This is the best day of my life. I’m having coffee with Jade Freeman. The sweet, lovely man who I thought I had lost forever.
It was devastating when he simply stopped coming to work and vanished into thin air. When I tried calling him, a recorded voice said his number had been disconnected. I thought I’d never see him again.
Yet here he is, right in front of me. Sitting across a coffee table. I’ve found him, and it feels like a miracle.
He looked so flustered while he was babbling something incoherent about a family emergency being the reason he disappeared. I’m glad I swiftly changed the subject. He is entitled to his secrets. I’m just glad he is safe and sound. And back.
Though he looks a little haunted. It is hard to be sure through the dark sunglasses he is wearing, but I think there are more shadows there. He has been through some shit since I last saw him. It’s such a shame. Nobody deserves shit less than Jade. He is the kindest, sweetest soul.
I hate that he clearly went through hell long before I ever met him. The look in his eyes was always unmistakable. As was his wariness. And the way he flinched at any sudden movement.
I really hope he is okay now. I’d love to beat the crap out of whoever is fucking things up for him. But I have to earn Jade’s trust first. Or he will never tell me who his enemies are.
Jade fidgets with his empty coffee cup. His gaze sweeps over the crowded shop and the people hunting for a table. Any minute now, he is going to make his excuses and leave.
“Can I have your number?” I ask.
His eyebrows rise and then furrow. “My phone is broken.”
Ouch. Talk about shooting me down. It’s okay, I’ll just have to try to run into him again and up my charm offensive.
“No, really!” Jade says hurriedly. He scrambles in his pocket and pulls out a very smashed up Android phone. “It’s why I’m at the mall, to get a new one. So I don’t know what my new number will be.” He sighs sadly. “It’s going to be a nightmare getting everyone’s contact details again.”
I blink in surprise. “You don’t have to change your number, or lose your contacts. Just pop your sim into a new phone.”
Jade stares at me. He looks at his battered phone and then back at me.
“Really?” he says hopefully.
Gosh. He really is the sweetest. I grin and give him a confident nod.
He sighs. “I’m so clueless about this stuff. The outside world is overwhelming.”
He draws in a sharp breath and shoots me a panicked look. He opens his mouth, but I cut in before he has to scramble for an explanation.
“Religious parents?” I say.
It’s long been my assumption about him. He has strange gaps in his knowledge and he doesn’t seem to get any pop culture references. Which is a shame because most of my jokes are based on those.
His cheeks flush. He nods and looks away.
Poor guy. I didn’t think we had anything super religious, like the Amish, in the UK, but I don’t know everything. There are probably all kinds of things going on that I know nothing about.
“Hey,” I say brightly. “Why don’t I come with you and make sure you don’t get ripped off?”
He stares at me for a long moment. So long that I start to get nervous. Then he smiles, and it’s like the first sunny day after a long winter.
“That would be great.”
I jump to my feet and grab all my shopping bags. I can almost hear my mother’s teasing voice calling me an over excited puppy. When I look at Jade, he has a soft smile on his face, and it makes my heart flutter. He doesn’t mind my exuberance.
We weave our way out of the coffee shop and I lead him to the phone shop. An assistant with immaculate hair pounces on us as soon as we step through the door.
I tell her that we are looking for a sim free unlocked Android, and then back off to give Jade some space. Once he has found a couple of phones that he likes, I’ll help him choose. In the meantime, he doesn’t need me breathing down his neck and hearing all about his budget.
I wander off a short distance and poke at some of the phones on display. The new folding ones look amazing. Maybe one day I will treat myself.
I glance back at Jade. His glasses are off and his hood is back. He is holding one of the display phones and nodding keenly while the assistant shows him all the features.
