Chapter 77: Your Turn

Chapter 77: Your Turn "I could just drive you away from here right now and we can leave if you want. You don’t have to be here for us to deal with Ryan and Genevieve," Jamal suggested, but Abigail shook her head immediately. "No. I can’t go. Not yet. Not this way," she said, returning to her seat. "Why not?" Jamal asked, going to squat in front of her. Abigail shook her head, "Because I need to be here. I can’t tell you why right now... It’s not like I can’t. I’m just not prepared for it right now, but I promise I’ll explain better as soon as I’ve processed it all," she said, and Jamal looked at her for a moment, searching her hazel eyes. Abigail met his gaze, and they stared at each other in silence for a moment and then Jamal let out a soft sigh and nodded, "Alright. I’ll be here as your driver until you’re ready to leave," he said, and her lips twitched. "Talking about that. Now I know why you were in Blue York, but why were you in Husla, and why are you here pretending to be Genevieve’s driver if you believed she was Dawn?" Abigail asked, and Jamal straightened. "I was in Husla for a business summit. I came to Westend because Genevieve reached out to me," he said, and Abigail’s eyebrow arched. "Genevieve reached out to you? What for?" She asked, and then paused, trying to understand something, "I heard them saying she had a guest and they mentioned a Jamal. What’s going on?" Jamal chuckled, "Well, it’s a funny little story. So, she reached out to Stefan asking him to connect her to me because she suddenly regained her memory and remembered her childhood friend Jamal..." "No, you’re kidding," Abigail exclaimed with a gasp. Jamal chuckled. "I wish I was." "Why would she do that? She stole my identity and has been living my life but that’s not enough? She wants to have you too?" Abigail asked, feeling really irritated and annoyed. "So, the thing is, after I tried reaching her on her supposed birthday five years ago thinking she was you, and the sex tapes were released..." "Oh, no! You thought that was me?" She asked when that suddenly clicked in her head. "The Hanks too? Everyone thought that was Dawn!" She exclaimed, cringing now at the thought that Genevieve had stained her reputation. He had talked about the sex tapes earlier but she had not really thought much about it until now. Jamal nodded, "Although I always felt a bit off each time I saw Genevieve’s videos online. I didn’t like the new face. And to be honest I never really liked the name Genevieve either. I was only going to manage it because I thought it was you," he said, and Abigail narrowed her eyes. "Are you saying that because you mean it or because you just want me to feel better?" She asked with a teasing smile. Jamal smiled, "You’d realize soon enough that I don’t say things I don’t mean," he said, and she smiled but said nothing. The more time she spent talking to Jamal, the more she realized that she really really liked him and she was lucky to have ever crossed paths with someone like him. When she couldn’t find him she had thought that maybe he was her guardian angel, and now she was even more convinced that maybe that was what he was. Her guardian angel in human form. "Go on," she urged him, afraid that she might just tell him how much she really liked him if they stayed quiet too long. "Why do I feel like you were about to tell me something sweet?" Jamal asked with a grin, and she laughed. "What are you talking about?" She asked, surprised and amused that he had picked up on that. "You had this really sweet smile and your eyes were looking really lovey sort of," he said and she laughed again, surprised by how he made her laugh so easily. Less than ten minutes ago she had been really upset and now she was laughing and feeling all bubbly inside. "You have it again. Your eyes are so expressive, you know?" Jamal said with a grin. Abigail laughed as she looked away from him. "We don’t have time, Jamal. Go on with the story," she urged him. "Where did I stop?" He asked and she looked at him. "I remember. The part about how I didn’t like her face or her name," he said, wanting to make her laugh, and she laughed as he expected she would. "No. The part about how you found out about the sex tapes," she said, and Jamal grinned. "Yeah. So, when that happened I sort of took my mind off Dawn. And I decided to move on. That was when I met you at the club where I went to drink away my heartbreak. So you sort of replaced Dawn in my heart," he said, and her heart fluttered. Nice one, universe. "And then you disappeared, and I was heartbroken over again," he said, and she winced. "I’m sorry. I ran off when I received a text from Genevieve saying she was on her way to Blue York that morning. I was not allowed to take off my wig or lenses or go anywhere on my own. The night we met was the first time I stepped out of the house without the disguise so I wanted to get back home before she did," she explained, and Jamal nodded and let out a soft sigh. "I understand better now. I really blamed myself for stepping out," he said, and then continued, "So, I said that because I wanted you to understand that I wasn’t particularly interested in Genevieve. So, when I heard from her about suddenly regaining her memory, I came more out of curiosity. As a matter of fact, my family and the Hanks do not really know I’m here. Only my very close friends are aware." "Mari, Emily, and Stefan?" She asked, remembering their names. "Yes. And Cal. And they’re all very much invested in this," Jamal said, making a mental note to give Cal a call later on so he could update him on the current situation and also find out about the living arrangement with Emily. "I see," she murmured. "So, when Stefan and I got to Genevieve’s office, she mistook Stefan to be me, and assumed I was her new driver," Jamal said with a grin, and chuckled when Abigail’s jaw dropped. "No way!" Abigail exclaimed as she burst into laughter. "Yes way!" Jamal said with a chuckle. "Oh my, god! I’m dying," Abigail said as she wheezed with laughter. Jamal laughed as he watched her laughing, tears dropping from her eyes as she laughed. "She... she mistook you, her childhood friend who she suddenly remembered for her driver?" Abigail asked still laughing and Jamal shrugged. "I guess it was because I was wearing casual clothes and Stefan was dressed in suits," he said and Abigail shook her head. "Were you supposed to dress up in suits to meet with a childhood friend? It’s not a business meeting," she said, and Jamal snapped his fingers. "Exactly what I told Stefan! You see? We are meant to be," he said, and she laughed. "So, why did you accept the job? Why didn’t you just correct her?" She asked and he shrugged. "Call it my sixth sense. I just wasn’t feeling her. I thought maybe it was just the picture or videos online. But seeing her in person I still got that weird vibe. And I decided to jump at the opportunity. I wanted to find out more about her but not as Jamal." "What happens when the real driver shows up?" Abigail asked and Jamal shrugged. "He showed up. He will get a better job," Jamal assured her, and she nodded, glad that he had resolved that. "And Ryan? How did you get to be so close to him when you only just resumed?" "We met this morning. He wants me to be his eyes. Monitor you and Genevieve and report all you do to him," Jamal said with a shrug and Abigail nodded thoughtfully. "I see." "Yep. That’s it. So, your turn. Tell me all I need to know. How can you talk now? Were you pretending five years ago?"