by A P Gore
Shaking his head, he got up and went into the kitchen instead.
Those thoughts were poisonous.
Five minutes later, he came back with an Americano and a latte. He put the latte in front of her and stood next to the glass window, enjoying his Americano. He wasn’t a trained barista or anything, but he enjoyed making coffee. Alice made good coffee too. She used to make him a nice strong cuppa now and then.
He sighed. There was no point in dwelling on the past. At least not that particular past. He turned back to look at her.
Alice lifted the white coffee cup and sipped it. Her exhausted expression changed into an aloof one, the one she always had while drinking her favorite coffee. And then her eyes widened. “Latte, exactly the way I like.” Her slender fingers brushed against the foam stuck on the rim of the coffee mug.
“Extra foam and extra sweet,” he said. What was he doing? Another stupid thing. Why did he remember the type of coffee she liked? She was supposed to bring him coffee, but instead he did it for her. And her favorite, too. Why, why, why? “I—”
“Jade.” Her voice gained depth. “Do you still love me?”
ALICE REGRETTED THE words as soon as they left her mouth.
Jade’s face darkened, and then he sprayed coffee on his monitor. His hand jumped around, hitting a glass filled with water, that jumped on the monitor and sparks flew.
Alice jumped to her feet and backed away from the desk. Her chest constricted. Her breathing deepened. Meanwhile, Jade ran for the fire extinguisher.
Alice stood dumbfounded, not knowing what—if anything—she could do.
Jade grabbed the fire extinguisher and sprayed white foam over the monitor.
Meanwhile, Alice spotted the fire alarm button over by the fire extinguisher’s now-empty case. Why hadn’t Jade pressed it?
She hurried over and jabbed the button with a finger. An ear-splitting alarm sounded through the building.
“Alice, what the hell?” Jade roared.
Alice rubbed her hands on her jeans. She turned to face Jade who was frozen next to the broken monitor.
“That alarm will bring the fire department here.” His body shook violently. He rubbed his forehead like he was punishing himself. His left hand clenched around the edge of the desk, and he chewed his lower lip.
A knot formed in her stomach.
This was bad. Jade wasn’t short tempered, but whenever he got angry, he punished himself. Maybe it was due to his loneliness, but all he did was hurt himself. She had seen it before, and she hated it. It all started with chewing his lower lip.
God, why did she press the alarm? Now he was angry and would hurt himself. Did she want to see him hurt? No, of course not.
But it was too late.
Jade slammed his hand against the foam-covered desk and then shot toward the left-most door. Alice spotted blood leaking from his hand as he fled.
The self-destructive phase had already started. The knot in her stomach grew heavier. Her thoughts scattered everywhere, lingering on the border between crying and frustration. All she could think about was how he was going to hurt himself this time.
Alice, think of something. Quick. Her mind raced away from the thought of collapsing on the floor in tears and toward a solution.
The only way to calm him down was heavily-sugared coffee. Jade was extremely health conscious, but sugar was the only way to get him cool down.
He’d said he had a kitchen through the second door. Alice rushed into the kitchen and was met with a chilly blast of air as soon as she stepped through.
He must have put a stupid disinfectant machine on every door other than the one from the reception into his office. How annoying.
She spent the next five minutes making him a latte and put ten spoons of sugar in it. It tasted gross, syrupy sweet. For a coffee lover like her, this was the worst sin a person could commit. But here she was, making a sugar syrup coffee for a man she hated.
She bit her lip. She shouldn’t be doing this, but the other option was seeing him all hurt. She couldn’t let that happen.
By the time she stepped out of the kitchen, two men were cleaning the main office. A man in business attire was overseeing them.
How had she forgotten how much Jade hated others touching his things? Guilt assailed her. If she hadn’t pressed the fire alarm, things would have gone a lot smoother.
Ignoring them, she dashed toward the door Jade left through.
The man in the business suit stepped in front of her with his hands spread to both sides. “Ma’am, that area is off limits.”
“Mister, I don’t know who you are, but you’d better let me go inside.” Her fingers tightened around the coffee cup. Why was the stupid man stopping her?
“Sorry ma’am, but no one but Mr. Parker can go in there.”
Alice sighed. The longer it took her to get the coffee to Jade, the more hurt he would be. She considered kicking the guy’s leg and running for the door, but the two men were working next to him, and that might not go smoothly.
“Listen, mister.” She glared at the stupid suit. “I’m his girlfriend, and if he finds out that you stopped me from reaching him, you’ll be in big trouble.” What the heck did she just say? Jace’s girlfriend? Had she lost her mind? His girlfriend. Really?
No, no, she was falling into a dangerous trap. But the words had been said, and there was no delete key here.
“Ma’am, I don’t think—”
“Have you seen a woman in his office before? Or coming out of his kitchen?” Her stomach churned. Every moment she wasted here would invite more pain upon him.
God. Why did she press the fire alarm?
“No,” the suit replied after a moment’s contemplation.
Smirking, she brushed past him and ran straight through the door.
On the other side was a room almost the same size as the office. It had a king sized bed, a work table with a computer, and a thick black carpet on the floor. Nothing else. But Jade wasn’t there.
Where did he go?
She held the coffee cup as tight as she dared; the warm temperature gave her much-needed courage. Glancing around, she found a door.
Bathroom.
She dashed toward it. Thank God, the door wasn’t locked. With a heavy heart, she opened it. Her heart flip-flopped as she peeked in. Blood was splashed all over the floor.
What did he do?
Her heartbeat quickened. The knot in her stomach once again grew in size, pushing her lungs upward, making it difficult to breathe.
Jade sat on the floor, his knees drawn to his chest and his head hanging low.
Emotion choked her. She had seen him like this before, and it had left her crying for days. But today was different. Other than his bleeding palm, there was no cut or bruise on his body. He looked intact, physically.
Her lungs released the breath she was holding inside. This man had made her worried sick.
Pushing back tears, she dropped down next to him. She wanted to pull him into a hug and ask him if he was doing okay, but that would be catastrophic for both of them.
“Jade, please drink this. Coffee with lots of sugar.” She touched his shoulder.
Raising his chain, he glanced at her. Darn, those eyes were filled with pain. She couldn’t take it anymore. She stood and ran away from him. Tears rolled down her cheeks. Coming here was too intense, too painful. She’d been happy with her lazy life. Why did it have to turn this way?
She had to get away from him, or the past would invade her life once again. She would end this, even if it meant she had to sell her condo in Mexico. There was no way she could see this man daily without getting her heart broken again and again.
Chapter 9
The sealed black coffee cup mirrored Jade’s life—sealed away in this penthouse from other humans so tightly that no one could enter.
Jade brushed his fingers against the warmth of the coffee cup, the heat making its way through his hand to his heart. The warmth Alice brought wi
th it.
It had heaps of sugar and it tasted like crap. Just thinking about it made him want to vomit. He hated it, but it was usually the only solution for getting his anger under control. To stop him from destroying himself.
Did he need it today?
No, he didn’t.
He had improved a lot in the last six years, going from self-destructive to just closing himself inside a tight space to prevent others from reaching him. However, that space was broken—once again by Alice. But she had reached out to him with the sealed black coffee cup.
Was he grateful?
Maybe.
The pain she had caused was too great to forget, but maybe he was happy to see her reaching out to him for once. It meant she still remembered him and wanted to help him.
A small smile creeped onto his face when he remembered how she’d complained about her coffee soul being hurt by creating this sugary syrup.
Her coffee soul. She was always like this, using words that sounded like a song. A song. She was his song six years ago.
He sighed. It was a sad song now.
No, no. He pushed his fingers through his hair. There was no way he could be happy to see her. Something was terribly wrong with him. How could he forget what she did, after what he did for her?
On a whim, he climbed to his feet and opened a secret space inside the bathroom cabinet. It was quite a small space, barely enough to hide a very small thing.
A small box popped out of that space. Brushing his fingers against the velvet coated black box, he opened it slowly. The hidden white light in the ceiling reflected on the shiny platinum surface of the ring and struck Jade’s eyes, reminding him how much time he’d spent searching for the ring Alice wanted. The courage it took to ask her about her wedding fantasy. All she’d talked about the ring she wanted. A small diamond, fitted on a vase of the flower shape, attached to a platinum ring. The one her mom had, and the one she’d accidently lost.
He’d spent all his savings from his high-school years to buy that ring. He’d even put his life in danger by going to the diamond shop. He wanted everything to be perfect, because she was special. More special than anyone else. Even more special than his own mother.
His mind drifted to the moment when they first met.
Tears sprang into his eyes, making him feel hurt and sad. The evening once again surfaced in his mind.
It was the greatest moment of his life. Being able to touch someone after years of isolation.
Happy didn’t fully describe how he felt when he found a person he could touch. When she slapped him and walked away, he ran after her and grabbed her hand. He wanted to hold her and confirm that she was the one.
She was startled, biting her lower lip. “I’m... sorry.” Her words sang in his ears.
“Will you be my friend?” he asked. Later he realized that was the stupidest question he could ask a girl. Who asks a girl to be a friend? Was he living in an ancient era or what?
She stared at him like she had seen a ghost. Her mouth opened to say something, but she gulped those words and yanked her hand away. “I...” And she ran away.
“Wait!” He wanted to run after her, but she had already reached a place where students were roaming around carrying thousands of germs on them. “At lease tell me your name!” He shouted, regretting he hadn’t brought his phone. He could’ve taken a picture at least.
She stopped for a breath. Turning back, she shouted back her name. “Alice.”
What a beautiful name, he thought.
That was how they met. Those were the happiest days of his life. Those were the days he was grateful to God for creating a person he could touch. Those were the days he looked forward to the mornings when Alice came to spend time with him.
Gone were those days. Today, Alice was back in his life, but he wasn’t grateful to God. The only emotion he had in his heart was hatred, and a resolve to get through this, to show the whole world—especially Alice—that he could get over his disease. The negativity burned inside him, fueling his resolve.
Starting tomorrow, it was going to get difficult for her.
Chapter 10
Alice stormed out of Jade’s room, tears rolling down her cheeks, her sneakers so silent on the carpet that she shocked the two men still working in Jade’s office. One of them almost dropped a monitor box he was carrying.
Pushing her scattered hair out of her face, she tilted her head and gave him an apologetic nod.
“Watch out, lady!” he shouted in a hoarse voice, but Alice was already in the lobby, pressing the elevator call button repeatedly.
Two minutes later, she walked out of the elevator on the ground floor, her eyes dry and her hair tied tightly in an uptight bun. She needed courage, and an uptight bun gave her something similar to it.
“Miss Myer.” A kind of familiar voice attracted her attention.
Someone opened the glass door of the main entrance, and a gust of cold wind swept in. It felt fresh and relaxing. Much better than the disinfectant scented air in Jade’s office. She pitied him for not being able to enjoy the scent of fresh air like she could.
No, Alice, not going there again.
“Excuse me, Miss Myer.” The voice once again reached her.
Without stopping, she glanced at its owner. It was Max, the lawyer she had met earlier that morning. What did he want?
He sprinted after her in his black formal shoes and business suit. “Miss Myer, how is Mr. Parker?” He asked when he caught up to her. “I heard there was a fire on his floor.”
“He’s fine. Just tucked inside a box,” she said. Two pain-filled blue eyes appeared in her mind, haunting her.
Max halted. “A box?”
“I mean his bathroom. He’s hiding in his bathroom.”
“Oh, a bathroom.” Max chuckled. “I interned with a criminal attorney years ago. When he said box, he meant a drawer in the morgue.”
Something shifted in her heart. “No, no. I didn’t mean that.” She stopped and turned back to talk with him. It seemed rude to talk to him without looking at him. And she didn’t want to insult a lawyer she would be dealing with soon. “Max, do you have some free time? I need to ask you something about my contract.”
“Yes, of course. Shall we head to a meeting room?” He motioned toward Jade’s building.
“No. Let’s go to a coffee shop.” If possible, she would avoid all the conference rooms in that building.
Max arched a brow. He seemed to contemplate something. “That would cost double in consultation fees.” His tone was serious.
Her heart almost skipped a beat before she registered the playful smile that was at odds with his tone.
“Only if you accept payment in food.” She laughed, it felt good to laugh again after spending an intense morning with the devil.
“Yes, that sounds better.” He rubbed his stomach, like it was growling with hunger.
“Starbucks on the corner, then?” she asked. Her stomach growled loudly, as if on cue. How embarrassing. Why couldn’t the earth swallow her before her stomach did that? Alice shot Max an apologetic smile.
“Ouch, I guess McD’s would be a better option.” He winked. “And it’s my treat. Think of it as buttering up a new client.”
Suddenly, Max sounded like an angel sent from the heavens. A food angel sent to feed her. She’d been hungry all morning, and a fresh quarter pounder sounded awesome, especially with extra cheese.
Wow! Her heart quickened, and her mouth watered on the thought of the food.
“McD’s sounds great. Let’s go.” She hurried toward the nearby restaurant. After deciding where to go, it seemed waste to just walk there when she could walk briskly. If Max hadn’t been with her, she wouldn’t mind running there. Hunger was the worst sin in her bible.
They settled at a corner table with a great view after grabbing their order, the quarter pounder resting in front of her and a small McChicken in front of Max.
“Are you sure you don’t want something bigger?�
�� Alice shot Max a weak smile. Poor fellow. He must be on a diet. She pitied people who went low carb. Why didn’t they take stairs and lose weight? At least, she lost her weight like that. Or maybe she would soon.
“I had lunch earlier.” Max arched his brows as Alice dug into the sandwich.
“Go—od,” she said, taking the biggest bite she could with her small mouth. “Let me get half of this in my stomach and then we’ll talk.”
Shooting her a wide smile, he took a small bite of his sandwich. Even with food he seemed super conscientious.
Ten minutes later, Max was still finishing his sandwich and Alice had moved on to her latte. Though she preferred Starbucks’ latte, right now she only had access to this watery liquid.
“Anyway, Max I have a question for you.”
Max nodded, taking the last bite of his sandwich.
“How much would I have to pay to break my contract with Jade?”
Max first finished chewing his bite and then stared at her like she had asked him a totally unreasonable question. “Can I ask why?” He sipped his diet cola.
Glancing around, she pondered the answer. It was a valid question, but she had no answer for him. What would she say? That her heart couldn’t hold emotions well inside? Or that she feared his mom would once again start some trouble for her? Or she was afraid of affecting him with their shared history?
“Never mind,” Max said. “I don’t need to know the client’s personal issues.” He smiled and pulled his phone out of a pocket. After running some calculations, he placed it in front of her. “This is the current number.”
She almost choked on the latte. “Are you kidding me? Five hundred thousand dollars? The last time I checked with Mark, he said it was one hundred thousand dollars and that was one year back. You told me there are only three more months remaining on my contract.”
Max sipped his cola slowly. “It was three months this morning, but this afternoon I closed a contract with Afaikin Pvt Ltd for ‘Marry Me Hard.’ They’ve licensed the song for the next two years, fetching you five hundred thousand dollars over that time.”