Page 19
Story: His Ring, Her Rules
I want to make sure that I fix his bond with Kena and get him to stop smoking while I’m with him. And, of course, you should find out why this marriage is happening. How can I not remember that? That question has been bothering me since the beginning.
But I still need to be at least a friend to him…
It was midnight, and Jaxon still hadn’t come back. He should have come back a few hours ago, but he didn’t.
I was starting to worry…
I was going to call him again because he didn’t answer my phone, but then I heard the front door open and then slam shut.
I saw a Jaxon heading up the stairs with disheveled hair and the first few buttons of his shirt undone when I left my room. He seemed unhappy…
When he walked by, I said, “Jaxon?” but he didn’t look at me.
He sat on the bed and looked down at the floor as I followed him into his room.
I sat next to him.
“Why are you…here?” he said in a drunken voice.
He was inebriated.
I questioned, “Did you drive yourself?”
He glanced at me and said, “No, I called Jack.” Jack was his driver.
“That’s good.”
He was inebriated, but not too much. He looked to be in control.
I cautiously reached out and caressed his cheeks, which made his whole body stiffen, but I didn’t stop cupping his cheek.
I enquired very quietly, “What’s wrong?”
He glanced at me with perplexity, then closed his eyes for a time. The scowl on his face went away, but only for a second before it came back when he opened his eyes.
He gently took my hand off his cheek and said, “Nothing.”
I brushed my fingers through his smooth, soft hair to make it a little neater. “I am your wife, so you can tell me,” I said.
He let out a big sigh.
I carefully leaned my head against his forearm while I was seated next to him.
He suddenly said, “You are too good for me, Vivian,” which surprised me. I looked up at him, and he was staring at me so intensely that I melted.
“You are too good,” he continued again. “I don’t deserve you. You don’t deserve to be in a marriage like this. You have such a wonderful heart. Why can’t you hate me? And why can’t I hate you too?
“I keep hurting you, and you keep coming back…”
He looked at me with a storm in his eyes. He could be drunk a lot, or else he wouldn’t say those things while he’s sober.
“You—” he started again, but I stopped him.
“Shhh…go to sleep, Jaxon,” I said, keeping my finger on his lips. I’m worried he’ll say something he regrets.
He took off his coat and then began to unbutton his shirt, but his hands were shaking so much that I helped him take it off.
His biceps, abs, and muscles, oh God!
He stood up and unbuckled his trousers. I hurriedly shielded my eyes and said, “You can’t change here!”
He didn’t listen to me, though, and took it off as I glanced through my hand and saw him standing there in his boxers.
Oh my God!
I stood up and walked towards the door, keeping my eyes on the floor. Just as I was about to open it, he shouted, “Stay.”
“But—”
“Please.”
Can you believe that Jaxon Dante said please to me? Okay, maybe I’m overreacting.
He lay down on one side of the bed, and as I was still standing there, he patted the spot next to him.
I gulped and got into the duvet next to him, my heart racing.
I turned my back to him, but the next thing I knew, he had his arm around my waist and was pulling me into his rock-hard chest. He then buried his face in the crook of my neck.
I was so astonished by what he did that I was going to ask him about it, but then I heard him snoring softly.
How could he fall asleep so quickly?
I have no idea what will happen tomorrow when he is sober and knows what occurred today.
Please, God, help me!
The sun was shining right on my face, and I sighed. Who the heck took down the curtains?
I opened my eyes in anger, and then I yelled.
When I opened my eyes, I saw Jaxon lying next to me with his elbow propped up, staring at me with a scowl. His hair appeared moist, so it seemed like he had already had a bath. Why didn’t he wake me up earlier?
“Could you please tell me what you’re doing in my room?” he requested.
“Especially, what are you doing on my bed?” he said.
I got up upright while he was still lying there and said, “Um…you were drunk last night…”
“So, you used me?”
I couldn’t believe it. “What?! No, of course not!”
“Then?”
“You made me stay with you,” I murmured, looking down.
He doesn’t remember anything, and what if he doesn’t trust me?
He sat up and replied, “You could have left anyway.”
I got out of bed and ran my fingers through my hair. “But you insisted.”
He got up, too. “But it wasn’t like I handcuffed you or anything. You could have left. Or you could have left after I fell asleep.”
“I thought about it, but you had a strong hold on me, and if I had left, you would have woken up.”
“So what?”
“What do you mean by ‘so what’? You were sleeping, and I didn’t want to wake you up, and… that’s all.”
He stepped over and crossed his arms. “It wasn’t that big of a deal. I wouldn’t have killed you or anything if I had woken up.”
“You looked really sad, Jaxon. And—”
“Why didn’t you just leave me alone?”
I stopped. Jaxon is very different when he’s drunk and when he’s sober. Drunk Jaxon wanted me to remain, but sober Jaxon wanted to know why I didn’t leave him alone.
“Because…” I stopped talking, which made him frown.
“Why?”
“Because I care about you, Jaxon.”
The frown went away, and now he was just gazing at me. His expression was blank as if he couldn’t understand anything that I said or did.
He turned around and didn’t look me in the eye. He turned his back to me and replied, “I never asked you to care for me.”
I was shocked when he said that. It destroyed my heart. I didn’t want him to care for me, too; I only wanted him to know that I did. All he had to say was, “I never asked you to care about me.”
“That doesn’t matter, Jaxon. You’re my husband, and I just care about you. It doesn’t matter if you asked me or not.”
“Leave me alone.”
That was it; I left his room right away.
Why Jaxon why? Why don’t you want me to take care of you? Can I fix you?
Again.
He ignored me again. As soon as the meeting was over, he went without even looking at me. He doesn’t continually gaze at me, but he does know who I am.
He hasn’t talked to me in a week. He avoided me ever since the day I left his room.
He goes to work much earlier than I do, and I have to go to work alone. He gets home extremely late. And if he gets home early and has to have supper with me, he simply sits there quietly and focuses on the food.
But I still need to be at least a friend to him…
It was midnight, and Jaxon still hadn’t come back. He should have come back a few hours ago, but he didn’t.
I was starting to worry…
I was going to call him again because he didn’t answer my phone, but then I heard the front door open and then slam shut.
I saw a Jaxon heading up the stairs with disheveled hair and the first few buttons of his shirt undone when I left my room. He seemed unhappy…
When he walked by, I said, “Jaxon?” but he didn’t look at me.
He sat on the bed and looked down at the floor as I followed him into his room.
I sat next to him.
“Why are you…here?” he said in a drunken voice.
He was inebriated.
I questioned, “Did you drive yourself?”
He glanced at me and said, “No, I called Jack.” Jack was his driver.
“That’s good.”
He was inebriated, but not too much. He looked to be in control.
I cautiously reached out and caressed his cheeks, which made his whole body stiffen, but I didn’t stop cupping his cheek.
I enquired very quietly, “What’s wrong?”
He glanced at me with perplexity, then closed his eyes for a time. The scowl on his face went away, but only for a second before it came back when he opened his eyes.
He gently took my hand off his cheek and said, “Nothing.”
I brushed my fingers through his smooth, soft hair to make it a little neater. “I am your wife, so you can tell me,” I said.
He let out a big sigh.
I carefully leaned my head against his forearm while I was seated next to him.
He suddenly said, “You are too good for me, Vivian,” which surprised me. I looked up at him, and he was staring at me so intensely that I melted.
“You are too good,” he continued again. “I don’t deserve you. You don’t deserve to be in a marriage like this. You have such a wonderful heart. Why can’t you hate me? And why can’t I hate you too?
“I keep hurting you, and you keep coming back…”
He looked at me with a storm in his eyes. He could be drunk a lot, or else he wouldn’t say those things while he’s sober.
“You—” he started again, but I stopped him.
“Shhh…go to sleep, Jaxon,” I said, keeping my finger on his lips. I’m worried he’ll say something he regrets.
He took off his coat and then began to unbutton his shirt, but his hands were shaking so much that I helped him take it off.
His biceps, abs, and muscles, oh God!
He stood up and unbuckled his trousers. I hurriedly shielded my eyes and said, “You can’t change here!”
He didn’t listen to me, though, and took it off as I glanced through my hand and saw him standing there in his boxers.
Oh my God!
I stood up and walked towards the door, keeping my eyes on the floor. Just as I was about to open it, he shouted, “Stay.”
“But—”
“Please.”
Can you believe that Jaxon Dante said please to me? Okay, maybe I’m overreacting.
He lay down on one side of the bed, and as I was still standing there, he patted the spot next to him.
I gulped and got into the duvet next to him, my heart racing.
I turned my back to him, but the next thing I knew, he had his arm around my waist and was pulling me into his rock-hard chest. He then buried his face in the crook of my neck.
I was so astonished by what he did that I was going to ask him about it, but then I heard him snoring softly.
How could he fall asleep so quickly?
I have no idea what will happen tomorrow when he is sober and knows what occurred today.
Please, God, help me!
The sun was shining right on my face, and I sighed. Who the heck took down the curtains?
I opened my eyes in anger, and then I yelled.
When I opened my eyes, I saw Jaxon lying next to me with his elbow propped up, staring at me with a scowl. His hair appeared moist, so it seemed like he had already had a bath. Why didn’t he wake me up earlier?
“Could you please tell me what you’re doing in my room?” he requested.
“Especially, what are you doing on my bed?” he said.
I got up upright while he was still lying there and said, “Um…you were drunk last night…”
“So, you used me?”
I couldn’t believe it. “What?! No, of course not!”
“Then?”
“You made me stay with you,” I murmured, looking down.
He doesn’t remember anything, and what if he doesn’t trust me?
He sat up and replied, “You could have left anyway.”
I got out of bed and ran my fingers through my hair. “But you insisted.”
He got up, too. “But it wasn’t like I handcuffed you or anything. You could have left. Or you could have left after I fell asleep.”
“I thought about it, but you had a strong hold on me, and if I had left, you would have woken up.”
“So what?”
“What do you mean by ‘so what’? You were sleeping, and I didn’t want to wake you up, and… that’s all.”
He stepped over and crossed his arms. “It wasn’t that big of a deal. I wouldn’t have killed you or anything if I had woken up.”
“You looked really sad, Jaxon. And—”
“Why didn’t you just leave me alone?”
I stopped. Jaxon is very different when he’s drunk and when he’s sober. Drunk Jaxon wanted me to remain, but sober Jaxon wanted to know why I didn’t leave him alone.
“Because…” I stopped talking, which made him frown.
“Why?”
“Because I care about you, Jaxon.”
The frown went away, and now he was just gazing at me. His expression was blank as if he couldn’t understand anything that I said or did.
He turned around and didn’t look me in the eye. He turned his back to me and replied, “I never asked you to care for me.”
I was shocked when he said that. It destroyed my heart. I didn’t want him to care for me, too; I only wanted him to know that I did. All he had to say was, “I never asked you to care about me.”
“That doesn’t matter, Jaxon. You’re my husband, and I just care about you. It doesn’t matter if you asked me or not.”
“Leave me alone.”
That was it; I left his room right away.
Why Jaxon why? Why don’t you want me to take care of you? Can I fix you?
Again.
He ignored me again. As soon as the meeting was over, he went without even looking at me. He doesn’t continually gaze at me, but he does know who I am.
He hasn’t talked to me in a week. He avoided me ever since the day I left his room.
He goes to work much earlier than I do, and I have to go to work alone. He gets home extremely late. And if he gets home early and has to have supper with me, he simply sits there quietly and focuses on the food.