The Unwilling CEO's Love Game novel Chapter 18

After dinner, Daisy helped tidy up a bit and glanced at the closed bedroom door, commenting, "Usually, the room door is left open for ventilation. It's not good if the air can't circulate."

Jocelyn, afraid that Daisy was going to open the door for her, quickly went over and did it herself. "Yeah, I just closed it while cooking. Didn't want the cooking smell to get in."

Her eyes swept the room and caught sight of Melvin, frozen in place by her dressing table, looking like a deer caught in the headlights.

Just by watching his Adam's apple bobbing nervously, she could tell he was on pins and needles.

She found it both amusing and a bit heartbreaking.

It was amusing seeing him trying to make himself invisible in the corner, but it was heartbreaking realizing how scared he was of their relationship coming to light.

Their so-called relationship only applied to the two of them; to everyone else, it was still under the radar.

...

Jocelyn saw her parents out of the building and watched them leave. Turning back to Preston, she said, “I don’t have your address, so you’ll need to hail a cab yourself. I’ll cover the fare.”

Preston has grown up now, right in the thick of adolescence and all the lovey-dovey stuff that goes with it.

Add to that the internet age we're in, kids grow up fast these days, so he was pretty clued up about the birds and the bees.

"Aren’t you bothered by how my uncle treats you?" Preston was only now getting the picture of how little respect his uncle had for Jocelyn.

Jocelyn smiled helplessly. "We agreed from the start."

"Is this what you call dating?" Preston asked, cutting to the heart of the matter.

Jocelyn looked down, pressing her lips together, feeling a tightness in her chest.

Preston's cab arrived. He looked at Jocelyn and sighed softly. "I'm off then."

"Mhm. Drop a message when you get home, or call your uncle."

After Preston left, Jocelyn didn't rush upstairs. Instead, she took a seat on a bench.

Flashes of her and Melvin together ran through her mind, crystal clear.

Falling in love is a two-way street, but what she had with Melvin was a case of a one-sided crush.

He didn't need affection; he made that clear right from the start.

And she had bravely accepted that.

So now, it was her who wanted to break the rules of the game, her who wasn't content with the status quo.

She bent over, covering her face, feeling utterly frazzled.

Her phone buzzed in her pocket. Taking a deep breath, she pulled it out.

It was Melvin calling.

"Hello?"

"Have they left yet?" His tone sounded harsh.

Maybe because of his hide-and-seek act tonight, plus her own irritation, Jocelyn's response was equally frosty. "What's the rush? Can't I spend some time with my parents?"

There was a brief pause on the other end.

"Then enjoy. I'm hanging up."

Jocelyn was left staring at her phone.

She stayed downstairs for another fifteen minutes before heading up. Opening the door, she found Melvin munching on their leftovers.

He barely glanced up as she came in, not a word said.

Jocelyn thought for a moment, then sat down opposite him. She waited until he finished his last bite before speaking up, "We'll probably have a lot more days like today. My folks are really poking into my personal life, likely to drop by unannounced now and then."

Melvin lit a cigarette, took a drag, and leaned back in his chair. "So what?"

"It’s just a matter of time before..."

"Get to the point."

Jocelyn wasn't sure if he was playing dumb or genuinely didn't catch her drift. "What if they run into you here next time? How do we explain it?"

Melvin's eyes locked onto hers, a gaze that should have been filled with passion but now felt oppressive.

At least, Jocelyn felt incredibly on edge.

Somehow, even though it was his issue, why did it always feel like she was the one with the problem?

"Explain however you want," Melvin said, puffing away; the smoke created a haze that obscured his true feelings.