Chapter 49: Love Story

Chapter 49: Love Story Jamal glanced around the room he had been shown to, shaking his head as he took in cramped space. He let out a chuckle when he lowered himself to the bed, the thin mattress creaked under his weight. So, this was his life now. A single, stiff bed, a tiny wooden wardrobe with one door hanging off its hinges, and a small desk with an old-fashioned lamp. The window above the desk had iron bars, making him feel more like a prisoner than a guest. How did such a mansion have such an unwelcoming space for its employees? He exhaled through his nose, still grinning. One month in this little space. One month of pretending to be a driver. It was going to be an experience, that was for sure. Leaning back against the wall, he grimaced. The mattress was so thin he could feel the wooden slats underneath. Was this how his staff at home felt about their beds? He had never thought about it before but he doubted his domestic staff lived under such conditions. Their rooms were way bigger and more spacious than this. He made a mental note to ask Stefan to check on the staff quarters and find out if they needed anything. If his employees were dealing with something like this, he needed to fix it. Jamal swung his legs over the edge of the bed and pulled out his phone when he recalled that he had been texting the mute girl earlier before Genevieve had interrupted. He read through their conversation and stopped at his last message to her and her response to it. Jamal: [So, how can I convince you to tell me where you live? We can arrange a coincidental chance meeting.] Mute Girl: [Nice try.] Jamal barked out a laugh, shaking his head. Even without words, she had attitude. For a second, he considered replying, but before he could type anything, a new message popped up. His group chat with Mari and Emily. Mari: [Still waiting to hear from you. Bored to death.] followed by a sticker of a skeleton covered in cobwebs. Emily: [At this point, you better say you kissed and cried.] followed by a sticker of a dramatic swooning woman. Jamal chuckled as he tapped the call button. The moment the line connected, Mari’s voice came through first. "Finally! What took you so long? We’ve been waiting!" "Yeah," Emily added. "So? Did she cry? Did you cry happy reunion tears?" "More importantly did you guys kiss?" Mari asked excitedly. Jamal wrinkled his nose, turned off by the thought of kissing Genevieve. "Gross." Mari snorted. "What’s gross about kissing your childhood sweetheart?" "Seriously?" Jamal groaned. "Can you two relax? Let me talk." There was a dramatic silence on the other end, and then Mari said, "Fine. Speak." Jamal leaned back against the wall, stretching his legs out. "It went... well, let’s just say interestingly. First of all, Genevieve mistook Stefan for me." Dead silence. Then, at the same time— "Wait, WHAT?!" "How?! You didn’t even get surgery! How could she not recognize you? You haven’t changed much over the years," Mari said in disbelief. Emily hummed. "Well... it has been a really long time. She was a kid back then. Maybe she remembered him differently." Mari huffed. "That’s ridiculous. She should know his face if she remembered him enough to reach out." "Well, you have a point," Emily conceded, "But then again, don’t forget that Jamal changed his hair color and Stefan has blonde hair. So maybe she naturally assumed so," Emily said, and Mari clicked her tongue. Jamal listened to them both debate about it for a while and then he chuckled, "Apparently, changing my hair and dressing casually was enough. Unlike me, Stefan was dressed in formal clothes. So, I guess that also was part of the confusion." "I can’t imagine how embarrassing and disappointing that must have been for you, Jay," Mari said with a shake of her head. "So, Jay, what did you do? How did you correct her?" Emily asked curiously. Jamal hesitated. "Where are you guys right now?" "I’m at my house," Mari said. "The GEL club executive ladies are having a sleepover later tonight and my mom’s hosting, so I have to help her organize things since she’s busy recording at the studio until evening." "I’m hiding away from my superiors in my Dad’s office," Emily said, making them laugh. Jamal rubbed the back of his neck. "Okay, before I tell you anything else, you both need to promise not to tell anyone what we discuss. You can’t breathe a word of it to anyone." "I love secrets," Mari shrieked immediately. Emily was slower to respond. "Is this something serious?" Jamal sighed. "Just promise." "Alright, alright. I promise." Jamal took a deep breath. "I took a job as Genevieve’s driver." Emily screamed. Mari burst into loud laughter. Jamal frowned. "What’s so funny?" Emily was still shrieking in delight. "You won’t believe we were talking about something along these lines earlier. THIS IS GOLD! YOU’RE LIVING A LOVE STORY!" Mari wheezed. "You’ve been uncle Tom’s mentee for too long! First the one-night stand, now the driving job— what’s next? Are you going to move into the house next to hers?" "Please," Jamal scoffed. "Lucy was a constant in Tom’s story. Me? I keep meeting and falling for different women. First Dawn, then Abigail, then there’s the podcaster I have a massive crush on. And you can’t believe I met someone on the plane again and now I can’t stop thinking about her. She was pretending to be mute." Emily spoke first. "Wait, WHAT?" "Who pretends to be mute?" Mari asked. Jamal sighed. "I don’t want to talk about that right now. The point is, I’m beginning to feel like Cal might be right and maybe I’m cursed or under a spell." "Cal doesn’t know anything. If you ask me, he’s the one who is cursed," Emily muttered making them laugh. "Anyway, I’m going to be live-in driver," he said, and went on to explain what had prompted his decision to them. "What I need your help with is coming up with an excuse for my absence this next month." Both girls fell silent. Emily gasped. "Oh! Say you’re taking an important course." Mari snorted. "On what?" Emily’s voice was filled with mischief. "Driving." Jamal groaned as Mari burst into laughter again. "You guys are the worst," he muttered. "We’re the best," Emily corrected. "And we’re definitely brainstorming on this." Mari giggled. "You know, Jamal... I have a feeling you’re about to get your happily ever after." Jamal chuckled. "You know what? I think you might be right. I’ve been having a good feeling all day." "I’ll help you come up with a good excuse if you promise to let me write your story. I want to be the next Sonia Smith. Hopefully your love story becomes a bestseller like Tom’s and Lucy’s," Emily said and Jamal laughed. "I’m not sure if this is going to be a love story since I’m not sure I’m interested in Genevieve. But if it turns out being a love story, you can write about it." "We have a deal. Leave it to us. We will come up with a good excuse and cover for you," Emily promised. "But wait. Why don’t you want to tell everyone about your plan? It would make things easier," Mari pointed out. "This is my personal business, not the Hank family business or the business of the whole Clan. I told you I don’t need everyone knowing what I’m upto anymore. I’m only confiding in you two because I know I’m going to need your help from time to time. So, you can’t tell them, okay?" Jamal warned, and after they promised him, he hung up the call.