Bound By Contract

Chapter Twenty One

The trial starts soon and anxiety is in the air. It can be felt in everyone from the cooks to the constant stream of lawyers in and out of the house.

Michael's family has been over a lot now too, which for me has made everything a little bit more complicated. They talk to me and ask me things expecting me to know the answer but half the time I don't know what to respond. He seems less agitated around me when they're around. I get to see slight smiles, hold his gaze momentarily and brush past him slowly. It's these moments that I've lived for recently, because somewhere deep in his dark eyes I have to believe that he does too.

Even his mother who I know he is close to commented on how withdrawn he has become.

"He hardly hears a word I say," my mother in law complains, tears staining her cheeks.

"He's like that with me too, Katherine."

In the evening, most family has gone home and Michael remains barricaded in his study, working the same excruciatingly long hours right along with his lawyers. The white haired man, I learned is his new lawyer along with an attractive and petite Asian woman, Geragos apparently being tossed aside which is quite unfortunate. I wonder what he did.

I'm up in my room, still anxious and fidgety. I see my cell phone quietly sitting on my night stand. I pick it up and dial Jared's number absentmindedly.

"Hey Christina," he answers cheerfully. "Did you need to go somewhere?"

"Hey Jared." I hear the clinking of dishes in the background as well as the mumble of a crowd. "Are you busy? I'm so sorry, I can call back."

"No! It's okay," he interrupted. "I just came to a restaurant for a bite to eat."

I feel even worse. "Oh, you're eating. Go ahead and eat. I didn't actually really need anything. Just called to say hi I guess. See what you were doing. I'll let you eat now," I ramble on.

"Really, Christina, it's okay. I thought you might need to go somewhere, but, if… you'd like, you're more than welcome to join me."

"I've already interrupted you enough," I hesitate.

"No, no interruption at all," he says cordially.

"Well, I guess I am going to need that ride then."

"Thanks for inviting me, I really needed some time away from that place," I admit, surprisingly at ease in a booth in the old fashioned Italian restaurant with its dim yellow lighting and stained glass ceiling lamps.

"Anytime," Jared responds lightheartedly, his eyes wide and his smile big. "So how've you been? I haven't driven you anywhere for a while. It was a few months ago when I last saw you, and you were crying your eyes out."

Ashamed I look down into my plate of chicken fettuccine alfredo. "Oh yeah."

It is one of the lowest points since I've been at Neverland, and it's been almost a year. It's hard to take so much rejection from someone you care about.

"Things are better I hope," Jared chimes.

"Actually things are about the same." His expression changes into one of surprise. "I don't know what to do anymore."

"What do you mean?"

I open my mouth to respond, feeling the urge to spill out everything I'm thinking but I stop myself. What if I can't trust him?

It seems like he sensed my uneasiness. "It's okay; you don't have to say anything if you don't want to, but you know you might feel better if you did." He reaches across the table and puts his hand over mine. "Just know that I'm here if you ever need to talk." He leans back again in the booth. "One person can't carry everything on their shoulders. Just know you can trust me, okay?"