CHAPTER 27: IF I TAKE YOU BACK, WILL YOU COME WITH ME?

CHAPTER 27: IF I TAKE YOU BACK, WILL YOU COME WITH ME?
JAKE’S POV

She just walked past me?

Fuck. No.

“Jake, are you okay?” Trix asked, approaching me when she saw me sitting on the floor, leaning against the hallway wall in front of the elevator.

I couldn’t stop laughing, a crazy, broken kind of laugh, like I was losing my mind.

“Jake, was it Reina?” she asked, her voice full of worry.

I laughed again, burying my face in my hands, tears spilling at the same time. Trix looked even more concerned.

“I thought… I could watch her with another man, if it meant keeping her safe. I thought that’s what I wanted. But I was wrong… I was so fucking wrong. Look at me now. No one has ever made me feel like this… this craziness inside me.” I paused, choking back more tears.

“And the worst part? It’s with my brother.” I whispered, my voice breaking. “I… I hurt both of them… on purpose but not on purpose. I just… wanted them safe.”

“It’s for their safety,” Trix said softly, brushing my back.
“But no one will ever see it, even if you put them first,” she added. Her words hit me like a jolt.

“Reina… she deserves a kind man like him… not me,” I admitted, the words tasting bitter on my tongue.

“But it hurts?” Trix asked gently.

I didn’t answer. I only nodded, trying to hold myself together.

“Get her. Get your girl back,” she said firmly.

“But I want them safe,” I whispered.

“I know. And I believe my younger cousin can keep her safe while keeping her close. You know that too. You’re just afraid,” Trix said.

Her words lit a fire inside me. They gave me courage. I stood and walked into Reina’s office. Luckily, she was there, sitting on the couch with her eyes closed. Gavin wasn’t around.

I’ll… take you back.

But if she really doesn't want me anymore, I'll insist. Even if it hurts.

REINA’S POV

“Gavin…” I whispered, my voice barely reaching my own ears. I don't know the right word to say in this moment.

But instead of looking alarmed, Jake simply released a slow, teasing smile. He turned to face Gavin with the kind of deliberate calm that made it seem like he was provoking him on purpose. 

What's with this guy?

“What are you doing here?” Gavin asked the moment Jake turned fully toward him. I can see how his jaw clenched. This is the first time I saw him like that. 

Jake just laughed creepily and then answered. “What else? Of course, to visit my fiancée.” He said, like he's really proving something. 

Fiancée? Was he out of his mind? Fiancée, my ass. He already had a fiancée, and now he was standing here claiming another girl as his?

I didn't answer. I didn't disagree or confirm it.

“Fiancée? Reina didn’t tell me anything about you.” Gavin replied, his voice was firm like he was just trying to control his temper. 

Jake chuckled and shook his head before answering.

“Why do you care? Are you her lover?” Jake asked, his tone was laced with mockery.

Gavin paused, searching for the right words. It took him a moment before he finally spoke. “No. I’m her professor and her assistant now. I am in charge of taking care of her, so I cannot just let any stranger kiss her.” Gavin explained that somehow cracks something inside me.

“Stranger? How can you call her fiancée a stranger? You're just her assistant but you act like more than that. Know your boundaries.” Jake’s voice dripped with sarcasm.

“Fiancée? Then why didn’t she claim you as her fiancée?” Gavin asked then with his eyes moving toward me.

Jake followed his gaze. “Why don’t we ask her?”

Now both of them were staring directly at me. The tension was so thick it felt like it could suffocate me. I wanted the ground to open up and swallow me whole. I can't find my voice. I can't even move because the tension is too much. 

“H-he’s… my… former professor,” I finally answered, my head bowed low to look at the floor and avoid eye contact again.

“See? Now you may leave her office. We still have a lot of things to do.” Gavin said as he gestured toward the door with his right hand.

I can see the disbelief, disappointment, and sadness in Jake's eyes. But no matter what I do, I know he'll never realise why I act so differently. That was wrong but was it right to hurt me that way? To use me as his resting gazebo while his fiancée wasn't aware?

“You sure about this, Reina?” Jake’s tone carried disbelief because he almost could not believe I was saying these words. That after acting so obsessively, I'll pull away.

"If this is what you call 'Hamilton's Obsession', I don't want it anymore," Jake whispered before taking a step away.

The moment before he stepped toward the door, my body acted without my permission. My hand reached out and grabbed his coat.

Both of them looked at me, but Jake was the one to react. He gently removed my hand from his clothes.

“Like I said, your body will always deceive you,” Jake muttered before making his way out of the office.

I remained standing in place, completely speechless. My body felt frozen, my mind empty.

Gavin set the food down on the table and walked straight toward me. I must have looked ridiculous, but for some reason, I did not feel embarrassed in front of him.

He took both of my hands into one of his and gently tucked a strand of my hair behind my ear.

I felt nothing. Just an emptiness that made me feel like a statue. 

Why had I done that? 

Gavin had already told me that if I had doubts, I should ask for the truth before acting recklessly. Yet I could not ignore the pain and started being aggressive or just shut my doors close at their faces, especially when it was already lodged deep inside me.

Gavin tilted my chin upward, forcing me to meet his eyes. I didn't react but he still smiled. I always feel like I'm a kid with him. 

“Hey, little girl. There will be a time… if you have misunderstandings, you should ask him first about everything that bothers you. Now, let’s eat. You need to regain the strength you lost earlier when he showed up.” Gavin said with a small smile. Trying to comfort me.

He smiled at me but I can already say the disappointment and pain behind it. 

“You’re… mad,” I whispered.

I'm disappointed with myself too so I can't blame him if he's disappointed too.

“No,” he replied. “Well… kind of disappointed. But I hope you learn to be true to yourself next time. If you lie and pretend, make sure you can also control your actions. No matter what words you say, your actions will always deceive you.” His smile this time was genuine. But he can't hide the sadness behind it.

“Let’s just eat,” he said, guiding me to the table.

Now I was resting on the couch while he handled the rest. He carefully sliced the ham, the bacon, and the other dishes he had brought. I was not even sure if all that food would fit in our stomachs because it was just the two of us, after all.

I watched him as he removed his suit jacket and loosened his tie, leaving only the crisp white shirt underneath. My mind wandered. Was I stupid for thinking about another man while still tangled in my feelings for someone else?

Stupid… but yes.

“You’re going to cook them already? You’re not going to marinate them and let them sit for a while?” I asked with uncertainty.

Jake would usually marinate each piece carefully before cooking.

“Why can’t you just marinate them first?” I asked again while my hands were fidgeting slightly.

“Because that’s how he would do it so you want me to be like him?” he said while chuckling lightly.

I wasn’t sure if he was teasing me or mocking me.

“I-I’m sorr… I just…” I stammered.

“Lost in thought about him?” he finished my sentence for me and released a soft laugh.

“I-I… uh, I guess. Sorry. That’s just… not so… heiress coded,” I admitted. I can literally feel that my cheeks heating.

“It’s okay,” he said gently. “I hope you two will be okay soon.” He forced a small smile.

The silence that followed carried a truth we both felt but didn’t say aloud. He wasn’t the type to hold onto it, though. His smile stayed. He always manage to make things less awekward and uncomfortable.

“Gav?” I called out, my voice ruining the silence between us.

“Hm?” he answered without looking at me. His eyes stayed on what he was doing, but I could tell he was still listening. Gavin had that way of being focused and attentive at the same time.

“Who’s your first love?” I asked, the question slipping out without much thought. Just a random one.

His movements slowed. “What?” He turned his head just enough for me to see the flicker of surprise in his expression. “That’s so random," he said and smiled in confusion.

“Come on, just answer it,” I pressed, resting my chin on my hand as I watched him.

He glanced at me then, the corner of his mouth twitching in the faintest smile. “You?”

I blinked. My heart skipped, and for a moment, I thought I heard him wrong.

Wait… what did he just say?