Jane watched him as he sleeps, she wondered if he was sleeping or pretending to sleep. She watched as his face and his body relaxed with every breath he took. Seriously she wondered why he was behaving this way?. Why is he confusing her with his character.
"Are you sleeping?." She asked, tempted to graze his eyes brows with her fingertips.
"Mmhm." He made a sound under his breath. "Does it look I'm pretending to sleep?."
"I don't know...I'm just surprise at what you're doing." She inserted. "I mean what has gotten into you?."
"Nothing, I just want to sleep." He answered, his eyes still closed. "There's no pillow here so I'm using your laps as the pillow." His lips curved into a sweet smile which got her heart accelerating.
"What if I'm not here?." She asked, clearly her head which was clouded with his smile a minute ago. "What if I didn't come here with you, what are you going to use as a pillow?."
"I will order a pillow from Amazon." He replied, eyes still closed.
"Really?." She asked baffled by his respond.
"Just kidding." He chuckled. "If you aren't here, I will sleep on the sofa that way."
"Oh." She mouthed, watching his face.
"Sing me to sleep." He said, taking her by surprise.
"Excuse me?." She asked, surprise at his outburst. Really what's the reason you brought me here?. You said we have something to discuss with me."
"Yes, I did." He answered. "But after singing, I became tired. I need to take a nap and after that I'll tell you the reason why I brought you here, that's why I said wake me up after 15 minutes."
"So sing me to sleep." He added. "I really want to fall asleep, I have been practicing for long time now, I need to rest a little before continuing."
"I don't have a nice voice." She complained, trying to decline his offer.
"I don't mind." He persisted. "Just sing me to sleep, I don't mind how your voice is. Just sing."
"Fine." She rolled her eyes. He always makes her keen to his demands, he always has a way of making her do what he wants.
"Everybody is born to care
It's something were meant to share
Not to keep to ourselves all alone."
When she started singing, Chris wowed in his heart. She has a very nice angelic voice, really he was amazed, stunned by her soothing voice. He found himself falling for her voice, he nestled more on her laps taking in her sweet voice.
"If we make room for someone new
Doesn't mean there's less for you
Only means our circle has grown
Love knows, love grows
Bigger than before, in your heart
There's always more, always more….."
When she ended her song, he was already asleep. She watched as his body rise and fall at the same pace, really is she gonna sit here like a statue for fifteen minutes and watched him sleep?. She slowly took his head off her laps and placed it on the sofa. She stood up to leave, she can't sit here and watch him sleep to his heart content, she made a move to leave when he stopped her by placing his hand on her wrist.
"15 minutes is not over yet." He said, taking her by surprise again. She thought he was already sleeping.
"I thought you were sleeping." She answered as he drew her back on the sofa, placing his head back on her laps once again.
"I'm sensitive." He replied. "Any slightest move will wake me up from sleep."
"What do you want?." She asked, getting the question out of her mind. "Why are you doing this, why did you bring me here?."
This time he rose up, sitting down. He stared at her, saw the questions in eyes. Her eyebrows furrowed together, he wonder what must be going on in her head.
"Why are you behaving all gentlemanly?." She went on to ask. "You said you don't want anything to do with me, you even said you weren't interested in marrying me. Why then did you call me your fianceé in the presence of your manager and the others."
"Because you're." He replied, staring deep into her eyes. He was only doing for his Mom, he was trying to see her more than just a friend even though he feels no atom of love for her. He was trying to see her beyond friend limit, get to know her better.
"You're my fianceé." He said again. "I came with my parents to your house with a marriage proposal which legally means you're my fianceé."
"Are you kidding me?." She asked rhetorically and sarcastically. She made a sound under her breath, giving him a distaste look. "Yes, I admit you came to my house with a marriage proposal but then you went ahead to propose to Cass too. You should have gone ahead and say you weren't interested in marrying me."
He could hear the pain her voice when she said those words. She was battling with herself to voice out her feelings. God....why can't I reciprocate her love for me. I'm fully aware of her feelings for me but why don't I feel anything for her. He knew he had made her suffer in his hands but there was nothing he could do. He tried to force himself to have feelings for her but none was coming.
He was only doing this for his Mom. He didn't want to hurt her feelings again but he always wonder how and when his Mom grew fond of Jane and when he refused to marry her. His Mom practically begged him, convincing him into marrying Jane.
"I wasn't proposing to Cass." He said making her to give him a skeptical look. Like he was lying whereas the videos and pictures proofed it.
"Then what were you doing if not proposing to her?." She asked, searching his eyes as if to find answers there. "You were on your knees on those pictures and videos."
"I was begging for her forgiveness." He confessed.
"Why?." She asked. "Why were you begging for her forgiveness by going down on your knees?."
He turned his gaze from her to any other thing in the room. How was he going to tell her the reason why he knelt down, how would she feel if she comes to know the reason why he did what he did?. He didn't want to hurt her feelings anymore.
"The day you came to my parents house to deliver that portrait to my father." He began. "I was coming there too cause my father wanted me to get a wife and he gave me two weeks to present to him the woman I want to marry. I told Cass to pretend as my fake fianceé, I told her to pretend as the woman I want to marry so as to make my father to remove his mind from getting a bride for me."
"Cause he said if I fail to present him the woman I want to marry, I will get married to one he had chosen for me." He went to explain. "I never knew you were the one he chose for me and when my father declared you my bride to be, it really hurt Cass. That's why I went over to where she was shooting a movie with her crew to plead for her forgiveness." He concluded.
When he was stating the reason why he did what he did. She felt her heart breaking into thousand pieces. He went over to his parents house to present Cass as his wife to be. He never had her in mind...he only saw her as friend, saw as someone who he could play around with whenever he's in the mood. Cassandra is his childhood friend, he known before her before meeting her. You will always be insignificant to him Jane, he feels nothing for you. You're only a mere friend to him, nothing more.
So kill whatever dream you're building in your heart with him, he will never be yours. He belongs to someone else. Her inner voice warned. She turned away from him, fixed her eyes on the table as if to find the answers to the questions troubling her mind.
He noticed the way she kept quiet, he knew she was in deep trauma even if she tries hard to hide it. He saw through her. One of the reasons he liked about her is that she's so understanding and knows how to tackle a difficult situation. Knows how to deal with her problems with her calm personality.
"Jane, I'm sorry for making you misunderstand what I did." He pleaded, bringing invisible tears in her eyes and she tried hard to suppress it. Noo….she won't cry for this guy again. She's done crying for him, she promised herself she will never shed a single tear for him. He's a musician and he had the right to do whatever he wants to do. She's a fool by thinking he might develop feelings for her too, musicians don't do that. They don't stick to one woman in fact women literally throw themselves to them.
"I only did to get her to forgive me." He added. "But I didn't propose to her, why would I do that when I have done that to you. You're the one I proposed to. I went down on my knees to make her accept my apology for been humiliated in front of my parents but I'm telling the truth I didn't propose to her. The medias has a way of turning lies into truths but I'm sorry if I hurt your feelings with those pictures and videos."
She returned her gaze to him, she saw the sincerity in his eyes and was tempted to believe his every word. No…. She cautioned herself. He might be trying to deceive me to look like the good guy. He might be trying to convince me with his lies, musicians are not to be trusted and he has hurt me many times. Why trust him now?.
"I'm calling this marriage off." Her words took him off guard. He was shocked at her words, why will she say that?. "I understand you don't want to get married to me and I'm not forcing you either."
"Why?." He asked, placing his hands on her arms. Bringing her to look directly at him. "Why will you call off this marriage?. I already told you the reason why I did what I did with Cass."
She curved her lips into a wry smile, staring deep into his eyes. "I don't want you to feel pressurized, I don't want you to feel like you're being forced to marry me by your parents. I don't want you to see me as the worst mistake of your life, I don't want you to live with that guilty throughout your life."
"I want you to live a life you set for yourself so I'm calling off the marriage. I'm freeing you from me, you have the right to marry anyone you heart desires whether Cassandra or any other girl." She said with difficult, battling with her words. She averted her gaze from him to the tree flower standing at one end of the wall in the room. She didn't want him to notice the tears in her eyes, didn't want him to see how much he has broken her.
He leaned closer to her, turning her face with one of his fingers to look at him. This time their face are two inches away away from each, she could feel his breath on her face. Her breath quickened at their proximity, she tried to pull away from him but he pulled her more close to him by circling his left arm around her back. They locked eyes with each other and the world seem to have come to a stand still.
"Jane, I'm getting married to you and there's nothing you or anyone would do to stop me." He said, taking in her sweet perfume.
"Chris, why are you doing this?." She asked as she stared into that deceiving brownish eyes of him. "Why are you tormenting me with your multiple personalities?. First you said you will never get married to me and now you're saying you will marry me and there's nothing no one would do to stop you."
"What had gotten into you?. Why are you behaving this way?."
"I changed my mind." He replied, staring at her now crystalline eyes. "I never wanted this marriage because it came to me as a shock, my parents never discussed it with me. I was mad at them because they didn't consult me first to know how I feel before declaring you my bride to be but now my mind is cleared and in a good state. So I made up my mind to make you my bride."
"You're saying this because your parents must have convinced you." She prompted. "They must have convinced you into marrying me, I know these words are not true to you. You're just doing this to make your parents happy.*
"I'm not doing this or saying this to make anyone happy." He said. "I'm saying this because I really want to spend my life with you. I'm sorry if I messed up in the past, I was being an idiot but now I'm ready to rectify my mistake and my parents didn't convinced me into marrying you. I want to marry you by my own free will, moreover we have been friends for 5 good years." He smiled.
She didn't know why but she found her heart accelerating at his words. All she wanted is to be with him, share in everything he does. Make a home and future with him. She has fallen hard for him that her love has turned into an obsession, each time and day she found herself daydreaming of being his wife some day and now the opportunity has come. She was having second thoughts about it. Yes she wants to belong him, want him to be hers but the fear of him not acknowledging her as his wife still torments her. She doesn't want to marry a man who won't pay attention to her. Who won't have time for her. No…..she won't fall for his words, she's calling this marriage off and will give Ethan a chance to treat her the way a woman should be treated.
"I'm sorry to disappoint you but I'm not longer interested in marrying you." She said, breaking free from his hold. "I'm not mad anymore now that you told me the reason behind those photos and videos but I can't marry you. I don't want to live with the guilt that I made you get married to me using your parents so don't worry I'm fine, I don't mind if you get married to Cass or any other girl." She gave him a weak smile.
"I will be happy for you no matter who you choose to spend the rest of your life with." She continued. "You're a celebrity and you're entitled to marry as many wives you want. I'm not stopping you, I don't want to be a barrier to you. So go ahead and marry a girl of your dreams."
"And moreover I'm not the same status with you, I'm not an actress, a model neither am I a musician like you. I'm just an ordinary painter. Don't worry about me, I will be fine and I will tell your parents I called off this marriage not you so they won't blame you."
He noticed the hoarseness in her voice when she was giving her speech. She was trying hard not cry in his presence, he knew that. He knew she was trying hard to suppress the tears threatening to fall from her eyes and his heart hurts the more at that sight of hers. Being the reason behind her endless tears. He doesn't want to see her cry again because of him.
God…. even if it's just a tiny feelings, give it to me, I want to feel something for her. I can't keep hurting her.
She stood up from the sofa, grabbing her bag. She turned to him one last time, saying those words.
"Let's not see each other ever again." She prompted. "Let's end our friendship, the more we run into each other. The more it becomes complicated so I'm begging you, let's just stay away from each other until we clear our minds. And like I said, I'm calling this marriage off. I'm no longer interested in marrying you, I'm freeing you. Starting from today let's just be strangers to each other."
"You stay in your world of music, I stay in my world of painting. We are totally worlds apart." With those final words of her, she left.
He sat there stunned, confused and bewildered at what just happened. What just happened?. Did she call off the marriage, not only that, she told him to stay away from her. He ran his hands through his dreads in frustration. Confused on what to do.
He brought her here to reason with her but she ended making things complicated for him. What is he going to say to his Mom and he promised her he would marry Jane but now Jane doesn't even want to marry him.
Noo…. He will find a way to convince her back into marrying him for the sake of his mother.