His eyes rested on her, prompting her to still on the spot as millions of questions and thoughts stormed her mind but at the same time she was infuriated when he began to make his way toward her. His eyes were still on her but she pulled her gaze from him and channeled it back on Matilda.
"Girl, the comments under this post aren't giving. It feels as if you had wronged these people before and look at this...." Matilda leaned close, showing her a comment... "Seems the fans of Toro Wilson aren't having it cool with you. They are saying they preferred Angelica Marco to be the female lead….."
"Are you even listening?...." Matilda trailed off when she noticed Jane wasn't paying attention to her and the look on her face was rather a look of annoyance. She looked over her shoulders and met him. Curiosity perched on her face when her gaze fell on him, he was dressed in a white polo and blue jeans and across his face perched a pale and apologetic look.
"Did you invite him here?" Matilda turned back to Jane, watching the upset look that etched across her face. "Or did he already know you were here?"
"Don't know," Jane shrugged. Although her heart was banging against her chest—there was a burning anger inside her at the sight of his face.
"Jane, I need to talk to you," he inserted as he neared their table.
She ignored him, mindlessly running her eyes over the menu, knowing fully well she wasn't gonna order any of the lists on the menu.
"Yes I know you are upset at what I did the other day or how I spoke to you but will you listen to me?"
Matilda found herself caught in the middle of the couple, Jane wasn't ready to listen to him and Hugo wasn't ready to call it quits.
"I guess I need to give you two alone time." She started to get up but Jane caught her quickly. Questioning her with her eyes.
"Where are you going? You ought to be keeping me company..."
"You must have forgotten I work here..." Matilda flicked her forehead, earning an 'oww' from Jane who rubbed her forehead. "I will keep you company once I clock out if you'd still be here. In the meantime, enjoy yourself and stay away from the media because you won't be able to endure the critics."
Matilda winked at her and left.
Great, the one person she wanted to use to ignore him was out of here and she was left with him, standing before her and harboring that look of sorry across his face.
"What do you want? Are you here to judge me and condemn me like the rest of the world," she arched a brow, tucking her arms against her chest and throwing him a frown. "You'd prolly seen my video, are you here to judge me as well?"
He took a deep breath before pulling a seat to sit opposite her. He didn't say anything for a couple of minutes, only had a worried look on his face. He rubbed his knuckles for a minute, and let out a deep breath again.
"Look Jane, I know I have been a jerk these past few days," he began. "I know I have been a jerk to you and you've every right to be angry..... I was being insecure... I was scared one day, I wouldn't matter to you anymore that was why I two timed…. I'm sorry."
"I'm sorry?" Jane asked rhetorically. "Hugo, you hurt me. You really did and what did you say to me...her? You thought I was her?.... When did my role and career as an actress have to do with you two timing on me. And here I was thinking, I had the best boyfriend who'd stand with me no matter what. Even when everyone judged me, I expected you to defend me."
"But what did you do? You judged me before others did, you indirectly called me a slut. Questioning how I got the roles I got in the industry."
He shut his eyes as she went on to list every possible way he humiliated her.
"Because of you, I rejected most of the roles that could and would have made me an A-list actress—-- that would have skyrocketed me to the top of the stardom. I rejected roles and when I got this recent role, I wanted you to be happy for me, congratulate me and praise me for working hard but what did you do?"
"Not only did you question my worth, you went as far as having an affair with someone behind my back and when I asked... You opened your mouth to tell me, I don't need to know. You told your girlfriend, she doesn't need to know the other woman in your life."
Jane released a faint disbelief chuckle, shaking her head in accordance. "Now, I'm beginning to believe I was the other woman in your life, not her."
"Jane, I'm really sorry. Forgive me. I was being a dork, I know but find it in your heart to forgive me." He reached out to grab her hand but she withdrew herself. "I don't know…. Everything happened suddenly and I couldn't control it until it escalated."
Jane furrowed a brow in question.
"My colleague from work, she had been trying to get my attention although I rejected her many times but she kept coming back. It was like she was adamant and I fell..."
She widened her eyes a little at his words which made him stutter a little.
"I mean I did but that night, I was going to reject her once and for all.…..honestly I didn't know it was you. I thought it was her."
"Since when don't you recognize your girlfriend?" A skeptical stern look graced her face.
"The dim lights weren't doing the work...and trust me….it was just a fling, it wasn't something special. It is you I want and love….we can't just end our five years of relationship. We have known each other since high school and recently started dating, you wouldn't want to throw away our long time friendship for a mere fling, would you?"
His eyes and voice seemed convincing enough and she found herself wanting to believe everything was a lie and that she blew everything out of proportion last time but thinking back to that night, the words he said, the look he threw at her...everything was real and true.
Infuriated at the way he was trying to mess with her head with his sweet words and eyes, annoyed at herself, she got up, picked her bag and proceeded to leave.
"What happened? Why are you leaving?" He grabbed her wrist. Wearing a confused look across his face.
"If you don't let go of me this minute, I will scream and yell that you are a stalker and have been harassing me sexually."
"You are...joking…right?" He threw her a startled look.
"Do I look like one?" She replied in a cold tone, freeing her wrist from his hold. "And you questioned my reputation, you called me a slut. Watch and see, I am sleeping with the first guy I set my eyes on. If you could do it, why can't I?"
"You aren't serious….." Hugo stared at her in surprise. His voice faltered.
"What? You think I'd not do it. At least if I'm accused of sleeping around, I'd have to earn the accusation." She was back walking when saying all that as her body crashed into a hard frame. Causing whoever it was to drop whatever they were holding when she crashed into them.
A whipped cream coffee cup crashed on the ground, causing the lid to open because of the effect and splashed not only on her but the person she crashed into.
"I'm so sorry," she apologized. Fetched her handkerchief immediately, and wiped the coffee stain on the white sweatshirt. "I'm really sorry..."
Her hand came to halt when she lifted her gaze and stumbled a bit at the sight of the man she bumped into. The hooded guy? She let out a surprised gasp and lost a foot, stumbling back but he was quick to catch her, his strong callous hand came circling her waist. Pulling her to him, crashing into the hard plane of his chest.
Though Jane didn't know the man behind that nose mask, she felt her body shudder at that close contact. For a minute, what she saw was the two of them under the spotlight as they stared into each other's eyes. His marble gray eyes gaped at her and she found her body reacting under his piercing eyes and in his arms. She gulped hard at their proximity, basically the only thing that was keeping their lips from touching was the nose mask covering his nose and mouth.
At that thought, her body trembled as she recalled the night when she kissed him, even mistaking him for Toro Wilson. She felt her cheek burn up with embarrassment. She bit her lower lips, feeling stupid but one thing was off, the way he tightened his grip against her waist was weird and it felt like he had trouble breathing. Though masked, she could feel the slightly heavy breathing before he shut his eyes close.
What's happening to him? That means she wasn't hallucinating and just like last time, the way he pushed her off or more like the way he pulled himself away from her baffled her. Startling her as well.
"Jane, who is he?" Hugo's voice pulled her mind back, making her realize she was still in the restaurant. When she looked over her shoulders to him, she saw the mean and curious look over his face as he narrowed his way to them. His eyes fixated on the hooded guy.
Caught in between. Jane didn't know what to do or what to expect. She was actually running from both men. One is her cheating boyfriend and the other was a man she didn't want to run into after pulling the stunt she pulled at the bar but fate always seemed to find a way to make them cross paths.
From the moment their paths crossed on the first day at the bar, they have been running into each other lately. Was their meeting coincidental or fated? And why didn't she notice him if he had been in this restaurant for long?
"I ask again, who is he, Jane?" Hugo queried again.
"As you can see," she forced a smile on her face and spun to Hugo. "You must have seen him in the viral video of me on the internet– I was also two-timing you with him and also….. The man I spent the night with at his place is him." The surprised look that took over Hugo's face satisfied her.
Knowing she was doing and saying too much, she swallowed and looked back at the hooded guy, wearing a pleading, nervous smile. His eyes were hellishly impassive.
She took a deep breath and whispered in his right ear.
"Save me."