hey friends!
so this is it, this is the part where the big turn of the story comes aka the climax of the story (the moment which we've all been waiting for, i hope, aha)
The murmurs of the TV filled the living room while Annie sat quietly on the couch, flicking through different channels. In the kitchen was Jon. He told her he'd cook dinner... he lied. He's a terrible cook but he was determined to try…but then Sami invited him over to his place all afternoon to check out his new car, Jon forgot all about his plans for dinner as result. Now, he found himself in the kitchen, guilty as ever while he laid out some take-away foods on the plate as presentably as he possibly could. Hopefully she wouldn't notice, he'd distract her, that's his plan B to avoid embarrassment.
Annie looked up from the TV when she caught sight of Jon walk in, holding a couple of plates in his hands. He looked like a man who had been busy, he stood there clad merely in his faded pair of jeans, the kitchen towel hanging over his shoulder. Giving her his dimpled smile, Jon handed her one of the plates and Annie eyed the plate, pleased and impressed. "You didn't cook this," she accused him, eyeing the pork loin chops on the plate accompanied by some roasted vegetables. Jon's blue eyes shot straight to her direction, a pout on his face.
"Of course I did, sunshine! What are you talking about?" he replied a couple of seconds later as his defence. He sat himself down next to her and began eating without any more words.
"You did? How come I didn't smell it roasting?" suspiciously, she asked him, the smile that crept between her lips made Jon uncomfortable. She's cleverer than he hoped, but of course she would be. Chuckling to herself Annie looked down at her plate and began eating too.
"It was Sami, alright. He asked me to come over his place, we tried his new car, we drove around, testing it. I completely forgot about tonight," Jon told her his excuse and Annie nodded her head, understanding. "I'm sorry baby, I'll make it up to you," how can she resist those charming big blue eyes of his. "I assure you, I'm an amazing cook, better than you actually," again, he boasted much to Annie's further amusement but she listened on, laughing to herself at his cockiness.
After dinner, they both sat on the couch, watching a movie. At first, Annie was interested to know how the movie will escalate but then she looked over at Jon and she lost complete interest. Instead, she found herself completely distracted by just the mere sight of him. Her eyes gazed up at his face, admiring. From where she sat next to him, she can see his subtle silver hoop earring that adorned his left ear lobe and his stubble covered jaw. Quietly, she reached for his jaw, her palm tickled by the stubbles that grazed it while at the same time earning his attention. "What is it?" he asked her lazily as he turned his gaze back to the TV but Annie's eyes remained on his face, watching, observing, looking.
Jon found it hard to concentrate, not when he could feel Annie's gaze burning his skin. She touched his face gently, tracing circles on his jaw and cheeks, tantalising him. Just when he thought he can't handle her onslaught, she began sending gentle kisses on his bare shoulder while she flattered her eyelashes on his tingling skin. If she continue to arouse him with her torturous actions, then he'll be left with no choice but show her Jonathan Good's wrath, he thought to himself. "Jon," she started, murmuring his name against his burning skin, "I think I'm in love with you, Jon," now those words stopped his train of thoughts, all of the sudden it numbed him from the effects of her touch. He sat there like a frozen rock for the next minute that followed, letting her words sink in. In love? Now, normally, he would've laughed at her like he did with those other women who used to think the same. Love is stupid and Jonathan Good doesn't believe in love. Then why does he want to open his mouth and say something? Why did he feel so guilty when he turned to look away from her and refused to speak? Does he love Annie? Surely not...Jonathan Good doesn't love because Jonathan Good had always believed that love doesn't exist.
Annie sighed to herself when Jon broke the eye contact and continued to watch TV, ignoring the words she just spoke of, the words that carry her emotions. Maybe it's too early to say something like that. Are they even dating? They see each other almost every day but never had Annie heard Jon address her as his girlfriend, he calls her his girl instead and that makes her feel like his property instead. She's never addressed him as her boyfriend either and instead, addresses him as Jon, just Jon. Brushing her worries aside, Annie hugged his arms tightly and leaned on him, she chose that it's better to concentrate on the movie again because she don't know how long she have until she loses herself when she look back at him.
The movie finished with a happy ending. The problems were solved and the characters were happy. For Jon, those sorts of things only happen in fiction, people in real life don't live happily ever after, just like love, it's non-existent. He gazed down at Annie after that bitter thought and he softened. She had fallen asleep, her arms wrapped protectively around his arm. She looked peaceful asleep, almost angelic. It almost frightened Jon what she would feel if he tell her that he doesn't believe in love, that he'll never love her back. Would that break her heart? He would hate himself if it does. The image of Annie in tears looked more painful that an image of himself bloody and being assaulted in the ring. Gently, he carried her to his room, her even breathing kept him company in the silence of the night. She didn't stir when he placed her down on his bed or when he started taking off her sneakers, she slept peacefully, like a baby. Looking down at her, Jon replayed her words in his head over and over again, I think I'm in love with you… anxiously, he dug around his pocket, dragging out a cigarette and a lighter as he left the room.
For a man like Jon, love meant nothing. He spent so many years of his life growing up and watching his own mother destroy herself and her life all because she thought she was in love. So many men entered her life, she was a fool and fell easily for their sweet words full of filthy lies, she let them enter her life only to take what they can and when there was nothing left to take, they left her high and dry. One of them was his father and Jon do not want to be like him. He doesn't want to be a coward like his father who ran away from his responsibilities but by refusing to believe in love and gambling Annie's heart in the process, does that make him a coward too, like his father? But if he admits the fact that she has a special place for Jon and she's different than the rest, there's a likely chance that he'll still break her. He has never settled down with a woman in a relationship, never and Jon doesn't trust himself enough to do it. What if he gets bored of Annie after a month or so? What if he decided he no longer wanted her? No longer needed her? It'll shatter her and she's too precious for that.
Annoyed, Jon headed back inside his apartment with the strong scent of tobacco shrouding him. The rustling from the bedroom told him that Annie must've woken up. Great, now he has to face her and the last thing Jon wanted to do was talk to her about love. Quietly, he headed to his bedroom, a look of great surprise flashed through his features as he stood frozen in the doorway, eyes glued to where Annie was.
Jon's surprise was replaced with fright as he looked at Annie's on the floor. She lay on the floor, shaking violently as if an invisible force was doing it. With his wide blue eyes, Jon witnessed as her limbs shook uncontrollably, it was as if she was having muscle spasms all over her body, from her face down to the very tip of her toes. She stared into space with her glassy eyes and made very little noise with her mouth as she threw her arms around, having little control of it. Shaken, Jon ran up to her, not knowing what to do and not knowing what the hell is happening. "Annie!" he called as she flailed her arms around, hitting him in the face at one point, the immediate pain instantly inflicted Jon. It was as if Annie was being possessed by an unknown force and Jon backed away, afraid that if he do something, he'd end up hurting her more than she could hurt him. It was his lack of better ideas that finally made Jon reach for his pocket, pulling out his phone. He dialled a number which had been familiar to Jon in his years of growing up. The last time he dialled the three digit number, his mother was taken out of the house fifteen minutes later, pronounced dead.
Jon followed the instructions he received from the operator by placing a pillow under her head during the violent bout, risking the fact that she had hit him a number of times and had taken everything hazardous around her surroundings away from her arm's reach. By the time the paramedics arrived 10 minutes later, Annie had lost consciousness. According to the operator on the phone, Annie most likely suffered from a seizure and it was confirmed by the paramedics who eventually arrived when Jon explained them what he witnessed.
It was Jeff who was impatiently waiting for them outside the emergency ward when Jon arrived with the paramedics. "What happened Jon?" it was worry that flashed in Jeff's eyes as they watched the paramedics wheel Annie inside the emergency room. Jon could only look at the older man, the words were hard to say. He wanted to cry, he was tempted to. The last time that Jon experienced something like this where he has to call 911 was when he lost his last and only family member.
"I don't know," tiredly, it was what he managed to say out loud. "They said she had a seizure, that's all I know," collapsing in one of the chairs outside the emergency room, Jon buried his face in his hands and held back the unwelcomed feeling of fear. He's a grown man now, fear had been something he had been immune to for so many years but it crept to him, like an unwelcomed old friend.
stay tuned for next chapter ~~