Chapter 10
2059 Words
Jessica
We arrived at Aquarium Park. It took us around forty minutes until we reached here.
I was thankful Jason always talked to me; he was a talkative person. Well, with his personality, I should doubt it if he was too quiet.
But he was a great companion.
He never mentioned anything about Christian and mostly talked about me and some about him. Like about my family which I explained to him that I was the only child and my parents lived in Florida. I think I should visit them later after Ricardo’s project had finished.
As usual, Jason opened my door like a proper gentleman with his hand already waiting for me to take as he pulled me out gently from his car. We entered the place where Jason bought the ticket and we entered together.
Time to explore.
“Where would you like to go first?” he asked.
“Um, I want to see everything. We can explore.”
“I’ll follow your lead, my lady.”
“There’s nothing you don’t want to see?”
“I’m already looking at it.” He directed his blue eyes to me as I looked away and tucked some of my hair behind my ear and he laughed. He wrapped his arm around my shoulder and escorted us further inside.
We reached the sea cliff.
No. Way.
I immediately pushed myself away from Jason and ran closer to the seal. “Oh, my God! They’re so adorable!” I excitedly exclaimed. And as the seal was aware of being looked at, it kept looking at me. I couldn’t contain the excitement as I waved my hand to the seal and surprisingly, it waved back. “My God, he’s so smart.”
“What a smart guy,” Jason came to my side when he said that. “And he definitely likes you.”
“He’s so cute I wish I could touch him.”
“I think they allow it as long there’s a keeper with us.”
I kept looking at the seal. He’s such a beautiful creature and cute. “Wave your hand to him,” I asked him.
“I don’t think he’s going to like me.”
“Nonsense. Animals are very innocent.”
“And they can sense people, too, who’s the bad guy and the good one.”
“You are a good man.”
“Why, thank you, bunny doll.” I kept looking at him as Jason raised his hand and waved it at the seal. As he predicted, the seal did nothing, but instead, he let out a sound, surprising us both. “s**t, I think he’s mocking me by saying nice try, dude.”
I laughed as hard as I could. “I think he can sense you being so nervous and thinking he’s not going to like you.”
“Maybe. Come on, let’s take a look around this sea cliff. Maybe we could find a keeper and ask if you could get closer with my rival and try to make me jealous with a competition.” I only smiled as we continued to the next animal which was a sea lion.
I just couldn’t contain my excitement watching these animals. I wished I could bring them home but of course, that would be impossible. Sometimes I pitied them for living behind these glasses walls but maybe it was for the best because with the world turned out like this, it was far more dangerous for them to be living in their real world, in the outside world, in the wild. It pained me watching the news where the animals died of starvation, people hunted them, tortured them, and eventually killed them. They deserved to live, without them, humans became nothing too. We needed each other, too.
“The keeper allows us to get closer with the seal,” Jason informed, breaking my mind.
I saw the keeper who was a woman as she escorted us to where we could feed the seal.
I was so excited I couldn’t even walk properly.
“Happy!” the keeper calls which coincidentally was the one who waved its hand to me. She gave a fish to him.
“Why you named him Happy?” I asked.
“Because he smiles often,” she replied. “I was the one who takes care of him since he’s still a baby and I grew attached to him,” she added while rubbing Happy’s head. He’s so content and I could see how she loved him.
“So, Happy is a he?” Jason asked.
“Yes.”
“No wonder I was threatened by Happy,” he joked and made the keeper laugh.
“Happy likes beautiful ladies.”
“I can see that.” She laughed again and gave me a piece of fish to me.
“You should put on a glove first,” she said as I grabbed the one, she was giving to me.
Once I had it on, I grabbed the slimy fish. “Hi, Happy.” He immediately turned his head to me as I gave the fish to him which he happily accepted.
“You’re really lucky because it’s time for their lunch. Would you like to try, sir?”
“I shall decline the offer. He already let out a weird noise as a challenge to me so I should pass,” Jason said. I gave one more fish to him.
“Would you like to be kissed by him?” the lady asked and my jaw just dropped.
“Can I?”
“Yes.”
“Oh, my God.” I immediately went closer to Happy, standing beside him.
“Whoa, hold on!” Jason stopped us and he pulled out his cell. Directing the back of the phone toward me, he said, “For a memory.”
“All right, Happy. Kiss!” she ordered and his large mouth landed on my cheek where I squeaked in happiness. “Good job!” And she rewarded him by throwing him a piece of fish.
“Thank you so much, Happy. And thank you to you, too, Miss.”
“It was a pleasure. Please, come visit us again next time!”
Jason and I walked out and headed to the ocean wonder. The second I walked in; the atmosphere became different immediately. But the place was beautiful. Especially the tunnel, making me feel like I was in the middle of the sea.
“I can safely assume that you like the sea, too,” he started.
“I do.”
“I see. If I have to be honest, this kind of place was never on my list but now that you’re with me, I came to like it. A new and great experience for me. Can I take you to the beach some other time?”
“I would love to.”
We walked across the tunnel until we were out of it completely. This place was so cold. I needed to pee.
“Um, I need a bathroom.”
“Okay, I’ll wait for you here. It’s very cold in here.”
“I’ll be right back.” I headed to the toilet, took a quick pee, and reapplied my lip gloss.
I had so much fun today.
It’d been a long time since I had this fun date. Although I knew Jason had dated a lot of women, I had to admit that his attention was fully on me today. He always asked what I wanted to do instead of himself. Maybe it was normal when a guy was in the middle of wooing a woman.
Was he really attracted to me?
Would he change once I opened my heart to let him in?
We’d known each other for almost a year now but I was still scared to take a step forward.
I shook my head and calmed myself. “You don’t need to hurry, Jess,” I told myself and washed my hands. Yeah, I didn’t need to take a step too fast. I could take my time and learn more about Jason, just like he was learning about me.
I walked out of the bathroom, seeing Jason standing in front of the large tank with a shark inside. His back was facing me but instead of him looking powerful, I saw him looking daunting. He was quite far from me now but I felt that he was different, again. This kind of feeling I had back in the car returned while we were talking about our names' meanings.
Why he could give me this tension?
And I just found out today that Jason was the Ace I used to admire. My attention was focused on Christian before and I forgot about him. I only knew the Ace’s name was Jason but I never knew his last name.
Now I was wondering what kind of expression Jason had now because even though we were not facing each other now, I was slightly trembling by looking at him. It was not because of how chilled the place was.
I swallowed hard and when I was about to take a step forward toward him, “Jess?” a familiar voice called me. The voice I hadn’t heard for a long time. I looked to the right and found the source of my nightmare.
Christian.
And Stacey.
My mind instantly filled with their betrayal that night.
“Hello there!” he playfully greeted me when I saw Stacey’s hand wrapped around his arm. She smiled at me as well. Not the genuine one but the wicked and mocking smile. Feeling proud that now she had the man she had always wanted. The man she had stolen from me. “I never saw you again since that…night.” Wasn’t it obvious? Because I didn’t want to see him again. What other reason could I possibly have?
I couldn’t move.
My brain had completely shut down.
I didn’t want to see them.
“Jess?” I could hear Christian’s voice calling me.
“Baby, I think she’s in shock seeing us still together. Or maybe shocked with happiness because we’re officially together now and we don’t need to meet behind her back,” Stacey said while giggling.
I didn’t want to cry here.
I had promised myself to be strong and I had to stay strong.
I was okay.
These people didn’t deserve me.
I deserved better.
I didn’t want to show my weakness in front of them. In front of the people who had betrayed me. In front of the people who didn’t deserve me. In front of the people…who had destroyed me completely.
Somebody, please help me.
“There you are, honey.” I felt Jason’s warm and strong hands wrapped around me. Circling them around my stomach with his face next to me. I looked at him as he smiled warmly. “You took so long. I’m worried, babe,” he added. I peeked my eyes to where my bastard ex-fiancé and slutty ex-friend were as their jaws dropped, mimicking each other.
Jason looked at them. “I’m sorry, we’re in the middle of a very important date now. I don’t want anyone to disturb us. Please excuse me, I have to take my lovely girlfriend now.”
“Girlfriend?” Christian repeated.
“Yes, my girlfriend,” Jason reconfirmed. He was challenging them. I could hear it from his tone. “I love her so much I couldn’t take my eyes away from her. I’m scared someone would snatch her from me. It’s in my nature, you know? To be so protective of my woman. That’s a man’s duty, right? To always protect his woman and never capture a new fish at his disposal.” This time my mouth hung open and my eyes slightly widened. Did he just insult them?
“Excuse us. Come on, baby.” He turned us around as he kept pushing me out of the building, leaving Christian and Stacey.
I was happy Jason came to the rescue but I couldn’t shake this feeling away.
Again, the dark atmosphere around Jason, I could feel it now.
Even so, while Jason led me out of the building, I said, “Thank you.”
- Writer
