COMPLICATED – Episode 34

COMPLICATED

Written by Princess Juliet

Episode 34

All she ever need

Not Edited……..

Atarah’s mind was a haze of fear and confusion, her whole body was completely tensed up. She felt heaviness sink to the pit of her stomach, and there was an aching emptiness in her heart.

‘Argh!’ She wanted to scream out her pain and frustration but couldn’t as the blood-sucking reporters were still gathered around her, gathered around them. ‘Oh God, please save me from this humiliation.’ A cold, tingling kind of numbness spread across her forehead, into her mouth, and into her cheeks and she stirred in his arms, whimpering like a child.

“Let’s go in.” Jayden gently stroked her hair, his voice soft and close to her ear. She raised her head and stared into his eyes deeply.

“The coast is almost clear.”He added seeing the hesitant look on her face and only then did Atarah notice the three men in black suits shooing away the annoying reporters and protecting them from the flashing cameras lights. Good riddance!

She forced a smile on her face and whispered the first thing that came to her mind. “Let’s go home.”

For a moment Jayden merely stared at her, his expression unreadable and then he let out a deep sigh. “But I have to work, princess.”

“Please, I don’t want to be here anymore.”She begged with a tone that would wring any heart and he was left with no other option but to agree. “Fine!”

Opening his car door, he slid into the driver’s seat and shut the door with great force. Gosh! He could feel his anger rising and it didn’t seem righteous at all.

Atarah timidly followed suit. When she sank into the seat, Jayden started the car and sped along the highway leading to the mansion.

~~~~~~

He wasted no time in getting home as he cut the drive time in half by going fifteen miles over the speed limit and running two traffic lights.

Briskly, he swerved his range rover into the garage and Atarah was out of the car almost before he cut the engine. The drive had been an emotional hell for her as she couldn’t stop thinking about the questions the reporter had asked.

‘My mum, a murderer? Heck no!’ Her throat constricted and unshed tears stung her eyes. Without waiting a minute, she ran into the house, sobbing softly.

Jayden ran after her but he couldn’t catch up with her as she was so swift and fast. He walked into his room and his chest tightened when he found her on the bed crying her eyes out.

“Please, not now, Tarah.” As he moved closer to her, his heart was hammering against his ribs. He bit his lips and let out a frustrated sigh before sitting on the bed beside her. “Just smile, Princess, everything will be alright and……”

“Just go away.” Atarah’s piercing scream cut him off abruptly and he gave her a slightly hurt look.

“I want to be alone, please.” Her eyes pleaded with him to understand what she was trying to say, her breath slow in frequency but intense with each inhale.

Without a word, Jayden got up from the bed and walked out through the door. His pulse beating in his ear, he trotted down the staircase and was in time to see his father walk into the sitting room. He looked so furious

“What exactly is going on, Jay?” Trent demanded. “I mean, how did the media house get to know about your mum’s death?”

Jayden scoffed at his question. It sounded so stupid to him. “I should be asking you that, Mr Hobson.” He sarcastically drawled.

“Me?” Trent was completely stunned. “And why would I do such?” He yelled at his younger son

“Because you hate my girlfriend, dad,” Jayden yelled back at him. “Because you want to see her get hurt.”

Trent’s mouth dropped open, and disbelief crossed his features. “If that is how lowly you think of me then I’m so disappointed.” His hand dropped to his side and his eyes flared with renewed fury. “Hun! Tell me, why do you always think the worst of me?”

Jayden swallowed hard but said nothing.

“I love my family so much and tainting our name is the last thing I would ever do.

“Fine! Fine! Fine.” He threw up his hands in defeat and stormed out in a huff. Although his father made a good point, he wasn’t ready to warm up to him and listen to his bullsh*t. His mind was blank; he couldn’t think of anything.

Feeling disoriented and confused, he slid into his car, jammed his foot on the accelerator and sped off to a popular clubhouse close to the city’s suburbs.

~~~~~
By the time he got there, his forehead was covered with enormous beads of perspiration. He wiped it off with a handkerchief and stopped the running engine before stepping out of the car and slamming the door shut.

The clubhouse was sparsely crowded but noisy and the disco lights shone brightly on his face as he walked into the building. Slowly, he looked around him and caught sight of Nancy’s fiery red hair at the extreme corner of the bar.

He scoffed silently. Not that he was surprised, he wasn’t at all. This was their favourite hangout spot and he knew how much she loves drinking and partying hard.

Reluctantly, he tucked his hands in his pocket and walked up to her. “Hi, bestie.”He sat down beside her and Nancy raised her head sharply, startled to see her best friend smiling at her.

“Oh my goodness, Jayden.” She was drunk and her speech was slurred and barely comprehensible. “You scared the heck out of me.”Her brows were drawn together in a deep frown as she leaned forward and kiss his cheek.

Jayden stared at her blankly for a moment, then gave a throaty chuckle. “I can see you are having a good time.” He observed the bottles of wine and champagne scattered in front of her.

“Nah.” Nancy shook her head somewhat sadly. “I’m here to drink away my pain and mourn my bad luck.”When Jayden didn’t ask questions, she let out a deep sigh and blurted out carelessly. “She desperately wants me to get married to Greg.”

He looked at her with his eyebrows raised questioningly and she gasped as she realised what she’d done. Oh no! She’d never intended to say that out loud.

“What are you talking about?” Jayden’s question got her thinking fast. She chuckled nervously, trying to ease the tension between them. “Of course, he is my fiance and I should marry him, right?”She foolishly said. Before he could react, she turned the tables and asked. “Why are you here?”

Jayden regarded her with wary curiosity for a full minute before responding. “To clear my mind and head.”

“Girlfriend troubles?” Nancy feigned ignorance.

At first, Jayden didn’t know how to respond, but then he shrugged his shoulders as if to say that he does not know. She smiled inwardly at his unsure response but maintained a straight face. Her plans were working, or so she thought!

“Perhaps…you know…”She playfully traced a hand down his shoulder and to the lines of his sweater. “she isn’t the right girl for you.”

“Nancy,” Jayden called out her name warningly. At that moment, Nancy was certain she saw something in his eyes, something akin to anger.

“I’m sorry.”She quickly apologised and waited for him to say something, anything at all but he merely nodded his head and looked away from her

She let out a quiet sigh. “I was only trying to look out for you, Jay.” She said softly, trying to act all sweet and innocent but Jayden was no fool, he saw right through her. “Thanks, but no thanks.”He grunted and moved over to the next seat as he wanted to be alone and drink till he was drunk—He just wanted his hurt and pain to go away somehow.

~~~~~~~~

It was nearing sunset. Outside in the evening sky, the setting sun cast long shadows on the ground and its slanting rays sent radiant beams glistening into the room where Atarah sat staring out of the window.

She looked frightened and deathly pale and her eyes were wide as she backed herself against the wall.

A cold breeze passed through her creating an eerie whisper effect that sent chills up her spine.
She caught her breath and looked at the clock on the wall beside her and noticed it was 6:40 PM already.

Her fear escalated into a panic. With trembling hands, she dialled Jayden’s number for the umpteenth time that evening, but still, there was no response, his line wasn’t even connecting.

“Oh, God!” She scrambled to her feet on an impulse and prowled restlessly around his room, trying to put her thoughts in order.

‘What could be wrong?’ She was so d**n confused. It was so unlike Jayden to switch off his phone or stay out late without bothering to check up on her….. ‘or wait a minute!’ Her heart quickened as a thought popped into her head, ‘Could he be in the sitting room?’ oh yeah!

Impulsively, and without thinking twice, she dashed out of the room, down the stairs and froze in horror, the shock, the most terrible she had ever known in her life when she saw his father in the sitting room.

“Oh no!” She gasped and turned to run, but it was too late. Trent had already seen her.

“Do you need something?” His voice was so calm Atarah wasn’t sure she had heard him right.

She shook her head vigorously. “I had thought Jay….erm…..Dr Jayden was here in the sitting room.” She murmured.

Trent quirked his eyebrow at her. “So he isn’t back yet.”He mumbled these words under his breath and drew a deep breath before assuring her. “Don’t worry, he will return soon.”

Atarah nodded wordlessly and started to ascend the stairs.

“I’m sorry.” Trent stopped her, his voice levelled and clear

She spun around and looked at him in surprise.

“I’m so sorry for all the insults, the mockery, the pains, in fact, I am so sorry for everything.”

‘It is alright, sir.’ Atarah wanted to say but she couldn’t find her voice as she was totally speechless. She could only open her mouth to find that words had deserted her

Trent noticed her dazed expression and smiled to himself. “You don’t need to say anything, I understand how you feel.” He muttered somewhat and she nodded her head vigorously, tears streaming down her face.

“Maybe I’m doing this because of my son, maybe not. But all the same, I’m deeply sorry and would try as much as possible not to hate you.” With that, he got off the sofa and walked past her up the stairs.

Finally! Atarah recovered her courage; she found her voice. “Thanks so much, sir.” She called after him and Trent smiled faintly as he walked into his room, slamming the door behind him.

Her skin tingled and her eyes sparkled. In her excitement, she forgot all of her worries and was about to run upstairs to the room when the front door suddenly creaked open.

She moved her head in that direction. When she saw that it was Jayden, she raced over and threw her hands around him with enough force to drive him back a step.

Jayden chuckled softly as he held her closer, his hand gently caressing her back. “I’m sorry for making you worry, princess.” He cooed and Atarah nodded, breathing in the scent of his warm skin and the lingering, faint smell of alcohol but that did not bother her.

“I love you, Jayden.”She whispered and when he clamped one hand around her waist and trailed hot kisses down her neck, she felt safe and protected in his arms.

TBC