Chapter 94: Chapter 94

“Why didn’t you say he’s here? You didn’t even tell me? Why, babe?”

Jeff’s voice resounds inside the hotel room. It’s not that I didn’t want to tell him, I just don’t want his precious trip goes to waste.

“Babe, I, it’s becuase he’s nothing. I don’t want you to be so much affected. And I don’t want you to act like that, babe,” I try to calm him down.

“Then when did he arrive, huh? When did you meet him? Yesterday? Last week? When are you planning to tell, or do you even have plans to tell me? Answer me, babe,” he’s been walking back and forth just in front of our hotel bed.

Thanks to the loudmouth and somebody’s slip of the tongue, our moments together are now ruined. “I am going to kill you Geneva, just you wait!” I told myself.

He snaps at my face, “Hey! Are you listening babe? You haven’t answered any of my questions. Would you like me to guess, instead? Fine! Let’s play your game!” he angrily says.

“Babe, please. Let’s not ruin this moment, please? You flew all the way here, can’t we just drop it?” I plead to him.

“Drop? Goodness! I have the rights to be angry! I am your fucking fiance, not just anyone, for fuck’s sake, Avery. And we all know, how he affects you!” he fumingly says.

I get up from the bed, and hugs him from behind, but he untangles my hands from his waist.

“Let’s see. He arrived here a week ago?” he begins with his interrogation. He continues to guess, while all I do is shake my head off.

“So not days, not weeks? Then what? Don’t tell me, he’s been here for a month or so?” the ridiculous jests as he thought it would be makes me twitch my eyebrows, and there, he caught me lying.

“The fuck! One month? So what? He just followed you here, huh? Was it even here in Germany when you first saw him after two years?” he goes deeper with his questions. And this time, I couldn’t face him with a lying face anymore.

“N-no,” my voice quivers.

He scowls, “Don’t tell me in France?” he scoffs at first, but when he notices that I didn’t respond. He begins to kick the chair, and the luggage inside the hotel room. He punches the wall, and I hug him tom ake him stop.

“I am so sorry, babe. Please, stop, you are hurting yourself,” I cry.

But he faces me and grabs my arms really tight. My face couldn’t hide the pressure I’m receiving from his hands right now.

“Avery, you made me look like a fool! So you’ve been lying to me for a long time, huh? What now? Are you going to leave me now? DId you two get back together, huh? Did he touch you again? Did he fuck you?”

Hearing his words, I hit him. I know that he just said it out of frustration, but he hits the mark. Yes, I am a liar, a cheater, and a slut. And that even made it painful for me to hear those words exactly coming out of his mouth.

“Just say what you want to say! That I am a flirt? I am easily swayed by that, man? Huh, Jeff, is that how you think of me? Tell me,” I scold at him even if I knew everything he said was true. I have such a thick face, don’t I?

It is supposed to be a wonderful night but thanks to the blabbermouth, we might not make it through the night.

“Whatever you say, Avery! I don’t know! Since when did you learn how to lie to me?” his voice is much calmer and that’s why I am more nervous. What if he calls the wedding off? What will I do? Our argument continue to get heated, until no one has the energy to speak any longer.

These are the last words I hear from him,

“Two years, Avery, for two years we’ve never had a problem like this, until he shows up again! Tell me the truth, are you still in love with him?” and there it is, he finally drops the bomb question. And guess what, I couldn’t even lie that I don’t love Dmitri anymore.

He points at me but says nothing, he kicks the chair again and walks out of our hotel room.

The night passed but he didn’t come back at the hotel. I tried waiting for him, but I fell asleep around four in the morning.

The next morning when I woke up, it is already Peach who’s lying beside me.

I wake her up, “Peach, w-where’s Jeff?” I ask her.

But she simply says with her sleepy voice, “He went home, girl. He said he needed space,” then she covers herself with the blanket, “Let me sleep, will ya?”

“I am sorry,” I say. And I cry in silence.

“What the hell did I just do?”

***

(Dmitri’s Thoughts)

I was at the elevator and was about to walk in the lobby when I halt myself from taking another step.

“Shit!” the first word that I blurt out when I saw Jeff at the entrance of the hotel.

I clenched my fists and grit my teeth. My heart feels like exploding.

“Why is he here? Isn’t he supposed to be in France?”

“Until when will he be here?”

“What if, what if they have sex?”

The thoughts come rushing to my mind as if there’s no tomorrow. I was actually about to go outside and meet with their professor to know about their schedule, so I could be closer to Avery.

I know it would only take a little step more, but now that he’s here, I couldn’t make a move. I bite my lips out of anger.

I go straight to the bar and start drinking early in the morning. I know I won’t be able to rest for the night, that’s for sure.

“But what if he stays here longer? Does it mean he get to be with Avery all the time?”

“Fuck!” I blurt out.

“Sir?” asks the bartender.

“Nothing, don’t mind me and keep the drinks coming,” I coldly command him.

A few minutes later, a girl wearing a tank top and wide leg pants sits beside me, “Mind if I join you?”

I am not in the mood of company, but when I saw who she is, I gladly welcome her. The way I see it, she’s the closest to Avery, right now. Well, she resembles my brother-in-law’s mistress, Avery’s bestfriend, Kendra.

I smile, and order something for her, “Tonic Vodka for the lady,” I say.

“Thanks, name’s Peach Carl. Just Peach!” she says, then devours the drink like crazy.

“You are a billionaire so mind putting my drinks on your tab,” she directly says.

She’s blunt, straightforward and clearly, she doesn’t like me.

“Sure. So, Peach, you are close to Avery, right?” I begin interviewing her.

“Hmm, here we go! Do I need to pretend that I like you?” she exclaims after sighing.

I laugh at her honesty, “No, no. I like people like you. I am used to people like you,” I explain.

“Then, let me tell you, I don’t like you, period,” she grabs her shot glass and drinks. Then she speaks again, “But I am curious about you, since Avery…” she hesitates.

I wait for her to continue, “Well, I don’t know if I should say this, but… clearly, she is still blindly in love with you.”

I smile hearing the truth, “Blindly, huh? Why do you think so?”

“Because, you are such a pain in the ass, and yet, she entertains you. And even cheated despite having her faithful boyfriend,” she says.

“I see now, you are for Jeff-Avery Team, huh?” I even jest around.

“Clearly. But, what happened to both of you? If you loved each other so much, why did she end up with Jeff?” her questions get deeper.

This time I sigh and get more rounds, “Cause I was a fool? I hurt her, couldn’t protect her, and couldn’t even make her feel loved,” the sadness in my voice is heard.

She nods, “Hmm, Ava doesn’t know that I knew about her scandal. So, it was you right?”

“Yes, the one and only,” I shortly respond.

“Then, why didn’t you tell her you resolved the issue, and you even got kicked out of your own company?” she even goes into details.

“Are you a reporter or a journalist?” I rebut.

“A good friend,” she says.

“I don’t know, either. I was afraid she wouldn’t want to see me since I ruined her life, and her dream. It was because of me,” I clearly made my point.

She clicks her tongue, “Now both of you have regrets, right? Then, tell me this, why didn’t you approach her when you already found her a year ago?” her question surprises me.

“How did you know?” I am so perplexed.

“Well, a suspicious looking man was asking about her a year ago, and being a curious and a good friend, I followed that man, and that’s when I first saw you! Even before you opened your restaurant,” she said.

I don’t even know how to answer her question. Right now, another coincidence happened.

“So why didn’t you tell her about the person looking for her, and why did you act clueless when I brought her back at your hotel room, if you recognized me, why didn’t you say so?”

She laughs, “First, I don’t rub my nose on other’s business. Second, she’s moving on, and telling her that would ruin the process, right?” she wisely reply.

“Indeed. Then, let me answer your question. How can you confront someone who doesn’t want to be found?”

Then she raises her glass and clanks it with mine, “Cheers to your ill-fated relationship,” is the cruelest thing she has ever said.

***

(Avery’s Thoughts)

Jeff goes back to France without us even talking about the issue. I try calling him but he doesn’t answer. He even deactivates all of his social media accounts. He is still mad at me big time.

But I know how to prove I love him. I need to give him assurance, that’s all it takes, right?

I immediately call Seid to proceed with my plans.

“Hi Seid, are you busy right now? Can we talk?” I blurt out two questions even before he replies to my first greeting.

“Woah, woah, slow down, Ava,” he says, “I am driving right now, but sure, I’ll listen,” he sweetly says.

I take a deep breath, hoping that my decision is right.

“I think it’s time to sell my apartment.”

I pause and there’s an utter silence before I speak again. I hear him pull over so he can concentrate with what I am saying.

“Avery, are you sure about this?” he says, and I can hear from him his sad voice.

“Thank you for everything until now Seid, but I have decided. I really want to live in France for good,” I proclaim.

I hear him clears his throat, for some reason, I believe Seid still has a thing on me, and I feel sorry about that, but he’s all I can contact from the States, someone I trust other than Kendra who is currently angry at me.

I add more to the piling bad news in his head, “I’ll be leaving Germany tomorrow, and we will move to Rome soon. After my tour ends, I’ll pay the States a visit.”

I hear him sigh for the fourth time now, and finally it syncs into him how serious I am. “Do you think you can rush things up a little, Seid?”

“I’ll see what I can do,” he answers lethargically, “Just promise me you will pay Kendra and I a visit, okay?”

I smile even he’s not seeing it, “Of course. Siegfried, really, thank you. I owe you a lot.”

“Maybe a kiss and a hug will do, don’t you think?” then he laughs at his own jokes.

“Goodness! I’ll ask Jeff about it first,” I joke around.

“Avery, I have to go now, so I’ll publish it soon, okay?” then he hangs up.