When the Night Falls

JASMINE

“What do you think?” I asked Theodore. I looked at my reflection in the mirror, while he helped

Thea with her dress.

He looked up, scanned me from head to toe. “Good.”

I smiled at him, I was wearing a black formal b*dycon dress, and Thea was wearing a cute black

dress.

“Come on. Here, I will do your hair quickly,” I called to Thea, sitting on the chair and placing the

table before me.

Thea walked over to me and sat on the table, while Theodore watched us with his blank eyes. He was dressed in his suit, which looked hot on him.

“How do you want me to style your hair?” I asked her.

“Like yours.” she replied. I smiled, pinching her cheeks.

“Okay.” I’d left my hair down.

I used her hairbrush to comb her hair and used a hairpin so that her hair wouldn’t fall in her eyes.

“Get your coat; your papa will help you put it on,” I said, standing up to get my heels.

“Okay.” I raised my brow at Theodore, who was watching me keenly.

“Are you going to tell me who we are going to meet?” I asked him, putting on my coat. The weather was cold, and my dress was backless.

He didn’t reply and ignored my question. “I need to use the bathroom,” Thea said, running away while holding her stomach.

Thea only used her room’s toilet. She didn’t like to use others. Theodore stood up from his seat. and walked over to me.

I waited for him to speak, but he didn’t. He stepped closer, leaving no space in between us. I looked up, straining my n*eck as he looked down at me.

X

17:56 Wed, 28 Feb

He leaned down, placing his cold l*ps on my l*ps. I held his suit jacket in my tiny hands with his arms lazily wrapping around my waist.

The k*ss was gentle and warm. I knew what the k*ss meant. He was giving me a hint that we were going on an important mission, and I didn’t have to get nervous.

I pulled away from the k*ss. “I wasn’t nervous, but I am now.”

He tucked my hair back, caressing my face with his finger. “Not gonna help. What are you hiding? You are scaring me…”

“Helloooooo.” I yelled when he didn’t respond to my questions. Thea walked back with a relaxed expression.

“Can we go

now?” she asked, looking at me and Theodore. Theodore picked up her coat and helped her put it on, while I reapplied my l*pstick.

“Look here,” I said to Theodore to check if he’d gotten any l*pstick on his l*ps.

I used a tissue to wipe the l*pstick stain on his l*ps, while Thea watched us with an adorable

smile.

“You two are adorable….” she said, while I smiled.

“Let’s take a picture before we go,” I said happily. We got ready; the picture was important. Thea nodded her head, while Theodore groaned.

“What?”

We faced the mirror. Theodore stood slightly behind me, and Thea stood before me. We smiled. and Thea surely looked beautiful.

“You are so beautiful, Thea,” I said. She smiled with blushing cheeks.

“Thank you. You are beautiful too…”

“Aww, thank you,” My gaze met Theodore, who was looking at Thea and me.

“You are handsome too…” I said, k*ssing his cheek. Thea giggled, looking away.

“Let’s go.” Theodore took Thea’s hand before holding his hand out for me.

I smiled, taking his hand and my bag. We walked out of my room and went down the hallway to the main door.

“Is Blake driving us?” I asked Theodore, looking at Mic k and Sherry.

“No, I’m driving.”

I waved my hand at them. Sherry mouthed, “Hot” to me. I smiled, pointing to Theodore with my

eves.

1757 Wed, 28 Feb

eyes.

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“He is hot.” I mouthed, and Mic k looked away, hiding his smile. Sherry gave me a look, and I chuckled.

“Why did you chuckle, Flower?” Then asked.

“Nothing, babe…” Theodore opened the door for Then. I helped Then buckle her seat belt.

“Good?”

“Yes.” I k*ssed her cheeks before closing the door. I opened the driver’s door first before going over to my side, where Theodore stood with a confused face.

“You always open my door and score points for being good. I wanted to score some points from you, so I opened the door for you,” I playfully said, and he shook his head.

**Thank you.” I gave him a small k*ss near the l*ps before getting into the car. He closed the door and went over to his side.

I connected my phone to the aux cable and played “Capital Letters.”

I was obsessed with the song, and I wasn’t yet over it. Theodore gave me a look but didn’t say

anything.

Thea started singing in the back seat. I joined her; she smiled and I smiled. The drive to the restaurant was fun but a headache to Theodore.

We gave him a headache by singing out loud the songs we both liked. “I like this song more than ‘Let It Go, Thea said as we heard the song “How Far I’ll Go” from the movie Moana.

“Yes, the song is beautiful, and Moana is beautiful,” I said.

“What do you think, Theodore? Do you like Moana or Lilo?”

Recently, I’d made a rule that we would watch two movies on Friday night. One week, I would select the movie, and the next week, Thea would.

Theodore didn’t know movies, so we didn’t give him a chance to select any.

So Theodore had watched a couple of Disney films with us, even if he didn’t like it.

I waited for him to answer, and he smirked. “What?”

“I like Eep, ‘Wild and Crazy.”” he said, and Thea laughed.

“Just like you…,” he added under his breath, but I heard it.

“I’m not crazy or wild.” He raised his brow, slowing the car.

“You are.”

17:57 Wed, 28 Feb

“Then you are the grumpy man.” Thea enjoyed the bickering like always.

We reached the seven-star hotel. I blinked my eyes, looking at the hotel. “Exactly whom we are going to meet?” I asked once again as my nervousness skyrocketed.

I got down from the car and stood beside it. Theodore helped Thea get out. I brushed down my coat and adjusted Thea’s coat properly.

“Don’t worry,” he said, holding Thea’s hand. I held her other hand.

As we walked, I became aware of the people stopping and looking at us. I didn’t like attention, and it made me nervous,

Thea held my hand tightly; even she didn’t like the attention. Theodore, understanding, shifted his position and stood in between Thea and me.

Theodore kept his hand on my back. The hotel manager with his team members stood at the entrance. The hotel was like a palace, and I couldn’t help but look at it with wide eyes.

They immediately bowed their heads in respect, looking at Theodore. “Good evening, Mr. and

Mrs. Jefferson.”

Theodore nodded his head in reply but didn’t stop. “He called me Mrs…..” I whispered to

Theodore.

“This way, sir,” the manager said. Theodore signaled them to stop. I guessed. They stopped following us when we reached the private elevator.

“You better tell me now.” I said to Theodore as we got into the elevator. He didn’t reply to me but squeezed my waist.

“I’m going to kick your as s if I find something weird,” I whispered, leaning closer to him so that Thea couldn’t hear it.

He looked down at me with a smirk on his face. “Hey, I’m really going to do that.”

The elevator doors opened, and I held Thea’s hand and stepped out. The whole floor was empty. Thea and I just followed Theodore. I looked at the hallway in awe.

There was a man in a suit who bowed his head before opening the doors. We stepped in, and my eyes slightly widened, but I quickly changed my expression.

“Gram-gram!” Thea yelled, running over to a lady and a man. The lady looked so elegant and beautiful that she startled me. The man wore a suit and stood straight with a serious look.

Gram-gram?

“Aww, how is my granddaughter doing?”

In my mind, my mouth dropped open.

“Is my little pony wearing a dress?” The man asked in an adoring tone.

While the lady and the man were busy talking with Thea, I let go of her hand and pinched Theodore’s as s. Theodore stepped forward before giving me a look.

I gave him an angry glare and frowned as my heart started beating fast.

How can he make us meet without telling me? I should’ve done some research on them before meeting them. Heck… I don’t even know their names.

“Good evening. Mr. and Mrs. Jefferson,” I greeted them.

“Good evening. Ms. Gibson. Finally, we get to meet the woman who our son loves,” Mrs. Jefferson said, giving me a sweet smile.

“Good evening. Ms. Gibson,” Mr. Jefferson Sr. said.

“Please call me Jasmine.” I told them, standing beside Theodore.

“Lovely name, dear. You can call us Talia and Christopher,” Talia said, pulling me into her arms.

I was surely startled, but I hugged her back. Theodore greeted them. “Let’s sit down….” she said, pulling me with her. I settled down beside Talia, as she wanted to sit beside me.

I felt a bit calmer watching her. She seemed like a sweet and easygoing person. She didn’t scare me like the usual Wattpad parent characters.

I shouldn’t think about novel characters now…

Thea sat beside Talia on her left. Theodore and Christopher sat in front of us.

“Your hair is pretty. I love your hair.” Talia complimented me.

“Thank you, Mrs. Jefferson.”

“Oh no, call me Talia.”

“I’m sorry if she makes you uncomfortable. She is a hyper woman, and she is excited to meet. you and compliment you. My wife likes you,” Mr. Jefferson-I mean Christopher-said straightforwardly.

I didn’t know how to react to that, so I smiled. Theodore wasn’t making any eye contact.

I needed a bit of time to settle down with this. I met Theodore’s parents five minutes ago. Within these five minutes, they’d made it clear that they liked me.

So there was no point in being scared or nervous, but I couldn’t help but feel nervous.

The food was served. Thea spoke with her grandfather, while I answered Talia’s questions. Theodore silently ate his food.

28 Feb

“I went to the concert too. I loved her song in Fifty Shades of Grey.” Talla said.

**You are a fan of Fifty Shades of Grey?” I asked her.

“Yes, I’ve got the signed books and also the DVDs. Are you a fan too?” Talia asked excitedly.

“OMG, yes! I don’t have the signed books, but I have the books.”

“Really? I have will courier them. Theodore was the one who brought

ra signed books. 1 them. You ask him if you need any books. He will bring the signed copies.”

H

“I will keep that in my mind.” I told her before we shared a laugh. I turned my head to see Theodore and Christopher sharing a look before shaking their heads.

“What other books do you like?”

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I didn’t know how time passed or how loudly Talia, Thea, and I laughed. The dinner was pure fun and laughs. I didn’t feel the nervousness; in fact, I loved Talia now.

She wasn’t scary. She talked a lot and liked to make jokes. “You will hang out with me, right?” Talia asked again.

“I will for sure. You have my number. I will text you or you text me. Whenever you want; we can hang out.

non

“Aww, I love you. I miss hanging out, and your boyfriend doesn’t like to go on dates with me. I’m bored with going on dates with Christopher,” Talia commented, and I laughed.

“Oh really?” Christopher asked.

“Yes.”

“We moved to London, and I’m excited that we can meet anytime we want. If you want to go on dates with my son, don’t worry; just send me a text. I will look after Thea.”

I smiled at her. “Sure.”

“Actually, I’m planning Thea’s surprise birthday party. Would you like to join me and help me?” I asked her in a hushed tone.

“I would love to.”

“I will text the date; we will meet and plan.”

“Done.” I truly fell in love with Talia in an hour. She was goofy, funny, lovely, beautiful, and I just loved her.

I even liked Christopher. He was calm and didn’t talk much. I was sure Theodore had Christopher’s nature. I hugged Talia and Christopher before stepping away.

I watched as Theodore hugged them before they left. Thea was sleepy as I buckled her seat belt.

“What are you writing?” Theodore asked. I was sitting on his lap with a book and pen.

“List of things, which you need to follow,”

“Hmm?” He leaned closer to look at what I’d written.

“Yes. You suck at showing affection. Not that you are cold and don’t love, you just don’t know how to express it. We need to show Thea love in words, expressions, and actions.

“Thea is a growing kid. She needs to learn the art of love and expressing it. I want her to spread love.”

“Spread love? Art of love?” he asked.

“Not the love we have: she is too young for that love. I mean the parental love, the friendship love, you know…

“Dislike and hate are spread within seconds, but it takes a lot of time to spread love and for it to be understood.

“I don’t want Thea to grow up in an environment where she can’t see love or feel love.

4

“So we are going to start and teach her. She needs all the love in the world, and we are show our love in actions. Mainly you…”

ine to

I remembered the environment I’d grown up in. My parents thought love should be hidden from kids. I had grown up in a strict environment, which hadn’t helped me as a kid, teenager, or young adult.

“Okay…” I handed him the diary. While he read, I played with his fingers.

My hands looked like baby hands compared to his. I counted the lines on his palm, then measured his arm’s length with my hand.

We were in his office. I had been reading a book, and I’d finished it. Theodore was working on his new project, I guessed. Then I wanted to sit in his lap, and I successfully did.

“Should I ask my colleagues from school to Thea’s party?” I suddenly asked.

“You decided to invite everyone. If you want to invite them, then do it.”

“Hmm……. I will invite them. They need to know that I’m taken.”

“Why? Is anyone troubling you?” He started caressing my hair, while I leaned into him, playing with his fingers.

“Not every time, but they try to fix me up with Liam. Mr. Liam likes me, I guess, and they try to help him.” I told him.

“Hmm…”

17:57 Wed, 28 Feb

“Hmm…”

My eyes widened, and I looked at him. “Wait… Is that your answer? Aren’t you jealous of something like that?” I asked him. I’d hid everything about Liam because I’d thought Theodore would get angry.

Even when I’d gone on the lunch date with them, Liam had tried so hard to take me on an ice cream date, even when I’d told him I wasn’t interested.

I wanted to tell them that I was dating someone, but that would have turned their attention to

Thea.

I didn’t want anyone troubling Thea in school. They’d already had a lot of questions regarding how I knew Thea.

“There is no point in getting jealous or angry. I love you and you love me. You will only think of giving a chance to some other person when I don’t treat you right.

“You have every right to leave me if I don’t treat you right. But that won’t happen, because I will make sure that I treat you the way you need to be treated.”

I looked at him with wide eyes. He’d made me speechless. “I love you. How can you be so perfect with words?” I asked, looking up at him.

I tried to bite his cheeks, but he pulled his head away. “No biting…”

“But why?” I leaned up to bite.

“You bite so hard.”

“Only once.”

“No.”

“Once.”

“No.”

“Once.”

“I said no.’

“Ha ha. I’m biting your face cheeks, not butt cheeks,” I told him. Then some weird thing crossed my mind.

I made a face, which he observed. “You wouldn’t do that, right?” he asked weirdly.

“Ew, just imagine how it would be if you far t in my face at that time?” I even made a far t sound as the image crossed my mind.

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17:57 Wed, 28 Feb

“Once.”

“No.”

“Once.”

“I said no.”

“Ha ha. I’m biting your face cheeks, not butt cheeks,” I told him. Then some weird thing crossed my mind.

I made a face, which he observed. “You wouldn’t do that, right?” he asked weirdly.

“Ew, just imagine how it would be if you fa t in my face at that time?” I even made a far t sound as the image crossed my mind.

He looked at me before laughing out loud. He laughed so hard that his cheeks turned pink. “Where do you get such thoughts?”

“I don’t know.” I laughed too.

“What if I do far t in your face while doing something?” he said playfully.

“Then remember I have more chances of far t i n g on your face.”

We made stu p i d jokes about far t s, laughing our hearts out. I loved this side of us too.

I loved when we f u c k e d our minds out and also the times when we just hung out, sitting close and just talking and smiling.