SEVEN YEARS EARLIER
"Seven dollar going once, going twice.."
"Ten dollar" a hard gulp flushed through her throat, June's eyes greeted the main shot in the mist of the cool girls on campus.
She had host a bidding on the top chat guy, the most handsome and athletic boy that all the girls were poisoning their hearts for. Her as always did not miss the chance to rob their money, since she was bold and love expert the girls threw money at her to help get the attention of their dream crush.
"Ten dollars going once, going twice and we have the wi..n.."
"Hundred dollars" her ears flicked to the sound of the price, south east she fell her gaze on mis beauty. Clutching the moment on her, the gazes of the other girls fell on her, stinging her different emotions, most were envy and abhor.
"I'll give you hundred dollars but you have to do as I say" she demanded.
"What do you want?" June didn't care less about her requests, most were ideas and plots to hook her with all girls favorite crushes.
"You have to write love letters to him in secret for a week in my name then spy on him and tell me all his favorite activities to which none knows, also you have to make him fall for me"
"Two hundred dollars, the work is a lot to do. Take or leave it" the sweetest part was the fact that only she had the ability to approach hot guys and form a relationship between two.
"Deal"
The week went by with her dropping notes under his desk and training site, she prompts his every steps and relied it back to the girl with the highest bid.
...….
"June meet Rolland. He's an investor" her face goes south thinking how unlucky she is, is it really necessary for the investor to her show to be him, the one she has done wrong.
"Hi" he pushes forward with a hand shake.
"Hi" a wary smile spread on her lips, with a quick pull of her hand that's on her side. Praying to God that her luck favours her and he has forgotten the things she did him.
"You know Linda your star host and I are old buddies, ain't we June?" her brows crook up with a shrug shoulders.
"Really, June you never told me you were familiar with Rolland" Linda casually asked
"Even I didn't know that" she murmurs.
She used to evade his privacy for shots to sell to his admirers, she had him sold out on several occasions when being chased by girls. Once her hands went throwing him in the front to the hungry crushes.
"We attended the same university and trust me she was quite the stalker" he said displaying his teeth out, while June's eyes grumbles in folds.
"Hell no, I was only stalking him because I was being paid, I had nothing to do with him other than that" with her end words his hand squeeze on itself, pinching a smile on the broken heart.
Well he isn't surprise, those days he used to think the letters were from her and frankly he hoped they were from her. He caught her sneaking his steps and taking photo of him, he didn't mind her stalk or unpermitted photos she was taking. He just found it cute.
But the day he came to know the notes were from her but in the name of others teared him, the photos were taken not of admiration but business purpose.
"Oh Mr Deen" May cuts in, grabbing their attentions.
"Are you ready" Dave asked closing the gap to her. She stares in his eyes and nod to his desire. She promised to take him on a treat and he's right for it.
Rolland eyes falls on Dave, stinging a bug to his presence. Who could he be? and why is him so close to June?. All these thoughts run through as his eyes takes deep observations at him.
" Are you busy now, I can come back later" he gently propose, on sight of the busy atmosphere.
"I'm not, this is Rolland the investor to my show. Linda just introduced us" it isn't necessary but something in her feels the need to explain to him, she can't handle the thought that Dave might misread the scene.
The second she ends her stomach feels the hard hit of her guts twisting for space, the nerves that her heart's trying to please him and have him think good of her.
No, that'll never happen
"Hi, you're" Rolland's hand lays down with a cold neglect from the warmth gestured he pursued. His throat grunts out then laid his fingers in the inner space of his suit pant.
"Sorry but he has a problem" June clears in, she doesn't want her show investor pulling out due to savage neglect of his friendly shake.
"It okay, do you have time tonight…I…"
"Boyfriend, am her boyfriend" his hand grabs her waist pulling her into his fresh mint fragrance. Her eyes chase for his eyes, cozying over her thoughts of how much she loves his high protective shield on her. Even with her high built resistance she can't help but feel her inner belly dancing to the flow of her heart.
"Boyfriend?"
....
"Did you have fight with him?" Jane asked signing the papers on the desk. There she's, bailing the stubborn ears that failed to heed to her advice to not get into trouble.
"He's being let free only for you, next time he gets in trouble he will be jail with no bail for a week" the inspect said gesturing his subordinate to set him loose from the cuffs.
"Thanks for your help, you have my word he won't get into another fight. I dare him" her eyes stabbed glares at James that shoves his head low.
What is his fault?, he can't help but damage the face of the man's guts. To him it's his pleasure sending him to the hospital, he deserved it. How dare him lay hands on the woman he loves. It was hard enough to control his anger when his tone raised above her head not to say his hands attempt to strike on her.
Her creditor was on her tail again , just this time James happens to be in scene of it. And being himself he got the man trashed with his goons to the hospital .
"By the way thanks for saving me, no one besides my friends has ever done that for me" her gloomy face lit to spark as she reached for his face that was glowing in red, literally red from the bruises inherited from the fight.
"Oush" he whip from her finger touching the tender skin.
"Sorry" she said rendering warm air to him. His eyes leaned up, staring at the lips that gathered producing relief to him, the eyes that shows care and tender for him. His hand took accord and waved a stray lock behind the ear, catching her unannounced.
"You look beautiful"
"What?" Jane flipped , trying to catch a meaning of his whisper.
"Nothing. I just think he deserved it ,both him and his goons"
"And what if you had gotten a worse punishment from the police?"
"Then I would have willingly accept my fate, so long it you, I'll do it again if it calls for" he wouldn't have won her heart a much better way than this.
Her cheeks are flaming in hit as she stroke her hands on them, feeding ease to them. In all her years no man has shown much love it sincerity to her, he knows her value and adores her for who she is. Unlike others he sees the real beauty in her and not just an oversize girl. He loved her for her.
"Either way you were there to save me" he added flushing his knees for the ground, grouping eyes on him and Jane.
"Jane Coal , I haven't known you for years or months but the weeks that I've known you, am certain that you're the one as I was the day I set eyes on you. So will you Jane Coal take me James Williams to be your rightful boyfriend till we say the vows?" Her eyes scanned the crowd that sent cheers and amusement to his down to earth proposal, which most finds romantic.
"Say yes to him" she sighted the woman that let her voice loose, Infront with a kid in her hand, probably her grandkid as her hair is lined with gray.
"Go on don't broke the man's spirit" another in the centre shouts, with her hands greeting.
"Here you go, give it to her" James grabbed the red rose that a good Samaritan of a man hands to him. Just a perfect timing.
"Jane take this rose and be my girlfriend".
Without more to it her hand goes in for the rose, earning a loud cheer from the crowd.
His knees were released by her hands, while his hands sends her body for his chest with caged arms on her back.
.....
"Have you thought of visiting your dad?" Dave asked June that flush a surprise look at him.
"Hey, I know it not in my place to question but am just concern"
"You shouldn't be, just have your water and then we are off here" she said stabbing the fork in the beef. Something about that topic always gets her gloomy and he just snatched the seconds of joy in her heart towards his acceptance to her meal offer. Thou his phobia doesn't allow him to trust anyone blindly to have the dishes served, the water ordered was sealed that too he had to purify with tissues before contact it to his lips.
"I'm being your therapist here"
"I didn't ask you to be, can you just not ruin this meal?" Her voice spikes out. Her fingers harden on the tools in her hands with each stab on the bleeding stake.
"Why do you hate your dad so much?"
"Shut up" she scolds
"Is it because he left you and never came back?"
"Shut up!!" Her eyes reached for the others that stab weird looks at her, sending the tools for rest she raised on her feet.
"I'm full you can enjoy the treat" she chased her heels for the red exit. Tailing her back, Dave fenced his hands Infront of her.
"Stop, just tell me why do you carry much hatred for your dad"
"Because he abandoned me, he left years ago and never came back." She lend her body to the ground, letting her emotions take charger,while her heart reveals what's deep within.
"I hate myself because I don't despise him, after all these years I still have hope of reconciling with him, a hope to have him embrace me". The eyes went flooding out
"It okay, it okay to feel that way. You don't have to be strong, sometimes it good to lean on others."
Her body went in for his chest, settling in for his warmth.
The moment couldn't be more precious, she, for the first to show vulnerable part to someone other than her pillows and teddy while he felt her skin with his bear hands without getting a reaction.