30 Days Marrying You

chapter 3

Xavier eyes brightened at that, and a brief smile flashed across his face.
Jessica's stomach suddenly felt like it was full of sharp little splinters of ice.

He pulled out the chair beside Jessica and grabbed her hand while facing her. "The situation is, my grandma wants to meet my girlfriend.
So, can you pretend to be my girlfriend?" He asked casually. The icy splinters twisted and broke apart into tiny little pieces in her stomach. So as her patience.

"Then, you should just ask your girlfriend for that kind of help! Ava, right?" She broke his grasp on her hands and turned away from him.
She was about to lose her cool again for the stupid request.

Xavier scoffed. "Pffttt. That was one year ago. You are really not up-to-date with my current girlfriend. Her name is Lisa."

Jessica clenched her jaw.
"Why on earth should I be updated with your girlfriends, you idiot!" She said through gritted teeth. "Then, what about her?" Patient, Jessica, patient. You snapped, you lost.

"Already ask. And she wanted 200 bucks just to meet that old hag. Now, I already understand that she just dated me for my money!"

What with his nonchalant way of explaining? As if it was a normal thing to happen to him. Jessica wondered.

"Serve you right." Jessica replied curtly. Maybe it was his way to make her to pity him.

"So, please? Can you help me?" Again, with his puppy eyes, like a lost dog trying to seek help from a kind human.

"No." Short and simple answer, rejecting to help the lost dog.

A sour looked tightened Xavier face, replacing the pitiful face he showed earlier. "Jess~~~"

"Go find your other ex-girlfriends." She suggested, refusing to be sidetracked.

"There is no time. The meeting is this evening." Xavier pouted.

"And you only tell me now?" Her eyes bulged. "What makes you think I will help you?"

"But you are always helping me." Xavier reasoned out.

"That's only because you forced me!" Yes, she was never willingly helped him. It was all forced unto her. And, she did not plan to fall for his trick this time.

"But the other day I saw you pat a stray cat."

"And, what it got to do with this situation?"

"So I thought you are a really good person."

Jessica stared at Xavier, her eyes so wide with disbelief it felt like they might fall out and land on her cup of cappuccino. "Are you stupid!?"

"Please please please... Please help me! Please pretend to be my girlfriend! You are my only hope now!" Ignoring her murderous stare, he kept pestering her to help him.

"Your request is damn ridiculous! There is no way I would pretend to be your girlfriend and meet your grandma!" Jessica took a deep breath. It required every ounce of patience to deal with this guy.

"Oh, come on jessica! You pretend to be my girlfriend for one day and meet my grandma. There is no danger at all." Xavier insisted.

Jessica glared at him. No danger? Sure. She only had a friend who had done nothing but troubles since their first meeting.
Who was worried about Xavier and his thousands of girlfriends – opsss, correction, ex-girlfriends? And, oh yeah, his grandma. Now, what? Did he want to add his family member to be a part of the scheme to make-Jessica-life-suffer? Right. No reason at all to panic.

His name just spelled troubles!

 "Enough of this. I have to go. I have a job interview after this."

She took her Gucci handbag besides her and readied to get up from the chair to leave the café. Honestly, she was just wasting her time.
In fact, she should not agree to meet Xavier in the first place.

Unexpectedly, Xavier grabbed her wrist. "You are looking for a job? You should have told me so. Then, what about I hire you to work in my company?"Jessica stopped.
Xavier was looking at her with a serious look.
She did not remember when was the last time for him to look at her seriously like that. He was always wearing those playful and childish looks.

The offer sounded tempting too. True, in this world nowadays, it was tough getting a job without any connection.
In fact, she had already been to three companies and got rejected.

Jessica stared at the empty table next to their table for a moment and then at Xavier.
She was contemplating. Her earlier resolution not to help xavier wavered.

Accept...

Or not...

Xavier grip on her wrist tightened. Their eyes met. Brown against black. The clock in the café continued ticking.

Tick tock. Tick tock. Tick tock.