Branch Ninety Three
Jessica sat still waiting for him. She knew he was done trying to clean up after her so she should just cooperate at this point.
“I brought the things you would need for the meal out,” she said.
Xavier stood opposite him the island separating them from each other. Although the island was thin enough for her to climb over it was still a barrier between them.
“Okay,” Xavier said rolling up his sleeves. Jessica looked at his arm and she gulped hard.
It would be a hard task for her to control herself while watching him. She has to do it or else she might have to eat cereals and not be able to satisfy her cravings.
“What do I do first?” Xavier asked. He watched her as she shook her head trying to get him out. ‘What could she be thinking?’
He tapped the island separating them to call back her attention to him. “What do I do first?” he asked again when her eyes flew open.
“Wash the veggies I brought out,” she said pointing to the carrots and bell peppers alongside other greens.
“Again?” he asked his eyes widening.
“Or I could do it myself,” she said in a low voice pretending to stand up.
“Sit back down. I can do this” he said in more of an encouragement to himself.
“Can I really trust you?” she murmured to no one in particular.
“So I would wash this in the sink there,” he said placing the veggies in a fruit bowl. He turned to the sink and turned on the tap.
Jessica found herself drooling over his back. How the muscles flexed every time he moved. She watched his bare hand which she could see because of his rolled-up sleeves.
He turned back with the veggies in a strainer. “What next?” he asked. His voice sounded like he was eager to learn. She wondered why.
“Okay now you have to chop the veggies into reasonable sizes so they do not disappear in the pit while cooking,” she tells him and he begins to cut them on a board.
Jessica stared at his hand and caught herself. She cleared her nose and sniffed multiple times.
“Do you want water?” he asked when he heard her cough. He began to walk to the fridge when she stopped him.
“Oh please I am good,” she said stopping him.
“Are you sure?” he asked walking back to the board where he was chopping the veggies.
“Oh yes,” she said. ‘Water can’t solve this issue. I need to run far away from you before I get seduced any further’ she said inwardly.
She did not like that her emotions were focused on Xavier. She did want to forget Burke as soon as she could but she did not like that they shifted to him.
She knew because it was carefully and clearly stated that the two of them should not participate in romantic feelings for each other but no matter how hard she tried she could not help but fall in love with him.
‘I’m in love with him?’ she thought inwardly.
When the realization hit her she stood up abruptly and gasped out of fear.
She had fallen for him.
“What what what?” Xavier asked startled at her sudden movement.
“I think I want to go to the bathroom” she lied and moved to the bathroom.
“How do I complete the meal?” he shouted after her.
She opened the bathroom door and peeped outside to him. “Use YouTube. Search for stir-fry pasta” she said and closed the door back.
She stood in front of the mirror with her eyes wide open. “What are you doing?” she said in a hushed whisper.
“Was the break up with Burke not enough heartbreak for you? How can you go ahead to fall for him? Yeah I know he looks like a handsome irresistible character but how can you think of falling for him” she continued in the same voice intensity and tone.
She bent her head to the sink and splashed water on her face to wake her up. “Come on Jessica Penelope Delgado” she caught herself calling herself Delgado.
She staggered back from the mirror. “In less than a year he would have moved on from you and you would have to forget him no matter how hard you fall for him.
He is not interested in you and the earlier you know and accept this the better for you” she finished and wiped her face with the edge of her shirt.
“Jessica?” Xavier said knocking on the door. “You’ve been there a long while. Do you need help? Because I do need help” he added.
Jessica felt a small laugh escape her lips. She did not need help but he did. Was she going to have an unrequited love? Was that not strange? Was it not like things that happened in movies and romance novels?
“I would be out soon. Just give me a minute” she said flushing the toilet and then opening up the tap. She washed her hands under it and walked steadily to the door. She steadied herself by taking long and deep breaths.
She opened the foot and met him standing there.
“Why were you waiting?” she asked stepping out and closing the foot behind her.
“I was worried. You were in there for quite a long time” he tells her.
“Oh I was using the toilet,” she said trying to sound nonchalant about it. “You said you needed help?” she added to the question.
“Oh yeah, I got confused from the video,” he said walking ahead and she followed him.
‘There was no way he had feelings for her. He was too comfortable around him at this point that it would be impossible for him to fall for her.This belongs to NôvelDrama.Org: ©.
“Okay now you add the spices,” she said peering into the sauce pan on the gas burner.