Chapter 14: Crunch Munch

Jasmine's POV

"Jasmine. I've missed you so much baby. How are you?" his voice spoke.

I froze, hysteria coming over me as I tried to control my tears and emotions.

Why was he calling me? What did he want?

For my entire life, I had only been involved with one guy and one guy only. And that took place at my old college when I was twenty.

Bradley Pittsburg and I dated for a year and a half and, when we were about to graduate, he dumped me out of nowhere, without an explanation or a reason.

I was so madly in love with him, he was my first everything, but he showed himself, broke my heart and treated me like dirt. I always assumed that he was cheating all along, or he desperately wanted to move on with someone else. What ever the reason was, it still haunted me because I was such a good girlfriend to him. Since the break up, I separated myself from everyone else, especially my friends, thinking that they would eventually walk away as well. That was one of the reasons I had no friends and I didn't trust everyone. In the end, people would always leave. I'd rather do it first.

"What do you want?" I finally asked.

"I want to reconnect with you baby and for us to start over."

The nerves of this guy to call my phone and speak of such bullshit.

"That's not going to happen," I articulated, standing my ground.

"What do you mean?" he asked dumbly.

"It's been FOUR YEARS BRADLEY!" I shouted out the last three words. "We haven't spoken or seen each other in four years, and you're calling me and hitting me up with this crap. I don't want to reconnect and I don't want you back in my life."

"Jasmine, don't talk like this. I've been the only man who had ever loved you and cared about you. I'm sure you still don't have a boyfriend, just let me be the one."

I scoffed.

He was right about one thing, I didn't have another guy after him, but I wasn't going to allow myself to fall back in love with Bradley by hearing the sound of his voice and his sleazy attempts.

Don't get me wrong, Bradley was very handsome and his beautiful light brown eyes could get any female's attention. I wasn't at peace when we were in a relationship because almost every girl at the college wanted to ride on his penis, but I moved past his looks. I hated the way he ended us. I couldn't trust him. I didn't want to trust him. And he had a very controlling edge to him. He always bossed me around like his puppet, and I was so love-blinded, I didn't care.

"Bradley, please don't call my phone again," I said and hung up. 

To my surprise, he actually didn't call back.

___________________

The next day, I got up early and did my usual routine for work-- had breakfast, selected my work attire, took my bath, got dressed and caught the 8:00 am bus. When I got to my office, the new secretary told me I had a visitor and pointed to a gentleman sitting in one of the chairs in the reception area.

No one ever visited me on my job. No one ever visits me, period.

I walked up to the sitting posture and stood in front of him. He had his face buried in a magazine.

"Hello, can I help you?" I asked, puzzled by this man. 

It was when he put down the book and locked eyes with me, I realized who it was.

"Oh my God, what are you doing here and how did you find me?" I asked angrily but out of earshot from the new secretary.

"Well, you don't want to talk to me over the phone, so I figured I'd show myself here."

"Bradley, this is my job not a dating site. You can't show up like this at my job. Are you crazy?" I was annoyed. "What are you doing here, what do you want?"

"I want to talk to you Jasmine," he answered, matching my low tone.

"Go away!" I whispered my loudest.

"Not until you talk to me!" he whispered back.

I could see the determination and stubbornness in his eyes. I had to get rid of him before Mr. Josh Brayan came by, these sort of things were not allowed.

"Fine! We'll have lunch together. I'll text you the address," I said quickly.

He heaved a big smile. "See? That wasn't so difficult and you better not be lying or I'll be waiting outside for you at 4:00 pm."

He got up and walked up to me. Our lips were inches apart.

He better not even think about it.

"See you at 12," he said in a very seductive small whisper, which made my blood crawl. 

He walked away and I sped to my office.

I dreaded twelve o'clock and it seemed to have come very quickly. I had indeed texted him the address to the neat little restaurant I always ate at by myself. 

When I arrived, he was already sitting at a table. He waved me over and I walked slowly towards him. I sat down and held the menu book high to my face, concealing myself from his locked gaze. He remained silent but I was certain he was looking at me still.

The waitress took our orders and took away the menus.

Dammit! Now I don't have a choice but to look at him.

"How have you been?" he asked, breaking the silence between us.

"I've been good, actually," I responded.

I wasn't about to tell him any of my problems, especially my mom's.

"You know, you haven't changed a bit. You're still that sweet innocent Jasmine from college."

I gave a fake smile. "What about you? How have you been?" I asked, not that I was interested in his life, I was just being lady-like.

"Oh I've been doing great. I've taken over my father's multi-million dollar trading business and I've been traveling a lot lately..."

Honestly, he was still speaking about himself but I zoned out to my own thoughts when he said he had taken over his father's multi-million dollars trading business. I think that was another factor as to why he left me. His parents disapproved of me and always wanted him to be involved with a woman who had money and a name. I assumed they thought I was only after his money because I was a poor leech.

"...And now I'm back here and I remembered you and what we had," he finished.

I gave him another fake smile as I questioned myself.

What if he's be the one who'll lend me the money to save my dying mother? Is he the miracle I've been praying for?