Chapter 80. A rejection
Jackson Johnson
"Our fourth date is ruined," I murmured.
"It's not ruined, stop thinking that way. You didn't do it on purpose, and you didn't know Oliver was staying at this hotel," she smiled, but I could only think about Oliver's words and the man who had investigated him. Why wasn't it me? "Besides, it was a coincidence when I told you to choose while we were nearby and..." she noticed my seriousness, "Jackson?"
"Yes?" I snapped out of my thoughts.
"Your expression has changed. Can we leave?" she asked.
"Can I ask you a question?" She nodded. "Did you feel anything when you saw him again?" She frowned.
"Yes." I felt my heart race. "It's like annoyance, disappointment, irritation, something like that." I could breathe again as my racing heart calmed down. "Seeing him reminds me of everything he did to me."
"I understand, but what he said about me supposedly having him investigated, that wasn't me." She just gestured that it didn't matter. I ordered our food to go, paid the bill, and we left the restaurant. We walked in silence to the car. Tonight, I chose to drive myself and dismiss security for just one night. "What are you thinking?" I asked when I saw Lilly looking out the window in complete silence.
"Nothing," she said when she looked at me. I stopped the car at a red light. "Our fourth date isn't over yet. Can I move forward with what I had planned?"
"That sounds great," I nodded.
"I want to go to this address..." she entered the address into the GPS, and then I knew where she wanted to go.
"But they're not doing trips to that part of..." I stopped my words when I saw her brown eyes.
"Thank you..." she stuck out her tongue, and we laughed as we moved through city traffic, almost twenty minutes between cars and listening to music. I parked in the lot. I got out, walked around the car, and opened her door. I could see the excitement on her face. She took my hand and intertwined our fingers as we walked, looking at the landscape in front of us. "Wow, the statue is big and beautiful," she said, looking at the Statue of Liberty. From where we were, it looked great, but I thought that one day I would bring her during the day and we would go up close to see it. We sat on a bench and from there we could admire it.
"This is the second time I've come here since I can remember," I said suddenly. Lilly snuggled closer to my side and sighed.
"And it's my first time. Let's make my second and your third during the day. What do you think?" I smiled, excited by her words.
"That sounds great." I kissed the top of her head. From my position, I could smell her hair.
"How about dinner with this amazing view?" Moments later, we started having dinner on the bench, looking at the illuminated Statue of Liberty in the distance. This date felt simpler than the previous ones, and I liked it too.
After dinner, a walk, and some light conversation—between laughs and kisses—we got into the car and then headed to her place. I parked the car in front of her building.
"Did you enjoy the fourth date?" I nodded without hesitation.
"I loved it, except for the hotel part." She sighed. "But overall, I found it quite pleasant, different from the others." She raised an eyebrow.
"Because it doesn't end in sex?" My eyes widened in surprise at her words.
"No, no, I didn't mean it like that." I felt my cheeks flush intensely, which amused her.
"I'm sorry," she said, finishing her laugh. "I didn't mean to laugh like that. It's just that it was both cute and funny to see your face turn red so quickly."
"You spoke so openly about that intimate topic, but I really wasn't thinking about it, I just..." I stopped my words, and she waited for me to finish my sentence. "I had a pleasant conversation, laughed a lot, had dinner on a bench, saw that statue for the second time," I frowned, "Besides, I..." I cleared my throat. "I feel different, and I like it." I got lost in her brown eyes for a moment. "And I don't want to stop feeling this way."
"Oh, Jackson," she softened her expression, "I feel very, very good with you too."
"I love you, Lilly." She took a deep breath and held it for a moment without taking her eyes off me. When she exhaled, she smiled.
"I feel the same, Jackson." She moved closer, and we kissed. I tried to control my urge to take her right there, but it would be disrespectful since we were in front of her house where her parents might be. When the kiss ended, she panted. "Do you want to come up? No one's home."
"No," I said suddenly without thinking.
"No?" I could see the surprise.
"If I go up, we'll end up in your bed… or on your couch." She raised an eyebrow.
"Does that excite you or fill you with adrenaline?" I noticed her tone had become husky. I could tell she was quite excited. Her hand slid to my thigh. I tensed up, realizing her intention, and caught her hand to stop its path over my pants.
"It would be exciting, but it would be disrespectful under your parents' roof." She said nothing, and I even noticed confusion. I slowly let go, thinking maybe I shouldn't have said what I was thinking at that moment. She settled into her seat and looked at me intently.
"I'm sorry, you're absolutely right."
"I didn't mean to sound so strict…" She quickly shook her head.
"No, no, it's true. I'm staying under their roof temporarily." She shifted to lean her back against the door and look at me directly. "But when I have my own place, will you come up?" Her question took me by surprise. "Or, would you not come up because I'm a woman living alone and you want to avoid the neighbors thinking badly of me?"
"Well, I…" I cleared my throat, feeling nervous. I didn't want to give a bad answer, but I had to be honest. "Can I be honest?"
"Always, please." I liked her response.
"When you have your own place, if you ask me, I'll come up. But before all that, I'd like to get your parents' approval."
"My parents?" I nodded. "Jackson, we had sex on our first date at your vacation home, the second date we had sex in the truck on the public road, the third date I was with you in your attic and we had sex several times in the early morning, we had breakfast together, we work together and…"
"I know it sounds illogical, but I want to sit down and talk to your parents before the sixth date." I stopped speaking, distracted by the confusion in her eyes.
"I just want to remind you that I'm an adult and can make my own decisions." Her tone was annoyed. Was what I was asking for strange?
"I don't understand what's bothering you." She crossed her arms.
"It's not that I mind you wanting to talk to my parents, it's just strange that you don't want to come up now when no one's home and we could have some fun, but I understand you want to be respectful, even though we've done more scandalous things than this." But I understood that with her attitude, we wouldn't be able to have the conversation I hoped for.
"I'm not going to keep arguing with you like this." I confessed, the atmosphere had changed suddenly. When did it happen? Oh, when I refused to go up. "Jackson, Jackson, are you doing the right thing?"
"Jackson," I turned to her. "Good night." She opened the door and got out. I bit my lip, feeling the anxiety building up. "Why do I feel like she's sending me to hell?"
"Damn it." I took off my seatbelt, hurried out of the car, and followed her without her noticing. When she opened the building door and went in, I grabbed her arm to stop her from leaving. She gasped in surprise at my unexpected move. "Let's not end our fourth date like this. I don't want to go back to my apartment with this tightness in my stomach." She softened her expression. "I have no experience in this, in how to act or react. I just don't want to ruin it." I slowly let go of her without breaking eye contact with her brown eyes.
"Jackson, you're not doing anything wrong."
"Then why do I feel like you're sending me to hell?" She sighed and her cheeks turned red. "So, is that it? Is that why you left like that?" She bit her lip, raised her hands to pull me towards her, and we were close, our faces almost touching.
"It's nothing you've said, relax," she closed the distance to plant kisses on my lips. It was a very tender kiss. When we separated, she smiled, and I noticed the sparkle in her brown eyes. "You're so sweet that right now I could kiss you all over." She paused and let me go, taking a deep breath and releasing it slowly. "It's not what you said that bothers me, it's just that it's new for me too." I frowned.
"New?"
"New in that this is the first time since we started dating… you've rejected me."