Chapter 67
Chapter 67
Jocelyn took a while to toss some trash and didn’t come back upstairs, so Daisy headed down to look for her and bumped into
Eline.
The moment Elise laid eyes on Daisy, you’d think the way she cozied up to Daisy. Elise seemed to find her long-lost best friend, grabbing her hand and calling her ‘sister’.
Anyone clueless would think they were siblings who hadn’t seen each other for ages.
Once Daisy got wind that Elise was Harrison’s mom, she also released her enthusiasm, even asking Elise to come upstairs for a
cha:.
Jocelyn seized the moment to give Harrison a buzz to figure out what the heck was going on.
Hearing his mom had made a beeline for Jocelyn, Harrison freaked and booked it to Yanova City on the next flight
To get the lowdown, Jocelyn hopped a cab to the airport.
Harrison showed up pretty quickly, looking all apologetic when he saw Jocelyn. They started chatting as they walked out the
airport.
Coming their way were two guys, and Jocelyn couldn’t help but slow down her pace.
Melvin was followed by Zephyr, who raised an eyebrow when seeing Jocelyn with a clean-cut, handsome dude.
“Jocelyn, what a coincidence, Zephyr chimed in, making the first move.
Jocelyn was about to just walk away, pretending she didn’t know them.
She gave a slight smile, “Yeah.”
“Is this your boyfriend? Zephyr’s grin was too annoying.
Jocelyn paused, then shook her head, “Just a friend.”
“Oh, just friends, huh? Zephyr chuckled, shooting a glance at Melvin who was giving them the cold shoulder, “You guys look pretty good together and I’ve fooled into thinking you were a couple.”
Jocelyn couldn’t be more embarrassed.
Harrison stayed silent on the side. Piecing together Jocelyn’s recent Twitter post and the current scene, he guessed something happened to her.
“You got a death wish or something? Melvin snapped back at Zephyr.
Zephyr hurried after him, “Nah. Don’t you think Jocelyn and that guy look good together? What a match made in heaven. Hey, wait up!”
They moved off, and Jocelyn’s tense heart finally got a break. It was Melvin’s appearance that had thrown her for a loop.
In the car, Harrison kept mum
Back at the apartment complex, Jocelyn and Harrison finally had a proper talk about the whole mom situation.
“I’ve explained to my mom that we’re just friends. You know how parents blow things out of proportion at our age. She misunderstands that I’m too shy to chase af er you. Really sorry for the mix-up,” Harrison was all sincerity.
Jocelyn got it with some depression, “Better clear things up later then. The stuff your mom said to me today totally floored me. If we don’t set this straight, they’ll be picking out wedding dates upstairs.”
Harrison hesitated.
“You’re single, right?” he asked.
Jocelyn sensed where this was going, pursing her lips, “Yes”
“Me too, said Harrison, “We’re both in the same boat with the marriage pressure. So why not make the best of the mistake? It will solve our problem and ease our parents’ minds.”
Harrison’s logic wasn’t lost on Jocelyn, who was also dodging the marriage bullet. If they played their cards wrong to make it right, peace was guaranteed
But shit
Don’t worry When you find someone you like, we can just split, Harrison had thought ahead about future scenarios. “We’re just helping each other out. Keep our parents happy”
Jocelyn mulled over the feasibility.
She looked at Harrison and finally nodded.
“Then here’s to a pleasant collaboration, Harrison smiled, extending his hand.
“Cheers to that.”
Jocelyn reached out, and Harrison, ever the gentleman, only half-held her fingertips.
Pretending to be a couple with this guy?
Heck, even real dating would probably feel comfy
Upstairs, Elise thought her son and Jocelyn looked like a picture-perfect pair, easy on the eyes. More liking was heaped for this couple.
Daisy was sizing up Harrison with that ‘mother-in-law’s approving gaze. More and more preference came to this guy.
Sitting together, Harrison and Jocelyn were awkward.
The moms seemed oblivious to their discomfort. Instead, they thought the young couple were shy for being caught by their
parents.
Later that afternoon, when Calvin came home from work and Daisy filled him in on Jocelyn and Harrison’s ‘relationship, he was pretty chuffed.
All in all, the happy vibes were bouncing between the three adults, with Harrison playing the dutiful son- in-law to-be. He kept Calvin company with chatter. It was one big happy family scene.
Of course, Jocelyn wasn’t part of this. She had no idea one video could spiral into such a drama. If only she knew, she’d have
never agreed
–
But now, it did solve one problem – her folks would stop trying to set her up on dates.
Anyway, Harrison didn’t work here. With a thousand miles between them, this ‘long-distance’ relationship seemed to make no
trouble
After dinner, Harrison took Elise to a hotel.
Before leaving, Elise handed Jocelyn a well-prepared gift for meeting her.
Jocelyn reluctantly accepted it as if holding a hot potato.
Daisy nudged Jocelyn to see them off to the hotel, and Elise, whose eyes were full of anticipation, was hopeful for more chit-chat
with Jocelyn
Jocelyn caved in, her soft heart winning out.
The three of them took a cab, with Harrison in the front and Elise and Jocelyn in the back
Elise marveled at glamorous Yanova City and reminded Harrison to keep in touch with Jocelyn, to check out which neighborhoods they liked for a house.
Harrison played along, responding eagerly to anything Elise suggested..
Jocelyn just couldn’t keep her cool the way Harrison did but felt a bit awkward anyway.
Their parents met each other today, which means wedding bells couldn’t be too far off.
What a headache!
Jocelyn had booked a room at the hotel way ahead of time After seeing them in their room, she was ready to split.
Elise insisted that Harrison walk her out. Harrison himself was also eager to step up, while Jocelyn declined it.
But to avoid disappointing Elise, she let Harrison escort her out of the hotel.
“This whole thing today, really, it’s..” Harrison said, scratching his head in embarrassment, Thanks for putting up with it.”
Jocelyn replied, “Hey, we’re scratching each other’s backs here.”
Harrison chuckled, That’s the spirit. My mom wants to treat you guys to lunch tomorrow. Given your dad might be tied up at work during lunchtime, I switched it to six in the evening. Day after tomorrow, bright and early, Mom and 1 head back.
“Atright, Jocelyn agreed, committed to playing her part to the hilt.
1 can’t accept this gift, here you go.” Jocelyn said, handing it back to him.
Harrison glanced at it, “You hold onto it for now.”
“How can I do that?’ Jocelyn shook her head, shoving it back into his hand, “We’re just pretending here, I can’t take it no matter. what. Otherwise, I’m out of this play.”
She was adamant, so Harrison accepted it.
Harrison hailed a cab on the curb, aiming to drop Jocelyn home. She laughed it off and declined his kindness. If not, they’d just waste the whole night on the road and nobody would get any shut-eye.
Finally, Jocelyn got in the cab, and Harrison watched her go from the sidewalk.
Sitting in the cab, Jocelyn looked back to see Harrison still standing there.
‘She couldn’t fathom how things had suddenly gotten to this point but all felt pretty weird.
As the car stopped by the curb, Jocelyn spotted a silver sedan parked across the street. It looked familiar, but she couldn’t make out the license plate.
Thinking about the encounter at the airport earlier, Melvin claimed to be on a business trip Maybe it was just another car that looked the same.
After getting out of the cab, she texted Harrison to let him know she was home.
As she walked into the building, the motion-activated lights flickered on. She was suddenly yanked into the stairwell next door and pinned against the wall with a thud.