PAPER VOWS Novel Chapter 16

“So many likes in just a few minutes,” says Giselle after I show her the ten thousand likes I got on the flowers I posted. Mind you, I used to get two hundred likes maximum on my photos; now I am getting ten thousand in just ten minutes. I swear it’s like these people were on their phones waiting for me to post. Not only am I getting a lot of likes, but I am also getting lovely comments. People are telling me how cute my man is and how I’m lucky to have him.

“It’s crazy if you ask me. I am not used to getting this many likes and comments.”

Giselle replies, “Get used to it girl. People are talking this much while you two are still dating. Imagine how they will talk when you two get married.”

“I’m already loving it though. I have never gotten this much attention from the media.”

“Even I got followers for being your sister, so I understand,” she says, sitting on the couch. I join her, folding my legs.

“How do you feel about all this? If I am going to be in the spotlight like this, I think the whole family will be in the spotlight too.”

“I don’t care about these things, Jade. Do what makes you happy. Just don’t become those people who are happy on the media but miserable in real life,” she tells then gets off the couch, telling me that she is going to get started on dinner.

The kitchen is just a few feet from the dining area, so I sit facing Giselle, who is now defrosting something she took out of the fridge. “Dante said I can move in with him if I want. How do you feel about that?”

Giselle answers, “I am a grown adult. I can handle myself. If you want to move in with Dante, you are free to. You are thirty-six, you don’t need your sister’s permission to do anything.”

“I’m just checking. We have been staying together since I was twenty-eight years old. It will be the first time being apart, and I wanted to know how you feel.”

She looks at me and smiles, “I appreciate you thinking about my feelings, but I will be fine.”

“Are you and James ever going to move in together or get married? You guys have been together for ten years.”

She shrugs her shoulders, “I don’t know, hey. Things seem fine as they are. He has never mentioned if he wants to get married or move in together.”

“Not to be all up in your business, but have you ever asked him? You have been with this man for ten years. He should have married you by now or mentioned it.”

“Can you please stop. I get that you met a billionaire who asked to marry you, but that doesn’t give you the right to question my relationship with James. All this while we have been fine and you have never asked anything – let’s keep it like that,” she snaps. I don’t understand what she is getting angry about, but maybe she is right. I should let her be.

“My bad, I didn’t mean to upset you.” I get off the couch, grab my phone from the table and the things that I got from Dante. “I will be in my room.”

I get to my room and change into something comfortable. As I said to Dante, this is not a dress to just chill in. I take the phone I got from Dante, power it on while I back up my things on the other phone. The phone is cute, has good camera quality and lots of space. I make sure to thank Dante for it.

I might have fallen asleep while setting up the new phone because I am woken up by a knock on my bedroom door. I sit and check the time. It’s now almost eight pm.

“I’m coming!” I get off the bed, stretch myself and attend to the door. It’s Giselle.

“Hey, I am done cooking.”

“I’m coming, give me a second,” I say, closing the door. I grab my phone and then go to use the bathroom and rinse my mouth. Dante still hasn’t replied to my message – I wonder what he is busy with.

From the bathroom, I join Giselle, who is already eating. She made spaghetti and meatballs. Giselle and I eat in awkward silence. After how she snapped at me earlier, I don’t have anything to say to her. I get that she didn’t want me to speak about her relationship, but she didn’t have to bring Dante into it like that. Does it mean she will throw how I met Dante in my face every time there is a misunderstanding?

Giselle clears her throat and says, “How many likes are you on now?”

Really now? She is going to make small talk with me as if nothing happened. But then she is my sister – I check my phone and say, “Thirty thousand now.”

“Sweet. I see you are now using the new phone. It’s pretty, I bet it has good camera quality.”

“It does,” I answer. I don’t have anything else to say. I am going to eat, do the dishes and go to sleep.

“What are you going to do with your other phone?”

“I don’t know, I am going to give it to Mom, or you can have it if you want.” I have only had that phone for six months – it’s in good condition.

“I would love it if you don’t mind. Mine is giving me problems. I have been thinking of a way to get James to buy me a new one.”

I nod, “Sure, you can have it.”

“Don’t tell me you are still angry about what happened earlier?”

“You snapped at me, of course, I am angry.” She owes me an apology for snapping at me. I wasn’t even fighting with her; I was trying to make her see things differently.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to. You were all up in my business. You know James loves and takes care of me.”

I say, “I know he loves you, that’s why I was asking when he is marrying you or if you two are going to move in together. You said it yourself that we are grown adults – we should be living with our partners at this age. In my defence, I was single for years. You and James have been together for ten years. That’s a very long time.”

“I know, but James hasn’t mentioned it. I don’t want to make it seem like I am forcing him into it.”

“Maybe talk about it in passing and see how he reacts to it. Ten years is a long time, Giselle.” I mean this with all the love in the world.

“I will talk to him.”

“And next time you talk to me like that, I’m going to burst your lip,” I warn her. I don’t care that she is my older sister; she has no right to speak to me like that.

“Noted.”

“But you know I love you, right?” I say. She tells me that she loves me too.

Giselle and I eat, then I do the dishes and go to bed. There is still no response from Dante. What is he so busy with that he cannot even answer his phone for so long? I send him a goodnight message and sleep. All I dream about is that fine chocolate king. I dream about his kisses and his anaconda that I wake up at three am wet as hell.

‘Dante Lyon!’ I send him a text message and then go to use the bathroom.

When I get back into the room, I have a response from Dante. ‘I thought we agreed to upgrade from full names. Shouldn’t you be sleeping?’

I reply, ‘I woke up to use the bathroom. What’s your excuse for being up at three in the morning?’

‘I am still at the club. Had to take care of a few things.’ – Dante.

‘At the club on a Saturday night, should I say Sunday morning since it’s three?’

‘Saturday is when most people are out drinking, Jade Marshal.’ – Dante.

‘What happened to upgrading from full names? For a second I thought you were ignoring me.’

‘I would never ignore you. Did you maybe want to see me?’ – Dante.

‘Not really. Just alarmed that you had not replied to a message I sent hours ago.’

‘Apologies on that, I got caught up with work, but I will make it up to you for that.’ – Dante.

‘I will be waiting. I am going back to sleep, take care.’

I put my phone away and try to sleep. Is this how he is going to be? Working until the wee hours of the morning? Will I be able to handle that? Will I be able to sleep comfortably knowing that he is out there so late? But he did promise to be in bed with me every night if we are together. Let me not overthink all this – he gave me his word – I’m going to trust that he keeps it. It takes me a couple of tossing and turning to finally get back to sleep. Dante Lyon is starting to invade my thoughts and dreams. It worries me. I have no business falling in love this hard.

The first thing I see in the morning when I open my eyes is Dante Lyon. At first, it feels like I am still dreaming until I realise that Dante is in my room, in my bed, and I am in his arms. How did he get in here without me hearing him? My finger pokes his chest just to confirm if I am still not dreaming.

“Good morning,” he greets, with his eyes still closed.

“Hey, when and how did you get here?”

He answers, “I got here at seven, Giselle let me in. I just need to close my eyes for two seconds, then we will wake up.”