JAY SERIES

When stars fade 4

You go straight to work after leaving Aliana, but you are still preoccupied by what happened reason why you are unable to concentrate on your work.

"Are you okay?" your colleague asked when she noticed you hadn't completed the task assigned by your team leader.

You massage your temple as you look at her and nod.

"Yes," you replied, despite your inability to think clearly as a result of what had happened.

"But you don't look well, I think you should go home," she expressed concern.

"Don't worry, if they find you, l'Il tell
them you're not feeling well."

You're about to say no when she grabs your bag and urges you to go home.

"You should go, get some rest," she said, smiling and waving at you.

And because you have no choice, you just think that it's okay to rest for a day because you feel that even the simplest task will be hard for you to finished because your brain was too messed up by your conversation with Aliana.

You decided to stop by the donut shop before heading home to get something for Estelle because she was always expecting a gift when you returned from work.

You've also considered going grocery shopping, so that when the weekends arrive your time is solely focused on your child because you still want to be able to monitor her growth and give her time.

You were thinking about what food you were going to cook for Estelle as you were driving back to your condo.

However, when you walk into your unit, your lips automatically smile because your daughter's loud laugh greets you.

"Estelle!" You call her name but she doesn't seem to hear you, so you assume she's busy playing with her Nanny.

You decide to put the groceries on the table before going to her playroom. But when you notice a familiar back facing at you, your forehead furrows.

"Jay?" you ask surprised, because you assumed he was at work, as Aliana had told you.

He looks at you for a second before returning his attention to her daughter, who is watching videos on his phone.

"Mommy, daddy said he'll sleep here," Estelle says, looking at you.

"No!" you exclaim unexpectedly.

Estelle was stunned for a moment before looking at her dad, her cheeks turning red as tears began to fall, because she had taught you're angry.

However, Jay carries her while wiping her tears.

"I'm sorry, mommy is not-" you were about to apologize because it was the first time you raised your voice at her but they left you in the playroom before you could finish your sentence.

"Don't mind her, your mom is crazy" Jay said.

You saw Estelle lean her head on Jay's shoulder while Jay lightly strokes her back to stop her from crying. As you look at Jay, you suddenly recall what Aliana told you earlier.

You are still unable to understand her fear that Jay will leave her.

It's midnight, and you've decided to cook for dinner when Jay walks into the kitchen.

He gets a can of Coke from the fridge while wearing his glasses while his hair in a ponytail.

You find him handsome despite the fact that he was only wearing a plain shirt and shorts.

You expected him to leave once he got the coke from the fridge but he stayed there with his left hand resting on the sink to use as a balance while his right hand holding the coke.

You immediately feel uncomfortable since he was looking at you while you were cooking.

"What are you cooking?" he asked, looking at you.

"Curry." You stated.

You were still mixing the curry when he grabbed the spoon from your hands. And when his hand touches your skin, an electric current runs through your body, causing your heart to beat faster.

He tastes it before tilting his head, as if trying to figure out what it tastes like.

"There's something missing," he said, his face blank.

You were suddenly intrigued by what he said because you had followed the instructions earlier before preparing to cooked it.

"Let me do this," he said as he began to gather the ingredients.

If he was watching you earlier, this time it's different because you were the one observing his every move.

Jay has never cooked for you before, so you find it difficult to comprehend why he appears so dashing while performing it.

Suddenly, a thought entered your mind, what if he also do this to Aliana? well It's not impossible for him not to do.

When he's finished cooking, he lets you taste it, and you'll notice that the flavor is very different from what you cook.

"How is it?" he asked.

"It's a way better," you said.

He flashed a smiled and set the spoon down.

"Come on, let's eat," he said as he patted your waist.

You are taken aback because his smile keeps responding in your mind.

Is he truly smiling at me? You wonder because you can't believe he did that to you.

You thought Jay was lying to Estelle when he said he'd sleep in your condo for the night. 

So when you see him in your room drying his hair, you realize he wasn't lying earlier. When you walk into the room, he looks at you in the mirror. You fixed Estelle's blanket and kissed her on the cheek.

"Good night, baby," you whispered softly.

You were about to leave when he speaks.

"Aren't you sleeping here?" he asks, which is why you look at him.

It feels like déjà vu because the same scenario happened before you moved out of his house a month ago.

"I'll sleep in the living room," you said, because there was no room left in the condo other than her nanny's room.

"You sleep here the space is big." he said, making you look at him.

"What?" you quickly respond.

He furrowed his forehead in response to your quick action, as if he had uttered something incorrectly.

"You are still my wife after all, so why?" He said as he laid beside your daughter with his phone in his hand.