LOVER MONSTER!
80. Visits and Surprises.

The days leading up to Jessica's birthday make Elixir busier than usual.

The busiest person, of course, is Dania. Because he was very busy and chatty as well, he transmitted his busy life to other workers. Especially Ethan and Elliot.

Jessica - as Dania's boss and best friend - doesn't comment much. He only supported his chin to hear the whining of Dania, gave a little opinion here and there, and again pensively accompanied a plate of strawberry.

Jessica-thanks to Demian being a bastard-become grim after meeting the man.

Be it Dania, Ethan and Elliot try to cheer her up, attract her attention, but it doesn't really work. I don't know what Demian told Jessica, which Dania knew, when Jessica came back, the girl immediately took a bottle of beer from the drawer.

Dania tries to prevent Jessica in some ways but, if Jessica shows up with the message 'Don't come any closer!' plastered invisible on his eel, Dania was also reluctant to make a sound. Dania did not want to be a victim of Jessica's tantrums, so she decided to shut up at the situation that was happening to Jessica now.

Dania's just praying that the beer that keeps disappearing from the drawer isn't Jessica anymore. Even if hope is empty.

Oh, Demian fucker!

Dania got angry.

Today again, although the day after tomorrow was her birthday, a special day, Jessica went down to Elixir with an expression of no interest at all. Jessica may be trying to contribute and show appreciation to Dania who has worked hard, but Dania knows that the pair of emerald is not enthusiastic at all.

"Now I feel a little understood the reason why I don't want to date" Dania said to Ethan.

"It feels a bit deja vu because Jesse once said the same thing to me." Ethan chuckles.

"Ethan, you shouldn't relax."

"What should I do, really?"

"don't know. Do something, we can't let Jesse blow his birthday cake with that zombie expression, can we? I'm celebrating her birthday because I want her to be happy, but if it's like this, I feel like I'll cry."

Ethan smiles. "I could've talked to him, given him a few words of pearl.., but, that doesn't mean his heart will heal as it was, Dani.--.

I think Jessica needs time to process her broken heart. Let her cry and nelangsa for some time, she will return as she was when she was done with her inner war."

"It would be nice if he just cried. But, don't you see how many beers he brings up to his room every night?"

"I know what you're worried about" said Ethan. "I'll try to talk to him."

"Please, Ethan. He'll just listen to you." Dania breathed a heavy and long sigh. "I couldn't sleep because I kept thinking about the situation in the past. I don't want us to go back to how we used to."

"Just calm down, we're not going back to how we used to be." Ethan rubbed Dania's shoulder, calming her down. "Jessica is more mature than she used to be, she won't betray her promise in the past."

"I hope, Ethan. I hope..."

While Ethan and Dania exchange words behind a bar table, a man comes bearing a bouquet of roses. His arrival also made Dania look at him with her forehead raised next to her.

"Jake?" greet Dania. "You're coming."

"Are you going to order coffee?"

"I'm planning on seeing Jesse, actually." Jake then shows the rose in his arms.

"Oh, romantic..." Dania sneered while laughing. "In the meantime, I'll call him."

"Is Jesse still in the room?"

Dania nodded. "He just came down for breakfast."

"Because it's now the end of the month, Jesse used to be more busy with cafe problems." Ethan added an explanation.

"Once, umm..." Jake looked at Dania with a slight dilemma. He hesitated to continue his words.

"Is there anything else?" Dania was a little surprised.

"That..., just, can I just go to her room?"

"..."

"Because I'm her boyfriend, I want to surprise her with my arrival, so."

"Surprise, huh?" Dania glanced at Ethan with concern. What's he supposed to do? Can he give permission to this man who is Jessica's boyfriend, go up to the second floor?

*

What can Dania do to a gentleman who wants to visit her lover sanbil holding a rose on his chest, a dazzling handsome face?

Wherever possible Dania can reject a Jake Allendale who is polite and elegant in front of him.

Since the good-natured handsome man was Dania's weakness, inevitably he opened the way to the handsome man so that he could meet Jessica directly.

"I hope I didn't make a mistake" Dania said after successfully showing Jake the way to Jessica's room. Ethan who became Dania's chatmate just sniffed his shoulders.

After obtaining permission from Dania as well, Jake climbs the stairs with a grinning smile on his face. Jake is excited because it's the first time he's visited Jessica's room. The room became the girl's safe zone.

Jake was wondering, what's Jessica's room going to be like? Is she the kind of girl who is messy or neat and clean?

Geck! Geck! Geck!

Arriving at Jessica's doorstep, Jake gives a slow knock at the door. He waited with his heart beating fast.

"A moment.." a voice sounded from within, along with footsteps that were dragged lazily.

Jessica-inside-thinking who's coming is Dania. Given his girlfriend was very busy discussing the topic of his birthday the day after tomorrow. However, just as Jessica opened her bedroom door, a view of Jake Allendale was there. The man stood handsome with an elegant bouquet of red roses. Jessica spontaneously stunned.

"Good morning" said Jake, his voice soft and sweet.

"Pa-morning.." said Jessica stammering. He still did not expect Jake to visit his room. The room!!!

Oh my God, what the hell is this?

"This is for you" Jake said, handing Jessica the bouquet.

"Wa-wow, this is beautiful. Th-thank you, ummm, I'm so grateful." With a silly smile, Jessica welcomes Jake's flowers.

The smell of roses that are strong and sharp makes it quite...., impressed? Seriously, Jessica still has a hard time processing Jake's arrival here.

What's he supposed to do? He's not gonna throw Jake out, is he? But, letting the man into her room was also a bit...., risky?

Jessica was not comfortable with exposing her room to another man. Not after Demian.

"Are we just gonna stand here?" Jake indicated he wanted in.

'Fuck!' Jessica is in the heart.

"Please go in" Jessica said at last, bitterly tasting on her tongue. "My room's a little messy, but..."

"No problem, Jesse." Jake approached without warning and gave a kiss on Jessica's cheek. His enthusiasm was so obvious, Jessica could not say anything.

"Thank you for letting me in."

Jake spoke as he walked in leaving Jessica petrified at the door. A pair of hazel irises scanned Jessica's room, her pink bed, onto the papers piled on the table, the laptop still open.

Jake stared back and forth, looking at every detail of Jessica's room carefully. The interest in her face made Jessica uncomfortable, but she was unable to say anything about her discomfort.

"Do you want coffee or tea?" Jessica could only behave like a friendly host.

"Teach out" said Jake. After observing this and that, Jake approached Jessica in the kitchen. The man's smile was still cheerful.

"Seriously, yes. I didn't expect I'd ever be able to step into your room."

"What's weird?"

"Rather than being weird, it feels kind of stressful. You know we.., our relationship.., everything was so foreign in the beginning."

"I understand." Jessica smiled faintly. "Who would have thought that the man who used to visit my cafe to meet his demons, was now wandering around my room."

Jake chuckles. "It feels like a broken heart has brought me to meet a better person."

"I don't know about better people" Jessica said. He breezed past Jake with two mugs of warm tea. "I think Angela still has an edge in many ways."

Jessica doesn't like being compared to Angela, though it will end up as a compliment to her. Jessica felt that it was unfair because Angela and herself were two people with different personalities, they could not compare.

Also, even though Jake is high on her current self, Jessica will not immediately forget how drunk her love for Angela was. He was depressed when the woman left.

"You're so humble" Jake praised as he sauntered down Jessica's back towards the balcony. Jake finds the girl still hard to take compliments from him and it's kind of frustrating.

Jake wants Jessica to soften a little bit at him, but that hope still seems so far away. Is this because of Demian Bellamy? Jake becomes irritated when he remembers the man again.

"By the way, Jessica..."

Not wanting to drag the same topic, Jake also decided to discuss other things. He stood next to the arm-backed Jessica on the balcony railing, and received the warm cup of tea the girl gave him.

Jessica waited carefully for Jake to say.

"Your birthday present is later..., do you have your own expectations?"

"Huh?"

"You know.., I'm just confused what to give you. Since our relationship happened all of a sudden, I don't really know what you like or dislike...,"

"Ahahaha.., what the fuck?" Jessica looked at Jake with a pang of joy. "You don't have to give me anything, Jake. Well, I mean, you just came in good."

"How can you say that to your girlfriend?"

"Why really? I'm serious, really. I don't expect anything from anyone. I'm glad enough that you're celebrating my birthday. I really appreciate that."

"..."

"I'm 29 years old, at least, in a few days. I didn't expect anything more than anyone." After all, Jessica thought, if she wanted something, she would rather work on it and buy it with her own efforts.

Jessica is not a burden.

"Jessica" said Jake more calmly than ever. As he was about to have a serious conversation, Jake placed his tea on a small table near Jessica's window.

"I know you're independent, and I'm proud of that fact, but being spoiled and complaining to your boyfriend isn't a mistake. I'd be happier if you whine and want something from me."

"I'm sorry, should I do that?"

"It doesn't mean it has to.., it's just that, we'll get closer when you're like that."

Jessica smelled a smile. "I'm sorry, I don't really understand the rules of dating. Like I said that night, I've never been in a relationship."

Something like romance, rules in falling in love, Jessica knows nothing. He has experienced too much of the 'abnormal' thing to be able to understand the normal things that Jake just explained.

"Is there anything else I should do?" Jessica waited for Jake's words while looking up at the man's face. His pair of emerald eyes were meticulously sparkling, rounded.

Jake looked back at Jessica so he held back a laugh. He had difficulty speaking when the girl in front of him acted like an apprentice who had first heard the direction from the superior. Jake feels like he's in the workspace, in charge of his new subordinates.

It's...

Stunned?

Laughing at his smile, a pair of Jake hazel irises rolled unintentionally towards the highway. No, more precisely to a man standing on the lip of the highway, his eyes were glued sharply towards them.

Jake directed his gaze back at Jessica who was unaware of nothing. He stood so innocently without knowing that a lion was scouting him, looking at him with fangs and nails ready to tear him apart. Preying.

"Jesse..," said Jake. He smiled gently as he brushed aside Jessica's black mane that was blown by the morning breeze, falling apart near the cheek.

"Do you know what else a couple should do?"

"Someone seems so experienced."

"It can't be said to be experienced, it's just, I understand enough."

"Oh, oh.., so, what else?" Jessica waited as she leaned her back against the balcony railing. He turned his back on the highway completely, turning his back on the man who had been reluctant to lower his gaze from him ever since.

"It's.." said Jake, like a whisper.

Without further admonition and testimony, Jake harbors a kiss on Jessica's lips. The girl's body jolted unresponsive, but Jake didn't let go. Not withdrawing and apologizing for being sassy today.

Instead, he.., without Jessica's aim, deepened his kiss. Devouring Jessica with pagutans implying thirst.

Jessica - despite the difficulty of processing the situation - closes her eyes in order not to hurt Jake with her refusal.

Its alright. This is a natural thing. Jake is his girlfriend, it's normal for that guy to want to kiss her.

This is the right thing to do, but...

Jessica felt her heart hurt.

Like a knife that landed on the chest, the kiss did not bring passion for her, Jessica at that time only felt sorrow.

...****************...