How Karma Found Jesse Again|18+

THIRTY-THREE

Third Person

He never thought he'd listen to Paola ever but for once she actually gave good advice that Jesse couldn't ignore simply because it was something he needed to hear.

So he did exactly what she told him to, he went upstairs to his hotel room and quickly freshened up. He brushed his teeth and popped a tic-tac in his mouth to get rid of the tequila on his breath. Fixed his hair in a way that he felt was presentable enough.

So for the second time tonight, he found himself walking downstairs to the ballroom. There were no toasts or speeches going on because Karma and Justine were meant to host but it seemed like people didn't mind the change of schedule because it gave everyone the opportunity to get to know each other and talk to one another.

Karma's parents and Paola's mom were still talking and Jesse was hesitant to get in the middle of it but there was no better time than right now because the last thing he wanted to do was go back to America and still have this as the elephant in the room of Karma's and his relationship. They'd never really be able to progress without this situation handled.

He cracked his knuckles in apprehension as his eyes zeroed in on the table where her parents were sitting, he'd texted Justine before to ask if Karma was alright as she wasn't responding to his texts still but Justine had reassured him that she and Karma had taken a walk outside to get some air and to get some alcohol in their system before having to proceed with their hosting duties as they didn't feel like dancing with everyone else right now.

That...and Karma didn't want to be in the same room as Jesse and her parents right now, the awkwardness made her feel kinda sick.

And Jesse was right there with her. As he was walking towards her parent's table he ran his hands through his hair telling himself that he was only fixing it when actually he was doing it to calm his nerves. He was about to walk past this waitress that had offered him a drink when he quickly stopped her and swiped two glasses of champagne off of her tray. She gave him a crude look when he had turned her back to her to continue walking towards Karma's parents. Luckily, Paola's mom had gotten up to go dance with one of Paola's uncles so the timing was on his side for sure.

He was hoping that he could offer her mother a drink or something as a conversation starter. With both drinks in his hand, he was considering combining them both into one glass and taking a large gulp but he decided against it.

He saw that her mother was wearing a hunter-green Ankara print-styled dress to match Karma's. Her dad was wearing a tuxedo with a green blazer and black dress pants so clearly they all coordinated their outfits and planned it.

Jesse soon began to wonder if Karma would have him in matching clothes as well and started wincing at the thought of it.

Taking slow strides, he finally got close enough to where he was standing over her parents and they were sitting. Her father had been scrolling through his phone when he felt Jesse's nervous presence.

Her father's head jerked back slightly he rose his eyebrows looking at Jesse who was borderline mute looking at them not knowing how to articulate any words at all. His mouth was slightly open and nothing was coming out. It was an absolute nightmare and embarrassing moment he'd never live down.

Especially since Paola and Ryan had been watching him from afar and they were both cringing just looking at him. Paola started rubbing her temples and left Ryan's side to go order a beer from the bar.

Karma's father who patiently waited for Jesse to speak had gotten tired of waiting rose one hand up to tell him, his Nigerian accent strong as he pronounced the words, "No thank you, I already have my drink." he said to Jesse assuming his waiter having not recognized him yet