His Proposal

His Proposal - 12

It's been a week since Jai left for his business trip, and he's been texting me intermittently. He would text me in the morning asking how I was and then in the evening asking how work was.

I'm glad he hasn't asked me out again, but he told me that some of his friends got a hold of his phone and sent that to me without him knowing.

I'm rolling over in bed when my phone goes off. I grab the phone off the nightstand. Looking at the time, I see that it's 5:30 a.m.

Stupid time difference.

Opening the message from Jai. I read it.

Jai: Are you awake?

Me: Not really. You just woke me up. It's 5:30 a.m. here.

Jai: I'm sorry. I forgot the time difference between New York and Los Angeles.

So, that's where he's been all week. Doing business in New York. I thought he would go elsewhere to do business.

Me: Will you tell me what you're doing in New York? Or is it a need-to-know basis?

Jai: I'm selling a few businesses and properties I own in New York. Before moving to Las Vegas, I want to expand my clubs in the California area.

Looking up, I see Aleysa awake, and her face is pale. "Who are you texting?" she asks.

Holding my phone up to her, I say. "My boss." Shaking my head. "He put my number into his contacts, and he's been texting me."

A smile spreads across her face. "Your boss likes you, sis." She pauses for a moment before saying. "I'm glad you have someone like him in your life."

"It's too early for that, Aleysa. Besides, I don't see anything happening between us until I open up to him, but I'm unsure when the right time will be."

She touches my arm. "Soon will be the right time. It's not healthy for you to keep this to yourself, Chloe. You also need to have your own life. I may be sick, but that doesn't mean you have to hide behind my illness and stay with me at the hospital."

Standing up, I move over to the bed. "I don't want to be anywhere you're not, Aleysa. I spent a long time away from you for my job and living my life. Now, I want to get to know my siblings more."

She wraps her arms around me. "Chloe, I need you to go home. Look in the closet on the top shelf. There's a book. It will tell you everything you need to know about me and a list of things I want to do before I die."

Why can't she think positively? She's going to get through this like she did the first time. I hate all the negativity that's pouring from her.

"Fine, I'll go home and rest before returning here with your book. Then we can see what you'd like to do. Maybe doing the things on the list will make you want to live."

She shrugs. "Maybe," she added, looking at the ground. "I have a few things that I need to add to the book when you bring it back."

Kissing her cheek. "I'll see you this afternoon." I grab my bag and phone before walking out of the room.

At home, I walk through the front door of the three-bedroom apartment I bought after selling my parents' house.

Looking around the room, I see papers all over the floor and a cup of green milk on the table. The house smells like musk, and I walk over to the window. I open all the windows before I start to clean.

The front door opens, and I see my brother standing with a friend. "What are you doing home, Chloe?"

Crossing my arms, I say. "That's none of your business, Nate. Why the hell aren't you at school?"

"It's a free period. I thought I'd stop by the house and play a few games with my friends, but that isn't an option since you're home now."

"Get inside, Nate. You can play games today, but tomorrow, if you have a free period, you'll use that time to study. I won't let my brother flunk out of his senior year."

Nate and two friends walk into the house and over to the couch. They make themselves comfy and start playing Call of Duty. "Chloe, can you get us some food?" my brother asks.

Picking up a magazine that's on the floor, I hit him on the back of the head with it. "I'm not you're slave, Nate. You can get off your ass and get it yourself."

He starts grumbling before standing up and heading toward the kitchen. A few minutes later, he returns with a bag of chips and drinks for his friends.

I forgot that we had that. I have to clean the fridge. I don't want to deal with a refrigerator that smells when Aleysa returns home.

When cleaning out the fridge, I find rotten fruit, mouldy cheese, and milk past its expiry date. I throw it all in the bin and tie the back once the fridge is cleaned. I try to lift the bag, but it's too heavy.

Walking to the living room, I look at my brother and say. "Nate, can you take the garbage out before you go to school?"

"Sure." He turns his attention back to the game he's playing with his friends, and I see an explosion as one of the players moves through a building.

Turning away from the TV, I make my way to Aleysa's room and see blood still covering her bed covers. I tear the blankets and sheets off her bed. I put them in the corner of the room.

I'll bag them before I leave.

Walking to the closet, I reach up onto the top shelf. My hand touches a book, and I pull it down. On the cover is a picture of the family, taken during one of my visits home.

A smile spread across my face as I saw Mom and Dad looking at each other with so much love. I'm standing next to Mom, holding Aleysa. Nate isn't smiling at all on the other side of Dad. He wants to spend time with his friends.

Dad told him, 'No,' and that didn't sit well with Nate, so he tried to ruin the day for everyone.

When we started to ignore him, he would mutter cruelly about us until I snapped at him and told him to go to his friend's place.

Dad wasn't happy when I sent him away, but he said nothing about it while we were out. He also wanted a good day, but that was a different story when we got home.