The bright sun passing through the window woke jasper up. He was sweating -not from the heat of the sun - but the heat of 1the woman sleeping beside him. Her red hair was sprawled on the bed and his chest, the edge prickling his skin.
Jasper didn't wake her, rather, he propped himself up on his arms, staring at her sleeping figure. He guessed he fell sick or something else the wet towel wouldn't have fallen off his forehead when he awoke. She must have been taking care of him when she fell asleep.
"Why are you doing this to me?" he whispered, pushing a lock of her hair away from her face.
That action must have stirred her because Scarlett awoke, staring at him with a muddled look. Suddenly, the sleep cleared from her eyes and she wanted to escape from him.
However, Jasper was ready for her because the moment she tried to slip out of the bed, he had already caged her.
"Going somewhere?" There was a faint sneer at the corner of his lips with his brow raised.
Scarlett was uncomfortable with their proximity, he could tell that with the way she gulped and the slight fear in her eyes. She looked like someone who had been caught stealing from the pot of soup.
"Cat got your tongue? Say something, Scarlett " he mocked her.
The next thing this vexing woman did was to cup her mouth. He frowned.
"I have morning breath," Was her muffled excuse.
Before he could answer, she had already pushed him away and ran into the comfort of her bathroom.
Fine, she wanted to play this game? He was up for it.
Jasper was a workaholic who never misses a day of work, not even when sick- he hardly got sick since he took care of himself.
So when the man called up his secretary to announce he wouldn't be coming in that day, it caused quite a stir in the company. What has come over their president?! Perhaps, that was an alien possessing him?!
"Scarlett, you know you can't live in there forever," Jasper knocked on the door. He was prepared for Scarlett today, there would be no running for her.
"Sooner or later, we'd have this discussion hence you can't avoid me, Scarlett! " He fumed, "Get the hell out -"
Jasper was about to bring his fist down on the door when it snapped open, startling him.
Scarlett had a towel wrapped around her chest, her hair wet and the old clothes pressed to her side.
"Oh," He misunderstood her intention.
"You should go and wash up," She said to him, "We'd talk once you're done,"
He warned her, "If you think of escaping while -"
"I'm not escaping this time," She interrupted, taking off his hand he had placed on her unintentionally during his fit of anger.
"We'd talk as you want" she assured him.
Jasper gave her a skeptical look, he trusted her but then, she had given him reasons not to do so lately.
Fine, one last time. If she dares to run away, he'd forget her and move on with his life - even it hurts. Just because he fell for a girl that made his heartbeat for the first time doesn't mean he'd throw away his pride.
Jasper wasn't an egomaniac but damn it! He was a multi-billionaire with subsidiaries and branches here and there. Everywhere he went, women threw themselves at him; women ten times beautiful and better-off than her - no pun intended.
He didn't have to chase them like a lost puppy since he knew they'd surrender to him willingly and did he forget to add, joyfully. However, despite the huge difference in their status, Jasper was willing to love Scarlett wholeheartedly. Regardless, If she refuses to treasure the gem she has, he has no other option than to let go of her - even if it hurts.
With a trace of doubt in his eyes, Jasper reluctantly went into the bathroom and had a quick wash-up - he could have sworn he broke the world record.
He returned to the room to discover that Scarlett wasn't in there any longer. At first, he was disappointed yet decided to give her the benefit of the doubt by searching for her, she could be anyway. And yes, he did find her in the dining room.
"Vivian prepared some meals before leaving, you should sit and have your breakfast. You ran a high fever last night, you're supposed to eat something nutritious for your body to recuperate," she told him without looking up, organizing the silverware.
Jasper watched her intensely, why was she avoiding him? He pondered.
"I want to have that talk - "
"After the meal," she commanded sternly," Now sit down and eat, "
Well, he liked it when she was bossy. It showed her concern for him.
Jasper pulled out a chair and sat down as she served him. He laughed internally, he wouldn't mind being treated with this warm attitude every day.
Scarlett said a short prayer before they began to eat in silence. The only thing heard was the clicking of cutleries against the ceramic plate.
It was quite a boring and awkward scene that it got to a point when Jasper wanted to stretch out his legs, he mistakenly brushed against her own from under the table, she jolted in her seat.
"Alright, this is it!" Jasper was done with this pretense. He shot up to his feet, slamming his hand on the table, "Tell me what the hell is going on with you?!"
"Nothing is wrong with me," Scarlett stood up to her feet, taking her meal to the sink.
"Hell no, you're not avoiding this confrontation! " he declared and followed after her.
Dumping her plate with her half-eaten meal into the sink, Scarlett stiffened when she felt his hot breath on her neck. She turned around and her fear was confirmed; he placed both hands on either side of her, trapping her against the sink.
"Now talk," He growled in her face.
"We need to stop seeing each other," She told him, fighting against the urge to cower in fear with the way he was staring at her, lividly.