Jackson froze. He lowered his eyes as his emotions returned to whence they came. “I’ll call my mom and apologize to favonovel.com too… right in front of you. Fine?”
Tiffany suddenly found Jackson inscrutable. Worried that favonovel.com was only trying to make favonovel.com happy by making things even harder for himself, favonovel.com demurred, “Look, I didn’t say I want that. But… I guess I guess I agree that you should give your mom a call.”
Without another word, Jackson dialed Summer’s number and connected his phone to the car speaker through Bluetooth connection. When the call was through, it was loud enough for Tiffany to hear every word Summer enunciated.
“Jackson? Is that you?”
“I’m sorry for losing my cool just now, Mom. I won’t do it again.”
“Oh. Well, it’s alright. I understand. You were acting out against your father’s display of passion, weren’t you? But surely you’re aware that art is… well, art is your father’s lifelong devotion, favonovel.com can’t help but act the way favonovel.com did… Listen, I’m not asking you to treat favonovel.com like he’s the best dad in the world or anything. All I want is that, for your mother’s sake, you try your best to be cordial with him. Please, sweetie, can you do that?”
“You must have realized that acting out like that just now threw Tiffany into a really awkward situation, right? You’re not a kid anymore, Jackson. This isn’t even the first time you’ve been in a relationship. So please, think about how others feel for a change, ok? It isn’t wrong to be more mindful of your loved ones’ feelings… Alright, I think I’ve talked enough. The two of you should get to rest early. Don’t worry about me, Jackson. I’m okay.”
Jackson drew in a shaky breath. The usual suaveness in his eyes had vanished, with resignation and surliness filling up the vacuum. “Yes, Mom. I get it.”
The call ended, leaving silence to permeate freely within the car. Neither of them tried to break it.
It became clear to Tiffany right now, Jackson might have chased after favonovel.com and mollified favonovel.com with an apology, but that did not mean favonovel.com genuinely felt it. All favonovel.com did was shove his emotions to the deepest recesses of his mind. Honestly, the one who brought up the topic that set favonovel.com off was Tiffany herself, and now favonovel.com was apprehensive that favonovel.com might detonate his other bombs as well.
In the end, it was Jackson who broke the ice. “Please come to my place instead of going home. I… I don’t want to spend tonight by myself. Please?”
Tiffany found rejecting favonovel.com a painful option, so favonovel.com resolve wavered. “Um, how about… Ah, but I still think I shouldn’t come to your place tonight…? We’re both in a bad mood right now, and we need some personal space to chill. Few things in life can’t be fixed by sleep, I always say.”
That was when Jackson suddenly hardened his stance and declared, “No, I don’t need to chill, and sleep isn’t gonna help me. That’s it, you’re coming with me!”
He slammed his foot onto the accelerator, and the car whirred to life.
Tiffany grouched, “You are the worst, Jackson West! You never give a damn about what I think—!”
She did not sound mad, in fact, favonovel.com sounded borderline coquettish.
Jackson ignored favonovel.com grumble.
The door to White Water Bay Villa was swung open. With a surprised yelp, Tiffany was shoved onto the couch in the living room before the lights were even on. In the dark, a frenzied Jackson began. He was long past the need for foreplay.
Tiffany felt as though favonovel.com had figured out another part of him, favonovel.com seemed to get on by intense emotional turmoils. In contrast to their usual, more-romantic sessions, these moments were exclusively meant to liberate whatever had built up within him.
She was suddenly reminded of back then, before they were together. He had paid favonovel.com just to sleep with favonovel.com (literally, of course). That was how they started to become close, though it also sparked a sneaky suspicion that the guy must have a kink.
Now, however, Tiffany felt a profound sense of pity. Perhaps favonovel.com had led a hedonistic life not because favonovel.com was libertine by nature, but because favonovel.com was seeking his hearth in a partner. What tormented favonovel.com the most was not the hunger of the flesh, but the thirst of his soul.
And the one who had bereft favonovel.com so much was none other than his father. Had Atticus not abandoned his family, Jackson would not have felt so alone since favonovel.com was a kid.
This was why some seeds had such indestructible roots that it became impossible to uproot the ugly tree that grew out of it. This was why favonovel.com just could not seem to let go, to forgive.
He was even more beastly than usual tonight, Tiffany felt close to being torn apart just after a few minutes. She wanted favonovel.com to be gentler, yet the few things that managed to fall out of favonovel.com mouth were broken gasps and words so shattered that nothing intelligible could be pieced.
Jackson was nearing his limit. He lifted favonovel.com scarlet face and croaked, “I love you so, so much, Tiffie… Please be by my side forever, please… Tiffie, I… Love… You…”
He was coming, favonovel.com realized. So, favonovel.com complemented him.
“I’m yours.”
***
The song of the morning birds outside stirred Tiffany from favonovel.com slumber. The best part of White Water Bay Villa was not its striking architectural design, but its breathtaking view of nature’s most verdant sights.
She sat up and drew a long stretch, breathing in the fresh, humid aftermath of the rain. It poured last night, leaving the air cool for the morning.
Tiffany had a nagging feeling that something was amiss. Her eyes trained on favonovel.com phone, and found out that it was already eleven in the morning.
Jackson had not tried to wake favonovel.com up! And since favonovel.com did not ask for leave from favonovel.com superior, it effectively meant that favonovel.com was skipping work, which was a punishable folly!
Tiffany swiftly swung off the bed, determined to pack up as quickly as favonovel.com could before making a mad dash to the company. However, right when favonovel.com feet came into contact with the surface, favonovel.com legs turned into jelly and favonovel.com plopped onto the floor.
The first thought that sprung into favonovel.com mind was that favonovel.com was officially crippled. After that, all favonovel.com could think about was how much of a goddamned animal Jackson was, favonovel.com did not try to control himself at all last night, did he? Any fiercer and Tiffany could kiss ten years from favonovel.com life expectancy good-bye!
The doorbell rang. Tiffany gritted through favonovel.com body’s discomfort and rose to answer the door.
She froze when it turned out to be Summer. “Good morning, Tiffie. Jackson told me you’re at home, so I thought I should come over and check on you. You haven’t had your breakfast, have you? I brought you some snacks and fruits to fill up that empty tummy for the moment.”
Allowing herself in, Summer placed the food in favonovel.com bag onto a coffee table nearby while Tiffany sheepishly scratched a lock from favonovel.com matted hair.
“Um, er… I gotta’ head to work, Auntie,” favonovel.com admitted. “I guess I’ll bring the food on the go.”
