The Date Planner

2. 6. 1. It's Real

Silence and then there's noise, deafening noise. Ringing in my ears as I trip back on my seat in disbelief.

This can't be.

He's clearly kidding me.

But... he doesn't seem like it.

Somehow, the words seem unreal and yet so much real than anything I've ever heard before.

Something inside me wants to believe it to be true, just so there is nothing in between us. Just me and Justine. But somehow that part of me that says it's not true seems almost delusional.

"What?", I whisper, swallowing hard.

Ben looks anguished, like he wants to be anywhere but here at the moment.

"He's been dead for two years, Jason", he looks away at last.

That's when it comes out of me. This uncontrollable laughter I can't seem to get a hold off.

"Clinton's dead", I laugh out again even more louder than the words I just spoke.

"That was a good one. I'll give you that", I say in between my laughter as tears flow down my eyes.

My stomach starts aching from the full blown laughter as I throw my head back on the seat.

Ben's eyes turn wary at me as he stands up and starts pacing in front of my desk.

"It's not a joke, Jason", he says more firmly now but still pacing.

That does it. I stop immediately and that part of me that believed it to be true somehow starts growing bigger in my chest with every passing second from the one that thought otherwise.

But I still act adamant because it seems impossible.

"One google search, Ben. That's all it would take for your joke to be over", I shake my head at him amusedly.

He stops and looks me in the eye with such intensity, I can't help but flinch a little.

"Do it. Have at it. We'll see who's joking then", he literally spats.

I eye him warily now but don't wait further as I go through my pc on the desk and search Clinton up.

And there's his picture then along with every possible thing there is to know about him. And in the midst of that, there's one small detail, I can't seem to shake off.

It can't be.

Ben rounds the table as soon as he sees my expression crumbling down.

Leaning over my chair, he takes the mouse from me and navigates through every single detail he just told me about.

"Died, two years ago. And of what? Generic disease. Passed down by his father", he spats again.

He goes back around the desk and starts pacing as he runs his hands through his hair.

I fall back on my seat in disbelief.

This can't be. It... just can't.

That's the only thought that's racing through my head as I look at Clinton's picture on the screen, smiling at me through it.

Mocking me as if, telling me that 'this is the mess I left for you, how are you going to deal with it now?'.

And how can I?

"Do you realize what she's been through?", he whispers warningly.

I look at him and that's when I see something that I've never seen in his eyes before.

They're shining with the unshed tears and he's refusing to let them fall, jaw set and everything taut.

Oh dear, God.

"And Cole? Have you thought about him?"

That's the last thing he tells me before storming out of my office.

Leaving me untethered and floating into the new information that he just gave me.

I have to hold onto my desk to even stand underneath all that weight. It's like I'm not in full control of my body.

I don't remember how long I stand in the middle of my office, just staring at nothing and everything.

It's hard to breathe, hard to do anything. Things you wish you were there for and things you weren't for.

I'm not sure what is saddening me more. Clinton's death or the fact that I wasn't there for Justine when she needed me the most.

Or Cole, even. He's barely lived anything and he doesn't know what it's like to have a father. And the possible person who could've played the father figure or supported him like one was absent. Me. I was absent.

No wonder she told him about me.

I'm brought out of my reverie by the ringing of the phone on my desk.

Hesitantly, I pick it up, not quite sure if I should.

"Yes?", my voice almost breaks.

"Sir, there's a Ms. Olivia Gomez who's going to be visiting you in a few minutes on the orders of your mother. Apparently, she's one of the potential dates Ms. Faux is trying to fix you up with for the party she's about to throw in your honor", my assistant tells me.

"Let her in", I say absentmindedly.

As said, the potential date, Ms. Olivia Gomez arrives just in time to meet me.

She's a platinum blonde girl with stark blue eyes and curves in all the right places. Yet not the one I wanted to see at the moment.

Honestly, it was the last thing I wanted. But Ben wasn't going to talk to me for a while and I wanted to forget everything. So I made the best of what came to me.

"Would you like to go out for a drink?", I asked Ms. Gomez after a solid five minutes silent staring contest.

She eyed me with curiosity but nodded anyway with a sacarine smile.

"I would love too"

***

Hey guys, so I thought this chapter really needs an A/N after all.

I know a lot of you might be upset by Clinton's death but I assure you it's with good reason.

I tried my best to work around it but couldn't find a way in which Clinton might actually come off good.

And I'm sure nobody wants that? So, I had too.

And I would also like to bring this to attention that Jason was supposed to be the male lead of this series all along. The story was of Jason and Justine from the very beginning.

Clinton was supposed to be a temporary character but he became famous amongst you guys as I proceeded with the story. I didn't have in my heart to break him away at that time but I had to now.

You must have realized how Clinton did provide Justine a lot of reassurance. But it was important for her to be her own person as well.

So, I brought life in. She was confident but not enough to hold her own when time came. So, Clinton had to be taken out.

This makes Clinton's death a catalyst for her personal growth. Making her the person she always wanted to be.

It's going to be a journey of Justine and Jason's growth journey. I hope you understand that and choose to further support this story like you always have.

Thank you,

XOXO Celine <3