Her Substitute Groom

Connor POV

“When are you leaving his house?” I asked Claire on the phone and heard her sigh.

“Dad called me earlier and told me that they won’t be back until a few weeks. They were asking me to go stay at Mom’s friend’s house, but that is the last thing I would ever do,” she sighed again, and I felt bad for her.

“Do you want to go to the penthouse and stay with Chase?” I asked her. Allowing her to stay with Khan was the last thing I would do.

“Dad is going to be mad at me if he finds out about it,” She whined, and I got that she was scared.

“What are you going to do then? I can’t allow you to stay with Khan. I don’t trust him,” I said to her point blank, and she scoffed.

“Are you kidding me? Don’t even think of it, Connor. I’m not planning to have a boyfriend now, and even if I’m ever going to, that’s definitely not your friend. He is not my style,” I almost burst into laughter when she said that. It was the first time I heard a girl say that Khan was not her style. Ladies go crazy for him, and it’s really surprising to hear that from her.

“I’m sending you money to go lodge at a hotel later. Don’t stay with him, regardless. I don’t trust him…”

“Why waste money when there’s a place to stay here? I told you he’s not my style. Even if you don’t trust him, you should at least trust me. I can’t stay in the hotel room alone for the next few weeks, so it’s risky…” She paused and sighed.

“I’m staying here with him until Mom and Dad come back, and I promise you that nothing will happen. He is really not my style,” She stated and the call disconnected before I could say another thing.

“This girl,” I mumbled and slumped on the bed.

‘My sister has decided to stay with you until my parents come back from their trip. Don’t try shit with her if you don’t want to lose your life. Trust me, I’m really going to to kill you if you try anything stupid with her. You know how much I love her, right? Anyway, thanks for yesterday’ I typed the message in my phone and sent it to him. I threw my phone on the bed and dragged myself to the bathroom to bathe since I just got back from the gym.

Standing under the show, Janice’s image popped in my head. The pain in her eyes earlier, the anger, the desires. Just her whole expression back there was imprinted in my head and wouldn’t leave no matter how much I tried to push it off, and it only left me asking myself why she was being like that.

“Maybe she was just messing with you,” I concluded and finally turned the shower off when I was done bathing. I grabbed a white towel from the towel rack and wrapped it around my waist, then took another one I was going to need later in the room to dry my hair.

I dragged myself back into the room, but I stopped in my tracks when I found Janice inside my room, sitting on my bed. I almost jumped out of my skin as I wasn’t expecting her here.

“Ja… Janice?” I called to be sure that I wasn’t hallucinating, and when she glared hard at me, I knew that she was really here.

“Why are you here?” I asked her, and she scoffed.Nôvel(D)rama.Org's content.

“Where is my headset? I can’t find it in my room,” She asked me, and I blinked my eyes confusingly. When did I ever see or use her headset?

“Yo… your headset? I don’t have it. And besides, you barely come to this room, and I don’t use a headset, so…” I was still speaking to her, but she advanced toward the door and stormed out of my room, slamming the door so hard that I almost flinched.

“Does she want to break the door?” I huffed and shook my head.

It took me just thirty minutes to cream my body and get dressed, and since I had nowhere to go, I left my room for the living room. Maybe I could just watch a movie or two today. I’m not a big fan of movie, but giving it a try today won’t harm, right?

Descending the staircase minutes later, I stopped when I perceived the aroma coming from the kitchen, and checking the time, I realized that it was past breakfast time although I’ve not eaten yet.

“Who would be cooking there?” I mumbled. Curious, I ambled toward the kitchen and pushed the door ajar, but my heart skipped at the sight that welcomed me. Janice was standing there with her back facing me, cladded in the sexiest dress I’d never seen her in. Bum shorts and a baggy polo that barely covered the shorts she was wearing, revealing her straight and sexy legs. What the fuck! Is she trying to seduce me?

She turned and caught me staring at her. I was expecting her to say something, but she just turned and continued what she was doing as if I was not even here.

“Ja… Janice? What are you doing?” I asked her, but she didn’t even spare me a glance. If we hadn’t seen each other today, and if I wasn’t sure, I would’ve concluded that I turned into a ghost she couldn’t see, but I was sure of it.

“Janice… Are you still mad at me? I already said I was sorry,” I whined, going to stand beside her, but she didn’t even look at me for once.

“Come on, Janice. Stop being like this. I told you I was going to make it up to you. I know what I did was wrong, so can you forgive me already?” I pouted my lips. I had no idea why I was suddenly acting like a kid trying to get his Mom to forgive him, but I was still doing it, anyway.

“Can you please?” I held her arm, but she yanked my hand off.

“I’m not in the mood for that,” She just said flatly then took the noodles she served on the plate, and walked out of the kitchen.

“Is she going to be like this?” I scoffed unbelievably and followed her. It felt like I wasn’t in my right sense at that moment. The Connor I’ve been would never do that for any woman, so what was I doing now? I asked myself, but again, it felt like something kept opposing my thoughts, telling me that it was fine to be like that, besides I hurt her by keeping her awake.

“Should we go for a drive or go out to eat? We could go to the beach to have fun, you know? Anything to make you forgive me,” I tried to convince her as I sat in front of her in the dining room, but she kept eating and didn’t say a word.

“Can you talk to me, Janice?” I held her hand, but she retracted it immediately, and I sighed. I sat aimlessly in front of her and watched her eat the noodles until there was nothing left on her plate.

“I will take the plate to the kitchen for you,” I quickly stood up and snatched the plate from her when she stood to go to the kitchen, and she rolled her eyes.

“Suit yourself then,” She rolled her eyes at me and walked away.

“Ugh! Have I lost my mind or what? Why am I even doing this for her?” I scoffed unbelievably and dropped the plate on the dining table, running my fingers through my hair.

“Wait! Why is she like that? Is she in love with me?” I asked myself.

“Don’t be stupid. She won’t ignore you like that if she has feelings for you. She would’ve at least spoken to you,” My subconscious mind reminded me, and I sighed. What the fuck will I do to make her forgive me? I asked myself.

“The question is, why are you being like this, Connor? Why are you so desperate to get her to forgive you? Why are you being so soft with this lady? Have you fallen for her?” My subconscious mind asked me, but I quickly cursed those thoughts. Falling in love? I won’t ever do that. Not with any woman again, and not with everything that has happened to me in the past…