Until I Met You

Jake

We walked out of her house. I opened the door of my car for her. She took a seat. Before closing the door I said, "Put the seat belt on." I saw her making a face when I looked down at her. I heard rustling as curtains shut. Nosy neighbors. Everyone had that problem, it seemed. I walked around the car and took a seat and started driving.

"Thank you." I heard her say. I looked at her then back to the road. "For what?" I asked. "For yesterday. When that girl pushed me." She replied with a whisper. I took a glance at her. "That was nothing. I don't like petty things like that." I said. That made her snort.

"Oh really? Then what do you say about the time when you sent a whole damn gang of guys just to get me? Like one person was not enough to get me? And about your stupid Red Zone?" She retorted. I brought my car to a halt on the side of the road. Then turned to her. She looked at me with an alarm. That made me shake my head again.

"How many times do I have to tell you that I don't raise my hand on a woman? I will chop my hands off before I do anything that can cause harm to any woman." I said in a really serious tone. I meant every word I said. I've never in my life raised a hand on a woman. And I never will.

"Oh please. I've heard stories about the Red Zone." She muttered and I realized where this was coming from.

"Let me get this straight. What happens in the Red Zone stays in the Red Zone, but for your clarification we never harmed any woman. Not me or any of my friends." I told her. Then after a beat, I added, "Not physically, anyway." I let out a sigh when she didn't reply. Clearly telling me she didn't believe me.

"We just give them a threat that their life will be hell. Hell as in no one's going to become their friends, other students won't help them in any sort of work. Kind of like making them social outcasts. This threat works much better than you think. Nobody can survive in a college like this without support." I explained.

She didn't say anything, and we sat in silence for a few minutes. "What about the guys?" I straightened and turned back to my side before starting the car again. "That's not for you to know. But yes, fighting is one of my best skills." I said as we drove.

"What about the guys you sent after me?" She asked me. Without looking at her I asked, "Did any of them touched you?" Her long silence was my answer. "They have to go through me before ever physically harming any woman." Especially you.

A voice spoke in my mind.

We drove in a silence for a while before reaching my house. My house was brightened with lights and decorations. I parked my car in a separate part that was secluded from other places, where only family members can park their cars. I opened my door and walked out to the other way around and opened her side of the door. When she got out of the car she looked at me with a weird glint in her eyes. Dark, black, beautiful eyes.

I let her look at me as I did the same to her. She kept on staring at me. I reached out and caressed her cheek.

"Did I tell you that you're looking beautiful?" I asked. She snapped her eyes away and looked back at me, looking like she snapped back to reality. "Yes, you did." She said in a profession like tone. "But, thank you anyway." She said in a grateful tone. Her eyes wandered up and down around my outfit, like she was just noticing that I changed my clothes. Her eyes met mine, and she said, "You're looking good too. Handsome." I raised my one eyebrow at her word 'Handsome'. She blushed but her complement seeped through my veins spreading a warmth in my heart.

"Try to behave normal. Remember you're playing my girlfriend." I told her as I slipped my arm around her waist, clinging her to me.

"Yeah, I remember." She bit back. I shook my head slightly. When will she stop taking everything in the wrong way? We walked to the main door. Two security guards who stood in front of our main door nodded their head in acknowledgment. I nodded back, acknowledging them.

We entered the main hall that was wide enough to swallow twenty rooms. It was filled with people. Rich, businessman or celebrity-like people filled the area. The hall smelled like perfume and wine.

I felt Grace stiffen beside me. She tugged on my sleeve, silently asking me to move my ear to her mouth. I leaned in and she did too.

"I take my words back. I don't know how to behave in front of rich people." Her words made me chuckle a bit. I moved my mouth to her ear and whispered, "I thought you would be an expert handling rich, old men." Her glare made me smirk. I got it that she was nervous but making her mad brought me some different kind of pleasure. That fire in her eyes gave me a sickening pleasure.

"They're all humans, sweetheart. They won't kill you. So relax." I told her. Yet, she didn't relax though. I knew she would relax once she meets these 'rich people'.

"Jake?" I heard my father's voice. Then I saw him walking towards us. I saw his eyes glanced towards Grace unnoticeably then back at me. He hugged me tightly as I let go of Grace to hug him back. "Oh look at you. Looking handsome like his father." He said and I rolled my eyes. He was saying this to lighten up the mood. He turned to Grace.

"And who is this beautiful lady? Aren't you going to introduce us Jake." He said to me.

"This is my girlfriend, Grace. And Grace this is my father, Michael Davis." I introduced them both. Grace held out her hand to shake it with my father's.

"Hello, Mr. Davis. It's very nice to meet you." She said to him, smiling. My father smiled back on his own.

"It's very nice to meet you too, Grace. Jake didn't tell me that he has such a beautiful girlfriend." I was about to interrupt when Grace cut me to it.

"It was a surprise for both of us too. We just hit it off and decided to give us a chance." I looked at my father and realized he wasn't buying it. Not even a single bit. He saw straight through our act.

"Oh really? When did you meet? What do you even like about him? Apart from his good looks because he got that from me." He chuckled, making it seem like a normal conversation than an interrogation. I was going to interrupt again when Grace linked her arm with mine and leaned towards me.

"On my first day in college. We actually got into a fight, that's how we got to know each other. We constantly fought but once he helped me through an assignment. With that, I saw he wasn't so bad as he made himself look. And of course, your genes of good looks helped a lot." With that she chuckled. Her every word flowed with a natural rhythm. She mostly told him the truth, with a great conviction. I saw my father's face and it looked like it mirrored mine. A look of disbelief. A genuine surprise. I snapped back into reality.

"And of course, I don't think there's any need for me to tell you why I like her? Right dad?" I asked him with a sarcasm of my own. My father smiled. A genuine smile.

"No, of course not. I only had doubt about you. She seems like a lovely girl. You're a very lucky man, Jake. Make sure to treat her right." I nodded, still in shock that my father bought the lie.

"Where's Mom?" I asked and he shook his head. "She didn't make it to the party. She was caught up in work." Understanding seeped through me and I nodded. He hugged her and said, "Enjoy the party."

She turned to me with a smile. "Wow. You have such a nice father. You are the lucky man. I wish I had..." father like yours. Her unspoken words cut through me. Only if she knew the reality of my family. I was lost in thoughts when I looked up and saw Mason coming our way with his permanent shit eating grin plastered on his face. He walked around Grace, giving her once over then giving me a bro hug.

"Looking good, sweetheart. What are you doing here?" He asked her. Her lips turned upward in a snarl as she glared at him. It made him grin even brighter.

"Leave her alone, Mason." I told him. "What I'm doing here is none of your business, you dumb head. And I'm no sweetheart for you." She snapped at him. It didn't faze Mason even one bit, but he feigned an over dramatic reaction by putting his hands in surrender and backing away a little.

"Chill out, girl. I was just saying what I felt. You are looking beautiful." Then he nudged me and said, "Don't you agree with me, Jake? I was irritated, but he was right, no woman in the place could match her beauty.

"Stop flirting with my girlfriend, you idiot." Mason looked stunned. Then his easy grin came back on as he thought I was kidding. After a beat I continued and said, "and yes, she looks beautiful." When I spoke this he realized I was not kidding. And just after I completed my sentence he blurted out in a shock, "Girlfriend?" He asked. Still shocked. "Long story. Where's Ethan?" I asked him.

"I'm here." Ethan said. Coming in a view from behind me. His expressions held the same shock. "Girlfriend? When did that happen?" A silence descended over us as I took a few seconds to reply.

"I'll tell you guys everything. But not now." Mason got over his shock and patted Ethan's shoulder.

"We'll talk later." He said to Ethan. I could see he was hurt that I didn't tell him about her but just like an amazing friend he was, he didn't make a big issue. At least not in front of her. I looked at her. She was looking between three of us. Mason broke the tension as he chimed in.

"That makes you out of my zone, now. Such a pity." Grace glared at him.

"You wouldn't have a chance with me anyway." She spat the words at him. When I looked at Ethan he looked angry. I guess I should have told them about us. Mason made an excuse and left with Ethan. Now, Grace gave me a look. "You didn't tell them about us? I thought you told them everything?" I ignored it and led her to introduce her with different people. I must say that she managed to talk with people easily. Like everything came naturally to her. Two of my colleagues dragged me to talk with them, leaving her to talk to one of my guests. After a while I glanced where she had been talking to one of the women. She wasn't there. I panicked. She didn't even know anyone here. Where would she have gone? Maybe to a washroom. I was looking around frantically, when I saw her with a middle-aged man. I've never met him before. He was hovering over her with his height. She looked uncomfortable. Very uncomfortable. I made my way through the crowd towards her. Coming from behind, I slid my arm around her waist, making her slightly jump and making the guy move back. I was the same height as him. Maybe a little centimetre taller. When she realized it was me, she literally sagged in my arms. Looking relieved. I tightened my arm around her, tugging her to my side.

"Any problem here, love?" She kept looking at him but shook her head in No.

"No nothing." She said. I felt her shuddering. This man had done something. I felt myself getting angry.

"Is there a problem Mr?" I asked the guy, restraining myself from doing something stupid. He completely ignored my question and answered with his own, "Do you know her?" I kissed Grace's forehead.

"Yes, she's my girlfriend. Why did you ask?" I said in an angry voice. His gaze snapped at my reaction.

"No reason." He replied. He kept looking at Grace.

Grace looked up at me and whispered, "I'm tired. Can we leave, please?" I nodded.

"Sure. Let's go." I replied, turning and leaving that guy alone.

I had many things to do. Talking to my friends and clearing out any misunderstanding. I had to talk to my father and mother. But among them to find out what this guy had done or said to her to make her like this. I don't forget things that hurt anyone close to me.

Because now she is close to me.