04
For the next couple of weeks, Jared didn’t seem to understand that I wanted to be left alone. He kept showing up at my office with a bouquet of flowers and trays of delicious food.
When I reported to my boss and the security men had him banned from the office, he tried a different strategy. He waited for the bus he knew I would take and he tied balloons on the bus before dropping a cake for me with the driver.
I still didn’t pick his calls.
And because of this thing with the driver, I changed my transport schedule entirely. I started going to work early which gave me more time to bond with my colleagues and make new friends.
A few months ago, I would skip work just to spend time with Jared. I wouldn’t even bother talking with my colleagues. But now, I spent time with my new friends, filling the hole Jared had left in my life.
In the evenings, I would also make sure to go out with my colleagues or some of my older friends because knew Jared would show up at my house with another outrageous gift.
The night before, he ordered a new set of Starlight chains for me. Five different collections. He stood outside my door trying to get in and give them to me but I already changed my locks so he left them on the doormat.
This morning as I stepped out of my apartment, I threw the gifts in the nearest bin and went off to work.
I got a call from him almost as soon as I got to work. I ran to the toilet to answer it.
“Why haven’t you been picking my calls?”
After the Freworks Faded
I almost laughed at his statement. “I think you’re calling the wrong number.”
“Ashley, why are you behaving this way. You’re behaving immature.”
“I think you meant to call Sara. I’ll hang up now.”
“You threw my gifts in the bin. Do you know how much a Starlight Chain costs? And I got you five.”
“I didn’t ask for it, Jared-“I heard the door of the bathroom open and I lowered my voice, even as the call started to sound like an echo in my ears.
“I don’t care.” Jared’s voice was loud as someone banged the door.
I jumped.
Jared sounded like he was outside but that was impossible. They wouldn’t let him in because of what he did to the company’s fence with his car.
Technically, the police ought to have arrested him because of that but because of his father’s connections they let him go.
He wasn’t supposed to risk showing himself here again.
But as I opened the door to check who was there, Jared pulled me out and flipped his hoodie off his head, frowning at me.
“What’s the meaning of this, Ashley? Do you know how worried sick I am that I can’t reach you?”
“That hasn’t bothered you before. How did you get in here?”
“That doesn’t matter. I got you something to eat and some roses. I already dropped them at your desk.”
I pointed at him with shaking fingers and shaking legs. “How did you know where I was?”
“You seem to have forgotten what my line of business is, Mon Cheri.” Jared pushed me against the closest cubicle door and tried to kiss me. I pushed hard against him but failed as he claimed a kiss.
At loss of what to do, I aimed a kick between his legs.
He went down with a groaning my name in pain “Ashley!”
I ran out of the toilet before he could recover. “Just leave me alone.”
I turned the key in the door, locking him in, then hurried to my boss, pretending to be ill so I could be sent home quickly. My boss agreed to send me home.
I got outside the office to find Jared leaping towards me. He jumped out of the window on the second floor. Luckily, there was a little bush just outside, if not his fall could’ve been much more dangerous.
My heart hurt watching him leap towards me.
“Just leave me alone, Jared. Before you get hurt for real.”
He grabbed my hand and pulled me roughly against his chest. “The only reason I would get seriously hurt is because of you. You’re making a mountain out of a molehill.”
“I’m making a mountain?” I screamed. “Was I making a mountain when you made me drop all my salary just so you could buy Sara a Virgin wool scarf when I had a lot of scarves available. Or have you forgotten about the day she came back to the city, and you left me with a sprained leg in my apartment with no food or water?”
“Ashley, I already repaid your salary.”
“Two weeks too late. Let me go, or I’ll scream and this time you’ll actually be in jail.”
Jared took slow steps away from me, saying, “This isn’t over.”
I waited until he had gone out of the compound before I started to make my way to the bus stop. I didn’t stop looking behind me until I was on the bus.
###
I spent that weekend on the floor of my room, picking up the sewing projects that had abandoned because
10:33 AM
After the Fireworks Faded
ם
was dating Jared. While I was putting together a dark green dress, I got a call from Kimberly.
I hadn’t heard from her since the disaster of her birthday dinner and I figured she was upset at me for the way things ended.
“Hi Kim.”
“Hello?” I was a bit cautious of how excited I sounded.
“Girl, I’ve been trying to reach you for so long.”
“I’m sorry. I’ve been busy.”
“Hope you’re not too busy to attend something. I’ve got a ticket to a movie premier with your name on it. Taylor
Swift will be there.”
Hmm. Kim had offered me something tempting. A movie and Taylor Swift.
“Before you say no, I want you to know that Jared will be there. We got these tickets just for you. Front row
seats.”
I sighed. It had been a while since I’d been to the cinema. It was one of the public places that Jared and I
couldn’t be seen together in, so I had avoided it all together.
“Fine. I need to get out of the house anyway.”
“Texting you the address right now and sending a cab to you. See you in a few.” Kimberly cut the call.