Chapter 425 – Beginning with a Daring Encounter

Harry pretended to contemplate it only for a second before nodding, “Oh, yeah! Benne’s younger sister crashed here for a couple of days,” Harry said casually as though he had only just remembered it, and his father chuckled in amusement.

“Harry, my boy.”

Knowing that tone, Harry looked at his father wearily, “Go on and just say whatever you want to say.”

“You know I can see through you, right? This isn’t a phone conversation where you can deceive me. I’m looking right at you,” Aaron said as he watched him with eyes which were crinkled at the corners with life and laughter.

“What are you trying to say?” Harry asked dryly.

“She was the one on the phone with you just now, wasn’t she? I heard you mention her name,” Aaron said, and Harry scowled.

“You eavesdrop on my conversations now?”

“If that were my intention, I wouldn’t have made my presence known at the point when you asked such an interesting question, would I?” Aaron asked with an easy smile, and Harry sighed.

“Just get ready, dad. We are leaving for dinner by 6:30. The reservation is for 7 PM,” Harry said as he walked away, making it clear that he didn’t want to have that conversation with him anymore.

Unfortunately, his father was just warming up, and from the looks of him, the man was just as determined to talk about it as he was not to talk about it, so he followed him.

“It’s just 5 PM. There is still time. Let’s talk,” Aaron insisted.

“Dad, don’t nag me about being in a relationship. I am really not in the mood for that right now,” Harry informed him through gritted teeth as he walked into his bedroom, and Aaron followed him in before he could shut the door.

“Sure, I won’t. I’m just curious about something. You are still very much interested in her, aren’t you?” Aaron asked as he sat on Harry’s bed while Harry dropped his jacket and tie beside him on the bed before proceeding to unbutton his shirt.

“Interested in who?” Harry asked disinterestedly, and when his father didn’t respond after a few seconds, he turned to see him staring at him with a slightly raised brow.

“I already told you I’m over her,” Harry hissed in frustration, annoyed with his father for pushing the subject when he really didn’t want to talk about it, especially not when Jade had just succeeded in messing up his head.

“Do you remember the first thing you said to me the first time you met her?” Aaron asked, carrying on as though he couldn’t hear the annoyance in his son’s voice.

“I have a feeling that you are going to remind me of it whether or not I say I remember. So just go on and say it so that we can finish this awkward discussion on time and get ready for dinner,” Harry said as he sat on the padded stool beside his dressing table.

“You said, ‘Dad, I think I’ve met her. The one woman for me’ that’s what you said. And you sounded so happy. So confident and excited,” Aaron said with a rueful smile.

“I was just twenty-four…”

“And you have not talked about another lady since then. I know she hurt your feelings without even knowing it, but that was over four years ago, and a lot must have changed in that time. If you still feel strongly about her, why not just talk to her about your feelings?” Aaron said, and Harry sighed.

“That was in the past, dad. And as you rightly said, a lot has changed since then. Let’s not talk about this anymore. I’m going to start seeing someone else soon. So forget about whatever I told you about Jade,” Harry said stubbornly. He wasn’t going to give her the satisfaction of getting him so easily.

“Do you love this new person?” Aaron asked as he watched his son with knowing eyes, and Harry shrugged.

“I won’t know if I don’t try, will I?” Harry asked, and his father gave him a nod as he got off the bed.

“Although I think you are just delaying the inevitable by going around in circles, do whatever you must and find out where your heart truly lies,” Aaron suggested before leaving the bedroom.

Once Aaron left, Harry sighed and buried his face in his hands. Damn both his father and Benne for making things even more difficult for him. He didn’t care that they were doing it because they cared about him, their interference was only going to end up making him more impatient with both himself and Jade, and he didn’t care much for that.

His father was only partially right. He knew he was going around in circles and delaying the inevitable. But his father was wrong about one thing. He already knew where his heart was, but he wasn’t sure she knew where hers was yet, and that was why he was still doing his best to hold himself back.

He had tried his best not to think about her for the past four years and had held back from contacting her this whole time even after he heard of her boyfriend’s death, but fate had brought them together again in the form of his nosy best friend, and seeing her again had brought back all his long-suppressed feelings to the surface.

He wanted Jade, but for once in his life, he didn’t mind going around in circles if it was going to get him what he wanted without any disappointment.

Just a week ago, she had been the one trying to set him up on a date with someone else despite all his attempts to stop her, and all of a sudden she no longer wanted to think of him with someone else? Had it only been a game for her, or was she really only just beginning to realize that she was interested in him?

He was going to honor his date with Aurora whether or not he had any interest in her, and he was going to wait and see how Jade reacts to that.

She wanted to live rent-free in his head? Well, too bad for her that he wasn’t going to make it so easy for her. He wasn’t going to let her have her way so easily with him as she had the first time.

If she really wanted him as he was beginning to think she did, she was going to have to prove herself and do more than just create sexual fantasies in his head. As stimulating as the thought of doing all of that with her was, that wasn’t what he wanted from her.

If it were just physical intimacy she wanted, then they would be wasting both their time as that wouldn’t be good for him or his relationship with Benne.

He wasn’t usually the type to play games, but it seemed like she enjoyed playing games, so he was going to continue to indulge her and play her games with her until she got tired of it and was sure of what she wanted.

“It’s good to see you again,” Jeff said with a wide smile immediately the car stopped in front of the house, and he opened the door for Bryan to get out of the car

Because Bryan didn’t want too many people to know that he was back, he had instructed them not to pick him up at the airport but to wait for him at home and order an Uber to pick him up instead. So while his parents took a cab from the airport, he and Sonia had taken an Uber.

The smile on Jeff’s face faltered when instead of Bryan, Evelyn and Desmond got out of the car, “Pardon my manners. I didn’t realize you were coming with him,” Jeff said apologetically, and Evelyn waved it off dismissively.

“I’m sure it’s been longer than that, but I’m glad you are happy to see us,” Desmond said with a grin, and Evelyn giggled.

“Hello, Jeff! It’s been a while!” Evelyn said as she embraced him, and Jeff smiled at her awkwardly. Even though he had met the woman just twice, she always treated him the same, making him feel like a little boy.

“Hello, Mrs. Delgado, Mr. Delgado,” Jeff greeted politely as he shook hands with Desmond, and Mia, who was standing beside him, did the same.

“We are not strangers, Jeff. How many times do we have to remind you to stop addressing us so formally?” Desmond asked in mild disapproval before moving to the trunk of the car.

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