Chapter 227 - Why are you here?

At 2:07 PM, Vivian arrived at Sarah's and Aiden's apartment. Two of them sat on the terrace, enjoying rare late March sunny afternoon in PNW* and chatted. They didn't see each other for a while, so there was a lot of gaps to fill in. Sarah told her about her trip to Greece, showed photos and promise ring - she skipped part about beating up gang of troublemakers whose boss groped her. Sarah told her that she collapsed again, and had surgeries, party at her house where she talked with Ed. Sarah noticed panic in Vivian's expression when she told her how Ed knows what she is doing on campus, and was happy to know that her friend is worried about her. And lastly, Sarah briefly talked about Jeff's birthday celebration - again, skipping the part where Liam and Noah got beatings.

"That is all from me... what happened to you? I know for Valentine's you had problems with Gabriel, and after that you gave me silence. What happened between you two?"

Vivian hesitated. "Well, nothing much. I guess that Valentine's was one hit too much for me. I realized that relationship is like two people holding onto a rope. And in order to work, both of us need to hold onto it all the time, and not just occasionally. I stopped answering his calls and texts, and we didn't see each other since then." Vivian's face was solemn.

"It ended... Just like that?" Sarah could not believe that after so much time and effort Vivian spent chasing after Gabriel it just ended. And Vivian was really in love with him... maybe she just reached her breaking point. It's easy for love to turn into hate. But Vivian does not look like she hates him. She looks... sad.

Vivian nodded slightly.

Sarah's eyes widened for a second before she regained her composure. "I guess it's just so... anticlimactic."

…

While two friends chatted, Aiden observed them through large glass window from inside for some time before going to Vivian's jacket and placing a small device on the inside of her collar. He walked back to the study and said, "Eve, activate SM34D, and start recording when voice is detected. Let me know by text when you record something."

He paused for some time, lost in his thoughts before turning and heading to the bedroom where Jeff is.

"Hey, can we talk now?" Aiden asked as he entered the room.

"Yes." Jeff closed his laptop and looked at Aiden.

"Why are you here?" Aiden looked at Jeff who lowered his head. Aiden was serious as he continued. "You didn't come here to talk about projects. And this image change is funny. It's not you... so I need to know what is going on."

Jeff had a solemn expression. He looked up at Aiden, "How do you court a woman?"

Aiden thought he didn't hear him right. "What?"

Jeff spoke with hesitation. "There is a woman I like... I think... how do I let her know that I like her?"

"Is it Isabella?" Words came out of Aiden's mouth quickly.

There was a minute of silence before Jeff responded. "No."

Surprise showed on Aiden's face. He took some time to compose himself. "Do you have a luxury of pursuing any woman other than Isabella at this time?"

Jeff shook his head. "I don't know... and I don't care... I can't sleep without dreaming about her. I see her in every woman my eyes land on. Everything reminds me of her... I don't even know if she is single or dating someone, but I know that I need to do this, or I will regret it for the rest of my life."

"I see... " Aiden never saw Jeff this confused and determined at the same time. "What do you plan to do?"

"Find out if she has any feelings for me... if she does not, then there is no point in talking with Oscar and Elanor, right?" Jeff shrugged.

Aiden was surprised by Jeff's reasoning. "That is not how these things work."

Jeff looked at Aiden, obviously waiting for an explanation.

Aiden explained: "Are you saying that if that woman does not like you... you will be able to forget about her and proceed to marry Isabella? ... If that is the depth of your feelings, then you don't love her."

Jeff had a troubled expression. He lowered his head and didn't make a sound. He was trying to imagine his future without JoAnna and if he will be fine with that. Just a thought that he will not be with her made him feel a painful knot in his chest. But how can he get her to be part of his life?

"I see that you need to think about it..." Aiden turned toward the door to step outside, and then stopped and looked at his brother giving him another advice. "This change in style… is your goal only to get under her dress or you want to win her heart?"

Aiden saw Jeff stare at him, not understanding where this is going, so Aiden explained. "If your goal is only to sleep with her, then it's fine to change your style. Act more approachable, or be a playboy, or be a mystery tycoon… be whoever her dream man is if that will serve your goal. But it seems to me this is not what you want, you want to win her heart. If you want it to last you need to do it by being yourself, because any disguise you put on will not last forever. Do you want her to like you or some made-up person? Think about that as well." Aiden turned around and left Jeff in the room. Jeff was not moving; solemn expression was on his face.

Jeff wished nothing more than to have the power to erase marriage agreement with Isabella. He didn't care about that earlier, but now it feels like he has a leash around his neck and it's tightening daily, restricting his airflow.

Last few days, Jeff's heart and mind are in turmoil. He is thinking of JoAnna almost all the time, and it's intensifying as the time goes by. His dreams about little girl got replaced by dreams of JoAnna in his hotel room, eating that third croissant... and in his dream he is not letting her leave. When she thanks him for being a gentleman he stands up and pulls her in his embrace. Dream so vivid, that he can smell her scent, and feels her body pressing against his.

Jeff threw himself backwards on the bed and closed his eyes, hoping to be able to sleep off. If he sleeps, he might dream... and hold her again.