Chapter 1
No One But You“How am I going to find someone else for the photo shoot at such notice?” Jessica said crossly to her brother. “Where on earth did you go to get that sunburn from?” she chided him, while taking time away from her work to apply cooling cream gently on his face.
There was no way for Raymond to be her model for the day. He suddenly thought of a person who could do the job. He got his sunburn because of this person too. He immediately whipped out his mobile phone and called that person. “I’ll settle this for you.” he said impishly to her with a wink. He moved to a corner to make his conversation in hushed tones. She rolled her eyes at him.
Louis walked into the studio and saw a lady standing on a ladder, adjusting a banner. The banner read “Pets are NOT disposables”. She made sure the banner was taut and its both ends were hanging at the exact same height. He was impressed by her persistence in precision.
Jessica moved quickly down the ladder when she was done with banner, but she missed a step in her haste. She suddenly felt a pair of strong arms supporting her and she regained her balance. When she finally made her way to the ground, she saw a tanned, good-looking and well-muscled guy standing next to her. She recognised him. He was a familiar face in the advertising industry.
He got to see her more closely. He observed that she had only light makeup on her face. He could see her natural beauty and somehow he was allured to it. There was something unpretentious about her that was drawing him to her.
“So, you have met.” Raymond said as he walked towards them. “I’ve asked Louis to be my replacement, Sis. Are you proud of me?” He grinned at Jessica, while she stared at him.
She pulled her brother to one side and reprimanded him in a low voice, “Do you have any idea how much it is to engage him for the photo shoot? My client does not have budget for this.”
“There is no need to pay me for this. Just take it that I’m doing it as a volunteer. It’s for a good cause anyway.” Louis said to her before Raymond could say anything. Raymond gave his sister a smirk, while Jessica looked at Louis in amazement.
Jessica watched at the side as the photographer took shots of Louis and the animals for anti-pet abandonment campaign. She could see the genuine affection he had for them. He was beaming throughout the photo shoot. He patted and the golden Abyssinian guinea pig gently. He hugged the black silky terrier close to his chest and when it his face, he had nothing but a wide grin on his face. Each of these scenes was caught on film. Her lips curved upwards toward both sides without her realising it. “A person who loves animals so much can’t be very bad.” she thought to herself.
Raymond was grinning at his sister. He could see some sparks flying between her and Louis.
“Thanks for your help, Louis.” Jessica said as she shook his hand.
“Shall we go for supper together?” Louis suggested to her.
“No, I need to pack up the place. You go ahead with Raymond. My treat.” she said a little too quickly. She pulled some money out from her jeans’ pocket and passed them to Raymond. She then returned to work without waiting for their responses.
Raymond sighed at his sister, knowing that she had put up her defence once again, while Louis watched her walked away with disappointment.
*Three months later*
“Stop avoiding me, Jessica.” Louis said to her while holding onto her wrist to prevent her from getting up from their table and leaving the restaurant.
“I’m not avoiding you. I’m just busy with my work.” she replied without looking at him. She tried to pull back her hand but he was not letting go.
“Then why are you free to have dinner with Raymond and not me? You must have felt something for me otherwise you won’t be avoiding me.” he pressed her further.
“No, I don’t. My work was cancelled last minute so I could join Raymond.” she explained without much conviction.
“And, it was cancelled just the next minute after I called you?” he questioned her.
“I never expect him to conspire with you to get me here.” She answered his question without fully realising that she had just admitted her avoidance of him.
“Even if you don’t feel anything for me, you should at least be able to tell that I like you.” he pressed on.
“Please stop toying with me. Why would you fancy a plain Jane like me when there are so many attractive women around you?” she said to him looking down. It was true that he had always attracted a lot of unwanted attention from women.
“I like you for who you are, Jessica. There is no need to compare yourself with others. You are not doing justice to yourself.” he said to her softly.
She did not respond to his comments. She continued to stare at the table cloth, as if to count the threads that woven it.
“Raymond had told me about your ex-boyfriend. He was a jerk for two-timing you. He didn’t know what he has lost. You are too good for him.” he said to her genuinely.
She finally looked at him. He looked straight into her eyes and held them there.
“I promise you that I will never have another woman while I’m with you.” he said her earnestly, hoping that she could see his sincerity in his eyes.
“Don’t make a promise that you can’t keep.” she said to him despondently.
He quietly took out a bracelet and passed it to her. Her name was engraved at the top of the bracelet. She noticed that there were also engravings on the underside as she took it from him. She turned it over and saw the words “Autre Ne Vueil”.
“What do these words mean?” she asked him softly.
“They mean “No one but you” in French.” he explained slowly to her, speaking one word at a time. Each word was expressed with his heartfelt sincerity.
She looked into his eyes with her glazed eyes, hoping to see the truth in his words. She could see nothing but sincerity in them. She handed the bracelet to him and extended her right wrist to him.
They strolled along the waterfront after their dinner, with their hands interlinked. Jessica suddenly stopped in her tracks and looked down at the ground. Louis stopped next to her and placed his arm over her shoulder. She shivered.
“What’s wrong? Are you cold?” he turned and asked her.
She hesitated. She finally spoke without looking up, “Are you sure there will be no one but me in your life from now on? You can still back out now. Because if you break this promise, I’ll leave you and I won’t even give you a chance to explain.” She was nervous about what his answer would be.
He moved himself in front of her and lifted her chin gently to look into her eyes. She closed her eyes, refusing to look into his eyes. She braced herself for a disappointment. “Jessica, please trust me. You will be the only one. I will prove to you by action not just words.” he said wholeheartedly to her with resolution.
She felt his sincerity in his voice. She finally looked up at him and whispered, “I trust you.”
He could see the fear and uncertainty in her. He knew she had taken a giant leap of faith in him. He was determined to protect her from being hurt again.
(17.06.2007)
Comments