THE CONFESSION

Alec could not wait to tell Jade.

He had been a jerk to her. Jumping to conclusions taking rash decisions, not talking to her about his feelings.

But he was going set all his mistakes right. He was going to tell her everything, even if she didn't love him. Or she didn't feel the same way about him.

He remembered the kiss from that day, he had a good feeling she had feelings for him.

The grin on Alec's face was stuck as he drove to Jade's apartment building.

The security guard of her apartment building said that she was not home and had left in the morning.

Alec sat back in the car and dialled Jason's number quickly.

"Hey Alec! What's up man?"

Said Jason on picking up the phone.

"Hey man! Is Nicole with you right now?" Alec said without any preamble.

"Yeah she's here. Is something wrong?" Jason sounded confused.

"No. Nothing's wrong. I just need to talk to her."

"Just a sec. I'll give her the phone."

Jason put his hand over the speaker and yelled, "Nicole! Alec needs to talk to you!"

"Alec? Why?"

Nicole sounded equally confused.

"Hey Alec!"

Alec sighed once her voice came on.

There was only one person who was sure to know where Jade was.

"Hi Nicole! I called to ask if you know where Jade is. I mean I'm standing near her apartment building. But the security guard said she's not home."

"Jade? She's gone for a book reading at the new cafe across town. Alec don't go there. Just don't. She doesn't need that....." Nicole asked.

"I have to, Nicole. I'm sorry. Thanks!" Alec interrupted her.

Before listening to Nicole's reply Alec kept the phone and threw it in the passenger seat.

He started the car and drove to the cafe. Barely within the speed limit.

The new cafe was comfortable and smelt of coffee, as Alec entered the air conditioned room, he could see there was a huge crowd of people in there.

"Hello sir! Can I help you?"

One of the employees came up to Alec and asked.

"Is this where Jade Tucker's book reading is happening?" He asked.

The brown haired girl looked confused. Most of the Jade Tucker fans were women.

"Yes sir. But the book reading is over. The question answer session is going on now."

That was a good thing. It meant he would be able to speak to her earlier.

"Thanks."

Alec flashed her a smile and hurried there.

The area was crowded with women all with signs of recent tears on their faces.

That's what Jade's novels did to women. One novel and they couldn't stop their tears.

And there in the middle sat Jade.

She was wearing a plain white shirt and black trousers.

Her black hair was open and she was wearing her reading glasses.

Just as Alec was looking at her she laughed at something one of the girls sitting next to her said.

Alec couldn't believe he had not seen it before.

She was the one for him. And she was perfect in every way.

"Come on everyone we start the question answer session now."

Alec recognised Jade's editor, though he did not remember her name.

All the women gathered around Jade again and sat on the stools kept over there.

"Okay.... So... Go ahead ask me questions about anything... Go wild!" Jade smiled her usual goofy grin. Though the smile didn't reach her green eyes now.

All the women tittered. They started asking questions about all her different novels.

Alec tuned out the noise and just looked at Jade reply with smiles and nods of her head.

"We have been reading about love stories in all your novels. But no one knows if you have a love story yourself." A girl in a bright green sweater asked Jade.

The smile on Jade's face disappeared.

"You want to know about my love story?" She asked.

All the humour from her voice was gone.

Alec started listening to what was going on from where he was standing.

He was standing behind one of the pillars, so though he could see Jade, he was not in Jade's vision line.

"Yeah... I mean your such a romantic person yourself. So I'm sure everyone over here wants to know." The same girl said.

"Being a romantic person does not mean I have a great love story." Jade said flatly, looking straight at the girl.

"So does that mean you're not in love with anyone?" Another girl

asked.

"I didn't say that."

Alec's ears stood up at that.

"So who are you in love with?"

The first girl asked her again

"You'll really want to know?"

Jade eyes had become sad and downcast.

All the women and girls started nodding and saying yes.

"Okay. Here goes." Jade sighed. "I met him on the playground of my kindergarten school. Our first day. I was crying. He was grinning. We became best friends over a shared love for p b and j. We grew up. I fell in love. With him. He fell in love. With his dream. He went away and I didn't get a chance to tell him that I loved him."

Alec just gaped at her.

Did she really mean it? Had she really been in love with him?

Was she still in love with him?

"Now he's back." She continued, staring at her fingers, "And sensibly it means that this is my chance to tell him that I love him. Because the fool that I am I still love him. But guess what? He get this super hot, super glamorous girlfriend with a British accent with him. And me? I've had 15 boyfriends since he left. 15. And I'm still in love with him. He asked me to be friends with him again. Just friends. And me being the stupid person that I am I said yes. And then a few days later he comes and tells me that he is getting engaged to his girlfriend. And thought I want to hate her I can't. He is getting married. The guy who didn't believe in the institution of marriage or love is now looking at rings for his pretty blonde fiancé. And I just stand over there. Helplessly in love with him. I'm in love with my best friend who is getting married. And I'm the most hopeless stupid girl on this planet. So that's my story. Any questions?"

Tears had popped up in Jade's eyes while all the women just stared at her.

The green sweater lady looked like she was about to say something, but Alec beat her to it.

"Why didn't you tell him, before he left?" He asked coming out from behind the pillar.

Jade's eyes widened.

What was he doing here?

She had just spilt her sob story in front of a crowd of romantic women while he was standing right there with his hands shoved into his pockets and an expressionless face.

"Alec." Jade gasped.

"Jade, why didn't you tell me?"

All the women started gaping at him when they realised he was the one Jade had been talking about.

"I have to go..."

Jade got up and ran out of the cafe before Alec could say anything else. She didn't give one look to him.

She ran out of cafe blindly, while all hell broke loose inside. The women all turned to Alec, most of them yelling and the others glaring at him.

Alec turned to leave and follow Jade but someone caught his arm and stopped him.

He turned around to see Jade's editor standing with a firm grip on his elbow. Her face was hard and her eyes were throwing daggers at him.

The women behind her were being calmed down by the waiters.

"So you are the famous Alexander Carter? I'm sorry but I can't really say that it's nice to meet you, because it's not." She said.

"Look I need to go right now. Whatever problem you have with me we can sort it out later." Alec tried to free his hand.

But for a petite girl like her, Jade's editor, he still couldn't remember her name, had an extremely firm hold on his hand.

"No. You're not going to follow." She snapped, "She needs to stay away from you. God knows you do more harm to her than good."

"Look Miss..."

"It's Blake. Blake Hastings."

Blake, quite a manly name for girl that petite and feminine, thought Alec.

"Okay... Miss Hastings. I don't know why you hate me so much, but I do know one thing. I need to talk to Jade."

Blake's expression hardened a little more, if that was even possible, "Isn't all the hurt you caused her enough? Why do you want to make it worse?"

"That's the thing... I want to talk to her so I can make it better. Apologise for what I've done..."

Blake's grip on his hand had loosened, Alec knew that if he wanted to he could remove his hand any minute. But somehow, he knew this was going to be his way of asking permission to make all his wrongs right.

"If you hurt her even a little bit more, I swear on God, I'll find and kick your ass so hard that you won't be able to walk, sit or lie down for the rest of your life."

With this vicious threat, Blake let his arm go.

Alec didn't know how he was supposed to react to the warning, so he turned around and started running, before she changed her mind.

................

Jade sat in her car and drove home as fast as she could without being pulled over or killing anyone.

Her vision was blurred by the tears in her eyes and she could still feel the warmth on her cheeks from the blush.

After not seeing Alec ever since their confrontation at the engagement party, she had gotten used to the pain.

Alec was always there at the back of her mind, but she had adjusted and started doing her daily work around it.

When she had gone for the book reading, after a million requests from Blake, the last thing she had expected was to see Alec over there.

She reached her building parked the car and ran up to her apartment.

She closed the door and stood with her back pressed to it, breathing heavily.

Would he come?

She didn't know whether she wanted him to or no.

But right now, she sat down on the sofa and let the tears fall.

.......................