Jocelyn was standing by Melvin’s side, pondering seriously, then replied, "Nah, I don't feel like it."
Melvin turned to her, "Why?"
"What am I supposed to do when you're off on a business trip?"
She had thought it through. She couldn't always dance to his tune.
You can't spoil men too much, give them an inch and they'll take a mile.
If she came running every time when he just snapped his fingers, what would that make her?
"Didn't you say you wanted to hang out with me?"
"Is that your idea of hanging out?"
"I'll have time for you once I'm done with work."
"No thanks," Jocelyn cut him off decisively.
Melvin was puzzled; she had seemed thrilled when they were talking about buying plane tickets for her just moments ago. How had she changed her mind so quickly?
Jocelyn glanced at the clock, "You’d better hurry up and go through the security check, don't miss your flight."
"Are you shooing me away?"
Jocelyn pulled a shocked face, "Hey, what if you miss your flight? I'm looking out for you, okay?"
Melvin huffed, "You’d better be."
"Or what?"
Just then, Jocelyn's phone rang.
She had a glance at it; it was a voice call from Harrison, and at that moment, she suddenly felt a bit guilty.
From where he stood, Melvin could clearly see the name of the man calling her, his eyes narrowing, hooking onto Jocelyn, waiting to see how she'd explain next.
Jocelyn hung up the call right away, then texted back. [What's up? It's not convenient for me to answer the call right now.]
"Not convenient?" Melvin's voice was icy as it reached her ears, "How come?"
Jocelyn shoved her phone back into her bag with a forced smile, "It's too noisy here, not a good place to answer the call."
"Jocelyn..."
Before he could finish, her phone pinged again.
It was just a Facebook notification sound, but Melvin with his acute ears even caught that in the noisy environment.
He said coldly, "Someone's messaged you on Facebook."
"Huh? No, that can't be," Jocelyn didn't even look at her phone.
"Jocelyn!" Melvin called her out, his patience wearing thin.
Scared that he'd lose his mind, and also because she had nothing to hide, Jocelyn took out her phone and opened Facebook.
It was Harrison.
All he said was that he had nothing much to say, just that he was heading back today and was on his way to the airport. He wanted to say goodbye to Jocelyn.
Jocelyn remembered Harrison had mentioned he was leaving today.
She was about to reply when Melvin snatched her phone.
"Hey! Give it back to me!" Jocelyn tried to grab it, but she was no match for his height and strength.
Melvin, holding her phone, went ahead and deleted Harrison from her Facebook contact.
This was something he had wanted to do for a while.
"You..." Jocelyn glared at him, "Why did you delete my friend?"
"As a man, I know very well he's got his eye on you." Melvin handed her phone back, "You're better off not keeping in touch with him."
Jocelyn was fuming, "You’re way out of line!"
"Oh yeah? You have a thing for him? You want to play around with him once I leave?" Melvin squinted, "Or is he your backup boyfriend?"
Jocelyn was about to explode with rage. She took a deep breath, afraid she might lose her cool and cause a scene right there.
Her fists clenched tight; she couldn't suppress her anger, "You're really disrespectful. You delete my friend just because I received a message from him. Then what about Willow calling you at midnight? Why did you just leave for her?"
"There's nothing between us."
"And that’s exactly the same with Harrison and me!" Jocelyn was livid.
Jocelyn and Harrison exchanged a glance, "Friends."
"So, what do you guys think is more appropriate for a farewell at the airport. A hug or a kiss?"
Jocelyn didn't expect such a blunt question right off the bat.
She replied, "Well… It depends."
Harrison nodded in agreement.
Jocelyn explained, "If they are a couple or lovers, a kiss would do. If just friends, a hug would be enough."
Harrison nodded again.
"The two of you seem like a perfect match. Any chance of a romantic relationship?" The hostess was really impressed by their good looks. The man was wearing half-rim glasses and had that scholarly handsome vibe, looking just like a gentleman straight out of a novel.
The lady was stunning, too. Her features under the camera's gaze were flawless. If she were in showbiz, even without any acting chops or talent, she'd be very popular.
Jocelyn was taken aback, "Does this have something to do with your interview topic?"
"Totally. Couples at the airport are either parting ways for good or reuniting after a long time apart. There's bound to be some emotional moments."
Jocelyn was speechless.
Harrison chuckled, "I'd love to have a serendipitous encounter with her, but she’s already had a boyfriend. We're just friends."
Harrison's candid explanation won people over, and the hostess didn't investigate any further.
After a few more common questions, they were free to go.
"Who knew our little encounter would seem like a match to others," Harrison said, trying to ease any embarrassment for Jocelyn.
Jocelyn forced a smile and shook her head, "In common mindset, a man and a woman together usually have their own story."
Harrison agreed, "Your friend's already boarded the flight?"
"I suppose so," Jocelyn replied nonchalantly.
Melvin was just insufferable. This morning, his persistence was like another personality living inside him, then he almost picked a fight with her at the airport. If he acted like this with another woman, he'd probably have been dumped ages ago.
It was her own damn fault, falling for such a maniac.
Comments
The readers' comments on the novel: The Unwilling CEO's Love Game
Very abrupt ending...