His Proposal

His Proposal - 28

Jai is in the kitchen cooking dinner for Nate and me. He looks at me and says, "Dinner is ready." He puts the food on a plate for me and brings it over. He cooked steak with beans, carrots, and mushrooms.

Looking at the sauce on the steak, I ask. "What sauce did you use?"

"Steak Diane."

A smile spreads across my face. That's my favourite sauce. "Thank you for cooking for us."

He kisses my cheek. "You're welcome." He looks down the hall. "Which room is your brother's?"

"His room has the 'Keep Out' sign on it. I would knock on the door before I walked in. He hates it when people walk into his room without permission."

The door to my brother's bedroom opens, and he makes a lot of noise as he walks down the hall. "Chloe," Nate yells. "Why did you call my friends' parents?"

Turning towards my brother, I say, "Those boys' parents needed to know what their sons were up to. Do you know how those parents would feel if they found out their son is going to be a father at the age of seventeen?" I wait for him to reply. When he doesn't, I continue, "Of course you don't. I have seen what happens firsthand. Do you remember my best friend Charlotte?"

Nate frowns. "Was she the girl Mom and Dad told you to stay away from?"

"They thought she was a bad influence on me. They didn't want me to go down the same road as her. I watched her lose all her friends when they found out she was pregnant. I snuck out to see her all the time, though. I was there when she gave birth and before I went to University. Being a mother at a young age wasn't easy for her. She had to give up her dreams to be a good person for her child." I look at the ground. "I always think about Charlotte and her daughter, but I had been busy with my own life."

I should make time and call her.

Nate hugs me. "The guys are angry that you spoke to their parents. I'm going to pay for this tomorrow on the field." He walks into the kitchen and picks up his dinner. He returns to the living room and sets the plate on the table.

"Nate, you're going to be fine on the field."

He shakes his head. "You don't know my friends that well. They do the most damage during practice games to those who have done wrong by them. I'll be their target since they can't take it out on you. Thanks for that, sis." He starts to eat his dinner.

Jai sits with us and eats his dinner. He looks at me. "I'm going to Lusive for a bit. I need to see how the new bartender is doing. She's not as good as you are at the job."

"I can go back whenever you need me."

He shakes his head. "You need to stay with your sister. I would feel better knowing that you're in the safety of your house and not in the middle of fights when they break out at the club." Jai looks at Nate. "I'm taking your sisters to see my parents on Saturday, and I was wondering if you would like to come?"

Nate freezes as he's about to bring the fork to his mouth. He looks at me. "Are we going to a mansion on Saturday?"

"Yes, but we have to leave right after your football game on Friday night. I hope you didn't plan on going to a party?"

Nate shakes his head. "No," he turns to Jai. "I will be there. Are you going to come to my game on Friday night?"

Jai takes my hand. "If your sister's going to be there, I will be as well. I will buy a cap and one of those hand things and cheer you on from the sidelines. I should ask for your signature before you get famous. I knew that kid when he was on the football team in High School."

I listen to Jai and Nate talk during dinner. When I finish dinner, I rise and walk over to the kitchen. I start to feel dizzy, and I hold onto the counter. I close my eyes.

"Chloe?" I heard Jai's concern in his voice as he said my name.

I keep my eyes closed, and I raise my hand. "I'm fine. Just give me a minute." I feel arms wrap around me, and I am lifted off my feet.

"You're not alright, Chloe." Jai starts to walk down the hall. "I'm going to give you something to drink, and you should take some cold and flu tablets." He opens the door to my bedroom, and then I feel the bed underneath me. He pulls the blankets over me. "Stay awake a little longer."

"Okay," I mumble.

The bedroom door closes, and I know that Jai left my room. I start coughing, and it shakes my bed. I open my eyes, and the room starts to spin. I sit up in bed.

My phone vibrates on the table, and I pick it up. It stops ringing, and I see there's a voicemail left. I dial the voicemail.

Hello, Chloe. I'm Julie Toby's Mum. I want to thank you for calling me and telling me what's been going on with my son. She pauses for a moment before she says. If I had known my son was doing this earlier, I could have stopped him from getting a girl pregnant. Now, his future is ruined. He won't be able to go to University and play football. I hold you responsible for what happened.

This woman is crazy.

Jai walks into the room at that moment. He looks at the phone and then at me. "Shit," he places the cup on the table next to me and pulls me into his arms. He kisses my head. "It's not your fault, Chloe. Those boys would have found a way to have sex. They probably wouldn't have used a condom. It's good that you're helping your brother with this stuff."

Looking at him. "You were the one to give him a talk. I would be scared to have sex after the talk you gave, Nate."

Nate opens the bedroom door. He walks into my room and sits on my bed. "Julie doesn't know her son as well as she should. Since last year, Toby has been sleeping with all the popular girls at school. I can't tell you how many girls have had close calls regarding Toby. I never wanted to be friends with that guy, but he's on the football team and everyone thinks I should be."

I take the tablets. "Nate, you don't have to be friends with him." I close my eyes. "Call me if you have problems at school tomorrow. I will pick you up early." I feel arms wrap around me.

Nate whispers, "Thank you." He lets go of me. I'm going to let you get some rest. Goodnight, Chloe." He walks out of the room, and the door closes.

Jai brushes some of my brown hair out of my face. "I have to go. I will check on you later." He kisses my cheek before walking out of the room. He turns the light off and shuts the door.