Chapter 49

Ava.

I took off my name tag and dropped it on the table as I yawned. We were done for the day, and for the first time, everyone was silent as they changed out of their outfits and got dressed in their regular clothing.

Even Willow was silent as she yawned loudly. I guess the stress from last night, as well as tonight, was already taking a toll on her.

"I will be leaving now," Lisa said, not waiting for anyone to respond. She opened the door and slammed it shut immediately.

"Same here. See you all tomorrow," Willow said before following Lisa out, dragging her bag along wearily.

"I can't wait to get home," Olivia said as she reached for her wipes to clean off the makeup on her face.

Mia stood at her table, cleaning her face as well, ignoring us. But I had no doubt she was listening to our conversations. All night, her eyes had been on me as if she was waiting for me to mess up or do something out of turn.

After the encounter with Adrik leaving me shaken, I had loosened up a little when Jayden had texted and promised to make it up to me. A part of me wondered what he had planned, and I grew excited as I rose to my feet, snatching my bag from the dressing table.

"I have to get going now," I said, and Olivia raised her brow at me in question. Even Mia stopped to look at me from her mirror.

"Why are you in a haste today?" Olivia asked curiously.

"I want to see a friend," I grinned, and she nodded, waving her hand at me. I was about to leave when Mia scoffed, and Olivia and I turned to her in surprise.

"What?" Olivia asked, but Mia said nothing, rubbing her face as if she hadn't said anything. Olivia rolled her eyes and went back to cleaning off her makeup.

I spared Mia one more glance and saw that her eyes were fixed on mine in the mirror, and a smirk filled her lips. I frowned before pulling the door open and slamming it shut. Just immediately, I received a text from Jayden before I could even think about what Mia meant.

"Where are you?" it read, and I smiled, finding my fingers around the keyboard and texting him back.

"On my way," I responded before dialing Mrs. Potts to let her know I wouldn't be able to see Avery today, as I had promised.

She picked up on the second ring. "What? You twins are stressing the fuck out of me, and I'm not even getting paid to deal with both of you at the same time!" Her voice sounded through the speakers, and I laughed as I walked down the hallway out of the club, passing by a group of strippers who were counting the money they had taken out of their bras.

I waved, but as usual, they ignored me, and I responded to Mrs. Potts, who was yelling at someone.

"What's it again this time?" I asked, a smile on my face when I heard her scoff loudly.

"Avery and that boy who just moved in are getting closer to each other, and they don't know it could be bad for them because he's got a disease that can be easily transferred to her if they don't stay away from each other. But no, they both have a mind of their own," Potts sighed.

"Ok, so just get them nose masks so he doesn't infect her. It's that simple," I suggested, and Potts laughed mockingly.

"Oh, would you hear that, nurse? How come I haven't thought of that? Of course, I've done that already, but it doesn't keep her completely safe. I always have to make sure they stay about five feet away from each other. Ugh, you three would be the death of me. Remind me not to have kids," Potts said, and I could imagine her sighing and resting her head against the table, obviously tired of Avery.

Avery had always been the lively one, the one who got into trouble, while I was the goody-two-shoes, the boring one as everyone called me in high school.

"So why did you call anyway? I know it's not to keep up with the usual hospital drama. No! Please take that back to where you found it. Why would you even take the sanitizer around?" Potts shouted at someone, and I smiled, flagging down the bus when I got outside.

"I wanted you to please tell Avery I can't come today. I have something to do," I said, biting down on my lips as I climbed onto the bus and held onto the handrails to stay standing, narrowly missing hitting an old lady who had also jumped on the bus.

"Oh, ok. I'll let her know, but please do come to see her soon. She might be preoccupied with this, but that doesn't mean she doesn't miss you or think of you," Potts said, and I nodded before remembering she could see me.

"Sure. Definitely tomorrow. Oh shoot, not tomorrow. I promised to help Olivia move into her new apartment," I said, remembering that Olivia had begged me to help her move in.

"I don't know Olivia, and I don't care. Bye, please don't call me again today. I'll send your love to Avery," Potts said, ending the call almost immediately, and I sighed, staring at my broken screen and the picture of Avery and me.

"I hope you're okay," I whispered before tucking my phone away as the bus sped down the street, and in a few minutes, I was climbing up the stairs to Jayden's apartment.

I didn't feel like taking the elevator, and it gave me enough time to think about the only person who had been flashing across my mind all night.

Mikhail.

A part of me wondered why he hadn't called me all night, and I knew it would only be because he was busy with work.

Why was I sounding so clingy? I asked myself as my cheeks turned red. I raised my hand to my face, fanning it to stop myself from blushing.

When I got to the apartment door, even without knocking, the door opened. I made a mental note to remind Jayden to input my fingerprints into the door so I would be able to come and go at will. But my words died on my lips when the door opened to reveal Jayden in a nice tuxedo.

He looked so different from his usual bad boy self. His blonde hair had been pulled back into a ponytail, and his bright blue eyes were fixed on me as I trailed my eyes down his body.

His biceps were visible from the black tuxedo, and he placed his hand on his chest, bowing softly as I entered, my eyes widening in shock.

"Mi lady, welcome. I've been waiting for your presence," he said, smiling to reveal a row of pearly white teeth. I grinned, gasping at the sight of the dinner table he had decorated with candles and roses.

"Wow, you didn't have to do all of this," I gasped as Jayden took my bag and ushered me in. I noticed his eyes squint at the dress in my bag—the dress Aiden had given us. But he ignored it as he took my hand and closed the door behind me.

"I know, but I wanted you to know how sorry I was for behaving that way towards you," Jayden said, a genuine smile on his lips. I found myself looking away from him.

He leaned closer to me and planted a kiss on my cheek. "I hope you're hungry. I ordered Italian," he said, and I nodded.

As I sat at the table with Jayden, a part of me was prickled with guilt because just yesterday, I had been at Mikhail's house and on a jet date with him. And it was the most beautiful feeling ever.

He had even promised to take me out on a normal date, dinner, and it was just in two days.

We weren't even dating, but I was feeling guilty, and I knew it was because I knew there was surely something going on between us.

"What are you thinking about?" Jayden asked, and I could smell the annoyance in his voice, even with the smile on his face, as he poured me a glass of wine. Suddenly, the kiss Mikhail and I had shared flashed in my head, and I coughed awkwardly.

"Nothing," I faked a smile, and Jayden nodded before taking a seat opposite me.

"I'm sorry. I didn't know if you preferred Italian to Chinese, so I just took a guess. I hope you like it," Jayden said, his eyes hopeful as I picked up the fork and pinched my food.

"It's fine. I don't think there's any food I can reject. You learn that when you barely eat three times a day," I said, laughing nervously as Mikhail's face kept flashing across my mind, imagining sitting with him at a table similar to this.

"You don't have to worry about that anymore. I'll take care of you. I promise, Ava. All I want is for you to be comfortable around me," Jayden said, and I nodded.

"Thank you. And thank you for letting me stay here and for taking care of Avery's medical expenses," I said, picking up my glass of wine as I brought it to my lips. It tasted nice, and I hummed, dropping the glass when Jayden leaned closer to me. My heart pounded in my chest when he brushed his finger over my lips, and I felt all the hair on the back of my neck stand.

"There was something on your lips," Jayden said before placing his fingers in his mouth. My jaw dropped as my cheeks flamed red.

"Oh, sorry," I said nervously, picking up the napkin and wiping my lips. Jayden laughed softly, and I looked up at him to see him staring at me intensely.

"Do be honest, Ava. I didn't prepare this dinner only to apologize to you. In fact, another major reason was to tell you something," Jayden started, and I gasped in shock, dropping the napkin as I stared at him with wide eyes.

He bent and reached for something underneath the table before dropping a small box beside my hand. I stared at him in confusion as I reached for the box, pulling the ribbon and opening it gently.

Inside was a brand new iPhone, and I almost squealed when I saw that the wallpaper was the same as I had on my current phone.

"Wow," I gasped, breathless, and I looked up at Jayden with tears in my eyes. "This is so thoughtful. Thank you, you didn't have to," I whispered, taking out the phone and weighing it in my hands.

The phone must be the latest brand because it was beautiful, and I knew it must have cost more than a thousand bucks.

"I knew you needed a new one. The old one is really bad. Consider it a gift for being an asshole the last time," Jayden said, chuckling nervously.

"Thank you, Jayden," I said as he nodded, and I looked back at the phone in awe when I felt him reach for my hand, taking the phone from me as he placed it on the table.

I shivered as he intertwined his fingers with mine, and I forced myself to look at him. My heart pounded loudly in my chest, and I felt chills run down my spine.

There was a longing gaze in Jayden's eyes, and I could feel him staring right into my soul. He was a bit nervous—I could feel it—but he kept a straight face before he spoke.

"Ava, I'm not going to deny that I have fallen in love with you. You're beautiful, you're smart, and incredibly hardworking. You've carried a huge weight on your shoulders for years, and I want to be by your side. I want to lessen the burden you have, I want to be with you, and I want you to be with me. So, please, would you be my girlfriend?" Jayden asked, and my jaw fell to the floor.