Crown

•34•

Rachel watched her give obvious fake smiles as she took orders from table to table.
Even if she was a customer, she'd know right away that Jayda was clearly going through a lot and was faking smiles.

It had been 12 days since she arrived on her doorstep in tears and Rachel had watched her best friend go from worse to worst. It was like the pain became fresher every morning when she woke up after crying her nights away.
It worried Rachel. She had never seen Jayda so miserable.
Yes, miserable. That was the right adjective. Like someone had died or something. She couldn't recognize her best friend. It wasn't like this with Star. At all. This was a different case entirely. She loved Kaden. And it made it worse.

And what pained Rachel was that, Jayda wouldn't tell Rachel anything. No matter how Rachel begged her to talk to her and confide in her.
It made her hate Kaden.
And the bastard's phone was unreachable and she didn't have the energy to pay him a visit in his house.

Kira had come to see Jayda too but she too didn't know the whole story of what happened between them, so she told Rachel what she knew.

Joedi was getting worried too and she knew something was wrong even if Rachel and Jayda told her otherwise.

Jayda was about to head to table 10 to take the order, when the man at the table went on one knee to propose to the lady with him.
Jayda stopped in her tracks and watched as the man proposed beautifully to his woman.

...memories

"You know, for a very handsome, rich hot stuff, you didn't quite do me justice or rather...you haven't done me justice."

"Regarding what, mi Princesa?" He kissed her cheek as he took the salt from the cabinet that she was leaned on.

"You haven't proposed to me."

"Alright," Kaden chuckled. "Will you marry me, Ms. Jayda Jace?"

The way he said it with his eyes staring right into hers and his gaze on her intense and adoring, made her almost swoon, made her heart skip a beat.
But she knew he was kidding.

"Ha ha. Yes I will." She giggled. "But no, that's not what I mean. Our valentine was very unromantic."

"Unromantic you say," he grabbed her by the waist and turned off the cooker where the boiling pot of porridge, sat.
"I believe I had the best valentine having knowing the most amazing girl in the world tell me she loves me back."

"I know. I am very amazing," she teased and he kissed her.

"Well, what do you want?"

"Uh...I want to go to Paris. The Eiffel tower, the venue for our very romantic dinner. And then you romantically ask me to be your girlfriend, rose petals fall, our playlist playing and then when I say yes, fireworks spelling my name spark up the sky. And then we spend the rest of our romantic night together."

"Wow," he was grinning from ear to ear hearing her go on and on. It warmed his heart. "May I know what I'm going to do when I want to ask you to be my wife?"

"You'll think of something, Arturo. Maybe...over very hot hard sex," she winked and be chuckled.

"Okay, come on, let's get packed for Paris. I'll make the arrangements on our way."

She giggled. "Of course, you will. But later. Right now, I just want to cuddle and you were spending too much time in the kitchen."

"Jayda..."

"I believe that's Princesa to you." She kissed him softly. "Now can we go cuddle?"

"We have to have lunch first."

"We can eat our love. It'll be enough."

He laughed heartily, not believing how lucky he was to have her.

"Of course. But porridge will be most enjoyable. Give me five minutes, amor. We won't want that ulcer back and I need you to be very healthy," he winked and she blushed.

And that evening when she woke up from her nap, he surprised her with a Paris themed dinner at the patio. And he proposed with with an actual diamond ring with the sweetest and sincerest words anyone had ever told her that it made her eyes water.

"I love you so much," she hugged him tight after he slipped the ring into her finger. "You're crazy," she broke the hug. "I was just kidding. You didn't have to do this."

"I'd do anything for you, Princesa. Any single damn thing. I love you with all of my heart. Understand?"

"I'm sure I do," she giggled and sniffed.
He wiped her tears and took her lips in a kiss that made her understand more.

...
Rachel saw her freeze as she watched the whole proposal. She knew it made her remember him. And she knew what came after that.

The woman said yes to the man and as they kissed, Rachel came over and held Jayda's hand, taking the order book from her.
The customers present clapped as Rachel took her away from the scene, telling Maria to take over after giving her the order book.

"Jayda, no. No." Rachel said as her best friend let out a whimpering sob when they were on the storage room, alone.
"You have to stop."

She hugged her.
"I can't stop, Rae. I can't! Every single day passes and the pain doesn't reduce, it increases," she was full on crying. "I can't stop thinking about him. He's in my every word, thought and action and it's driving me mad. So mad that I find it hard to breathe. He's everywhere. I can't get him out of my fucking head and I just want to scream and ... and...I...I...I..." She sobbed loud and broke down literally. She lowered herself to the ground, against the wall, wrapping her arms around her knees. "I miss him," she sniffed. "I love him."

Rachel felt it. This was the weakest she'd seen her best friend.

"Jayda please, just tell me what happened," she sat beside Jayda.

Jayda shook her head.

"It'll make you feel better. To get it off your chest. It'll make it hurt less. I promise."

"No," she whimpered.

"Why are you doing this to yourself, Jay? Please. Your hurting me."

Rachel hugged her again.
She'd kill Kaden if she saw his fucking face anywhere. How could he do this? Why would he break her so much? She couldn't even fathom what he could've done cause growing up with him, he's been nice and kind. Had the Mafia taken that from him too?
She felt angry. Betrayed. Sad. Confused.
Jayda had been through enough to last two lifetimes and he couldn't just do this to her after she let herself fall hard for him and trust him so easily. It was cruel. Love was cruel. She prayed she'd never fall in love. It was horrible.

There was silence as Jayda's sobs seized.
"Why didn't you warn me?" Her voice was shaky, sad, vulnerable. Weak.
"You always warn me and you're always right when you do. Like Star. Like all the wrong decisions I've ever made. But you didn't warn me this time and this is the worst pain I've felt. Why were you wrong this time, Rae?"
They were still hugging.

"I don't know," Rachel said softly and a tear fell out her eye. A lone tear. "I'm sorry."

NB: this chapter isn't edited.

I was wavering between sadness and music excitement while I wrote this 🙂.

Hope you like it.

Xo, Jayda.