Outside the hospital.
Jayden held Rihanna’s hand in his, as they walked out of the hospital. They both walked in peaceful silence, none of them talking. Ria tried as many times as possible to take her hand out of his, but Jayden’s grip got even tighter.
After realizing there were also many couples around, holding each other’s hands, Rihanna finally allowed Jayden to hold her hand peacefully. “Where are we going?” Ria finally asked as they left the hospital vicinity. They were heading to a park near the hospital. The park was about a thirty-minute walk to the hospital.
“There.” Jayden pointed his left index finger forward, indicating they were going to the park. Ria nodded as they continued walking forward.
The evening sun cast an orange glow over their surroundings. The chirping of birds filled the air with a soothing calmness that was utterly relaxing. They made some small talk as they made their way to the park. Ria couldn’t help noticing that Jayden’s answers to some of her questions were stiff. It was like he had never experienced some things that she felt no human being would deny having an idea about.
Ria asked him a few seconds ago about his favorite music, but Jayden’s answer was awkwardly brief as if he was unsure of how to react. Rihanna had asked him if he liked any particular genre, and Jayden had simply replied, “Oh, I don’t listen to music.”
Rihanna’s eyebrows had arched in surprise. Who didn’t listen to music in this present generation? It was such a universal part of human experience. She had tried to press him further, asking if he had ever attended a concert or music festival, but Jayden’s answers had been similarly vague and unenlightening.
Rihanna’s curiosity was piqued, and she found herself wondering if Jayden was simply a private person or if there was something more to his evasive responses. She decided to keep probing, trying to get to know more about him.
As they walked into the park, the rustling of dry leaves under their feet filled the air. Rihanna’s attention was piqued by the colorful flowers all over the place. The park was breathtaking. She could see many couples around. Some were strolling hand-in-hand, laughing and chatting, while some were seated on the bench provided by the park, resting their body against each other.
Ria’s gaze shifted to an older couple. The old granny was resting her head on her old husband’s shoulder. The grandpa was caressing the old granny’s blonde hair lovingly. Jayden noticed Ria’s gaze was fixed on a particular spot. She didn’t reply to what he said earlier. He shifted his gaze from her and followed her line of sight. A soft warm spread across his face as he took in the tender scene.
He bends over, whispering in her right ear; “we can also become like this someday if you agree to marry me and be with me forever.” Jayden said, his voice filled with emotions and sincerity. He moved forward, blocking Ria’s view with his body. He bent over to her height, searching into her brown eyes.
Ria felt a shiver run down her spine as the warm breath of Jayden’s mouth sprayed on her ear. Her heart skipped a beat at his words. She was prepared to date him, but getting married wasn’t something she wanted to get involved in anytime soon.
“Stop joking around Jayden,” Ria said shyly, not daring to look into his eyes. It felt like if she looked into his dark orbs, he would swallow her immediately. “Who thinks about getting married after dating for two weeks?” She reprimanded him, thinking he was teasing her. What she didn’t know was that the first time Jayden had seen her in the parking lot that sunny day, he had fallen in love with her.
Jayden’s serious expression didn’t change, his hand moved upward, holding her shoulders in place. “If you can give me a chance into your heart Ria, I promise to make you happy for the rest of our lives. I will cherish and love you forever.” Jayden said seriously.
Ria raised her head, looking into his eyes. She searched into them, looking for any form of deceit, but she found none. She wanted to believe Jayden’s words, but remembering her deceased parents, who also promised to stay with her forever, left her alone in this world, made her never want to trust the word ‘forever’, except if it’s with her best friend Lina.
The pain of being abandoned still lingered in her mind. She couldn’t afford another unfulfilled promise that would’ve left her shattered, that was why she hadn’t been in a relationship since all this while.
“I know what I’m asking for is too much Ria,” Jayden took her right hand that was by her side into his. He took it closer to his mouth as he placed a gentle kiss on each of her well-manicured fingers, leaving Rihanna speechless.
Her ears instantly turned red as she saw a young girl taking pictures of them. She pushed Jayden away from her, not giving him any definite answer to his earlier offer. “You are shameless.” She said as she ran away from Jayden, who couldn’t help but smile at how cute she was.
As Jayden walked forward to catch up with Ria, a boy not more than fifteen years old approached him with a wide smile on his face. Jayden’s hidden bodyguards were ready to strike, but Jayden gave a signal that stopped them from harming the little boy.
Jayden noticed the little boy was holding a bouquet of roses, wrapped in an old newspaper. Jayden’s smile was gone. What was replaced was a cold face, but that didn’t scare the young boy, instead, he felt more enthusiasm.
“Mr, would you like to buy these beautiful roses for that beautiful sister that was with you earlier? She is just as beautiful as these roses.” The boy’s mouth was so sweet that no one could resist not buying the bouquet from him.
Jayden looked at the roses. Though they were wrapped in an old newspaper, it was still fresh, and he could perceive the intoxicating scent from where he was standing. His gaze moved to Ria, who had found a bench to sit on. Seeing how beautiful her side profile looks from afar, he didn’t think much before pulling out a hundred dollars from his wallet. He gave the boy the money in exchange for the flowers.
“Sir, the flowers are just five dollars.” The boy shouted, seeing Jayden didn’t wait for his change.
“Keep the change,” Jayden said as he waved his hand, not looking back.
“Thank you, sir. I pray that you and that beautiful sister be happy together, forever.” The boy shouted as he kept caressing the hundred dollar note in his hand. He was very happy as he whistled while walking out of the park, closing for the day.
On the other hand, Ria was sitting on a bench as she watched as children, who were at the park with their parents, played happily with each other. She couldn’t help smiling as she remembered how her father with her mother also used to bring her to the park when she was young.
As the memories of the past flooded her mind, a cute little girl walked towards her. “Beautiful sister, why are you sitting here alone? Did nobody want to play with you?” The innocent girl asked, her big brown eyes sparkling with curiosity.
The little girl’s hair was packed into two adorable pigtails, which were tied with bright pink hair ties that matched her colorful dress. A few loose strands framed her face, adding to her innocent charm.
Ria was pulled out of her daze by her cute voice. As she looked beside her, she saw a young girl, who should be either four or five years old, who was putting on a pink cute gown, speaking to her. She couldn’t help noticing how beautiful the girl was. She was tempted to pull her chubby cheeks which she did. “So cute,” she complimented.
“Beautiful sister, don’t pull my cheeks. My dad would punish you for that.” The girl pouted, her eyes flashing with warning, which made Ria laugh hard. Jayden stopped on his track, looking at how happy Ria was with the kid.
He couldn’t help picturing how she would be a good mother to their children. Jayden was shocked at his thought. Before meeting Ris, he doesn’t have any thoughts about marriage and talks less about having kids. It’s like what he felt for Ria was stronger than he had imagined.
As he raised his head, he saw that the young girl was pulling Lina into a circle of children. All the children were playing with each other happily. From their dresses and surroundings, which Ria noticed there was at least a bodyguard in the dark protecting each child, you would know they are from a rich background.
A minute later, Ria and the young girl who brought her to the group, who told Ria her name was Layla, finally joined the other kids. Ria introduced a game to them. It was a game of naming any items that were displayed on Ria’s phone screen. Anyone who doesn’t get the answer will be flicked lightly on his or her forehead by the group.
Not long after, the part of the park where Ria was playing with the children, was filled with the laughter of the happy children. Ria was also enjoying herself. By now, Jayden was seated at the spot Ria was seated earlier before Layla came to pull her away. He couldn’t help the big smile that was plastered on his face.
As a man, who was from a family that engaged in underworld dealings, Jayden doesn’t joke with his time. He couldn’t remember the time he had wasted his precious time sitting in a position without doing anything meaningful. But when it comes to Ria, he won’t mind sacrificing his precious time for her.
After twenty minutes passed, Jayden walked towards Ria, who was already tired as the children pushed and pulled her in their excitement. More kids came to join them, seeing how merry it was at their place.
Seeing how tired she looked, Jayden couldn’t help frowning as the tender smile on his face disappeared. He picked up the bouquet he bought earlier and walked towards Ria.
“Wow, that uncle is so handsome.” A kid who looked slightly older than the remaining kids voiced out as Jayden approached them. Ria couldn’t help turning back to see who took the children’s attention away from her.
On seeing it was Jayden, she felt her heart beating fast in her chest. She also felt guilty for forgetting about him within the minutes she played with the children.