One Wild Night

Jade stirred from sleep, reaching out instinctively for the warmth that usually resided beside her. Her hand met only the cool sheets, and she blinked awake, glancing around the room.

The suite was quiet, the curtains drawn to a sliver allowing the early morning light to filter in.

"Harry?" she called softly, sitting up and rubbing her eyes. The room remained silent.

Without getting out of the bed, she reached for the suite remote. She flipped the bathroom wall to transparent, and just as she thought, it was empty.

She did the same to the walls of the bedroom, and there was no sign of Harry anywhere in the suite or around it.

A faint frown creased her brow as she glanced at the wall clock. It was 10 a.m. A knot of unease tightened in her stomach as she slipped out of bed naked, her concern growing.

She walked over to the closet and quickly put on a matching sweatpants and shirt, wanting to go check the gym if perhaps Harry had decided to go work out.

After wearing her pair of trainers, she stepped out of the suite. As she approached the gym, she walked past the lounge, a soft murmur of conversation drifting over.

She paused when it occurred to her that she had caught sight of a familiar fabric— one of Harry's, so she walked back, and the sight that greeted her wasn't what she'd expected.

Harry was seated at a small table, a steaming cup of coffee in front of him. Across from him was a woman with sun-kissed hair, her laughter carrying over to Jade.

Jade recognized her instantly – the same woman she had seen Harry talking to the previous day when she returned from kayaking but the woman had walked away before she got to where they were.

It had seemed like a fleeting, casual interaction yesterday, but here, it seemed like a full-blown conversation, animated and intimate.

A frown creased Jade's forehead. Who was this woman, and why was Harry having coffee with her alone, especially after leaving her in bed?

A pang of insecurity twisted in Jade's stomach. Memories of past relationship surfaced, whispers of betrayal echoing in her mind.

She watched them for a moment, her heart sinking as the woman leaned in closer to Harry to show him something on her phone. He smiled, saying something that made the woman laugh again. Jade turned away, the scene too painful to watch.

No matter how much she tried to reassure herself that Harry was not Todd. Harry was different and would never hurt her, the little voice in her head kept telling her that Harry was a man, and all men were the same.

The voice kept reminding her that she had also trusted Todd so foolishly and he had repaid her trust with the utmost betrayal.

A wave of emotions washed over Jade. Jealousy, a gnawing sense of inadequacy, and a confusing hurt. She wanted to walk over, plant a kiss on Harry's cheek, and ask him who the woman was. But the insecurity held her back. What if it was something innocent, something she'd blow out of proportion? What if by questioning him, she came across as suspicious and clingy?

Torn between wanting an explanation and keeping quiet, Jade retreated back to their suite, her head held high but her heart heavy with unspoken questions.

Back in their suite, Jade paced the room, her mind racing with questions. Why had Harry left her in bed to talk to this woman? Did he not want to disturb her, or was there something more? The insecurities she thought she had buried resurfaced, making her feel small and inadequate.

Deciding to put the time into good use while she waited for him to return, she freshened up. She brushed her hair with more force than necessary, trying to push the negative thoughts away, but her mind replaying the scene at the lounge.

She was upset, but she didn't want to jump to conclusions. She would wait for Harry to return and talk to him.

Every minute she waited, felt like an hour, and she couldn't help imagining things.

Just as self-doubt began to solidify into a bitter pill, the door opened, and Harry stepped in, a bouquet of vibrant lilies in his hand.

A smile lit up his face when he saw her, and he crossed the room to meet her, "Good morning, love. I thought you'd still be sleeping after last night," he said, his voice warm and his eyes crinkling at the corners as he brushed his lips against hers.

"Thought I'd bring you these," he said, holding out the flowers to her.

The sweet fragrance of the flowers filled the air. The gesture calmed a storm inside her, replacing it with a question that wouldn't stay buried.

Jade forced a smile as she accepted the flowers, her eyes searching his face for any hint of deceit. "Thanks. Where were you?"

"I woke up early and didn't want to disturb your beauty sleep, so I grabbed some coffee at the lounge," Harry said as he headed for the bathroom to wash his hands.

Jade's heart pounded in her chest as she followed him, "Did you meet anyone interesting?"

Harry shook his head, his expression casual. "Nah. Why do you ask?" He asked as he met her gaze in the mirror.

Jade bit her lip, torn between pressing the issue and letting it go. What if it was nothing? What if she created a scene out of thin air, tarnishing their idyllic vacation?

Harry paused when he saw the expression on her face, "What's wrong?"

The knot in Jade's stomach tightened, "It's nothing. Nothing important. Thanks for the flowers," Jade said as she turned to leave, but Harry caught her hand before she could walk away.

"Tell me," he said firmly, placing a finger under her chin to make sure she was looking at him.

"I saw you. You were having coffee with a lady," she confessed.

For a minute Harry didn't say a word, and he sighed as he took her hand and led her back to the bedroom.

"Yes. I did have coffee with a lady," Harry said and she looked at him.

"You lied that you didn't meet anyone interesting," she pointed out.

"What does having coffee with her have to do with her being interesting? She isn't of any interest to me," Harry said flatly.

"You both were together yesterday too," Jade said and Harry realized where she was going.

"You think I'm interested in her and I'm cheating with her?" He asked and when she shrugged, he felt sort of hurt.

"You believe I came all this way on a vacation with you, and I would cheat on you with some random lady? Me?" Harry asked, and as much as Jade wanted to believe him, she knew just how guys loved to gaslight ladies.

She had fallen once for shit like this, and she didn't want to fall for it again no matter how much she loved Harry.

"What did you both talk about? Why was she with you yesterday? Why did you leave me in bed to go have coffee with her today?" Jade asked, and Harry sighed.

"I can't tell you that," he said, and she nodded, swallowing past the painful lump of hurt that had formed in her throat.

"I see," she said and turned to walk away.

"What do you see?" Harry asked bringing her back.

"That you don't want to tell me," Jade said, too hurt to look at him.

"Don't you trust me?" Harry asked, not liking that they were having this conversation in the first place.

"I don't know. I want to. I'm trying to, but it's so hard. I don't want to be made a fool of again," Jade said, her lips trembling as tears dropped from her eyes.

Harry embraced her, "No one is going to make a fool of you, baby. I will never hurt you. I don't want to lie to you about who she is, hence I don't want to tell you why I'm meeting with her yet, but trust me, esquire, she is nothing to me," Harry whispered.

"Are you going to see her again?" Jade asked as she looked up at Harry with teary eyes.

"Yes. I have to. But if it will make you feel better, you can hang around whenever I have to talk to her. But you won't listen in on our conversation," Harry said, and Jade frowned.

"We agreed that you will leave work behind. Why are you still working here when it should be just the both of us?" Jade asked, assuming it was business.

"Because this is very important. You will understand better when I've sealed the deal," he promised, and when she didn't say anything, he asked, "Have I ever given you a reason to doubt that I love you? Or to doubt my commitment to you?"

Jade shook her head as she held his gaze, and he nodded, "So, can you please trust me?" Harry asked and she nodded slowly.

"Besides, if I so much as hurt you, Tom would have my head and I will also have to deal with my dad, Candace, Andy, Lucy, and everyone else too, you know? And guess who will bury me alive if I hurt you? Me. Shouldn't that make you more confident knowing that you have me and everyone else on your side?" Harry asked, and Jade smiled reluctantly.

"If you saw us together having coffee, why didn't you come over?" Harry asked and she shrugged.

"I just couldn't," she said quietly.

"Were you really not going to ask me about it had I not asked? Didn't we agree to communicate clearly?" Harry asked and Jade looked down.

"I'm sorry. It's just hard to think logically when such feelings come," she explained.

"You have nothing to fear, esquire. I got you. For life. And maybe if you're still having such a hard time trusting me, we should wait for a year or two before thinking about getting married," Harry said and Jade shook her head.

"No. I don't want to wait," Jade said immediately.

"Why not?"

"I think I might feel more secure after we get married," Jade said and Harry shook his head.

"I don't think so. I think if you don't work on your feelings of insecurity now, it might only get worse as time goes on, regardless of what I do or how I try reassure you," Harry said softly.

"It won't," Jade insisted and Harry sighed.

"What is it going to take for you trust me?" Harry asked and she shrugged.

"Let's get married first."

Although he wanted to argue with her and give her reasons why he knew that her feelings of insecurity would get worse in marriage if she didn't learn to trust him before they get married, he decided to let it go for the time being.

"Let's go breakfast. But first, you need to give Bryan a call as you planned," Harry reminded her, and Jade nodded.

"I'm sorry I doubted you," she whispered.

She still wasn't sure how to work on her trust issues, but she was going to try her best to stop doubting Harry so much. She needed to keep reminding herself that Harry was a one in a million guy and far different from Todd.