A.N - I tried to end this chapter on a light note. It was kind of hard to write. I felt so bad for Jesse. Here it is, finally, the reason Jesse hates Paul.

Chapter 13

"Men are not our protectors... If you were, who would there be to protect us from?"

- Dr. Mary Edwards Walker ( American feminist 1832 - 1919 )

Jesse came to walk me home from work that afternoon as well. It seemed like he was taking every opportunity he could to rub it in Paul's face that he hadn't managed to split us up after all.

He was waiting in the lobby for me when I finished for the day, leaning against the receptionist's desk. Kelly was overdoing herself in an effort to get Jesse to notice her. He only had eyes for me though, and I couldn't help but feel smug. Kelly had gotten all the guys in high school, it was my turn now.

"Hey, querida," Jesse greeted me with a kiss. "Good day at work?"

I nodded before lowering my voice so only he could hear.

"You are having way too much fun rubbing this in Paul's face."

Jesse smiled and nodded, making me laugh.

"Bye Paul!" I called politely. Well, the guy was my boss. "See you tomorrow."

"Yeah," Jesse added. "Bye Slater."

I waited until we'd gotten outside before I slapped Jesse lightly on his shoulder.

"That was mean!" I scolded teasingly.

Jesse shrugged.

"Just making sure he remembers that I'm your boyfriend."

I linked our hands together.

"Alright," I sighed. "But you promised to tell me the history between you guys tonight, so start talking."

Jesse nodded tiredly, not too happy about keeping his promise - or that I remembered it, either one - and started leading us in another direction than our apartment block. I had assumed that the talk would take place at his place. Obviously not.

It wasn't long before I recognised the neighbourhood we were in as that where the coffee shop we went to the first day we met was.

Sure enough, Jesse directed me inside the shop and sat me down in a booth. He kissed me quickly before going up to the counter to order our drinks. Okay, I know I said that I'd take him out the next time we go out, but, it was just coffee. Besides, I plan on taking him to the gallery opening anyway.

I passed the time by drumming my fingers on the table at random intervals. I stopped only when Jesse returned with my mocha and his coffee.

"So," I said, taking a sip of my drink. "Why do you hate Paul?"

Jesse looked at me with his scarred eyebrow raised.

"You mean aside from the obvious reason?" He asked.

I nodded and rolled my eyes. Paul non-kissing me - because, as far as I'm concerned, nothing happened - didn't count as a reason to hate him. It went way deeper than that.

"Well," Jesse took a deep breath as I settled down more comfortably. It looked like it was going to be a long story, and rather painful for Jesse. I almost wanted to tell him that it didn't matter, and that he didn't have to tell me. But I didn't. I wanted to know. "I first met Paul in college. Remember, I said we went together?"

At my nod, he continued.

"Yeah, well, Paul and I were seniors," he explained, "when my oldest sister, Marta, decided to go to NYU as well."

I interrupted him.

"Wait, you went to College here?"

"Yes," he spoke slowly. "Why do you ask?"

"Well," I paused and bit my bottom lip. "You lived in New Mexico, and from what Paul has told me, he was originally from Seattle. It's just a bit coincidental that you all went to same college. Completely out of the way from both of you, I might add."

Jesse smiled at me.

"NYU is a good school," he told me.

"I know," I replied. "I went there too!"

"And did you meet people from various places of America?"

I paused.

"Okay you win."

"Thank you," he took a sip of his coffee. "Now, can I continue with my story?"

"Go ahead," I mumbled.

"So," he picked up from where I'd stopped him. "Marta came to college and Paul, well, liked her, I suppose."

So far, I wasn't seeing where the hatred came in.

"But, so did many other people," he continued. "Marta is quite good-looking apparently."

Of course she is. All of his sisters were lucky enough to come from the de Silva gene pool. And look how well their older brother turned out …

"Marta could have had her pick of any of the guys that liked her," Jesse looked down into his coffee cup. "She chose Paul. I think that her choice was partly due to the fact that Paul and I were friends, and she'd known that I'd approve.

"At that time, Paul had no plans to become owner of the Slater Gallery. That was his father's business, and Paul wanted nothing to do with it."

Jesse looked up and locked his eyes with mine.

"Paul's family were quite rich, you know." He told me sombrely. "Not as rich as my own, but wealthy enough. Paul had never had a job, he just lived off of his parent's. He'd lived his life this way up until college. Until his parents cut him off."

Jesse laughed wryly.

"Quite conveniently," he stated. "They cut him off just as my sister started college. Are you beginning to see why I hate him?"

My face, I'm sure, was blank. None of this was making any sense to me. So Paul was reckless, and he'd messed around with Jesse's sister, but, to me, Jesse was just acting like a protective big brother. I'm sure Jake - my step-brother - would do the same thing for me.

I shook my head slowly.

"He saw my sister," Jesse said. "And saw a way to get money."

Oh.

Now I got it.

"So," Jesse continued. "They went out on dates - Marta paying for them mostly, Paul still hadn't thought himself low enough to get a job. We graduated, Paul and I, and he carried on seeing my sister. They had an apartment together, for which, I can only assume, Marta paid all the bills. Paul Slater mooched off of my sister for years."

I stood up and moved over to his side of the booth, offering him my silent comfort. Curse me and my need to know everything. This was clearly very painful for Jesse. Hell, it was painful for me to hear. I was ready to kill Paul Slater myself.

"It gets worse," Jesse told me quietly.

"Worse?" I asked incredulously. "How?"

"Paul proposed to her," Jesse informed me. "Marta accepted. They were going to get married."

That's how it could get worse. Since they're not happily married now, I can only imagine that things got really bad somewhere down the line.

"I was blissfully unaware of what was going on," Jesse dropped his gaze to our entwined hands, guiltily. "I was back in New Mexico, nursing my own heartbreak over my own fiancée and best friend, I know CeeCee told you about them."

I nodded.

"I moved back to New York shortly after all of this," he carried on, his gaze never leaving our hands. "I saw Marta and Paul, and I saw a happy couple. And they were, happy, I mean. They appeared to be anyway.

"But then Paul's parents died. A car accident, I think. While Marta wanted to be there for her fiancé and offer him support and help, Paul just pushed her further and further away, until, finally, he broke up with her."

I sucked in a breath. I had never hated someone as much as I did Paul Slater in that moment. Ever.

Jesse's voice was quieter then ever now.

"His parent's hadn't written him out of their will." Oh no. I could see where this was going. "They died, he became rich. Paul took over the family business, and has lived handsomely ever since."

Jesse's gaze came up to lock with mine again and he smiled sadly when he saw the tears in my own.

"Three years," he stressed. "for three years, Paul was using my sister for her money. Then tossed her aside the second that he got his hands on his own source of income. That is why I hate him so much, querida. He hurt my sister badly.

"It's also the reason I hate for you two to be alone together. I get scared that he'll seduce you away from me - as he managed to seduce my sister - and then callously throw you aside once he's had his fun. I don't want you to get hurt."

"I'm sorry, Jesse," I told him in the silence that followed. Probably very cliché, but what could you say after that?

I leaned over and kissed him softly, for no other reason than that of comfort.

He was smiling when we pulled apart. That was positive, at least.

"I seem to remember you promising me a date," he reminded me, reverting back to his teasing ways.

"Oh, yes," I nodded. "And I have just the thing. You'll love it, especially since it's a whole evening where you get to rub this in Paul's face some more."

Jesse grinned.

"I like the sound of this."

He wrapped his arms around me as we finished our second lot of drinks and I told him about the event Saturday night.

It seemed that I was in need of a shopping trip if I even hoped of looking good enough for Jesse.

It was a formal affair, which could mean only one thing :

Jesse would be wearing a tux.