Chapter sixty-seven: Maybe A Birthday Gift

Chapter sixty-seven: Maybe A Birthday Gift

Jessica

**Six months later**

"Can you believe that we have an entire apartment to ourselves?" Janice said as she placed the last box of dishes down on the counter.

"We are such adults." I laughed.

I was beyond ready to start a brand new year, we are also seniors now. I couldn't even believe that my time at Covenant University is coming to an end. We just had one year left before it was all over and I moved on to the reel world.

"I am also so glad that my brother, Emmanuel, is coming here for his Master's degree. He is super excited and he keeps asking me if we know where the good parties are at."

"He is barking up the wrong tree then. I haven't been to a party since last year and we all know how that went down." She rolled her eyes as she put the plates in the cabinet.

"We will find one some way or another."

She was getting better at helping me enjoy more of my college experience before I graduated. Even though it is our senior year and we had a little time left, she still wanted to take me out to a bar, snag some drinks, hang out with her and Evelyn and simply enjoy the social aspect of college with the academic portion.

I am still doing the modeling job since Jorge is now head of Craig and Co building. It wasn't much since I continued to put my academics first but magazines were slowly and surely wanting me back on the cover now that my relationship with Jeffrey was near non-existent at this point.

I hadn't tried contacting Jeffrey since his birthday and he hadn't reached out to me either. I still felt that stinging pain in my heart because a piece of me was missing. I didn't cover up my tattoo with something else and I never took off his ring. I couldn't bring myself to erase him completely from my life. I wanted to keep the necklace but it was technically his in the first place and I felt as if I was taking it with me wrong. I had to leave it so he would at least have the memory of me as I do with him and the ring.

As August rolled around, my birthday approached. Janice was adamant on making this the best twenty-one birthday anyone could have ever asked for. I always laughed at the ideas she had planned and since I was feeling a little more adventurous this year, she kept suggesting strippers.

"Come on, Jess." She pleaded.

"Right here in our apartment, male strippers everywhere."

"I am good with a simple cake and a few friends."

"Oh, come on. You are turning twenty-one, live a little, Jessica." Emmanuel said.

"Okay, I will add a keg for beer and a few more friends. How about that?" I suggested but she was still not convinced.

"Janice, you know I don't celebrate my birthday with an elaborate party."

"But this is your last birthday in college. Who knows how you will spend it next year?" I sighed and looked at her brother who nodded in agreement.

"Okay fine, you can plan my party however you please. But seriously, Janice, don't go overboard."

"Yes!" She cheered.

"I promised, I won't make it too crazy." She added.


*******

The week before my birthday, I found out that she had made a Facebook post and invited tons of people over to our small apartment. I went home to confront her about it but she wasn't back from her classes yet so I had to wait.

I pulled out my laptop and decided to check my tuition payment to see what l was still owing. I didn't want an elaborate party now because I needed to save money to pay for my school. But when I logged into my student profile to check my account inquiry, I stared at the screen in confusion. My tuition for the next two semesters had already been paid in full, I didn't owe any money for the entire year.

"What the heck?" I cussed to myself.

I checked the account information and saw that it had been paid at the beginning of the school year. I sat in silence, thinking of only one person that would have done this for me but we haven't spoken in the last seven months so he couldn't have. Janice walked through the front door, greeting me with a smile.

"Don't look at me like that, I know about the Facebook post but we will talk about that later. Can you believe that my entire senior year tuition has already been paid?" She looked at me confused.

"Your entire year? That is like almost thirty thousand dollars, Jessica. How did you manage that?"

"I don't know."

She sat down next to me and I showed her my account activity and her eyes widened at the most recent payment.

"Do you think it was him?" I said, sighed and leaned back against the couch.

"I mean, who else would pay for my tuition in full? He is the only person I could think of that would do this but we haven't talked since January. Why would he suddenly do this?" She shrugged.

"Maybe a birthday gift?" I pondered for a moment but shook my head.

"I never told him when my birthday is."

"I don't know, Jess but it seems like you might have to contact him to find out." She said.

"And also thank him." She added."


*****

I stared at the contact information in my phone, wanting to dial the number but also not wanting to hear his voice. What if he has moved on? Maybe he is with Avery now. I hadn't seen him in any magazine lately, it had seemed like he went back under the radar like he was before we dated.

I was just about to click the dial button when I heard the front door open and Emmanuel soon appeared in our doorway.

"Oh hey, Jessica." He greeted me with his gorgeous smile.

"Have you seen, Janice?"

"Um no, actually I don't think she is back from class yet."

"Damn it, she had me bring her a snack from the bakery down the street and she is not even here."

"She will be back soon," l laughed, he nodded and he walked a little further into my room, gazing at the decorations.

"I like your space."

"Thanks, I like the fact that I finally have my own space.

I felt much more free and less stressed about keeping the space tidy since I wasn't sharing with anyone now. Besides, Janice was extremely messy and I didn't want to share with her. We were staying in a two bedroom apartment.

"I don't blame you. Also, I wanted to ask you something."

Just then my phone buzzed, I looked at the screen and saw Jorge's number. I held up my fingers to Emmanuel.

"Can you hold on one second? It is work, I have to take this." He nodded.

"Hi, Jorge?" I picked up the call.

"Hey, Jessica. Don't forget you are booked this weekend for Glamour magazine. The time had been shifted, so I need you to be here at exactly ten o'clock on Saturday morning, okay?"

Janice walked through the front door and I could hear her and her brother talking in the living room.

"Yes, I will be there. Do you want us to meet at your office?"

"Preferably, I will have my vice president bring you down to the shoot once it is ready but we will need you to sign some papers before we start."

"Okay, I will be there."

"Thanks, Jessica. See you on Saturday."

I hung up as Janice walked into my own bedroom.

"Was that Jorge?"

"Yes, he was updating me on the shoot this coming Saturday."

"Have I ever told you how hot he is?" She started and I snorted.

"He is probably too old for you, Janice. He thought I was too young for Jeffrey and that was just twenty years. He is fifteen years older than you."

"Well, he hasn't met me yet so the cards are still on the table." She grinned.

"Can I drive you to the shoot so I can meet him?"

"I am not playing matchmaking for the two of you." I turned off the lights in my room and followed her to the living room.

"You don't have to, I will just work my charm."

"Work your charm on who?" Emmanuel questioned and she shrugged.

"No one." She replied.

"She is trying to get with my boss." He looked at the two of us with wide eyes.

"No, absolutely no. You are not dating an older man."

"He is not old!" She defended.

"He is hot and successful, that is what I want in a man." I rolled my eyes.

Ever since my relationship with Jeffrey, Janice has been trying to get a boyfriend but was unsuccessful and recently she has been telling me that Jorge is the perfect guy for her which is probably true. But I wasn't confident that he would want to date her when she is my age.

"Maybe he will consider you after you graduate." I suggested.

"Don't encourage her," Emmanuel said and both of us rolled our eyes at him.