Page 209 of Taeja

Cassedi’s eyes widened. “You’re comfortable wearing that?” Cassedi asked, and Taeja nodded. Cassedi sighed. “Okay…”

“I’m going to change when we get back to the hotel,” Taeja said, and the light returned to Cassedi’s eyes. Taeja forced a smile, wondering what her mother would’ve thought about the clothes she’d started wearing once she hit puberty.

Cassedi gave Taeja a quick hug. “May God cover you all under his blood.”

Taeja nodded and returned to the vehicle, gulping as Damon ignored her. The journey back was silent and stifling. They went to the room and Taeja went for a quick shower, not wanting to be in the room with them. But she could only stay in there for so long.

This guilt was almost as bad as the first time she snuck out of Jerry’s house and saw him at breakfast the next morning.

“How was the party?” Damon asked, his eyes narrowing as she sat on the edge of the bed. He leaned back against the headboard.

“It was fun,” Taeja answered earnestly.

“I bet it was,” Damon muttered. “That’s how you ended up on stage dancing with that man?”

Taeja’s eyes widened. She glanced at Zain, whose expression was impassive. She sighed and looked at Damon. “How do you—”

“Don’t worry about that.”

“I’m sorry. I was just having fun…”

“Fun?! You don’t think that was disrespectful to our relationship?”

Taeja glanced at Zain, who was still stoic. “Zain didn’t have a problem.”

“You’re doing it again, Taeja,” Damon snapped.

She bit her lower lip. “I’m sorry…”

“What are you apologizing for?” Zain asked.

Taeja sighed. “I keep… looking at you guys as one instead of different persons. But I swear it wasn’t like that this time.”

Damon scoffed. “You said—”

“Because I was with Zain!” she hissed. “I know he doesn’t care, so I didn’t think it’d be a problem for you! And that’s not to say I don’t respect our relationship, because I do, so I’d never do that around you!”

Zain looked at Damon. “You’re being hard on her.”

“I’m not being hard on her,” Damon retorted. “I just deserve the same respect, regardless of if she’s with you or me.”

Hearing how angry and hurt Damon sounded, Taeja sighed. “I’m sorry, Damon… I didn’t mean to hurt you.”

“Not only me, but yourself. Did you think about what could happen to your future if the hotel’s camera footage got into the wrong hands?” he asked, and her eyes widened before she looked away as her shoulders slumped.

Whore.

Disappointment.

“Damon,” Zain warned, his tone low and dark.

“Don’t do it, Zain. She’s lucky I have people who could handle that footage,” he said before exhaling a long breath. “Taeja, I know you’re trying, baby. I just got jealous and angry. I’m sorry if I was harsh on you.”

“It won’t happen again…” Taeja promised, now realizing why Zain had hurried to take her off the stage. She hadn’t been thinking clearly at all. “Can we talk aboutusagain?”

“What do you want to talk about?” Damon asked, his tone lighter.

“I want to be a good girlfriend to both of you. And I’ve said before that this is my first real relationship, plus we haven’t known each other that long. So, it’s taking me a bit longer to adjust to something I’m not as… experienced… in, likethe both of you. Please be patient with me.”

---