NovelEnglish
Chapter 22
Quinta invited Jocelyn over for dinner at her place.
After her divorce, Quinta snagged a tiny two-bedroom pad, but once she married Damian, they quickly
sold it off and, with a loan, bought the current little cottage they’re living in. It’s one of those places with
stairs, right up on the top.
floor.
When Quinta sold the old place, her mother had a good moan to Jocelyn’s mom on the phone. She
was like, “At least the old house was mine. Now, it is sold, and they got this new one, and it’s joint
property’. If things stay peachy, great, but what if it all goes down the drain?”
Quinta’s mother was all sighs when she talked about it
At six in the evening. Quinta had the meal ready and called Damian. After a few words, he hung up, so
she carried the dishes into the dining room and told Jocelyn to dig in.
“Isn’t Damian coming back?
“A couple of work buddies roped him into fishing.” Quinta set the table. “Forget him, let’s eat.”
Jocelyn always felt there was something off about Quinta and Damian’s vibe, but she couldn’t quite put
her finger on it. and it didn’t seem right to pry. They were newlyweds, after all, and jumping to
conclusions wasn’t cool.
After they ate, it was already seven in the evening.
Quinta wanted Jocelyn to stay, which made Jocelyn think of what Melvin had said before.
For some reason, she felt a rebellious streak and didn’t want to do as he said, so she agreed to stay.
The sisters huddled on the couch that evening, watching TV and chatting, mostly about Damian’s kid
and the old folks
back home
It was the usual family drama. The blended family with kids always come with a string of issues.
Like the ex dropping by to see her son, or the grandparents doting on the grandson. Quinta felt like an
outsider in that house, just couldn’t fit in.
Follow on NovᴇlEnglish.nᴇt“Didn’t cut ties completely, huh?” Jocelyn was curious.
“How can we ever cut ties completely? That’s the kid’s mom. We can’t just pretend she doesn’t exist,
Quinta sighed. “The woman is jobless now, and hearing Damian made squad leader, she’s not sitting
still. Luckily, Damian doesn’t really deal with her. He won’t even pick up her calls. He says he does it to
ease my mind, letting the kid stay with his grandparents.”
Jocelyn hugged Quinta. “Just be the best you can be.
“With marriages like ours, I’ve gotta have a kid of my own to really cement the family together Quinta
patted her hand. “Marriage isn’t some wild beast, but you’ve gotta think it through before diving in. After
all, it’s an elevation of al relationship but also the start of a whole new set of responsibilities.”
“A lot of divorces happen because people can’t handle those responsibilities, right?” Seeing Jocelyn’s
dazed look, Quinta quickly added. “I’m not trying to scare you. There are happy marriages too. Look at
your folks. They’ve been lovey-dovey since day one, right?”
Jocelyn’s lips curled up slightly. “I know. I’ll think about the consequences before I decide on anything.”
“Your boyfriend must ve been through something, and that’s probably why he’s shying away from
marriage.”
“He’s never been married.” Jocelyn was sure of that.
Quinta chuckled, “It’s not that you have to go through marriage to see it through Could be his family
background or other life experiences. Anyway, if you really want to get serious with him, you’ve gotta
worm your way into his heart. Once he opens up, you’ll find out what’s really going on.”
Jocelyn’s expression turned serious. That was just it; she hadn’t cracked Melvin’s code yet.
Otherwise, why would she know so little about him?
Chapter 22
Jocelynis phone buzzed
Quinta glanced over and asked, “Melvin
“Yep Jocelyn answered “Hello?”
Melvin’s voice was indifferent, “Where are you?”
“At Quinta’s
Silence hung heavily after she spoke Jocelyn bit her lip, waiting for him to continue.
“Send me your location. And with that, he hung up.
Jocelyn was stunned
Quinta was curious. “What’s up?
“He wants my location Jocelyn was baffled “He’s not coming to pick me up, is he?”
“it’s eight already, and it’s over two hundred kilometers away. That’s a two-hour drive.” Quinta looked at
Jocelyn and suddenly burst into laughter, “He must love you, huh.”
The word “love” felt foreign to Jocelyn
Apart from sleeping together, she couldn’t feel Melvin’s love.
Her phone vibrated again. Melvin was prodding her for the location. Not wanting to upset him, she sent
it.
“Wait for me”
The three words were brimming with an air of command.
Jocelyn was holding her phone, lost in thought.
Quinta nudged her with a knowing smile, “He seems to really miss you.”
Jocelyn’s smile was tinged with helplessness.
Melvin said he was coming, and Quinta refused to go to sleep, eager to lay eyes on the man who had
Jocelyn wrapped around his finger.
Before two hours passed, Jocelyn’s phone rang again
It was Melvin.
“Hello?”
“I’m downstairs at your building. Come down, or should I come up?” he asked
Jocelyn was shocked, he had made it in less than two hours.
How fast was he driving?
“What’s going on? Quinta inquired.
‘He’s here, Jocelyn said.
Quinta was also taken aback but quickly blurted out. “Invite him up!”
Follow on Novᴇl-Onlinᴇ.cᴏmJocelyn, thinking Melvin would be reluctant to let others know about their relationship, and recalling his
earlier words that might have been in jest, decided to test him by saying, “Come up. She gave him the
building and floor number, and hung up without waiting for a response.
Now she was on edge, nervously watching the door
Quinta, on the other hand, was brimming with excitement, standing at the door in wait.
Soon enough, the doorbell rang.
“He’s here Quinta beamed.
Melvin gave Quinta a slight nad when he saw her. I’m here to pick up Jocelyn.”
“You came all this way to pick up Jocelyn; how about coming on in and having a drink of water?” Quinta
subtly sized up Melvin as he arrived Sure enough, he fits the bill of a posh bachelor who’s all about
dating but not settling down
Melvin stood at the door, noticing Jocelyn sitting on the couch motionless, her almond-shaped eyes
slightly closed Polite as ever, be said to Quinta. “No wornes. It’s getting late, and we should head back”
It’s pretty late, so why not crash here? We’ve got space, Quinta offered, trying to get him to stay.
“I’ve got an early start tomorrow.”
Oh, alright then “Quinta could tell that Melvin was a tough nut to crack, he seemed polite but there was
a hint of distance. She couldn’t help but worry for Jocelyn, thinking she might be wasting her time on
this guy.
With Melvin at the door and his stance clear, Jocelyn had no choice but to follow him out
“Drive safe and text me when you get home, Quinta gently reminded them as she saw them off
Jocelyn nodded You better head back and get some rest.
Quinta waited until their car pulled away before heading back herself.
Jocelyn sat there silently. At that moment, she felt like a student who’d skipped class and got caught by
the principal, now being dragged back to school.
She felt the pressure.
Melvin drove in silence
It was a long way to go and he’d been driving for so long, Jocelyn couldn’t help but feel a pang of quilt.
“How about we stop at the next service area, and I’ll drive for a bit?” she suggested. After all, at this
hour, the highway would be pretty empty, and she wasn’t that scared.
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