Page 7 of Accidental Proposal

That night, after crying myself to sleep, I finally realized that I would always be alone. Over the years, I’d slowly come to accept that. What I said to Sophia about not ever falling in love was true. I had only ever had one boyfriend, and that was in my junior year of high school. We dated for almost a year before one day he told me at school he didn't want tosee me again.Of course I was hurt beyond repair. It made me realize that everyone I love just left. The best way to not get your heart broken was to pretend like you didn’t have one.

I hadn’t been with anyone else since then, and I didn’t plan on it either. This was the first time I had even gotten this close to a guy besides the ones from the club or the diner. Sure, Liam was attractive, very attractive, but with his cold demeanor and this deal, there wouldn’t be anything happening between us.

My food was long gone, and it was nearing one. Since I didn’t have to be at the club until five, I grabbed my new phone and headed outside to the backyard. Might as well play around with it to keep me busy before I had to get ready. Plus, it was nice outside for the first time in a while. We probably had only a few weeks before it started to become colder, and then it would be winter. Whenever it’s warm in New York, you made sure to take advantage of the warm weather since it stayed cold for months.

I was kind of hot in my ripped jeans and light blue shirt as I sat down at the gazebo, looking down at my phone. Don’t get me wrong, I knew I hadn’t had a cell phone before, but I wasn’t an idiot. I’d played around with my friend’s phones, Sophia’s and even Candy’s. My friends in high school, Millie and Emily, always used to beg me to get a phone so I could get Facebook, that way we wouldn’t stop being friends when they went off to college. All those girls in high school who made promises with their friends to stay friends forever should know it never happens. The moment they or you go off to college, everything changes. That person becomes someone different, and soon the texts between you become slower and smaller, until you don’t talk to that person anymore.

Millie, Emily, and I were pretty close, but I wouldn’t say I was best friends with them. They had totally different lives than I did and didn’t get why I was the way I am. After graduation, I only heard from them a few times, and after a few weeks we stopped talking altogether. They were planning on going to the same college together and getting an apartment. Of course those plans didn’t involve me. I would like to say I felt hurt that I wasn’t involved, but I really wasn’t. What they wanted was not what I wanted.

I spent the next hour or so playing around on my phone, actually downloading Facebook and Instagram. I didn’t really have anyone to add on either of them, but I might as well have them so I could stay busy. Setting my phone down on the bench beside me, I pulled my legs up to my chest and wrapped my arms around them. I laid my head on my knees and looked toward the house and the pool. The place was silent, besides the humming of a few bees and the slight breeze blowing through the trees. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath of the warm air.

Just being outside helped relax me, and I felt my head clearing. All I had to do was make it through this year, then I would be gone and out of Liam’s life.I can do this.I stared out at the lawn, not really seeing anything. I kept trying to figure out how I was going to talk to Teddy and Candy. I hadn’t really noticed it until now, but both of my jobs were so similar. At the diner I only had Sophia as my friend, and at the club I had Candy. Both of my bosses were practically the same as well.Nothing gets by me,I thought sarcastically to myself.

Noticing the time was nearing four already, I reluctantly stood up and headed back inside. I was not looking forward to tonight, and it didn’t help that I didn’t get off until one or so. As I was getting dressed in my short shorts and light blue tank top, I remembered Liam said I had a driver. Might as well call the number instead of having to take a taxi and pay for it. Once I was dressed and pulled my blonde hair up into a ponytail, I grabbed my phone and dialed the number that said “Driver”. A second later, a young man’s voice said hello through the phone.

“Uh, hi, I’m Jenna. Liam said you’re my driver?” I said, or more like asked.

“Yes I am, miss. I’m Garrett. Is there something I can get you?” he asked.

“Um, yeah, I need to go to work. It wouldn’t be a big deal for you to drive me there, would it?”

“No, ma’am, it wouldn’t. I will be there in just a minute.” Telling him thanks, I hung up and slid on my shoes before leaving my room and heading to the front door. I opened the front door just as a slick black car pulled up. Out stepped a tall, dark brown-haired guy who couldn’t be more than three years older than I was. He walked around the car, toward me. I shut the door behind me and met him halfway.

“Hello, miss. I am Garrett.” He extended his hand. Up close, I saw that he was very cute. He had dark brown hair that was kind of shaggy, his eyes were light brown, almost hazel, and he had high cheek bones with a sharp jaw. He smiled down at me, showcasing a set of white teeth.

“Hi, I’m Jenna.” I shook his hand, smiling back at him. He looked to be in his early twenties. I could feel his eyes roaming over my body before he looked me in the face.

“It’s nice to meet you. So work, you said?”

“Yeah I have work at five.”

“Well, let’s get you there.”

“Wait. I don’t have any keys to lock the house up,” I said.

“Don’t worry. There’s a keypad on the side by the door that locks the door after five minutes.” I turned and saw what he was talking about.Shit, this guy must have a lot of money to have an automatic keypad lock.

“Oh, okay,” I said. He walked to the car and opened the back door.

“Actually, would it be okay if I sat up front?” I asked. He looked surprised but nodded, opening the front door for me. I slid inside with a “thanks” before buckling up. Garrett came around to the driver’s side, starting the car and heading down the driveway.

“Where to, miss?”

“You can call me Jenna. 224 South Morton Street.” I hated when people called me miss, especially if Garrett was going be my driver for the next year. From the corner of my eye, I saw him raise an eyebrow, but he continued on anyways.

“Is Mr. Stanford your uncle? Or family friend?” he asked.

“Um…” I had no idea what to tell him now. I looked over at him, trying to see if I trusted him. “You can’t tell anyone, okay?” If I’m going to be here for a while, I might as well try to have a friend.

“I won’t. I promise.”

“Okay…I’m his fake ‘fiancé’.”

“Fake?”

“Yeah. He offered me a deal, and I know it’s crazy, but I took it,” I said, leaning back in the seat, staring out the window.

“It may be crazy but…okay, I have nothing.” I snorted at his response.

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