(I'm not going to put an indication on this chapter. If something happens, you'll see it. If nothing happens, you'll see it. No spoilers/non-spoilers)

ARE YOU READY FOR IT?

Jayden's eyes widened as he took in his current situation. Lara had just stripped down to nothingness and was standing inches away from his bed.

Blood pulsated through every nerve of his body as he ran his eyes over her alluringly curvy body, feeling his body succumb to the power of her seduction.

He ran his fingers through his dark hair as he slowly walked to his left side, fighting the temptation to do justice to his tremulous body. Warily rubbing his face, he began to walk back to his original position when he heard her say,

"Stop holding back."

Lara tried hard to overshadow the fear that was kicking in albeit her semi drunken state, with the confidence Brie had insisted she displayed. He couldn't resist this. He couldn't.

He held both his arms across his exposed broad chest and focused his gaze on the ceramic tiled floor, willing to fix his gaze on anything apart from her body.

Lara told him, "Come to me, or I'll come to you."

She could see how hard he tried to resist her. This meant that he was still attracted to her. Desire was very evident from his body language. She could also make out his craving, yearning and most of all, his hunger. It was almost too obvious from the way his hunger had filled the room that he was starved.

"You need to go, Lara." He said without looking at her.

"Make me."

He'd have to do better than that, she thought.

"You really don't have to do this."

"Look at me." Lara instructed when he still faced the ground. "Why are you fighting it?"

He asked back, "Why are you doing something you're not comfortable with?"

"What makes you think I'm not?"

He looked up and met her gaze. "I can see it in your eyes."

Lara hesitated to speak. He wasn't right. She was comfortable with it. She wanted to do this.

Reviving some bit of confidence, she held her head high and announced, "Come to me, or I'll come to you."

Jayden ran his hand over his face, wishing resisting her wasn't as difficult as it was.

"Five seconds..." She warned, "If you don't come, I will."

Jayden lulled his head back as he stared at the ceiling with his hands in the pockets of his sweatpants as she began counting,

"One...two..."

She took advantage of the moment to drag her eyes down his perfectly sculpted body, from his dark tousled hair, his conspicuous Adam's apple that bobbed up and down regularly, his broad manly shoulders and biceps, drool-worthy abs, to his long toned legs that were hidden beneath his sweatpants.

"Three..."

She crossed her arms beneath her ample bosom, "Four..."

If he wasn't going to move, she definitely will.

"F-"

She didn't get to complete the word because to her surprise and fear, he started moving towards her.

His slow strides raised tension within her flesh as soberness began to hit her, and she began to ask herself if she was really prepared for this.

She had just asked the man to make love to her even on the goddamn wall. The look in his eyes alone as he moved towards her was enough to strip her of every bit of confidence she thought she had.

She gulped when he slowly closed the gap, a few inches separating them as he towered over her.

They held each other's gazes, his bare chest very close that if he even inhaled, it would graze her bosom.

His dark desiring gaze weakened her in the knees and caused her core to throb. He then dropped his gaze to her luscious lips, but her eyes remained still, following his every gaze.

Goosebumps surfaced on her arms as Jayden began to lower himself, slowly drawing himself to his knees. The ticklish grazing of his tresses on her skin as he lowered himself caused her to sharply breathe inwardly, and what was left of the confidence she had built up vaporized into thin air.

She wasn't ready for this.

Her heart pounded so hard she was sure he could even feel the vibrations in her belly, as he was faced with her navel. Her knees wobbled and she refrained from making a sound, simply imagining what he was going to do next.

But he began to rise, resuming his initial towering position and did something Lara had not seen coming.

He slowly covered her with the robe he had picked up from behind her feet.

Lara's eyes bulged out of their sockets as she watched Jayden place her almost lifeless hands inside the robe and pick up the laces from the sides.

His words had left her dumbfounded.

"Don't be a Josey or a Tess." He said as he tied the laces of the robe, "Be Lara." He fixed the bow.

Lara's eyes began to brim with tears as she fell at a loss for words. "W- W- What are you doing...?" She stuttered, attempting to swallow the huge lump in her throat.

The embarrassment severely gnawed at her abdominal walls that it became painful to even stand.

Jayden had resisted her even at her most vulnerable point.

She tried hard to swallow back the tears, "Why... are you doing this...?"

"Did someone put you up to this?" His dark brows furrowed, as he gazed intensely into her watering eyes.

"Why do you keep embarrassing me?" The tears began to stream down her face.

"Did you want me to do something with you?" He asked.

"Isn't this what you always wanted?"

"Lara," He held her upper arms and levelled his handsome face with hers, "I've said it before, and I'll say it again. If my goal was to solely get with you, it would have happened ages ago."

He straightened up and continued when she remained silent, "If I took advantage of your vulnerable state tonight, tomorrow morning you'll regret it. You'll hate me. You'll hate yourself. You'll hate whoever put you up to this. Is that what you want?"

Lara dropped her face into her palms as she sobbed audibly, "This is so embarrassing."

She had put herself into this horrible mess for what exactly? Jayden's kiss? Jayden's touch? The Lara she knew would have never reduced herself to this level for any man's attention.

"Lara..."

"No." Wiping her tears, she rose her head and shook it. She didn't want to hear anymore. Didn't want to endure any more humiliation.

Guilt and sorrow filled Jayden's heart as he kept his eyes on her, the girl he had once felt he could be serious with. Unfortunately, situations had prevented anything deeper than a physical attraction from blossoming.

"I get it now." She tried hard to prevent her voice from wobbling, "Crystal clear."

"I'm sorry."

"For what exactly?" She sniffled, eyes red and slightly puffy from the crying and rubbing, "You're not the one who just stripped down to nudity for a man's touch. You're not the one who just made a fool out of themselves!"

She took a deep breath to stop herself from breaking down completely and continued, "It's me. I should have listened the minute you ended things between us in that quiet room. God, I'm so stupid!"

"You're not."

"I chose to learn it the hard, humiliating way. I got what was coming to me. Now it's loud and clear."

She held his guilty gaze for what seemed like hours. Her heart ached harder than her head had begun to, and she longed for the ground to open up so she could just disappear. She was too humiliated to face tomorrow, the next hour or even the next minute.

"Good bye." She said before walking past him towards the door.

"Lara." He called out when her hand had touched the door handle.

She remained still.

He had turned to face her, but her back was facing him.

He had to get this across to her. "You don't ever have to do that to gain anyone's attention."

"Great." She sniffled, "The humiliation never ends."

"I'm serious."

She swiftly turned, "Stop! This is the last thing I need right now!"

Silence hung in the air as they held each other's gazes. The pain that radiated from both their emotional caverns had amplified with each passing second they had continued to maintain the gaze.

Lara was the one who broke the silence, but not the gaze, "Whatever we had is over, you said. Ay ay Captain. Whatever you say."

She wiped a fallen tear. "It was your ship to begin with, anyways. You brought me on it. I'm just gonna go jump off now. Or I'll let you push me off the plank, I don't know. I'm practically hanging from it and holding onto the edge, thinking or wishing you'd pull me up, when you're the one who wants me gone."

With that said, she swiftly left his room and left him standing there, staring at the closed door.

She crumbled to pieces in the temporary comfort of her bed as she wrapped her arms around her raised knees and buried her head in the arms of the robe as she sobbed uncontrollably.

She was grateful Rachel had been away for a week due to family issues otherwise she would have had to keep the tears in, which would have weakened her poor heart.

Several thoughts pertaining tonight and other painful memories had taken over her feeble mind and had rendered her useless, stupid, a pain vortex and a disgrace.

Her heart had been broken beyond repair.

Jayden sat on the edge of his bed as he recounted the events of the night. He hadn't meant to hurt or humiliate her, but now it looked as if he did.

He had ended it with her for so many reasons. Reflection from the weeks he had spent away from home was a factor. His relationship with Lara wasn't a healthy one. Besides, before he had even left for the three weeks, they had both promised to desist from their 'encounters'.

It was also the best time to hinder things from progressing between them. A heavy physical attraction was the only thing deep they had going. If there was any emotional connection, it was dim.

The third and final reason for him ending it with her was the fact that he saw no future for them. In everyone else's eyes, she was his maid. Even though she was more than that to him, the 'more' wasn't enough. It wasn't enough to birth a commitment. He didn't love her, she didn't love him. It was purely infatuation. Lust, if you will.

Even though his heart began to painfully ache as the memory of Lara bursting into tears occupied his mind, he convinced himself that it was for the best.

In a few months, she would be going away to college. She would meet better guys, be occupied with her new life. Away from this life. Away from him.

***

Jayden stretched his exposed muscled arms on his bed with a low groan as the morning light seeped into the room through the glass balcony doors. He had forgotten to draw the curtains the previous night.

Turning to face the other side to prolong his perfect sleep, his half opened eyes caught a glimpse of a figure in a maid uniform.

He looked up to see who it was because those thin thighs did not belong to Lara.

"What the-" His voice sounded hoarse from all the sleep as he locked eyes with Brie who had her arms crossed on her chest and a brown brow raised.

****

A/N: It looks like the Lara + Jayden ship just hit rock bottom. What are your thoughts on this? Also, Brie in Jay's room? Ya don't see that everyday.

Can we also just take a moment to mourn ZiGi. If you aren't aware yet, the power couple Zayn Malik and Gigi Hadid just ended their over two years relationship. Looks like we're in the season of heartbreaks. Maybe when Zayn gets back with her, Jayden will too with Lara? LOLOL. I'm so sad about this.

See ya on Sunday! (Don't forget to vote and comment)