? ALL THE WRONG REASONS ?
❣️ EPISODE FIVE ❣️
She was wearing a white Sk-irt that goes all the way down to her knees, a white turtlen£¢k sleeveless blouse that hvgs her b©dy to perfection, showing her perfectly flat tummy and flatteringly-shaped brea-sts. She had tied her hair in a bun and put on very light make-up, a pair of white gold hoop
earrings, and a pair of white high-heeled stra-ppy sandals.
She was quite satisfied with herself when Justin rang her doorbell. He stared at her for about ten seconds. He didn’t say anything.
“Too much? Too less?” She asked uncertainly.
He chuckled. “For a woman perfectly confident of your writing skills, you are quite not confident that you can make heads turn even if you were on your pajamas.”
She blu-shed. “Then I trust that I look okay.”
He nodded and then pu-ll-ed her close to him. “More than okay. You’re a fox!” He said and then leaned down to k!ssher on thel-ips.
He took her to a French restaurant. He’s reserved a cubicle for them. It was perfect. No one except for the waiters could see them.
“Do you find the place suitable?” He asked her smiling.
She nodded. “Yes. I don’t know what I will do if Jill’s d@t£ decided to take her here as well.”
“I see, you haven’t told even your best friends that you know me.”
She stared at him. Then she shook her head. “No. I don’t even know what I’m doing.”
“You’re having a dinner d@t£ with me.” He said coolly.
“Yes. And I don’t know why.”
He took her hand in his. “If I were not me… would you tell them about this?”
It was a difficult question. She didn’t know what to answer.
“I don’t know.” She admitted. “It’s bad enough that I
cheated on my b©yfri£nd. Five times for three consecutive nights, to be exact.”
“I’m just a guy, Adrienne.” He said. “I hope you could see me as me, and not as Justin Adams. I wouldn’t like that.”
“Why? Justin Adams has a secret identity as well?”
He smiled. “Justin Adams is a name. A name I sometimes don’t like to carry at all. The person behind the name is different from what you hear about him… at least I hope.”
“We’ll see about that, won’t we?” Adrienne managed to wi-nk.
He nodded. “Yeah… we’ll see.”
It was perfectly fun and relaxing dinner d@t£. When he walked her to her door afterwards, he k!$$£d her softly. He stared at her. And then he k!$$£d her again… pas-sionately, this time.
He took a de-ep breath. “You better go in before I lose my control.” And then he smiled.
She smiled back. “Good night. Thank you for dinner.”
He nodded. Then she closed the door behind her and leaned against it. She was smiling. It was a perfect d@t£. He was a gentleman. It was like they started out on a one-night stand and he’s trying to prove that he’s not just after the S-x. It was like he’s trying to prove himself to her… that he’s not all what his reputation says. That Justin Adams is just a name. And the man inside is just human.
And yes… He isn’t the notorious rake she thought he was. He didn’t ravish her. He was actually gentle and s-en-sitive. And he’s surprisingly sweet.
She took a shower and got dressed in a lavender pajamas and a white spaghetti stra-p blouse.
Her phone rang. It was Troy.
“Hey. Surprised you still remember me.” She said
sarcastically.
“I’m sorry, honey. I was stupid.” He nodded. “I know it’s ha-rd to cope up with the pressure you receive from your mother. And I shouldn’t do the same thing to you. Maybe I could come visit you sometime.”
“Okay. That would be good.” She said. She tried so ha-rd to feel excited at the thought of Troy visiting her. She waited for that nerve to tick, for the thri-ll to flow… but there was none.
“So, what were you up to this week?” He asked her.
The first and only thing that c@m£ to her mind was Justin Adams. She waited for the guilt to start gnawing her. But it didn’t.
“Well, I went to Gypsys. It’s a bar. There was an opening,I had to write about it.”
“Who did you go with?” He asked.
“Just myself. Just checked it out.
“Did you drink?”
“No… of course I drank! Soda!” She lied.
“Adrienne, aren’t you thinking of ma-king a career change? I’m sure you are good at what you do. But… Girl magazine writing… going to bars and fashion shows… honey… that’s not a career! I mean… I mean… you could try at least a newspaper. And now, you’re telling me that you had to go to some bars to check out the place? What kind of bar is that. I don’t even think that it’s safe.”
She took a de-ep breath. Didn’t he just say sorry for
pressuring her like her mother?
“I hate to agree, but sometimes, your mother is right. Look at your sister. She’s in med school. I know you’re smart,But why take on a lower level of career? You could at least be a manager of some company. But writing about bars?”
“I told you before. I am not into medicine.”
“I know. I just hope we can have a more intellectual
conversation sometimes. I talked to Kim last week. She gave me a lot of pointers for my internsh!p. She is a god! She is so good. Come on, Yen. I’m not comparing you to her like your parents were. But I have to agree with them sometimes. You deserve a better job. Kim is going to be a head surgeon of some hospital someday and you will be like
at home writing a novel you may never publish. You’re still young. It’s never too late, sweetheart.”
She sighed. She realized that Troy sounds like a lovesick twelve-year old when he talks about Kim. This infuriated her, actually. There was a time in her life, that she thought herself in love with him.
“I have a deadline to meet, Troy. Let’s talk about this some other time.” She hung up.
Now she was really mad. Tears were rolling down her cheeks. Now, even her b©yfri£ndis nagging her about Kim! Can’t anyb©dy see that is doing extremely well on her own? And even if she was not, does Kim always to be the measure of her achievements?
She cried ha-rder and then she wiped the tears away from her eyes. She took her keys and went out of her ap@rtment.
She wasn’t sure what she was doing. But soon, she was ringing the doorbell of the ap@rtment across her.
Justin answered after two rings. He was wearing pajamas and n-ked on t©p. One look at her softened his expression.
“Hey, what’s wrong?” He asked.
She shook her head. He pu-ll-ed her to him and gave her a hvg. She cried silently in his shoulders.
He was c@r£ss!ngher head. Giving light k!sses on her temple.
When she finished, she pu-ll-ed away and stared up at him. He wiped the tears in her cheeks.
“Wanna talk about it?” He asked.
She shook her head.
He stared at her for a moment and then nodded. He pu-ll-ed her inside and closed the door behind them.
“Did I disturb you?” She asked.
“No. Not at all.” He replied. “I was… just about to… well, call you.”
This surprised her.
“Why?”
He shrugged. “I have nothing to do. I was just about to see if you’re up for a chat. But your line was busy, so I figured I’d try again after a few minutes. And here you are.”
He took her hand in his and led her to his be-droom. He pu-ll-ed the covers away and la-id on it. He pu-ll-ed her by the hand to motion her to lie beside him.
He put his arms around her and she nestled her head in his shoulder.
“Parents?” He asked quietly.
She shook her head.
“b©yfri£nd?” He asked again.
She shrugged. “All of them. It’s like my life is made up of one mundane thing. My sister who is overshadowing me. I am happy for her. But can anyone just be happy for me?”
He ca-ressed her head. “No one likes what they don’t un-derstand.” He said. “They don’t know you that well,Just st©p living your life the way other people wanted you to live it. Live it for yourself.”
“Like you?” She asked.
“I don’t know. Yeah. Maybe. My parents wanted me to be someone else as well. And I know I can’t escape that path,So I’m trying to learn as much from life now. So I’ll be more re-ady when I take that path.”
“You were doing good by yourself.” She said.
“Yes. But I can’t live in ph0tos and stocks all my life. And who’s going to take over the family business? My cousins from the mother side? No, I wouldn’t want it that way. It wouldn’t be right. My father’s father started the empire. It has to be his blood to continue growing it.”
“So when do you intend to start learning the ropes that you should have been learning for years now?”
He shrugged. “After this year. I’ve made well for myself.At least people can’t say, I bec@m£ rich because I had a rich dad. That’s just the stereotype I wanted to escape.”
“At least your future is brighter than mine.” She gr-unted.
“What do you really want to do with your life?” He asked.
“I love what I am doing now. I love writing. I mean, it’s my pas-sion. It’s not just a hobby. But I also want to invest in something. I want to earn money somewhere else.” She said.
“Like what?”
She shook her head. “I don’t know. Stocks maybe. But I have no idea what to do. So I couldn’t possibly pla-y.”
“You’re serious?” He asked.
She shrugged.
“I can show you. I can teach you how. You don’t have to invest that much. You can start with five hundred bucks. See where it gets you. If you feel that you want to do it… we’ll increase the investment. I’ll guide you all the way.”
“Really? Five hundred grand?” She stared up at him.
He nodded.
The idea actually excited her. And she felt like this could work. She can write and she can invest somewhere.
“Okay. What do I have to do first?” She asked.
“Look up Wallstreet numbers and find a company you like. re-ad about how they’re doing in the past year and in the previous months. That’s how you decide first which company to pl@yfor.”
She smiled. “I could do that.”
He nodded. “Yes. Don’t worry. I teach how to call the sh0ts, if I scre-w up on my advise and you lose money, I’ll cover your losses.”
“Why would you do that?”
“Because it will teach me how to be a better teacher.”
She giggled.
“Then it’s a deal then.” She said.
They went silent for a while. “Thank you, Justin.” She said. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have bothered you. But…” she sighed. “You live closer to me than Jill and Yuan.”
He chuckled. “See? You can even joke un-der distress. That’s the Adrienne that should always be out in the open. I think it’s the real Adrienne all along. Don’t try to be someone that other people want you to be. The real Adrienne is wonderful and beautiful just as she is.”
“That’s the Adrienne you met at Gypsy’s.” She said.
“The Adrienne that has a long, happy and colorful life to live.” He said.
For a while, they just lied there. Not saying anything. Then he tilted her chin up and k!$$£d her. After the k!ss, he pu-ll-ed up the covers to her chin and turned off the lights. He felt him enclose her in his arms.
“Good night, Adrienne.” He said.
“Good night, Justin.” She whispered.
He’s really going to sleep now? p@rt of her was happy that he didn’t suggest that they make love tonight, that he seems content to just sleep with her in his arms. But p@rt of her is disappointed, because de-ep inside she knew she craved him with every fabric of her feminine being.
She looked up his face in the dark, illuminated by the light that comes from the window.
He really is handsome. He’s got perfect nose, thinl-ips, strong jaw. And she is lying on his arms. Without nee-d to say that she’ll spend the night, knowing that she just had a bad moment, and she nee-ded company, he is holding her, and he pu-ll-ed the covers to keep her warm.
She reached up and traced his chin with her f!ngers. She was surprised when he suddenly shifted and pinned her between the be-d and his b©dy.
She skrie-ked and laughed.
He was looking at her in that devilish look of his. He was half-smiling.
“Didn’t you think that I could just be holding on to the last string of whatever control and chivalry I have in my b©dy?” He asked her wickedly.
She shook her head.
“Come on. Let’s go to sleep.”
He shook his head. “You had that chance a minute ago. You didn’t take it.”
She laughed. “plea-se, Justin…”
She watched helplessly as his face descended towards hers and he took herl-ips in one head-spinning k!ss.
Then he nuzzled her n£¢k and she m0@n ed in plea-sure. She wra-pped his arms around his n£¢k and ca-ressed his hair. He k!$$£d her on thel-ips and she k!$$£d him back.
In a minute, they were both n-ked. They made love slowly. He ca-ressed her. He k!$$£d every inch of her skin. He made her feel adored. He made her feel beautiful. She realized it was when she is with him that she felt appreciated. Troy made her feel she wasn’t good enough. Her parents made her feel she will never be good as her sister. But with Justin… she felt she could be the best she can be.
She felt exhausted when they finished. They cu-mddled, locked in each other’s embr@ce. He was c@r£ss!ngher hair.
“You okay?” He asked.
She nodded. “Hmm… tired… aren’t you hungry?” She said.
He looked down at her. “Are you?”
“Suddenly… I feel a bit hungry.” She smiled.
“Dinner wasn’t good enough?” He asked smiling.
She giggled. “It was. But the…” She trailed off. She was going to say S-x but not sure how to say it.
“Lovema-king was better?” He suggested smugly.
She jabbe-d him gently on the ribs.
“How smug!” she said.
She stood up and quic-kly got dressed.
Justin followed her to the kitchen where she raided his fridge and he sat at the counter.
“Hmm… you have microwaveable pasta?”
He smiled sheepishly. “What do you expect? Living life on the fast lane. Everything had to be on the go.”
She raised a brow, sort of like scolding him silently.
He held his hands up. “Alright. Maybe sometime you can cook for me. Can you cook?”
She raised a brow at him. “Alright Mister! What do you want? Thai? Chinese? Japanese? Mexican?”
He laughed. “Whoa! Never challenge Ms. Miller on her cooking skills.”
She decided to fry some patties.
“Beer? Soda?” She asked.
“Let’s have beer.” He said.
“You have beer. I’ll have soda.” She asked.
“Not a beer person, huh?”
She stared at him. “Not a drinking person.”
“Come on. Time for change, remember?” He said, his eyes filled with challenge.
“Alright. I’m with Justin Adams.” She smiled.
“We both learn something from each other.” He grinned.
They went to the balcony where they ate the patties and drank beer.
“How old is this sister of yours?” He asked.
“Twenty-eight. Two years my s£nior.”
“So, what is she? Miss thing?” He asked.
She shrugged. “At least that’s what my mom and my b©yfri£ndthink. They thought my writing is just a lame excuse to make a living.”
He looked over at her ap@rtment. “I’d say it’s a hell more than that for you to afford that ap@rtment of yours. Have they been there?”
She shook her head. “They don’t even know my address.”
“Well, I’d say don’t think too much about that. We’re not so different, you know. My father thinks I will live on the streets and won’t be able to sustain the lifestyle I grew up in unless I worked for him. But I think I’m doing fairly well. I have money and time in my hands. I can sustain my vices.”
“Vices?” She asked.
He shrugged. “Cars. Gadgets.”
She nodded. Honestly, she felt relieved. He must have noticed because he took her hand in his and laughed.
“No, Ma’am. Don’t do drugs, no gambling, no white slavery or dealing with terrorist acts, not even prostitution or encouraging of such.” Then he k!$$£d her hand gently.
After they were done eating, Adrienne insisted she wash the dishes, while Justin cleared the bottles in the balcony.
“So, are you serious about the stocks thing?” He asked.
She nodded. “I will give it a try.”
He smiled. “Alright! You’re learning to risk more now.”
Her eyebrows sh0t up. “Yes. And it started the day Gypsys opened. That damned place should be shut down! I should have written a nas-ty review.”
He laughed. “Don’t blame the place. It was in you. You have a free spirit dying to get out. You sound like you’ve never had fun in your life.”
“Well, you didn’t have the parents I have.”
“I have worse. But still, it didn’t st©p me from doing what I want.”
“At least they spoiled you a little.”
He shrugged. “Maybe. But that didn’t st©p me from having s-en-se either.”
“Yeah… among other things. You were known to be a snob. And you…” She st©pped.
“What?” He asked.
“And you were known to pl@yaround… with women…” She said putting the last plate in his dish dryer.
He was quiet for a while.
She thought she must have hurt his feelings. She felt guilty and scared at the same time.
“If you thought that was true about me… how come you’re here?” He asked quietly.
That ticked something inside her. That was the same question that she has been asking herself. If she knew who Justin Adams was and his reputation, then why is she still here? Why was she here in the first place?
She sighed. Anger was reeling inside her. “You know what? You’re right! Why am I here?” She snapped.
She turned on her heel and hastily headed for the door.
He ran after her and gr@bb£d her by the arm. She struggled to get away from his grip but he didn’t let her go.
“Damn it, Justin! Let me go! And you won’t expect to see me ever again!” She said.
He wra-pped his arms around her w@!st.
He didn’t say a word. He just hvgged her. ti-ghtly. Tears were rolling down her cheeks but she refused to let a whimper escape her.
“Honey, help me out here.” He whispered in her ear, very gently, it made her cry more.
She didn’t answer.
“I’m sorry.” He said. He tilted her face to him, and she turned away. “I just… think it’s unfair. You have been looking at me based on my reputation from day one. For a moment, I believed that you could see me the other way. You could see the man beneath the Justin Adams coat.”
She stared at him. She saw in his face that he was
struggling.
“Why does it matter what I think about you?” She asked him squarely.
His expression softened and he smiled sheepishly. “It just does.” He wiped the tears in her cheeks.
“I have to go.” She said.
He shook his head. “Let’s plea-se not leave it like this.” He seemed to be pleading.
Then she realized that he was right. And anyway, it
shouldn’t matter if Justin was the as-s-hole his reputation says he was. She promised to keep her heart intact. Why does It matter? And it is unfair to think of him that way, because she has been given a chance to see him un-derneath the Justin Adams coat.
And he is actually great. He does have a soul. What she said was unfair. She wasn’t looking forward for this thing to end in happily ever after. It never will.This is the breather she nee-ded. Justin Adams is giving her a chance to live her life the way she should have lived it. He is giving her the courage to try out the things she has never tried out before.
This thing they share—the temporary insanity… the
mutual but short-term pas-sion… is turning to do her more good than bad, anyway. And she was being unfair thinking that he was an as-s, when she was the one pla-ying games here.
She felt sorry now. She felt guilty. She reached up and t©uçhed his cheek gently.
“I’m sorry.” She whispered. “I was out of line. I don’t care lwhat your reputation says. I mean… it doesn’t matter to me. It wouldn’t have an impact on my life. I’m the one who’s cheating on my friends and my b©yfri£ndhere. I’m sorry.”
He smiled. “We’re teaching each other how to live.”
“Yeah… I know. I guess we should leave it for what it is.”
He nodded. He k!$$£d her pas-sionately. She responded with the same pas-sion.
He bent down and carried her in his arms.
“Hey… I said I had to go.” She said.
He grinned. “Oh no. You were set out to spend the night here two hours ago. You’re going to do just that.”
She raised an eyebrow.
“You’re impossible! You’re too smug!”
He laughed as he set her down on the be-d.
“I’m gonna nee-d to brush my teeth.” She said.
He smiled and pu-ll-ed her up on her feet and led her to the bathroom, where he took out a br@nd new Electric toothbrush and handed it to her.
“You’re not giving me any other choice, are you?”
He shook his head.
She laughed and put toothpaste on her new toothbrush. After brushing their teeth, they both went to be-d and sle-pt in each other’s arms.