Chapter 1 Reunion

• Aileen
• “We are over, Aileen! I don’t want to look at your face any longer.”
• “You grew jealous over Layla. She’s my old childhood friend. I can’t cope with your jealousy any longer.”
• Wait, please listen to me, Jack.
• I won’t get jealous any longer. Don’t break up with me. I can-
• “No, there’s nothing left between us. I was never into you anyway.”
• This is not true right? Jack. You are breaking up with me?
• Jack! Jack!
• The vibration on my legs made me snap open my eyes.
• I looked around me to find myself in a taxi.
• I took out the phone from my jeans and picked it up.
• “Hello?”.
• “Aileen, where are you dear?” my mom spoke from the other end of the phone.
• “Um…”.
• “Where are we?” I asked the driver.
• “20 minutes from the destination.”
• “You heard him.”
• “Give me a call when you get out of the taxi.”
• “Dave will come and pick you up by the car.”
• I blinked for a second in disbelief. “What?”.
• “Come again?”.
• “I said Dave will come and pick you up with a car. Give me-“.
• “W-why’s he coming to pick me up?” I stuttered. “He could send any servants or a driver!”.
• “Yes, I was planning on doing that. But, one of the drivers is absent today. And that’s why he said he’ll go and pick you up himself.”
• My heart started beating loudly when I heard this news.
• “Anyway, take care. I’ll see you after you arrive.”
• “W-wait, Mom-“ she had hung up on me before I could finish my sentence.
• Why is she sending him to pick me up?
• Gosh! I need to mentally prepare myself for that.
• Meeting him after two years…..I wonder how much has changed in him.
• I, myself have changed a lot.
• I’m not the little girl that he used to see me as.
• The taxi stopped by the side of the road, and I got off standing with my luggage in hand.
• I called Mom, but she wasn’t picking up the phone.
• Where is she at? Do I have to stand here on this hot afternoon?
• I roam my eyes here and there while dialing her number several times.
• The sound of a car horn drew my attention.
• And as I turned around a black car arrived in front of me.
• I stepped away in fear.
• “Did you wait long?” a voice asked from inside the car.
• “What?”.
• The window came down, and I saw Dave staring at me with a warm smile.
• I felt my heart racing at the sight of him smiling at me.
• God, why did you have to make him look so handsome and charming? I can’t take my eyes off him.
• The noise of the traffic and everything didn’t bother me any longer. And I felt like there were only the two of us in the world, looking into eyes each.
• A moment felt like an eternity.
• “Aileen!” he raised his voice, calling towards me.
• I snapped back to reality, looking at him in shock.
• “Did you wait long?” he asked again for the second time.
• “Uh…um…” I lowered my gaze feeling embarrassed for looking at him like a creep.
• “No….not that long….”.
• “Good to hear that,” he replied, opening the door.
• He got out of the car and took my luggage in hand.
• “Come and sit at the front. I’ll put your luggage at the back,” he suggested.
• At front? I’ll be sitting next to him.
• Should I tell him I’ll sit at the back?
• Well….I looked up at him.
• He got into the driver’s seat right away.
• I heaved a sigh. Let’s face my fears.
• I opened the door and kept sneaking glances at him from the corner of my eyes, sitting down.
• His perfume is so strong. I can smell it right from here.
• “The seatbelt,” he mentioned, putting on his seatbelt.
• After I had put on my seatbelt, he started the engine.
• As he drove, I kept looking in his direction without letting him notice.
• The man that I had been in love with since two years ago, the first man I had a crush on, and fell for, the man of my dreams is now here sitting right next to me.
• But, I’m not supposed to have these feelings for him, as he’s my stepfather. And there’s a 7-year age difference between the two of us.
• Yet, no matter how you look at it, he looks just like me—only having a mature aura surrounding him.
• My father and mom got a divorce when I was very little. My mom was left traumatized since then. she would hardly smile, or show any happiness.
• a couple of years have passed since then. and then we met David McGarten. My mom is a nurse, and she had taken care of his dad when he was severely ill, helping him recover.
• He was so grateful to her that he used to reach up to say hi whenever he would bump into her. And like that Mom and he started talking.
• He was the only heir of his pack in Seattle, The Sabertooth pack which is well respected and known by everyone there.
• They have a good real-estate business and are practically one of the richest people in Seattle.
• After dating my mom for several years, they got married in my 2nd year of high school. And my mom came to live with him in Seattle, but I refused to come.
• So, that I won’t have to face him.
• “So, when are you starting college?” His question made me startle in my seat.
• “Your high school is over I guess?”.
• I nod, avoiding his gaze. “Yes, last month.”
• “Mom said that she doesn’t want me to live on my own any longer. So I should come and live with you two in the packhouse.”
• “I guess, I’ll be joining a college in Seattle then.”
• I was reluctant about coming here first, but….
• Now, when I got such a treat right after coming here, I didn’t mind it at all.
• “There’s a college in 30 minutes' distance from the packhouse.” He remarks drawing my attention.
• “And I know the principal. Do you want me to come with you for the admission process?”.
• “I’m your legal guardian after all.” He added with a smile.
• Is he trying to rub it in the face that I’m his stepdaughter?
• “Aileen?” he looked puzzled, staring at me.
• “Uh…well….sure, if you are willing to.”
• He’s being kind enough to help me get admission. I shouldn’t reject his offer.
• My grades are already suffering more than enough because of the breakup.
• I need to study properly in college.
• “And, how is your relationship with your boyfriend going?”
• I blinked for a second, trying to figure out whether he asked me that.
• “You had been with him for over two years right?”.
• “How are you two? Going steady?”.
• He’s not denying that he wants to know about my boyfriend!
• But, why?
• Is he curious?
• “We broke up two months ago,” I replied.
• He stepped on the break the next second, giving me a surprised look.
• “You did what?”.
• I look at him feeling puzzled. Why? Is my break-up with Jack so surprising to him?
• “Why did you break up with him? Did he try to do something funny to you?” he seemed to be quite concerned and wasn’t hiding it.
• “Ah…no…it’s just….I got jealous of a girl who was acting quite chummy with him and had a fight and he said he didn’t want to look at my face anymore.”
• “That’s the last time we had seen each other.”
• “O-oh…I see…” he seemed to be convinced by what I said.
• He turned to the steering wheel and started driving again.
• “Well….no need to think about that jerk. He didn’t deserve you anyway.” He comments as a smile forms on his lips.
• What did he say?
• “If he decided to break up with you over such a little thing, that means he’s not mature enough for you yet.”
• “You deserve someone better who can match up to your temperaments.”
• Like you? I wanted to say that out loud. But, unfortunately, that’s not possible.
• Even if I broke up with Jake, I can’t have you, cause you are my stepfather.
• We can’t be together when you are married to my mom.