Chapter 125: Crossing Lines

Chapter 125: Crossing Lines The following day, Jamal drove Genevieve to the hotel to pick up Stefan so they could take him to the airport. Stefan had told him about his conversation with her at the amusement park the previous night and how she had agreed to visit him, and he had also filled Stefan in on all the plans with Tom and his uncle, Harry. Jamal looked at Genevieve through the rearview mirror and noticed her sad expression as she gazed outside the window. She didn’t seem to be pretending to like Stefan, Jamal thought, wondering just what Stefan had done or said to make her fall for him in such a short time. When they got to the hotel, Genevieve dialed Stefan’s line. He picked at the third ring. "Hey!" Stefan greeted cheerfully as he looked around the room to see if he was forgetting anything. "We are downstairs," Genevieve informed him. "Are you not coming up?" Stefan asked, surprised. "No. There’s no need for that when you’re leaving," she said quietly. Hearing the sadness in her voice, Stefan sighed inwardly, "Alright. I’ll be down in a bit." Ten minutes later Stefan walked out of the hotel and as he approached the car, Jamal stepped out of the drivers seat to help with the bags, since Stefan was also carrying his bag and laptop which he had left behind at the hotel. As Stefan joined Genevieve in the backseat, he flashed her a smile, "Good morning, Viv. Did you sleep well?" Viv? What sort of name was that? Jamal mused as he drove, glancing at Stefan through the mirror. "It was okay," Genevieve said dully even though she had barely slept because she was thinking of Stefan and wondering what the point was in remaining in Westend with her father when she wasn’t going to be getting anything from him. She had considered if she should just leave with him, and forget everything and everyone here, and had reconsidered it only because there wouldn’t be a good explanation to give him for wanting to abandon her life here. And then as if to confirm how bad the idea was, she had dozed off briefly only to have a nightmare about Stefan discovering that she wasn’t truly Dawn. The dream had been so terrible that she had been unable to go back to sleep, and now she was feeling saddened by the thought of what would happen if he found out that she wasn’t the person she was claiming to be. She was also feeling guilty that she was deceiving him. Someone as good as him did not deserve to be deceived this way. Would he still like her if he found out she wasn’t really who she was claiming to be? "Are you okay?" Stefan asked, breaking into her thoughts and she sighed as she looked at him. Would he forgive her? What happens when Abigail tells him about all she had done. Would he ever look at her the same way with these concerned eyes? "Yeah," she murmured. "You don’t look okay. Are you ill?" Stefan asked, reaching out to feel her forehead. Jamal watched Stefan through the mirror, amused. It was his first time seeing Stefan this way with a lady. The only other ladies he interacted with were the ladies in the family, and he always treated them with respect like he didn’t want to cross any boundaries. "I’m fine," Genevieve assured him as she turned away from him. "Are you being this way because you are missing me already?" Stefan teased, and the scowled when he caught Jamal’s amused expression in the rearview mirror. "Maybe," Genevieve said, and seeing as she wasn’t ready to say what was bothering her, Stefan decided to let her be. "Pete, I noticed we seem to wear the same clothe size. If you don’t mind I’d like you to have the black backpack in the trunk. I prefer to travel light," Stefan said, wanting to leave behind some of Jamal’s close and his laptop. Jamal glanced at Genevieve through the mirror and met her gaze on him. He looked at her as though asking for her permission and she merely shrugged before looking away. "Thank you, sir. I’m grateful," Jamal said politely. It didn’t take long before they arrived at the airport, and once they did, Genevieve escorted Stefan inside. "I’m going to miss you," Stefan told Genevieve as he turned to face her, and then he noticed that her eyes was glistening with unshed tears. Genevieve’s lips wobbled, "I’m going to miss you too." Stefan embraced her, and she held on to him very tightly. Stefan kissed the top of her head. "You promised to visit in a month’s time," Stefan reminded her, and she bobbed her head against his chest. "You can come earlier than that if you want. I’ll be waiting for you, Viv. Make sure you come as Genevieve not as Dawn," he said, and she pulled back to look into his face. "And you’ll keep being Stefan or Jamal then?" She asked, and he raised a brow. "Which do you want me to be? Dawn’s childhood friend Jamal, or Genevieve’s friend, Stefan?" He asked, and she smiled. "Stefan," she said, and he nodded. "Good. That’s who I’ll always be to you. I need to go now," he said, and he squeezed her hand gently before letting go. Genevieve opened her mouth to say something, but the words caught in her throat when he raised his hands to brush the tears from her face. Looking into her teary eyes and beautiful face one last time, Stefan’s heart raced. Then, before either of them could think too much about it, he leaned down and brushed his lips over hers. It was barely a kiss. It was light as a feather, but it made Genevieve’s heart stop. Her eyes widened in surprise. Stefan froze too, like he hadn’t meant to do it, like it had just happened. For a second, neither of them moved. The noise of the airport around them faded away. Then Stefan smiled, a crooked smile that made her heart ache. "I guess I crossed the line. Be good, Viv. Take care of yourself," he whispered. And just like that, he pulled away and turned around, walking toward the security gate. Genevieve stood rooted to the spot watching his retreating figure. Stefan didn’t look back. Her chest felt so full it hurt. She blinked back the tears that threatened to fall as she touched her lips with trembling fingers. She could still feel the ghost of his lips. Soft and warm. The airport was loud around her — people talking, announcements blaring, wheels of suitcases rolling across the floor — but all she could hear was the sound of her own heartbeat. Jamal, who had been watching them from a distance sighed deeply. It was even more obvious to him now that Stefan had feelings for Genevieve as she did for him. Who would have thought that those two unlikely pair would fall for each other? Jamal mused. If he didn’t trust Stefan, he’d have been worried about what he had just witnessed, but Stefan was someone he trusted with his life. Stefan was an important part of his life, and if someone like Stefan had fallen for someone like Genevieve, then maybe she was redeemable and could be given a chance. And for that reason they had to put Genevieve into consideration when making their plan. Jamal returned to the car, deciding to wait for her to pull herself together to return. It was about thirty minutes later when she returned, and slid into her seat without a word to him. Jamal glanced at her through the rearview mirror as he drove away from the airport and saw her hugging her arms around herself. She wiped her face quickly when she felt a tear slide down. She told herself it was silly to cry. She stared out the window, but she didn’t see anything. The road, the trees, the people — it all looked blurry. Tears filled her eyes again and before she could stop them, they rolled down her cheeks, one after another, soft and hot. She wiped at them quickly, hoping Jamal wouldn’t notice. But Jamal saw. He glanced at her through the mirror, his heart heavy for both her and Stefan. If she was someone Stefan cared about, then he’d have to look out for her even though Stefan had not asked him to. "Ma’am..." he said softly, but she shook her head. "Can you... can you park by the roadside? I need a moment," she whispered, her voice small. Without asking why, Jamal pulled over. He parked under a big tree where it was quiet. Genevieve bent her head and cried harder with her arms wrapped around herself, like she was trying to hold herself together. Jamal turned in his seat to face her. He didn’t know what to say at first. He just sat with her, letting her cry. After a while, he spoke, his voice kind. "If it’s any consolation..." he said, "I’m sure he feels the same way." Genevieve sniffled and lifted her wet eyes to him. "You don’t even know how I feel," she said in a broken voice. Jamal nodded. "I apologize for misunderstanding. I thought you were feeling sad because you’re going to miss him. I didn’t realize you’re crying because you’re so happy he’s gone." Genevieve laughed a little at his response, but it wobbled and broke. Another tear slipped down. She wiped it and then asked, her voice embarrassed, "Pete... can you drink with me? Like you drink with Jamal?" Jamal was quiet for a moment as he really looked at her sad face. "Don’t you have friends to drink with you?" He asked, but she shook her head. Even though he knew Abigail would probably not like it, he couldn’t say no to Genevieve. "Alright," Jamal said gently. "I won’t drink with you but I’ll watch you drink. I need to drive you back." Genevieve gave a small, thankful smile. "Thank you. You can take me to my favorite lounge." Jamal nodded again. "Tell me where," he said. Genevieve gave him the name, and Jamal input it on his map before starting the car again.