Chapter 47: Chapter 47

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"Yes. Right. I sent the revised pamphlet yesterday to the email address you texted."

"Are you going to be the one to hand them out to the guests, Ma'am?"

"Yes," Jessi replied to the funeral program coordinator on the other line. The reviews on their website seemed mostly genuine, but, in the event of a worst-case scenario,  a Plan B should be in place before the dozen or so guests arrived at the cemetery. "So I'm gonna need them before five today."

"Noted. Thanks."

"If printing and sending all of the copies by tonight is gonna be an issue, I can print them myself now." She spent another ten minutes on the phone finalizing the details of the service.

Even the eulogy.  Although she'd never met Jenson's mother, she had enough to go by.  He had emailed her two paragraphs describing the late Mrs. Roiz—her simple life back in Italy, her life before getting married, and a few milestones he managed to recall vividly.

"Just need to make sure the flowers, tents, and the chairs all look good and set up an hour before the ceremony," Jessi muttered to herself with her pen crossing another item off her list.

Working on the preparations had already taken a chunk of her time today, mostly because she couldn't fully concentrate on the tasks on her to-do list.  Her outfit was no help to her mood.  The long pants she stupidly chose this morning frequently slipped on her swivel chair, the cheap polyester scraping her butt and thighs.  Jessi sat back, glancing at the door in the corner every now and then.

It was real quiet back there.  Like the rest of Jenson's office.  His new assistant didn't come in—it was a holiday—and Jenson seemed to prefer the other room more than usual.   Or was he taking a nap on the divan?

He hadn't said more than a few words to her since he arrived before lunch, alone and wearing sunglasses, a wrinkled shirt, dark sweatpants, and a don't-fuck-with-me-today look.

Terrible hangover—she didn't need to ask him to confirm.  Did he even recall everything that happened the previous night?  Every single conversation they'd had?  The alcohol probably blotted out a lot of the details.

Why did he drop by?  Her brain had been churning out suspicions in the last hour, making up scenarios that didn't help her peace of mind.  Did he have pending paperwork to finish?  She had double-checked the piles on his desk.

Nothing needed his urgent attention.  Maybe his current mood had something to do with Charmaine.  Was she still in LA?

Nah. Her big promotion must've forced her to hop on a flight back to Beijing.

"Quindi?" [So?]

Oh—he's awake. Jessi stiffened in her seat.

"No. Non lo so." [No. I don't know.] "E domani ti chiamerò per ogni dettaglio. Ciao." [Tomorrow, I'll call you and give you all the details. Bye.]

Who was he talking to on the phone? He was speaking Italian—a rare occurrence whenever he was here. Was it a family member? Did he have any living close relatives left in Italy?

Pretending last night didn't happen was a challenge. But she came in today to get some work done. If that meant she had to do the work with him being around all day, then fine. She would put up with the elephant in the room for another couple of hours.

Not her first rodeo.

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"Hey. Jessiah?"

Uh-oh. He didn't use her nickname. Not a great sign.

"Yes? You need something?" With her face mask on, Jessi got up from her chair and snuck up towards the closed door in the corner, her white sneakers muffling her footsteps.

"Can we talk? Got a minute?" Jenson spoke louder now. A tinge of impatience tapered his words.

"Yeah. Sure."

"I'll just get a drink in the pantry."

"Okay." Booze again? She nibbled on her lip and stood still. Before she could get nearer to the door, it opened wide.

He headed straight to the other side of his office with his phone and a poker face, no longer as pale as earlier.  Eye bags a little puffy.  Fairly messy hair.  Wrinkled shirt.  He looked like he got enough rest, though.

She forced her feet to follow him despite the loud pounding in her chest. She stopped by the dining table while he leaned next to the fridge, his phone in his hand, his legs crossed at the ankles.

The lights balanced the room's lack of space, showing enough of the confusion and annoyance in his eyes.

"You need updates? About the preparations?" Jessi put on a little smile, trying to act casual.

"Sure." He gulped down the rest of his iced water.  "What's up?" Jenson pocketed his phone.

"I just got off the phone with the coordinator. Lily. All's good except the pamphlets. Still waiting for those to come in. If not today, they'll bring the fifteen copies along with the flowers, same day. You think that's enough?"

"Enough?" His nose crinkled.

"Should I print out extra copies? I mean, you think more people will show up?"

His shoulders drooped a little. Jenson took a deep breath, head hung low, his arms crossed below his chest. "Not sure. But I don't think more than a dozen are aware of the details. Like, the location and date."

"Okay."

"Thanks."

"No problem." She gave him another friendly smile before pretending to be busy on her phone.  The total silence that followed left her neck and face warm, a bit stiff, even though he wasn't doing or saying anything to make her feel uneasy.  "Anything else?" she asked, faking a more pleasant tone, determined to keep the energy cordial.

"Nah." He cleared his throat. "I trust you."

"Oh. Okay."

Did he mean in general? Or was he alluding to something else?

"I'll text you if something comes up." Jessi grinned under her mask, hoping the expression reached her eyes. When he kept staring at her face, her gut did a back-flip. Like her heart.

Then the awkward silence again.

Ugh. She was used to him not being the chatty one. But today, it seemed she had to work extra hard to get rid of the red-hot tension between them.  Or was she the only one thinking there was that much tension?  Probably.  "Did you have some work to do?" She glanced at him again, still using her phone as a shield of some kind.

"Not really."

"Why'd you come in today?"

"Just wanted to check on you," he murmured with a slight shrug, still watching her.

Her breathing was interrupted by him approaching her with open arms.  Jessi stood motionless next to the table, caught speechless by his hug. She almost flinched at his warm breaths on her ear.  She took a step backward, unsure of what to say.

"You okay?" Jenson pulled away and stared at her again. Some confusion deepened his frown.  Without any warning, he touched the side of her face, his hand warm and quite comforting.

"I'm fine."

"You sure?"

"Yeah. Go home. Rest up if you're not feeling well."

"I'm alright," he muttered with a faint smirk, his tone more mellow now. "Thanks.  For last night. And for fixing up everything for Mamma."

"Sure. Promised you I would."

Oh crap.  Did he want to talk about last night?  About everything that happened? In detail?  What did he expect her to say?

"You sure you don't need anything else? Painkillers? Or..."

"You wanna grab some drinks later?"  Jenson squinted and held her shoulder now.

Drinks? Alone with him?

"And dinner, maybe?"

"Um..."  She clutched her phone.  Darn.

Was he asking her out on a date? Tonight? Was it a serious invitation? A real dinner date?

"I-I don't think that's a good idea. But thanks, for inviting me." Jessi stopped holding her breath and averted her eyes, softening the blow with a chuckle.

He finally stopped touching her face and backed off a little.

"I'm, uh...still avoiding public places right now. Kel said I should. For the meantime."

Ugh. What a shitty excuse...

But, to be fair, it wasn't absolutely nonsensical.  The pause turned awkward faster than she could come up with a rebound topic.

Then his awkward grin faded before a muscle in his jaw twitched. "Yeah." Jenson swiped a fist over his pursed lips.  "I get it," he muttered with a weak nod.

Her stomach grumbled. Even after a deep breath, the tightness in her chest wouldn't go away. "But if you need anything else done by tonight or tomorrow, just text or call me."

"No. I don't."

Oh shoot.

Did he mean he was going to leave now?  "I just wanna go someplace where we could talk."  His forehead and brows furrowed, the look in his eyes dulled by what seemed to be disappointment.

"But we...  We're talking now."

What did he really want to say? Why not just give it to her straight? Privacy wasn't an issue at the moment. Did he really want to take her out on a proper date?

"D'you honestly feel fine?" Jenson sighed, staring into her eyes again. His honeyed tone just tugged at her heartstrings.  Most likely he worried about bringing her to a crowded place with guests who might've been exposed to infected people before the party.

"I'm fine. Really. Why?" She faked a giggle.  "Do I not look okay?"

"You sure?" His warm hand held her face while his thumb pressed onto her chin. "You don't feel anything weird?"

Aside from the burning urge to give him a tight hug and kiss him on the lips? "No. I'm good. No more dizziness." Her heartbeat raced.  "What about you?"

"You need to go home now? Or you got somewhere to be?"

"No. I don't. But, yeah. I could use a nap."

"I'll drive you home."

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Of course he would offer to drive her back to her apartment. Shit.  Hopefully he wouldn't mind that she had to decline.

Again.  "No. You don't have to." Jessi faintly shook her head.

When she was about to walk out,  Jenson blocked the doorway with his arm and leg, forcing her to stare into his eyes again.  "I wanna drive you home at least."

"It's fine, babe. But thank you." She used the most casual tone she could muster,  then cocked her head when he barely moved.  The storm hadn't calmed down yet when she checked the windows, but just the thought of being alone with him again for another hour was enough to make her anxiety skyrocket.  "Really. I'll be fine. I'll book an Uber."

"You really don't wanna be seen with me, huh?"

"No. That's not—"

"It's true, though." He clicked his tongue, murmuring his words again, no longer feigning a pleasant tone.

"It's not that simple." She stifled a sigh with her palm.  "I'm just being cautious."  Holding back a frown, Jessi walked past him and out of the pantry, her phone almost slipping out of her grip as she scrolled through the app.

"No need to lie."

She scoffed. "I'm not. I'm just saying—"

"What? That you prefer a quiet dinner at home?" He hooked an arm around her waist and hugged her from behind. "I can make that work, too." His arms tightened around her, trapping her between his warm body and the wall behind his desk, his firm legs keeping her still.

Thankfully there was no one else around the office today.

"What're you—" She couldn't help but chuckle when he kissed her forehead.

"Did you book a flight yet?"

"Not yet."

"Why not?" He pulled back to look into her eyes. Another scowl creased his brows, his limbs keeping her immobile against the wall.

Helpless. Unable to escape him. "Maybe tonight. Or tomorrow."

"Text me the details when you do."

"Why?" she murmured, the warmth of his skin seeping through the soft fabric of his clothes. Jessi swore in her head.

Dangerous territory—but being this close to him again didn't really feel that awkward. If anything, it was familiar and quite soothing.

She put her arm around his back when he leaned in to kiss the skin below her ear, before his warm and soft lips brushed against the curve of her neck.  A frisson of surprise shot through her spine. Pushing him away would insult him, and despite what her common sense screamed, she didn't really want him to stop.

"I'll drive you to the airport," he murmured to her ear, his arm tight around her waist.

"No."

A small wrinkle curved between his thick brows. "Why not?" he sighed, his tone almost too eager. Jenson pinched her chin to make her look him in the eye again. The bright ceiling lights only accentuated the picture-perfect angles of his face.

"You don't have to."

He carefully removed her mask and held her head, his fingers entangling with her hair.  His gaze centered on her lips now.

"Can I ask you something?" She placed her arms around his neck. Pretending their intimacy didn't faze her at all wasn't that hard. She just needed to hear a straight answer from him.

"Of course."

"Why didn't you say anything about you and Charm?"

A cold shrug was his instant response.  "It's not really important. I knew it was gonna be over, months ago."

Not really important?  Jessi flattened her hand on his chest, her heart thumping faster than his.  What he said should upset her more.  For some reason, it didn't bother her that much.  Part of her wanted to slap a bit more sense into him.

But it might thwart another attempt on his part to come clean and explain how it all happened.  How it ended between him and Charm.  And his nonchalant tone only made her think he didn't want to dissect the issue again.

"Okay." Jessi bit on her lip to block a sigh.  For now, she'd rather pretend to ignore his secretive side than scare him away emotionally.

He pulled her in for a kiss—a proper kiss this time.

Her lips parted with not much teasing from his end.  Every part of her just wanted to melt into the comfort of his embrace.

His hand clasped her waist while the other stroked the curve of her nape and back. Jenson drew her closer till their thighs squeezed together, his warm crotch snug against hers. He licked her lips with slow, tentative strokes, his tongue quite sweet.

"Joss—   Babe, wait—" She tried to pull away.

But his palm on the back of her head kept his mouth on hers. Jenson murmured something in his native tongue, probably an attempt to shut her up while his hot breaths and eager hands stole every bit of her focus.

Their breaths turned ragged. Mouths locked. Tongues touched and teased. She cupped his face to try to push him away.

But he took it as a sign of encouragement to up his game and prolonged their kiss.  It became eager.  Deep.  Almost possessive.

She had to use force just to put a stop to all of it.  No matter how much she hated to push him away, she had to.  They had to be careful.  They weren't completely hidden from everyone else.  Other people shouldn't see them this way—their co-workers, especially.  "I have to go," she murmured, nudging him away with her hands on his firm chest.  "You gonna be okay?"

"Why d'you have to go?" Jenson squinted, his voice still breathy, the corners of his mouth twitching into a frown.  "What'd I do?"

"Nothing."  With a sigh, she pulled him in for a quick kiss on his cheek before the tears could fill her eyes.  "Sorry.  I just—  I have to go."  She grabbed her bag and computer.  "Talk to you tomorrow."

"Hey. Jess..."

"Just call me if there's anything urgent. Bye."

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