The Game of Love

7

Jade was stunned. How did her apologizing lead to Adrian catching an attitude?

"What? I mean yes. It's the right thing to do."

"To say sorry for someone who isn't sorry?"

Jade could feel her brain exploding. How did it switch to her? How was she the bad person here? When she was just trying to make things right.

They were going so good all afternoon and he just exploded on her for saying sorry? Men are so complicated, Jade thought.

"Yes, but she's my mother and you would not have been put in that situation had it not been for me."

He shook his head.

"Thank you for the meal."

She saw him walking towards the door and on impulse her hand held onto his.

What was going on? What did she do wrong?

"Now you don't walk away. Tell me what I did wrong?"

His eyes landed on hers.

"I don't need your pity Jade. I don't need pity lunch or you being nice to me because you felt like you owed it to me after what your mother said."

His nostrils flared as Jade stood stunned. He thought that she pitied him?

It was anything but that.

"I just... wanted to make things right."

Her voice was low.

"And you think I couldn't?"

If she answered, his anger would grow so she only gulped.

"You think I couldn't tell your mother what she wanted hear? Tell her my mother is a bank manager and my father was a manager in Petrotrin. You think I couldn't tell her that I have an unused degree in engineering and if I wanted to I could ask my father to call one of his friends and get me a job in the oil and gas industry?"

Her lips parted but she closed them. She didn't know about his background and guilt settled inside of Jade because when she'd first heard his profession, she'd cringed. Maybe she was just as bad as her mother.

"I love what I do Jade and not you or your mother could make me feel less than because of it. My father did enough of that and I'm where I am today because I worked hard to get there. So you can keep your pity and your sorry."

Jade had not realized that her fingers were still wrapped around his wrist as his eyes fell on her hand.

She wanted to release it but she couldn't. Apart of her wouldn't let her.

"I don't pity you Adrian. If anything I admire the way you handled my mother even when you lied about your intentions with me. To walk away from that situation the way you did took courage and I admire you for..."

A sigh escaped her lips.

"It's not the first time she's done this and I'm sorry that you had to endure that on my behalf."

"To who?"

"Huh?"

Her eyes met his and she could see the questions in them.

"Who did your mom belittle before me?"

Jade bit her lower lip, was she really going to bring up Luis now?

"Luis."

For a second his jaw tightened but the motion was so swift, Jade swore she'd imagined it.

Her hand fell from his.