Chapter 54 Waiting for Her All Night
As Alison ate her dinner, she couldn't stop thinking about Jackson. She hadn't seen him last night, and now she was really starting to miss him. She decided that as soon as she finished eating, she would call him.
Just then, Aidan, who was sitting next to her, asked curiously, "Alison, what are you daydreaming about?" His question snapped her out of her thoughts.
"Oh, I was just thinking about an old friend, who's also my child's godfather," she replied.
Aidan picked up the wine bottle, filled his own glass, and then poured some for Alison. "This red wine is really sweet. You should try it."
"I really don't drink," Alison said, waving her hands. She didn't want to make a fool of herself.
"Just a small sip, come on. It's no big deal. Experts say women can actually handle alcohol better than men, they just don't drink as often. Just one sip," Aidan insisted.
Unable to refuse him, Alison reluctantly took a small sip. Thankfully, Aidan didn't push her to drink more.
After dinner, Aidan offered to drive her home.
Alison didn't refuse, but she gave him the address of an old neighborhood close to her place. Once she got out of the car and walked in, Aidan wouldn't be able to find her real home.
After finally getting rid of Aidan, Alison slipped out of the neighborhood and headed straight to her place. She missed her kids too much and couldn't agree to Aidan's proposal to go to Paris.
As she walked, she thought about how to turn down both Jack and Aidan. She was almost home when she turned a corner and bumped into someone. Before she could see who it was, she smelled a strong scent of alcohol.
"Ah!" she exclaimed instinctively, and the man pulled her into his arms. "Alison, where have you been?"
It was Jackson. After three years, this was the first time he had questioned her so sternly.
"Jackson, have you been drinking?" Alison asked.
"Yeah, just a little," he replied, his body swaying slightly. The strong smell of alcohol told Alison he had drunk quite a bit.
"Where's your car? Let me take you home," she said, looking around but not seeing his usual car.
"Driving isn't fun. Alison, drink with me, will you?" Jackson said, clearly already quite drunk.
Alison remembered she couldn't drive either. So, she supported him as they walked towards the street corner where taxis often passed by.
"Let's go home and drink, okay?" she coaxed the drunken Jackson as they walked.
"No, I want to drink now," he said, tipping the bottle in his hand towards his mouth.
Alison quickly grabbed the bottle and threw it onto the nearby lawn. She couldn't let him drink any more.
"Alison, you still care about me, don't you?" Jackson suddenly stopped, holding her tightly. Under the streetlight, he turned her to face him, his eyes burning with intensity. "I waited for you all night..."
As he spoke, he lowered his head and gently touched her lips with his. This wasn't their first kiss, but it was the first since she had been with Jack.
Alison looked at Jackson, her heart in turmoil. She instinctively placed her hand on her chest, wanting to push him away.
Maybe it was just the smell of alcohol that made her uncomfortable. She whispered, "Jackson, let go of me."
"Alison, I won't let go. I finally found you, and I won't let go this time..." His words were slurred, but it didn't stop him from kissing her.
In that moment, memories of their time in the rented apartment flashed through her mind, where he had once gentlemanly refused her advances. She knew her body now belonged to the man she hated.
She felt so dirty, unworthy of Jackson's love and kisses.
"Ugh..." she whimpered in panic. The more Jackson tried to kiss her, the more guilty she felt.
His grip on her waist was so tight she could barely breathe.
"No, don't..." she said, feeling scared. This version of Jackson was unfamiliar to her.
In desperation, she bit down hard.
"Ah!" Jackson cried out in pain, instantly letting go.
He covered his bleeding lip, looking at her with intense eyes. "Alison, why? Why did you leave me? And now, why are you doing this to me? I love you. Come back to me."
He was drunk, pouring out his heart to her, one hand still holding her waist, keeping her close.
"I'm sorry, I just don't like the smell of alcohol on you," she said softly, knowing that her departure had deeply hurt him. She wanted to minimize the pain she was causing him now.
"Okay, I won't drink anymore. Alison, let's go home, back to our little place. Do you still like it there?" he asked gently, his voice full of temptation, making her think of the cactus still blooming in the rented apartment.
"Home..." she repeated softly. The word sounded so beautiful.
Once, Jackson had been her most beautiful dream, and she thought he would be her lifelong support.
But now, everything had changed.
If she had given her first time to Jackson, maybe she would feel less guilty. But they had always kept things pure between them.
Once missed, they could never go back, right?
If he knew she had two kids, what would he think of her?
Unmarried with children, he might see her as an improper woman.
She had always worried that the person who took her photos back then would use them to blackmail her, but strangely, those photos had never resurfaced.
"Jackson, let's go home first," she said, planning to take him back and hoping he would be less impulsive after a good night's sleep.
If she loved him, she would keep it to herself. She only hoped he would find someone better to replace her in his heart.
She supported him as they walked to the street corner. Under the streetlight, their shadows stretched long.
A car's headlights flashed by, and she waved. A taxi pulled up, providing her with an escape.
Though he was drunk, he understood her words. It wasn't that she didn't like him, but her heart couldn't go back to the past.
In the taxi, he fell asleep, his head resting on her shoulder like a child.
The smell of alcohol lingered but gradually faded.
"Driver, stop at the next corner," she said, looking out the window. Returning to the rented apartment filled her with mixed emotions.
"Miss, do you need help getting him inside?" The driver looked at Alison's slender frame and then at the tall Jackson, shaking his head.
"Thank you, I can manage." The driver opened the door for her, watching as she helped Jackson out. He smiled and said, "Your boyfriend is lucky to have such a beautiful and caring girlfriend."
It was meant as a compliment, but it made her feel uneasy.
Was she still Jackson's girlfriend?
That night, she coaxed him into taking some hangover medicine and then sat by the small bed that had seen so many nights, watching over him.
All night, he murmured her name in his sleep, making her feel even more guilty.
She found a business card in his pocket, learning the name of his company. She sensed that his drinking wasn't just about her. She felt sorry for this version of Jackson and didn't want to see him like this.
She bought breakfast and left it on the bedside table before leaving.
She hadn't been home all night, and although she had called the nanny to explain, she still felt guilty.
The kids must have missed her.
At work, she still had to face Aidan.
The thought of going to France gave her a headache. She couldn't figure out how to refuse Aidan.
Walking into the YD building, she felt many eyes on her.
She checked herself, finding nothing out of place.
In the elevator, before she could steady herself, a colleague from the procurement department approached her. "Alison, are you transferring to the foreign trade department?"
She smiled and shook her head. "Who said that? I don't even know about it myself."