Page 15
Story: His Ring, Her Rules
Empty pizza boxes were scattered around us while we played and ate pizza for dinner.
Kena yelled, “Finally!” after killing all of the adversaries, and then he turned off the PS4 because we had been playing for a while.
“I didn’t realize it was too late,” he remarked, looking at the wall clock.
He was correct—it was already quarter past ten.
“Kena?”
“Hmm?”
“You and Jaxon are childhood friends, right?”
He appeared perplexed when I suddenly asked him a question.
“Umm…yes. Why?”
“Nothing…I just…is Jaxon angry with you?” I’d wanted to question him for a long time since they’re closest friends, but they don’t behave that way. Jaxon does not even disguise his discomfort with his presence.
“No…he is not angry,” he replied, avoiding eye contact with me.
“But why does he act like that towards you?”
He sighed and lay back on the couch, “We’ve been like that since we were kids, Vivian. There’s nothing wrong.”
“No, I know it’s not necessary for two friends to show affection for each other, but Jaxon seems to not like you. I don’t mean to offend you, but he does accept you as his best friend, but you both don’t seem to get along; why?”
He closed his eyes for a second before opening them, still straight ahead.
“First of all…I am not supposed to tell you much, but all I can say is that he and I grew up together, and we were best of friends, but for the past ten years, he has built a wall around himself, and I have been trying for the past ten years to break that wall and hang out and do kinds of stuff like we used to before but he just doesn’t listen to me…we are still friends, we are like siblings, we love each other but Jaxon is…broken.”
I could only realize that Jaxon was broken. Why?
“What happened ten years back?”
“I can’t tell you…he will kill me. But all I can say is that Julia died ten years back, and since then…he had been blaming himself for her death.”
“Why is he blaming himself?!”
He gave me a sorrowful look and said, “You should ask him about that, not me, because I don’t want to die single.”
I let out a tiny giggle, but I wasn’t finished asking questions. “At least you can tell me what relationship he had with her, please?”
He glanced at me for a few seconds, unsure whether to tell me or not. He eventually uttered what he wanted to say: “Julia, Jaxon, and I were best friends, our families were friends, and we three grew up together; we were inseparable until death took her away. That’s all I can tell you.”
His eyes were hollow as he talked about her; they had lost their dearest buddy.
“Don’t tell Jaxon I told you all this because he doesn’t like to talk about all this to anyone,” according to him.
“I won’t tell him anything,” I told him, offering him a modest grin that he did not return.
“I should go… it’s very late”, and I responded with “Bye, Kena.”
I was ready to leave the penthouse when he said, “And Vivian?”
I turned around. “Yes?”
“Please… don’t leave him.”
I didn’t respond since I was still absorbing his remarks.
He went on: “He doesn’t show it, but…he needs you. He is broken, but I know that you can fix him up. He tries to be strong but believe me, he is not…he is very soft-hearted, but we all experience some things in our lives that change us. Give him some time; he is short-tempered. I know it is difficult sometimes to tolerate him, but please…just try.”
“You know what, he is a very possessive person even. Once, he got jealous just because I was talking to a boy who joined our school. I was helping him out, and he got so jealous about that. He doesn’t like sharing his things, but he has a heart of gold.”
“I don’t give up easily,” I told him, smiling.
I think I’m going to stick with Jaxon for a long time…
Entering the home, I opted to stroll silently to my bedroom without waking Jaxon because it was about eleven p.m. and I had been out for so long without informing him where I was going that my phone’s battery had expired, and I am sure he attempted to contact me.
But my attempt to sneak into my bedroom was foiled when I reached the top of the stairs and saw Jaxon standing there with crossed arms and a furious expression.
“Where were you?” he questioned.
“Um…I was with Kena,” I informed him but then remembered it may have sounded like something different to him, so I hastily added, “We were playing games.”
“I mean…on the PS4,” I repeated since my statements had two meanings.
“What happened to your phone?”
“Its battery has died,” I said.
He took a few steps closer to me, “You seem to spend a lot of time with Kena.”
“He’s my friend! Now don’t tell me you are jealous just because I went to his house and I hang out with him, blah…blah…blah.”
He went closer, and our closeness was already messing with my thoughts.
“Who said I was jealous?” he said, cocking his head.
“You don’t always have to use the exact words to express your feeling, and you can indirectly express it. And right now, you, Mr. Jaxon Dante, are jealous just because I was with your best friend. Right?”
“You two had dinner together?” He enquired, entirely ignoring what I had stated.
“Yes.”
“Was that a date?”
“You crazy?! Date? Seriously?! He is my friend, Jaxon. F-R-I-E-N-D!”
He studied my face for a few seconds before turning around and walking to his room.
“Why can’t you trust me? I am married to you, and I won’t cheat no matter what!” I said.
He paused in his tracks, took long breaths, and then turned around and approached me.
“It’s not about trust,” he said, his eyes brimming with inscrutable passion.
“But…” he moved closer, “you should remember who you belong to.”
Why can’t he keep some distance?
“Umm…what-whatever,” I mumbled and twisted sideways to get away from him, but I was quickly pushed up against the wall, my arms held over my head. We were so close that the tips of our noses touched.
Not again!
I felt really hot all of a sudden, and the reason was my spouse, who, if he hadn’t been an arsehole to me, I would have fallen for him right away.
“What are you doing?”
He dropped his head and buried his nose in the crook of my collar.
“Who do you belong to?” he murmured softly.
I was too astonished to talk; his hot breath on my neck and his lips brushing over my collarbone were driving me insane.
“Vivian, who do you belong to?” he said in an angry tone, although his voice remained low and husky.
I resolved to respond swiftly to him in order to separate myself from him.
“Vivian-” he spoke again, but I stopped him off since I knew what he was about to say.
“You.”
As I spoke, I could feel him smile against my neck, but he didn’t pull away; instead, he remained like that for a minute longer, making me lose my composure with each passing minute; he eventually freed my hands locked above my head and lifted his head from my neck.
“Good,” he grinned and then ruffled my hair like I was a child.
“No!” I complained, pulling his hand from my hair since I am usually upset when someone touches my hair.
But it didn’t stop him from ruffling my hair; on the contrary, he ruffled it even more since he knew I was becoming annoyed.
I pouted my lips unhappily, and he halted, his gaze darkening.
“Stop pouting your lips,” he said.
“Why?” Perhaps I know why.
“Just don’t.”
“Afraid to lose control?” I teased him, knowing full well that I was playing with fire.
Kena yelled, “Finally!” after killing all of the adversaries, and then he turned off the PS4 because we had been playing for a while.
“I didn’t realize it was too late,” he remarked, looking at the wall clock.
He was correct—it was already quarter past ten.
“Kena?”
“Hmm?”
“You and Jaxon are childhood friends, right?”
He appeared perplexed when I suddenly asked him a question.
“Umm…yes. Why?”
“Nothing…I just…is Jaxon angry with you?” I’d wanted to question him for a long time since they’re closest friends, but they don’t behave that way. Jaxon does not even disguise his discomfort with his presence.
“No…he is not angry,” he replied, avoiding eye contact with me.
“But why does he act like that towards you?”
He sighed and lay back on the couch, “We’ve been like that since we were kids, Vivian. There’s nothing wrong.”
“No, I know it’s not necessary for two friends to show affection for each other, but Jaxon seems to not like you. I don’t mean to offend you, but he does accept you as his best friend, but you both don’t seem to get along; why?”
He closed his eyes for a second before opening them, still straight ahead.
“First of all…I am not supposed to tell you much, but all I can say is that he and I grew up together, and we were best of friends, but for the past ten years, he has built a wall around himself, and I have been trying for the past ten years to break that wall and hang out and do kinds of stuff like we used to before but he just doesn’t listen to me…we are still friends, we are like siblings, we love each other but Jaxon is…broken.”
I could only realize that Jaxon was broken. Why?
“What happened ten years back?”
“I can’t tell you…he will kill me. But all I can say is that Julia died ten years back, and since then…he had been blaming himself for her death.”
“Why is he blaming himself?!”
He gave me a sorrowful look and said, “You should ask him about that, not me, because I don’t want to die single.”
I let out a tiny giggle, but I wasn’t finished asking questions. “At least you can tell me what relationship he had with her, please?”
He glanced at me for a few seconds, unsure whether to tell me or not. He eventually uttered what he wanted to say: “Julia, Jaxon, and I were best friends, our families were friends, and we three grew up together; we were inseparable until death took her away. That’s all I can tell you.”
His eyes were hollow as he talked about her; they had lost their dearest buddy.
“Don’t tell Jaxon I told you all this because he doesn’t like to talk about all this to anyone,” according to him.
“I won’t tell him anything,” I told him, offering him a modest grin that he did not return.
“I should go… it’s very late”, and I responded with “Bye, Kena.”
I was ready to leave the penthouse when he said, “And Vivian?”
I turned around. “Yes?”
“Please… don’t leave him.”
I didn’t respond since I was still absorbing his remarks.
He went on: “He doesn’t show it, but…he needs you. He is broken, but I know that you can fix him up. He tries to be strong but believe me, he is not…he is very soft-hearted, but we all experience some things in our lives that change us. Give him some time; he is short-tempered. I know it is difficult sometimes to tolerate him, but please…just try.”
“You know what, he is a very possessive person even. Once, he got jealous just because I was talking to a boy who joined our school. I was helping him out, and he got so jealous about that. He doesn’t like sharing his things, but he has a heart of gold.”
“I don’t give up easily,” I told him, smiling.
I think I’m going to stick with Jaxon for a long time…
Entering the home, I opted to stroll silently to my bedroom without waking Jaxon because it was about eleven p.m. and I had been out for so long without informing him where I was going that my phone’s battery had expired, and I am sure he attempted to contact me.
But my attempt to sneak into my bedroom was foiled when I reached the top of the stairs and saw Jaxon standing there with crossed arms and a furious expression.
“Where were you?” he questioned.
“Um…I was with Kena,” I informed him but then remembered it may have sounded like something different to him, so I hastily added, “We were playing games.”
“I mean…on the PS4,” I repeated since my statements had two meanings.
“What happened to your phone?”
“Its battery has died,” I said.
He took a few steps closer to me, “You seem to spend a lot of time with Kena.”
“He’s my friend! Now don’t tell me you are jealous just because I went to his house and I hang out with him, blah…blah…blah.”
He went closer, and our closeness was already messing with my thoughts.
“Who said I was jealous?” he said, cocking his head.
“You don’t always have to use the exact words to express your feeling, and you can indirectly express it. And right now, you, Mr. Jaxon Dante, are jealous just because I was with your best friend. Right?”
“You two had dinner together?” He enquired, entirely ignoring what I had stated.
“Yes.”
“Was that a date?”
“You crazy?! Date? Seriously?! He is my friend, Jaxon. F-R-I-E-N-D!”
He studied my face for a few seconds before turning around and walking to his room.
“Why can’t you trust me? I am married to you, and I won’t cheat no matter what!” I said.
He paused in his tracks, took long breaths, and then turned around and approached me.
“It’s not about trust,” he said, his eyes brimming with inscrutable passion.
“But…” he moved closer, “you should remember who you belong to.”
Why can’t he keep some distance?
“Umm…what-whatever,” I mumbled and twisted sideways to get away from him, but I was quickly pushed up against the wall, my arms held over my head. We were so close that the tips of our noses touched.
Not again!
I felt really hot all of a sudden, and the reason was my spouse, who, if he hadn’t been an arsehole to me, I would have fallen for him right away.
“What are you doing?”
He dropped his head and buried his nose in the crook of my collar.
“Who do you belong to?” he murmured softly.
I was too astonished to talk; his hot breath on my neck and his lips brushing over my collarbone were driving me insane.
“Vivian, who do you belong to?” he said in an angry tone, although his voice remained low and husky.
I resolved to respond swiftly to him in order to separate myself from him.
“Vivian-” he spoke again, but I stopped him off since I knew what he was about to say.
“You.”
As I spoke, I could feel him smile against my neck, but he didn’t pull away; instead, he remained like that for a minute longer, making me lose my composure with each passing minute; he eventually freed my hands locked above my head and lifted his head from my neck.
“Good,” he grinned and then ruffled my hair like I was a child.
“No!” I complained, pulling his hand from my hair since I am usually upset when someone touches my hair.
But it didn’t stop him from ruffling my hair; on the contrary, he ruffled it even more since he knew I was becoming annoyed.
I pouted my lips unhappily, and he halted, his gaze darkening.
“Stop pouting your lips,” he said.
“Why?” Perhaps I know why.
“Just don’t.”
“Afraid to lose control?” I teased him, knowing full well that I was playing with fire.