Chapter 2

• SCARLET
• A few weeks ago...
• I was always lonely. I’ve never been happy. How about you? Are you lonely? By the way, what happened with your date? – Ericka
• No. I’m not. Forget about my date because she’s a fucking liar and the thing I hate the most are fucking liars – Jax
• Maybe because you need to understand that they have their reasons – Ericka
• He did not respond after I sent him those words. Jax clearly said he wasn’t into crybabies, and he had no remorse over the things he does, and I believed him. He fucked different women every week—like an endless loop.
• I lied to Jax about a lot of things, but I couldn’t seem to let him go. He was fun to talk to. The late-night phone calls were getting hot, and he knew exactly what I needed. He knew exactly how to make me too damned wet. The sound of his voice was delicious enough to make me aroused. I imagined Jax as a very, very attractive man. How much more would he affect me if I saw him?
• It had been several months since I joined the social media app. Mom came by my apartment and borrowed my computer. She’d logged into her email, which I accidentally opened later. What caught me and stopped me from logging out immediately was the first subject in her email. It was an interesting title in all capital letters.
• ANONYMOUS CHAT EXCLUSIVE FOR HARVARD ALUMNI
• Since my Mom was an alumnus of Harvard, she received a link straight to Pro-Express Chat. I never actually wanted to use it, but I knew it would help me in the future. I’d only planned to use it to speak with the IT graduates for educational purposes. I was a bit guilty of using Mom’s link without her knowledge and created an anonymous account.
• I lay on the soft foam of my bed, then grabbed my phone from the bedside table and signed in to the app. I composed a message to Jax.
• Subject: Two weeks busy
• You’ve been busy. I’ve been thinking. How do you do it? I mean, how do you date the woman? Do you still dine at a restaurant before you go to the hotel? Do you pay for everything?
• Ericka
• I bit my lip and tried to think of what he was going to respond to. A notification popped up.
• Damn it, Jax. You’re only interested in this kind of message.
• Subject: Re: Two weeks busy
• I told you, I don’t date. Yes, I pay for everything. Do you want me to book a few reservations?
• Jax
• _________________________________________
• Subject: Re: Re: Two weeks busy
• What happened to just one?
• Ericka
• _________________________________________
• Subject: Re: Re: Re: Two weeks busy
• If it was you, I could make an exception.
• Jax
• I laughed. Damn, I was crazy. I reread his message many times, but I couldn’t get over what he said.
• Really? Was he going to make an exception? For me? I was still amused that I couldn’t think of what to reply to, but his name appeared on my phone screen. I answered the call right away.
• “Jax,” I breathed.
• “What took you so long?” he asked, his voice irritated, “I don’t mind flying to Cambridge right now if you just tell me where you live.”
• “I asked you because I was curious.” I bit my lip. “What do you look like?”
• “If you want to know what I look like, then let me see you.”
• I gasped quietly, my mouth getting dry. “Seriously, Jax.”
• “I look like a man who wants to fuck you. How about you? What do you look like?”
• PRESENT…
• “Yes, Mom. I’m already packing.” I put my phone on loudspeaker so I could pack my things properly. She’d been calling me endlessly since last night, reassuring herself that I was going to come home for the weekend.
• After Mom remarried, I never saw my stepfather or his son again. I flew straight to Cambridge to study, and they never once visited me. To be honest, I didn’t have any expectations that they would. Thomas was always busy with work, but he was kind to me; as for his son Luke? To him, I was invisible.
• “I’m just so excited to see you, honey. It’s okay if it’s not on my birthday and I understand that you are busy, but please just let Thomas’ driver pick you up at the airport next week,” she said, her voice high pitched as usual.
• “No, Mom, but thank you. You know me, I don’t want to be treated like a princess with a bodyguard.” I stood and walked over to stand in front of the mirror. I let down my wavy dark brown hair and stared at my reflection, then finished my makeup with a swipe of the lip gloss; I then popped my mouth. I didn’t want to tell Mom I was flying to New York tonight. Though she knew I was going to come home, she had no idea that I was going to arrive early for her forty-eighth birthday. It was Thomas’ idea.
• “I just want to give the best for my only baby,” she said.
• “I’m not your only one. I have a stepbrother, remember?”
• “You’re still my only one. Lucas was never home, but he promised to attend the party tonight. Oh, by the way, honey, Luke is in Cambridge. He arrived there a few days ago, didn’t Thomas tell you?”
• “Luke’s here? No, Thomas didn’t mention anything,” I murmured.
• “Why don’t you ask Luke to meet? You two haven’t seen each other for a long time,” she suggested, and I shivered oddly as if someone poured cold water over my head.
• For the record, the wedding day was the first and last time I saw him.
• I noticed that every time Mom was talking about Luke, my stomach would start churning and there was always this inexplicable pressure in my chest. Of course, I couldn’t tell her that I had a big crush on Luke, and I was always curious to know about him. I secretly stalked him on Google. I looked for social media accounts he might have, but there was nothing. I only found articles about him and the company. I tried and searched if he was dating, but there weren’t pictures of him with a woman.
• I bit my lip hard as I remembered his face at the wedding. Luke was the epitome of male beauty—an utter perfection. Every time Mom talked about him, every hormone in me was rising.
• So, I didn’t think meeting him was a good idea. “We’re not close.”
• Mom heaved a sigh. “Would you believe me if he said the same when I asked him to meet you?”
• I rolled my eyes. Of course, he wasn’t interested in meeting his one and only stepsister. “I’m not surprised.”
• “Oh, well... That’s Luke. You’ll get to know him when you come home. I really miss you, honey.”
• Damn, I was strangely excited. Butterflies filled my tummy.
• “I miss you too, Mom.” So much. Then, we hung up. I slid my phone into my pocket and grabbed my suitcase.