Jain
Jain
I searched the coffee shop for Julian breathlessly, pushing my hair out of my eyes with frustration. It was busy with lazy Sunday friends and couples, not a spare table in sight.
No sign of Julian.
I turned around, ready to go and wait for him outside, when I came face to face with those familiar blue eyes.
“Oh!” I cried out in surprise as Julian’s annoyed gaze locked onto me. He looked good—better than I’d expected him to.
“Didn’t you get a table?” His eyes flashed at me with irritation, and I shook my head.
“No, I’ve only just got here.”
“Too busy?” Julian snapped, barely keeping his voice low.
“Julian, please.”
A table to our immediate right became free, and he made a move for it.
“What would you like?” I asked faintly, joining the ever-growing queue of people that had now reached the door.
“Forgotten already?”
He was horrifically difficult, but I had expected as much. I chose to ignore him. Instead, I studied the board that hung over the barista bar, despite knowing what I wanted. I could feel Julian’s eyes on me as I neared the front, and when I finally made it back to the table, he spoke sharply.
“Have you come to your senses yet?”
I placed the drinks down, slowing my movements, caught totally off guard.
“I don’t follow,” I said carefully, pushing his black coffee towards him.
His eyes narrowed as he blew on it, refusing to thank me.
“He was your English teacher. Yet he’s your ex,” Julian said slowly, speaking to me as though I was having difficulty understanding him. “Which means that you must’ve been seeing him when you last lived back here, correct?”
I felt dizzy, knowing exactly where he was going with this.
“Unless you developed a long-distance thing?”
“I don’t understand why this is relevant,” I whispered, as a triumphant grin spread over his face.
“Well, it’s obvious, isn’t it? He fucked his student.”
I stared at him for a spell before sipping my latte.
“We didn’t develop a relationship until I left school—”
“But you left town instantly. You didn’t stay. According to your story about Lee, the fictional ex,” he drawled, “he died before your course started.”
“For fucks sake, Julian. Where are you going with this?”
He fixed me with a stare before drumming his fingers on the table. “Well, for a start, the man is a paedophile.”
A laugh escaped me as he continued his assault.
“Who really shouldn’t be allowed to work with children. You’re a teacher too. It doesn’t exactly look good on you either, does it?”
“Are you threatening me, Julian?” I whispered as he sipped his coffee agonisingly slowly.
“I just think it would be a shame if everyone were to find out. There would be an investigation—Oh! Wait!” Julian cried out, making me jump. “There will be. Because my cousin was working there and can quite clearly recall the many times you and Mr Silver were alone in that classroom.”
My mouth dried. Fucking Vada.
“You can’t prove anything .”
“After school tutorials, wasn’t it? Did your mother really not know Jain?” Julian tutted before draining his coffee.
“We aren’t here to talk about that.” I snapped, my hand trembling as I lifted my latte to my lips.
“Oh, my apologies. Did you think I was going to just give you the logistics?”
“I’m sorry you feel screwed over. I’m sorry I did this to you.”
Julian glared at me, his eyes drifting down to my bare ring finger before he shook his head in disbelief.
“Are you ever honest, Jain? Could you not just admit you don’t give a shit?”
I went to speak, but he leaned forward, his hand suddenly on mine.
“Are you that fucking stupid?”
I blinked in surprise at his tone before instinctively moving my hand back. Julian smiled before shaking his head, sitting back in his chair.
“Maybe you are. If you think I have poured all my time and money into this relationship for you to fuck it up, you are sorely mistaken. I will see to it that neither of you work in education again. Do you not think he will go to prison, Jain?”
This couldn’t happen again.
“You can’t blackmail me,” I hissed when he chuckled softly.
“I just did.”
The blood rushed in my ears as I stood up angrily, pushing past him to walk out of the café.
I didn’t know what I was thinking, meeting Julian like this. What did I expect? He could hardly be expected to behave rationally after how I had treated him.
I pushed the door open, the fresh air greeting me as I sucked in a breath gratefully. Suddenly Julian was behind me, his mouth close to my ear as he spoke.
“Come by later, and we’ll finish this discussion.”
I whirled around angrily, watching him walk away with his car keys swinging around his finger.
“No,” I said firmly, my body shaking with rage.
He stopped, turning back towards me as he laughed bitterly.
“No? Did I give the impression it was optional?”
We stared at one another before he walked back up to me slowly.
“Oh, someone sends his love. I met him at the pub yesterday. What was his name?” Julian clicked his fingers, closing his eyes as he appeared to be deep in thought. I watched him with disgust, knowing this was just a game to him.
“That’s it. Arden Charter. He sends his love.”
“Jain.” I heard a heavenly voice call, my body relaxing when Evan slipped an arm around my waist protectively. “Everything alright here? ”
Julian ignored Evan completely, instead dragging his gaze down my body appreciatively as Evan tensed beside me.
“Let me know, hmm?”
Julian walked away, and Evan stared at me with concern.
“Jain?”
I couldn’t be in this situation again. I wasn’t going to be bullied into being someone’s wife, for fuck’s sake.
But I was terrified.
If Arden and Vada stood against us, would we stand a chance?
Would anyone just let us be?
The roar of Julian’s car filled my ears as he drove past us, barely giving me a second glance before he sped off.
“Jain?”
I turned to see Evan staring at me with sad eyes, his shoulders slumping as he sighed.
“Evan?”
“I’ve just had an email from Vada. I don’t know how...but she has photos of us from school.” Evan swallowed, his eyes falling to the floor as his hands laced with mine. “I’m quite sure she’s blackmailing me.”
I closed my eyes as I pinched the bridge of my nose.
“They sure have the motivation,” I whispered, lifting my gaze to his. “The question is, does it hold any weight?”
Evan lifted my hands to his lips before pressing them against my skin.
“I’m sorry, Jain.”
“Me too.” I let out a cry when he pulled me into his arms. He guided me over to his car, and I slid onto the seat wordlessly. He drove us back home, where we made love too many times to count. When we fell asleep later that evening, tired and drained, both of us were thinking of every single possibility that didn’t involve entertaining Vada or Julian.
We were grown-ass adults; surely, we couldn’t be struck off as teachers?
Surely?