Chapter 186: Annoyed

Words : 1736 Updated : Oct 6th, 2025

Chapter 186: Annoyed Jax had been really bored earlier and had been unable to even paint because he was thinking about her and wondering what she was up to knowing she was bored since she seemed like the type that never liked to be without company. The moment he stepped out of his bedroom to go check on her, the sound of her laughter, loud and carefree, had drifted up the stairs to him. It was the kind of laugh that made it hard not to smile along even when you didn’t know why she was laughing. He could only imagine how much fun she was having to be laughing so loudly without inhibition. At first he had thought that maybe Chad was with her keeping her company, but he had doubted it since he knew that Chad would be knocked out for hours as usual. Just to be sure he stopped by Chad’s bedroom and when he saw Chad sound asleep, he stood by the bed staring at Chad, and wondering how two people could look so similar yet be so different. Unlike him Chad had always been the mischievous one and he had been the calm one. While Chad was always pretending to be him and tricking people, he had only pretended to be Chad on few occasions to cover up for him so he wouldn’t get in trouble either with teachers or their parents. Seeing Chad sound asleep then, an idea had struck him. He had thought of it as a perfect way to ease his boredom. He wanted to see if she would be able to tell he wasn’t Chad and also to pick her brain to know exactly what she thought about him. What would she say about him when she didn’t think she was talking to him? Without wasting time thinking about it, he had gone to Chad’s closet and borrowed Chad’s clothes since Chad preferred to wear bright clothes unlike him who preferred dark colors because he hated to see stains. On approaching the living room he had seen her curled up on the couch like a happy cat, hugging a pillow and giggling like she didn’t have a care in the world. For a moment he had hesitated, wondering whether or not she’d fall for it, and how silly it’d be if she caught him but then she had looked at him and called him Chad even before he said a word. He had to fight hard not to chuckle at that. He decided to continue with the act and see how long before she’d find out he wasn’t Chad. So he grinned as he knew Chad would, flopped down next to her, and listened. He had to try hard not to be defensive or glare at her when she called him a coward. But seeing her shy smile when she said she liked him? That was unexpected. He’d heard a lot of compliments in his life, but endearing? That one was new. And flattering. He was amused and excited the whole time. And more than a little intrigued. By the time she got to the Team MAJA nonsense, he had lost it. He had wanted to keep a straight face but had been unable to whether he was Chad or not. Mari was a very crazy girl and he loved every crazy bit of her. Now that he knew she was interested enough in getting to know him and understand what she was feeling, he decided to slowly open up to her. He couldn’t remember the last time someone made him feel... so entertained and interested in a conversation. And that was why he was annoyed now. Annoyed and irritated that Venita had shown up from nowhere and interrupted the conversation. Ignoring Venita, he looked at Mari, who looked stunned. Mari sat up, blinking like someone had thrown cold water on her. "So you were Jax the whole time?!" "No. I was Chad at first, but now I’m Jax," he said dryly and ducked as Mari flung the throw pillow at him. He chuckled as he watched her shock slowly give way to irritation. He could see it in the way her nose wrinkled, the way her eyes narrowed just a bit. "You heard everything, didn’t you?" she asked. Jax folded his arms across his chest, smirked, and tilted his head. "Well, I’m not exactly deaf, am I?" Venita, who had been totally ignored stared at them both like they were out of their minds. "Jax!" She snapped, annoyed that he was focused on Mari. "Not now, Venita. Don’t get on my nerves any more than you have already," he said, turning to glare at her. "I shouldn’t get on your nerves? I can’t believe you! If you wanted to end things with Diva this whole time, why didn’t you end it before now? Why did it have to be now that this bitch is here?" Venita asked angrily. Irritated at being tricked and not wanting to listen to the fight between them, Mari turned to walk away, but before she could take a step Jax caught her wrist, causing her pulse to quicken. "Who is being a coward and running away right now?" He asked, still ignoring Venita. Mari glared at him despite the racing of her heart. "Unlike you I’m not running away. I’m excusing you to talk," she said, pulling her wrist from his grip. "I didn’t ask you to excuse me," he cut in, looking at Mari with a grin. For some reason he liked that she was pissed. This whole time he had been at the receiving end of her smart mouth and mischievous mind. Finally now he had outsmarted her and shut her up. He wanted to relish the feeling. Venita was still standing there, arms crossed, huffing like a boiling kettle. "You’re not even going to answer me? I never imagined you to be such a jerk!" she hissed, her voice full of ice. Jax turned to her, his voice low and angry as though he had not just been grinning at Mari a second ago. "A jerk? Really? I understand that Diva is your friend and so you’re upset, but you should watch your words. You’re right that I should have let her go a long time ago, but I didn’t. Now I have, deal with it. You want to go and console her, be my guest. But don’t come in here shouting like you’re in charge of me. And don’t call Mari names, either. You’re just like Diva, so I don’t expect anything less from you." Venita opened her mouth, then shut it again. She glared at Mari, then at Jax, and stormed out of the house without another word. The living room was quiet for a beat and even though Mari wanted to ask Jax what he meant by what he had just said to Venita, she was still too annoyed to ask him. "So, back to our conversation..." "What conversation?" Mari asked, shooting daggers at him with her eyes, and he chuckled. "You’re laughing an awful lot right now for someone who barely smiles," Mari said, eyeing him with displeasure. "And you’re glaring an awful lot right now for someone who is always smiling and up to mischief," Jax said with a chuckle and offered her a hand. "Come on. Let’s go have lunch. I’m sure you will feel better after eating." Mari slapped his hand away, still staring at him like she was trying to figure out how he played her. "I should have known it was you seeing how tightlipped you were earlier. I can’t believe you tricked me." "You didn’t exactly ask," he said, smirking. "What do you mean I didn’t ask? You deliberately behaved like Chad to trick me! I’ve been here for days and not once have worn something this colorful or laughed so much, so how did you expect me to guess it was you?" Mari asked, glaring at him again. "And you don’t even seem like the type to pull something like this." "No, I’m not the type to pull something like this. And, no, I didn’t expect you to guess it was me. But considering all you’ve been doing to me since you got here, do you think you have any right to be upset that I pulled this little trick? Huh, baby?" Jax asked with a smirk. Mari couldn’t help but laugh at the way he called her baby. "Little trick? Please tell me how this is little?" She asked, folding both arms in front of her. "You just made me tell you all my plans." Jax smiled. "Yes. So, you will just have to come up with another plan. I’m sure you have a lot of nice ideas in your pretty head." He was looking forward to all of her plans. Mari narrowed her eyes. Was he asking her to come up with another plan to seduce him? "What are you up to? Just so you know, I didn’t mean all that nonsense I said. There is nothing endearing or hot or sweet about you," she said with a roll of her eyes. Jax chuckled. "Right. I didn’t believe a word you said, anyway," Jax said, and Mari eyed him contemplatively. "I meant part of it though," she said, and he raised a brow. "Which? The MAJA or JAMA part?" Mari groaned and grabbed a pillow, hiding her face in it. "Ugh. I want to die." He chuckled. "You’re welcome to do it later. Right now, you’re having lunch with me." What if Venita had not shown up when she did? How much more would he have made her tell him? She wondered as she threw the pillow aside. Without warning she kicked his shin. "Ouch. What was that for?" He asked with a wince. "Instead of dying I should just kill you," she said, and Jax chuckled. "You must be a sore loser," he said, rubbing his shin. Mari narrowed her eyes at him, and muttered. "What happened to the monosyllabic and monochromatic Jax?" "He will be back soon enough," He said, and Mari stepped closer to him. "I guess I should enjoy this alter ego before he disappears," she said, taking his hand. Jax chuckled. "You should. Let’s go," he said, and led her to the kitchen, the grin never leaving his face.

Chapter 186: Annoyed

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