CHAPTER 17 "THREATENED"

AS usual, because Jason is a student assistant at the library, the young man went straight thereafter they had lunch. Ara was the one they caught on duty at the librarian's desk with Daniel.

"Have you eaten your lunch already?" she asked Ara as soon as she approached her

"Yeah, at the canteen. How about you and Jason?" Ara responded to her with a question.

Jenny nodded. "All right, I'll wait for ---," she couldn't continue what she wanted to say when she heard Jason calling her. The young man is already sitting at one of the many empty tables inside the library.

Her eyebrows met as she approached the young man.

"Aren't you on duty?" she asked shifting her gaze to Jason and Daniel.

"Later, what time is your classmate coming? Sit here, I want to hear what you are going to talk about," Jason's tone was as if she heard an older brother speak to his younger sister.

"Okay older brother," she said emphasizing the last two words she said then laughed and glanced at Daniel who she also heard chuckling softly.

Jason's eyebrows immediately met because of the way she called him. She knew that he didn't like that, but because she wanted to irritate him because the truth is that she was also annoyed with what he was doing and how he was behaving a while ago, she thought of calling him older brother.

"What did you say?" Jason asked frowning.

That was when Jenny laughed again. It was also then that Daniel moved to leave them, she knows that he wanted to give them privacy that is why the young man did that.

"Oh, don't you look and acting now like a big brother? Pinoy Big Brother!" she said followed her words by a weak laugh that eventually led to an accented giggle.

She was in tears when she stopped laughing and that was the only time she saw Jason staring at her intently. "So, I'm funny huh, Pinoy Big Brother huh! You're a bully sometimes aren't you?" he shook his head and Jenny knew he was just holding back his laughter.

"It's because you acting very weird. Look he is not doing anything to you and yet---, oh there he is," Jenny was unable to finish her sentence when she saw her classmate Leo entered the library.

"And really the sweetness of her smile," she heard Jason whispered with sarcasm then stood up.

And because she greeted Leo when she got close she didn't notice what Jason did. She was surprised and then looked at Daniel and Ara, who laughed while watching everything Jason was doing.

"W-What are you going to do with that?" she asked wondering as Jason put a very thick dictionary on the table that she wasn't sure if she could carry because it sure is so heavy.

That dictionary sits on a long bookshelf where many fiction books are stacked.

"I'll read it of course," was his dry answer then glanced at Leo who smiled at him. “Engineering students are often and too concentrated on Math and formulas so sometimes we forget to read to nourish our vocabulary,” was his meaningful answer to her.

When Jenny glanced at Ara and Daniel, she saw that they were both laughing because of what their friend had said. Because of that, Jenny just sighed.

"Seriously? That dictionary is really thick," Jenny commented shaking her head before she faced her classmate.

"Tsk, don't mind me okay? Just pretend that I am not here, you go on with your business," Jason replied with what she said.

*****

"DUDE, what were you doing a while ago? You know how weird you are?" Daniel when the two of them were on their way to their next subject.

Jason shook his head then glanced at his best friend. "I don't know, I get annoyed when another man talks to Jenny. You know that woman, she's very kind and thinks that everyone is her friend, I don't want her to get hurt," she confessed while she was also unable to hide in the tone of his speech the true feelings he had in what he said.

Daniel laughed softly at what he said. "But I hope I'm not with the men you don't want to talk to Jenny anymore, she's my friend too you know," he said followed by a light chuckle.

"Hey, of course, you're not with them. You're a friend, but the man a while ago, I really don't like the way he looks at Jenny, it looks like he's planning something," he said, stopping and then raising both of his arms on the ledge of that building where they could freely overlook the large quadrangle of the university.

"Then why don't you start courting her?" Daniel replied tapping him lightly on the shoulder.

"Court her?" his eyebrows met as he turned to his best friend.

Daniel shrugged his shoulders. "That's the only way I know for you to stop all the men you think are wanting to approach her. Jenny is beautiful and smart, it's not far off that what you're afraid of will happen," he explained to him.

Jason was immediately taken aback by what Daniel said. In fact, he's got a point. Jenny is beautiful, smart, and kind. And everything a man can like in a woman is all with her, so it's also true that it won't be long before Jenny will have a long queue of suitors who will try to win her heart.

Even now, he doesn't seem to want to accept that.

"I also don't understand myself, the truth is I find it hard to entrust her to others. I feel it strongly like I want to protect her but I don't know how to do that," he admits almost in a whispered tone knowing what he said reached Daniel's hearing.

It was then he felt Daniel tapped his shoulders lightly. "It's better if you will start courting her because you will not feel that way if you're not in love with her, you know that huh? Wait, haven't you had a girlfriend before?" Daniel's teasing question to him.

"Stop bullying me okay?" he replied laughing.

"But I'm serious with what I said, Jason. If you feel something like that then it's better if you will start courting her. You don't want her classmate to be ahead of you right? And I hate to say it but we have to admit that he really is very handsome, the campus heartthrob type," Daniel continues.

"Are you really my best friend or not?" he laughing question at Daniel.

Daniel shrugged. "I'm your best friend, that's why I'm telling you the truth. But hey, I'll go ahead if you are not coming in yet," his best friend told him and Jason just nodded.

Jason was left standing there for a while just to frown at what he saw. Jealousy quickly engulfed his chest again when from where he was he saw Jenny walking in the quadrangle with her classmate Leo.

"And she actually went with that man ah," he whispered.

He knew everything about Jenny so even if the young lady was far away he would definitely be able to identify her.
Ara was often with Jenny but now, how did this man happen to be with her?

Jason just entered their classroom. He knew Daniel had a point in what he said earlier but wasn't it too early to do that? Especially since he knew in his heart that Ara was the one he really wanted to court. He’s just being skeptical because he sees that Daniel seemed to like Ara also and he doesn’t want to ruin their friendship because of a woman?