Chapter thirty-five: Family Man

Chapter thirty-five: Family Man

Jessica

It was Friday and I had just completed my exams for the day and headed back to my hostel. I packed my stuff for the weekend at Angelie's, she was more happy to host our girl's time especially since her house was bigger than Rose's and we could actually sleep in our own beds and not on the couch.

My roommate walked in an hour late after I had packed and her eyes landed on my backpack full of clothes and toiletries. She frowned a little.

"You didn't tell me that you were leaving this weekend?"

"Yes, I am leaving this weekend."

I don't understand why she literally wants to know my whereabouts every time I go out.

"Where are you going?"

"To a friend's house and I am having a little hangout. It is not a big deal."

"Just some friends?"

"Yes, like two friends. Why do you ask?"

I was starting to get a little annoyed at her vagueness and how nosy she was always being.

"I just wanted to know where you were heading to since you have developed this habit of going out on your own without telling anyone." My phone buzzed, Rose's name on the screen, letting me know she had arrived at the parking space.

"You don't need to worry about me so much, I am fine."

"I know I shouldn't worry but I feel responsible for you if anything happens." I sighed and said goodbye to her anyways.

I wondered if it was because of Steven's issues that's why she was being more cautious. I hadn't talked to Janice ever since Jeffrey and I got back together. She was upset with me going back to him. I will go to her after I get back from the weekend and sort things out, she is my best friend after all.

I got to the parking space and hopped in Rose's car, greeting her with a smile and hug and we drove off.

"How have you been?" She asked.

"Feels like ages since we have seen each other but it was only a week ago." I smiled and nodded.

"I am fine, a little stressed with my exams and I am really just looking forward to summer holidays."

"Oh, right. That is coming up. Are you going home?" I heaved a sigh and shrugged.

"I am and Jeffrey is coming with me."

"You are joking?"

"No, my mother really wants to meet him."

Her facial expression was a mixture between a grin and a gasp as we pulled into Angelie's street.

"He is already meeting your family? I can't believe this."

"Why? Is it bad?"

I panicked, thinking that I had made a big mistake but she shook her head.

"No, Jeffrey is such a family man. You will be totally fine." I sighed in relief.

"Good," I murmured

We pulled into Angelie's driveway where we saw her and Leonard sitting on the steps outside their door with teacups in their hands. She stood up and came to greet us as we stepped out of the car.

"Hey guys," she greeted.

She led us inside the house. We spent the afternoon relaxing and Angelie discussed her future travels to Dubai with Leonard. Listening to her talk about different countries and states that she has been to was beyond intriguing. Rose also gave her travel stories as well, only making me envy them even more.

I wanted to bring up traveling to Jeffrey but all of the upcoming shoots would be held in his office building. Maybe traveling was more for models who had been in the industry longer than I had. I had only two cover shoots and that is probably not enough to earn myself a trip to another state or country.

"Where would you want to visit someday, Jessica?" Angelie asked.

"I don't really know." I shrugged.

"There are so many beautiful places I would love to visit like Paris, Canada, Switzerland and even Dubai one day."

"Wow, I thought you would like to visit France or America." I shook my head.

"I wouldn't mind visiting those places but I really want to explore different countries. I would like to visit Paris one day."

"Of course, you will be going back to Paris with Jeffrey." Rose said and I shook my head.

"He told me that he would be going home during the next Christmas but he didn't talk about it any more than that. I will probably just end up staying here with my family and await his return." Both of them exchange glances.

"What?" I asked.

"He didn't tell you?" Rose said.

"Tell me what?"

"Jeffrey is going back to Paris this summer and won't be returning till next year." My eyes widened.

"He is what?"

"I am so sorry, Jessica. I thought you knew." Rose apologized.

I shook my head in embarrassment, feeling so many waves of emotions come over me. Jeffrey would be going back to Paris and he didn't think to tell me? Was this what he has been trying to tell me this whole time?

Angelie apologized for bringing it up and ruining the weekend so quickly, I reassured that I would be fine and would worry about it later but that was a lie, the thought of Jeffrey would be gone for a long time was still lingering at the back of my mind.

Sunday came sooner than expected, I woke up and shut my eyes after being blinded by the light from the sun. I rolled over to hide my face from it. A knock ratted on the door, I looked up to see Rose poking her head inside.

"Good morning,"

"Hey, we were planning on going out for breakfast, want to come?"

"Yes, that sounds good."

I hopped out of the bed to change into something reasonable before walking out of the room. We went to a small restaurant downtown to order some cups of coffee to start the day.

"So, Jessica, what are your plans after college?" Angelie asked.

"I would like to be an art director and be able to work in film and television design."

"Wow, that is cool."

"So you would like to design sets for television shows?" Rose asked, I nodded.

"Yes, I love set design and marketing. So I would love to be able to put them together in a way."

After breakfast, we decided to take a walk to help with the food digestion. As much as I wanted to enjoy the weekend with the girls, the thought of Jeffrey traveling and not coming back till last year was still haunting my mind. Why didn't he tell me about it?"

We ended our Sunday watching some movies which I hadn't watched before. My phone buzzed in my pocket and I pulled it out, the sight of his name instantly made my stomach twist.

'Hi, Pumpkin. I miss you, I hope you are enjoying your girl's time but I would really like some Jessica time of my own.'

I sighed and put the phone away, not wanting to respond to his message. I don't want to focus on him right now that I am with the girls.

"Hey, I am so sorry for bringing up Jeffrey's issue." Angelie said.

"Oh, don't worry. I mean, I am kind of bummed about it but I am glad I know now. Who knows when he would have told me?" She gave me a side smile.

"Maybe, he is just trying to find the right time to say it." I shrugged.

She was probably right, although he had multiple chances to bring it up, I didn't see what so hard about simply telling me. Either way, I would have been equally disappointed that he was leaving the country for who knows how long. Rose offered to drive back to the hostel.

"Actually, Rose, can you take me to Jeffrey's house?" I asked as we were already on the way. She gave me a smile and nodded.

"Of course,"

She turned to the direction towards Jeffrey's house instead of the campus. As we got to his, I took a deep breath and thanked her before hopping out of the car. She wished me luck before I shut the door.

I headed up to his house with my heart beating faster than ever. I knocked softly, hearing a shuffling around inside and soon his door opened. He stood before me in a black t-shirt with gray skinny jeans. His hair was its usual mess and his eyes landed on me with a mixture of confusion and happiness.

"Hey, Jessica. What are you doing here? I thought you were with the girls?" I awkwardly rubbed my arm, licking my chapped lips.

"Can I talk to you?"

He stared at me for a moment before nodding, moving aside so I could walk past him. I stood uncontrollably in the living room, noticing he had been working on business things, his paperworks were scattered all over the place.

"What do you want to talk about?" He shoved his larger hand into his pocket, I rolled my lips between my teeth and looked at my feets, not knowing where to start.

"Umm, so, my mother wants to meet you." I looked up to see a small smirk on his face.

"Okay," he chuckled.

"When is this happening?"

"She wants you to come home with me for the summer holidays. That's if it works out with your family coming and everything. We could have lunch with her and return…"

"Jessica," he put his hands on my shoulder but for some reason, it didn't feel right. His touch felt foreign.

"Slow down, lunch with your family sounds lovely." I forced a little smile.

"I also wanted to ask you why you won't be coming back till next year."

His smile faltered and his hands dropped.