music.
"Well, let's do this." She looked at me. "Let's be friends. What do you think?" She seemed a bit puzzled by my proposal.
"Friends?"
"Yes, that way you can get to know me."
She crossed her arms, making her chest stand out, and I immediately looked away.
"For what purpose would I get to know my boss?" Her brown eyes were on me.
"Just friends. Nothing more. We can go out to eat together, go to the opera, do things like walks, you can tell me about your life..."
"And you about yours?" she asked, narrowing her eyes.
"Of course," I scratched my neck. "Honestly, I've never had friends, especially not female friends... So this will be new for me."
She raised her eyebrows.
"Never?" I shook my head.
"Private schools can have ruthless students."
"I hope you defended yourself."
"When you're just the child of influential people and sponsors of the same place," I cleared my throat, not wanting to remember the past. "You have to stay quiet, or there were consequences."
"I'm very sorry, Jackson."
"I'm fine, that's what matters." She softened her expression, then extended her hand toward me.
"Then, I'll take your proposal." She smiled. "Let's start a friendship."
But I knew this would end differently...