Chapter 42: Chapter 42

× 10:39PM ×

"Hey, Joss. Congrats!"

"Thanks, man. Grab some drinks. Just gonna say hi to the guys."

"Heard there's already a season four in the making?"

"Don't get too excited." Jenson exchanged smirks with a heavyset guy in plaid as he walked past the busy pool table.

The other guy must be a reporter or a good friend of one of the producers.

Partly disguised by her face mask, Jessi reclined and watched the amicable exchange.  She sat alone at a table for two,  waiting on the sidelines,  just minding her own business.

Everybody else seemed busy mingling and whiling the night away with booze, chit-chatting about their lives,  Road to Valhalla updates, the news, and practically everything under the sun.

Darren left her side half an hour ago to catch up with Kara, his blonde co-star and the leading lady in their TV show.  For the past two hours, Jenson and Darren got  busy catching up with co-workers.  Mostly members of the production team.

Two of the producers also showed up.  The other big bosses didn't.  For safety reasons, most likely.  Some folks didn't wear face coverings at the moment.  But, so far, there weren't more than 20 people around her and most were keeping a safe distance from each other.

The brightly lit bar stayed semi-busy as another round of socializing went by.  Jessi kept still in her seat with her phone on the table.  She looked up when she heard Jenson's familiar footsteps.

He walked towards her with his hand tilting his drink into his mouth.  "You good?"

"Yeah. You've had three of those already," she reminded  as he stood before her with his fourth glass of whiskey on the rocks.

He didn't look plastered yet.  Not tipsy at all.  No droopy eyelids or noticeable changes in his behavior yet.  He seemed friendlier and chattier than usual but it's just because he was in a get-together with work friends.  "Just tryna unwind."

"So I'll drive you home. Then I'll just take a cab."

"I'm not drunk yet." He made a face at her while checking his phone.  He sipped the last of his drink after glancing down at her.

"Sure," she muttered. "I'm still not letting you drive."

"Fine." He sat down on the chair opposite hers after he pocketed his phone. "You look nice." Now he was staring at her face and the upper half of her floral dress.

"Likewise," she murmured after glancing around.

If other people overheard their conversation, they'd think he was plainly hitting on her.  Good enough sign that he'd already drunk more than he should.

"That's your last for tonight." Jessi grabbed his empty glass when he tried to get up from his seat. The ice cubes clinked. She raised a brow when he suddenly started a staring contest with her.  "No more refills."

"Careful, dollface." Jenson got up, grinning lopsidedly as if amused.  "Startin' to sound like my future wife now."

"What?"  Dollface?  Future wife?  She shook her head. "You're so stewed you don't even realize you're hitting on me now," she mumbled after glancing away.

As a matter of fact, he was already one glass ahead of Darren.  She just got so bored that she started keeping track of their boozing while she passed the time texting her parents and Kel.

Her boss snickered and hiked up his sweatshirt's sleeves.  Jenson sat back down instead of walking away to continue chatting and drinking with his colleagues. "Wanna go home?" He leaned over, watching her closely with narrowed eyes.  "Had enough?"

"I should be the one asking that." She held his cold and empty glass, then glanced around to make sure no one was watching them or overhearing their conversation.

The rock 'n roll music playing through the speakers was quite loud, but they shouldn't talk like they were alone.  People around them might automatically assume the worst.

She certainly didn't need another reminder.  Charmaine's recent behavior was enough warning.  "Stop staring," Jessi murmured, glancing away from his overattentive green eyes.

A row of lights beside their table just emphasized his stunning features, making it difficult for her to not stare at his handsome face.  His beautiful eyes.  Perfect nose and jawline.  Shapely lips.  Sexy, trimmed beard.

Ugh.  She should stop their awkward staring contest now before somebody noticed...even though it seemed she was the only one feeling awkward.

Great. Just great. Thirsting over her boss in a public place.  "Seriously, Jessiah?" she scolded herself in her head. What in the world's wrong with her brain?

"Why?" Jenson raised a brow while his pinkish lips pouted.  His tan cheeks looked flushed now.  "I'm not allowed to stare at you?"

"We're not in the office. And bored people talk a lot. And alcohol just worsens it," she droned on with a sigh, still hiding her face behind her cloth mask, leaning closer to him so they could talk quietly.  "Need I say more?"

"I don't care." The guy sat back and shrugged coolly.  "I like lookin' at you. Sue me."

Oh crap...  Definitely wasted now.  She should drive him home before midnight.

But he obviously didn't realize he was already that intoxicated.  Or maybe he just didn't want to admit it.  He liked to drink whenever he was really stressed out, but not in public places with lots of people around.  Like tonight.

"Want me to drive you home now?" she asked just to break off the tension.

"No."

"What time?"

His dark brows creased.  Then Jenson sighed and got up from his chair.  "Let's go somewhere."

×

× 11:27PM ×

"Hey, DJ." Jessi unbuckled her seatbelt after taking the call.

"Yo, Jess."  Darren was slurring his words now.  "Where you at? You guys just disappeared."

"Sorry. Had to drive Joss somewhere."

"Yeah? Where? You guys went to the beach or somethin'?"

"No. I think he's wasted. But he said he needs to check on someone. I dunno where we are or why we're..." Jessi craned her neck and watched from afar as her boss walked straight into the lobby of a hospital-looking facility.

Not familiar. Painted all white. Spacious. It was almost an hour away from the bar.  "Pinecrest Custodial Homecare," said the big white letters on the five-storey building. The other two structures adjacent to the building in the middle looked four floors high.

"You still in the bar with Kara?" she asked Darren.

"Yeah, and the other guys," he replied. The mellow bar music didn't drown out the chatters in the background. "So where are you now?"

"Pinecrest Custodial Homecare. Maps says it's a psych facility."  Was it where Jenson's mother was confined?

"Oh..." Darren drawled. "He's just payin' his mom a visit."

"His mother's staying in here?" She stared at the buildings.  An almost eerie silence enveloped the place.  But maybe it was just her imagination overreacting again.

So Jenson's mom was staying in one of those rooms. Was it a scheduled visit?

"The sign says Pinecrest. You sure?"

"Yep," Darren replied.

"Joss didn't say anything."

"Dude..." He chuckled. "You know how he is," he mumbled on the other line, his voice huskier than usual. He must've been talking someone's ears off before returning her call.  "Where you guys headed afterwards?"

"He's pretty plastered. I'll just drive him to his house."

"Uh...  No.  Negative." Darren clicked his tongue.

"What? Why?"

"Not a good idea," he said with a feigned laugh.

"But why?" With her phone on loudspeaker, Jessi scowled and stared at the lobby again.

The lights in the main building and the wide glass doors showed enough. Jenson was no longer standing in front of the receptionist desk. Where did he go? To his mother's private room? Mrs. Roiz must be in a private room.

"Just...uh..." Darren cleared his throat. "Take him somewhere else. A hotel. Yeah. There's one just a few blocks from there."

Hotel? Why not just drive Jenson back to his house?  "Why? Is Charm back in town?" Jessi held her breath, her gut clenching as she awaited the confirmation.

"Yeah," Darren sighed. The long pause made her chest and gut stiffen up.

"She told you she's in his house?"

"He did. Charm's still packing her stuff, I guess..." Darren murmured after an awkward few seconds.

"You mean 'unpacking' her stuff? She just got back from Beijing. Right?"

"No. London. Cut her vacation short. She got the promotion."

Oh. So another congratulations was in order.

"Charm's going back to Beijing after she's done with the, uh...sorting out her stuff."

"She's moving to Beijing?" Jessi gawked at her phone screen.

Why would Charmaine go straight to Beijing if she just got here?

"Yep. He's still pissed about it. Prolly why he was tryna get real hammered," Darren explained.

"Wait..."  Jessi frowned and itched her warm forehead, her chest and throat feeling tighter. "They broke up?"

"You didn't know?" Darren burped.  "Two months ago, I think. Don't tell Joss I told you," he said with a chuckle.  "He doesn't like talkin' about it. Or her."

No shit.  "He didn't even mention a thing."

Why would Jenson keep it a secret? Because he thought it would badly affect his career? Or he was convinced it would affect the publicity and marketing of their hit TV series.  Or maybe he and Charmaine wanted to keep it secret for now.

Perhaps she didn't want him to make a big deal out of it?  After all, she had a highly regarded corporate job and a successful, "independent career woman" and squeaky clean reputation to uphold. Like Jenson.

"So, yeah. That's that," Darren sighed.  "Don't drive him home. Just for tonight."

"Yeah. Okay." Jessi sighed to herself and reclined in the driver seat of Jenson's pickup truck, sitting alone in the dark.  Although Darren sounded inebriated already, she'd take his word instead of testing the odds. She'd rather go straight home than see Charmaine again.

"He seemed real pissed earlier when he got her text, but she's even worse."  Darren snickered. "A ticking time bomb, really."

Shit.  "I had no idea...that they called off the engagement."

"He doesn't wanna let other people know. Maybe Charm, too. Just for now, I guess. 'Cause of the show, and her new promotion, y'know..."

"Hey. So his visits take a while? When he checks up on his mom?"

"Not really. Few hours tops."

"Oh. Okay." Jessi glanced out the window again. Her boss must be in his mother's private room now. "Did he tell you he wanted to visit her tonight?"

"Nah.  He's not gonna stay long in there. Why?"

"Nothing. Thanks."

"They weren't close, like I said," Darren muttered.

"Oh. Explains a lot." She got rid of her frown and turned off the engine. Maybe she'd only have to wait for less than an hour. "Thanks. Don't drink and drive. Tell Kara, too."

"Yeah, yeah," Darren said with a quick laugh. "You sound just like him. You didn't drink with him at all?"

"Just a sip of his drink. I had to check. And cranberry juice. My period's gonna start in a few."

"Eww! Bruh, TMI! Conversation over. Jablonsky out!"

"You're such a baby." She chuckled. "Laters."

"Drive safe."

×

"You okay?"

"No."

Obviously... Why did she even bother asking? Jessi almost winced.

His reddening face, clenched fist, tensed up jaw and heavy breathing said enough. His forearms pressed onto the driver's seat window, and his forehead was touching the glass. Jenson smelled of alcohol but no longer as bad as earlier. He practically stormed out of the facility's main building just a minute ago after she waited in his truck for a while.

As the pang of nerves turned into worry, she stood beside him, the cool gusts making her cross her arms over her chest.

Did his late-night visit end on a bad note? How was his mom doing? It seemed like he just regretted coming over here. Or it could be his complicated issues with Charm that pissed him off.

"D'you need anything?" Jessi took a step closer to him after a stretch of awkward silence. "You want me to drive you to a hotel?"

"No." Jenson heaved a sigh.

"Okay."

"Cazzo. Figlio di put—"  He punched the edge of the driver's door.

Her breaths and her stomach jolted. She pulled away from him, holding back a frown. Hearing him swear in his native tongue wasn't something she was used to, and she couldn't think of anything sensible to say. Should she try to calm him down? How?

He seldom cussed in front of her.  Before she could try anything, his balled fist hit the heavily tinted window. Then he turned to lean against the side of the vehicle, his brows almost stuck together. He wouldn't stop clenching his jaw and fists.

"Hey."  She sighed and kept her voice calm.  "You're gonna hurt yourself."

"I really don't give a shit." He pinched the bridge of his nose, his eyes closed now.

She just stared at his profile with her arms crossed. For a while, she stayed right next to him, patiently waiting, hoping he would just tell her what happened.  "What's wrong?"

"Sorry."

"It's okay."

"Shit." Jenson sighed out loud and crouched next to her. He rested his arms on his knees.

"It's okay. I'll just drive you somewhere else, if you don't wanna talk about it." Jessi imitated his pose.

But what really happened back there? Did something happen to his mom?

The possibility and his current mood scared her as much as the loud thunders echoing around them. Just like the weather forecast warned.  But Jenson wouldn't hurt anyone just because he was having a bad day—he wasn't that kind of guy.  "Dammit." His hands covered his entire face now.

Okay.  He wasn't about to simmer down. Like the weather apparently.  She should just wait for him to calm down, or lull him with her patience. Maybe she could try an "I'll be your listening ear" approach?

"Here if you wanna talk." She zipped up her jacket. "But we can't hang around. Okay? Storm's coming."

He didn't respond. His hand clasped a chunk of his hair, his intakes of breath getting louder. It almost sounded like he was panting. Was he about to cry?

Her heart ached at the thought. But she didn't want to pry. It might just upset him further.

Did something happen to his mother back there?

Jessi took a deep breath and stayed put. A string of scenarios ran through her head while she waited for an explanation.  Before she could say something else, another lightning bolt drew white lines across the black sky. She flinched. The booming noises made her ears ache and forced her to get up.  "Joss."

"What?"

"Sorry." She held out her hand in front of his face and waited for him to take it. "But we need to leave right now."

"Yeah."

×