The Right Choice

Chapter 17

The next week, Jessie returned to office with a spring in her step and a huge smile on her face. The events of the past weekend were imprinted on her mind. Well, not the entire weekend of course. Saturday had been miserable but Sunday had been a glorious day. Her time spent with Aaron the previous day had been one of a kind. 

As she walked through the corridor to reach her seat, she couldn’t help but reminisce about the past couple of days.

When Jessie had met Aaron at the party, though initially annoyed, she had become slowly intrigued by him. After their initial introduction, they had spent quite some time together. Somewhat of an awkward start later, they had eased into a normal conversation. To Jessie’s surprise, she had genuinely enjoyed his company.

Aaron Maxwell was a budding writer and was Cynthia Maxwell’s son. Cynthia Maxwell in turn was one of the city’s well known socialites. Although, her only claim to fame was that she had married and divorced several high profile individuals. As of the present moment, she was married to husband number six. Aaron was her son from her third marriage, which coincidentally happened to be her longest.

‘Can seven years be considered as long?’

That is debatable. Anyway, Aaron on the other hand was considered to be very serious in his relationships. His last relationship had been with a girl from his college, which unfortunately ended quite like how Jessie’s had ended hers. At least that’s what Jessie gathered from asking about him to a few common acquaintances. She had no intention of going out with someone without knowing at least a bit more about him then he did about her.

She was fascinated by his unconventional behavior and quirky habits. For example, he had a habit of keeping a tab on how many red cars he spotted during the day. He made sure to write down the exact number and date in a small book. He was odd but comical at the same time. Different from most guys she knew.

Finally after spending close to forty-five minutes talking about everything they could possibly think of, he officially asked her out on a date. As per him, it would keep their socialite mothers at bay, which was after all what they really wanted. Jessie couldn’t agree more. She was willing to walk inside a cage with an angry lion if it meant her mother would leave her alone.

Jessie agreed to the date and suggested they keep it as casual as possible. Aaron had agreed as well and told her that he had something really fun in mind for they should do. When she pestered him to tell her what was on his mind he simply said it would be a fun evening.

They decided to meet at one of New Central Harbor’s most culturally rich districts.  Seashore’s Village, locally known as ‘The Triangle’ was the place to visit if you wanted to be up to date about the newest and most popular music, art and literature in the city. It was place where all local artists, both amateur and professionals met to swap ideas, hold impromptu jam sessions and get in touch with their fans. It was a place where everything was brightly lit, had fliers stuck on every surface imaginable, street artists performing at every corner and food stalls present in abundance. Jessie had to admit, even though she had always itched to visit these parts before, she had hardly gotten the chance.

It was early evening however it appeared darker as the dark rain clouds were scattered across the sky. Despite the darkness, the sun peeked every now and then through the clouds to lightly illuminate the sky. Jessie pulled her coat tighter as the air grew cooler and walked swiftly to the NCH Cultural Center building. As she reached the steps to the building she spotted Aaron standing at the bottom, fidgeting with the grey scarf around his neck.

“That thing giving you trouble?”

Aaron lost his footing and almost landed on the ground when he tried to turn to his side swiftly. That’s when Jessie realized that she had startled him.