Chapter 17: Chapter 17

THE PRETENDER I LOVE

Jemimah was in her apartment having a warm bath. Each drop of water carried its own sensation. But she still felt a burning hollowness in her chest which was proving really difficult to quench. The young woman wallowed in self-pity, having been hurt so badly.

No one else but Jason could relieve her of the stress. She recalled the sound of his voice. It was the most fascinating piece of music to her. But everything seemed to be in the distant past now.

Jemmy found herself going back to the so-called past every now and then. There was something about how he handled things that melted her heart. She remembered when both of them first touched each other. Her body reacted to him so much that her legs shook. His eyes were daring darts of destructive fire.

'I always had my suspicions, didn't I? That buffoon was saying things he didn't mean. He sang on different occasions with his velvety voice.' She reminisced all their good kisses while his fingers went running through her hair, as if to touch every strand. "How dare you!" she said out loud. Her voice echoed in the empty bathroom.

Her mind went back to the wooden room in the museum, where that painted lady lived. She hadn't forgotten a thing. 'Even green leaves wither eventually. He was too good to be true. I was such a fool to deceive myself. l fell for a skilled pretender until I became so drunk in love!' Tears rolled down her cheeks.

After she managed to encourage herself, she dried her skin with a towel, went to the bathroom and changed into one of her pajamas. She dialed Sophie's line four times, but each time, it didn't connect. 'What's up with the bad reception?' she asked herself. 'If only I had listened to her.'

At last, Jemmy decided to sit on her bed to strum her guitar. Some books and a pen were close to her. But she soon heard a sound. It was a knock on the door. She was too downcast to get it.

The knock became louder by the second. So she stopped composing her song, closed her book of lyrics, walked to the peephole and spied through it. "Holy Moly!" She was shocked. 'Speaking of the devil.' Jemimah didn't know what to do in that given instant. She couldn't tell whether or not she was happy to see him.

Meanwhile, Jason looked all stressed out and afraid. But he mustered some composure. Even at night, it was quite easy to see and admire Jemimah's flowers around him. She did some things that had a way of taking his breath away.

She was still staring at him through the peephole as confused as confusion itself. Jemmy peered at his neatly trimmed hair. 'Perhaps, the alluring madman may just be able to explain himself out of this. Especially how it became necessary to cut off every form of communication with me for so long!' she said to herself. 'Are these really butterflies in my stomach or is it just the salad that looked like grass I ate a while ago?'

It took an entire minute of practice for her to open the door. "What are you doing here?" she asked. It was the only question that popped to her mind.

Immediately, Jason set his eyes on her, he went down on his knees. They hadn't been in their topsy-turvy relationship for long, but she knew that he was romantic, dexterous, sly and handsome. But one of his major faults was his pride and ego. So whatever made him do this must be really serious.

Still, she had a role to maintain. It was that of a tough, insouciant, calculated and well collected young woman. "I do not have any time for this scene you are creating. What on earth are you doing here?"

"You have every right to be angry," Jason replied calmly. "I deserve your door being slammed in my face.''

''Okay,'' she retorted while trying to actually shut the door. But he held it open.

"Jemmy, I really need you to hear me out." The words he said were heartfelt. At least that was what she thought.

"Isn't his majesty supposed to be far away from Lordham?" Jemimah asked him sarcastically. "What does he want to tell me? You allowed every beautiful thing we shared to suffer. Wasn't it best to distance yourself from the misery I caused?"

"No, not at all!" He tried to say something but she didn't stop talking.

"Now you come crawling back?" She fixed her eyes on his face. "What do you take me for, some cheap and neglected piece of trash?"

''I have never thought that of you. I still don't and it will never happen. Jemmy, you are the most amazing person I have ever met." A faint smile stretched his lips briefly as he spoke. "It disturbs me now to even imagine all the mistreatments I meted on you.''

"Why are you doing this, Mr. Player?" Jemimah wanted to know his real intention.

Jason looked at her as thoughts rushed through his mind. Yet, he couldn't find the words to express himself. 'She clearly thinks that I have made up stories to sever my ties with her,' he finally said to himself. But he was bent on convincing her otherwise. "I needed to be true to myself. It dawned on me to sieve out unnecessary distractions in order to focus on what's really important. Time and space helped me understand better.

I went back to my former club and supporters. The outfit offered a better contract. But I couldn't fit in anymore despite all my effort.

My home is with you, Jemimah Carpenter. And that is why I have returned to Lordham!"

She wanted to talk but he got up, placed a finger on her lips and whispered, "Shushhh darling. You only know you love her when you let her go."

"That's the lyric to a song, isn't it?" she asked with tears rolling down her cheeks.

''Yeah, it is." He wiped the tears with his hand. "Jemmy, I don't want to have a future without you by my side…"

He was still talking when she pulled him into her apartment. They locked each other in a passionate embrace.

Suddenly she broke herself free and slapped him.