“Kiera….,” Jason’s voice echoed through the house as he walked through the hallways to find two of the dearest girls in his life. He just returned from his work and running, learning the news of Aria uttering something other than ‘Daddy or Mommy,’ which she vocalizes.
“Kiera…,” Jason called again, trying to find them. And for the first time, he wished he owned a smaller house, so it might be easy to spot each other in times like these.
Jason finds Mrs. Clinton is on his way, so he stops thinking of asking her the whereabouts of his girls, but before he can ask anything, he sees Aria running cheerfully as Kiera chases her.
“Gotcha,” said Kiera, holding Aria in her arms as both of them chuckled with all their heart.
“Well… Hello guys, I hope I didn’t disrupt you both?”
“Daddy..,” Aria called out on seeing Jason as she spread out her hands, wanting Jason to carry her.
“So, what I heard on the phone, true?” Kiera nodded her head at Jason’s words. “What does she speak?”
“Aria, show daddy what you’ve shown me,”
Aria nodded her head, smiling, placing her hand on her chest, and said something that melted Jason’s heart an instant.
“Aria.., Luv…,” said Aria with her voice shaking, and moved her hand to Jason’s chest touching him before completing her sentence. “Daddy..,”
The three words melt Jason’s heart in an instant, hearing those words from Aria’s mouth. The first time Aria spoke was ‘Daddy,’ and now she is trying to speak sentences little by little and not something else but words that made him, ‘Aww’ in wonder that his daughter loves him. Jason already knows that Aria loves him by her actions, but hearing it from her mouth made such a difference that words can’t define it.
“Where did you learn it from Aria?” Jason questioned, and on hearing his question, Aria pointed her index finger towards Kiera.
Jason somehow already knew the answer to his question, but he still asked Aria. Every time Kiera made him speechless by her tiny acts that made a vast impact in his life, changing his once black and white dull life into a colorful and fulfilling one with happiness.
In just a few months, Kiera is becoming an inseparable part of his life. Jason doesn’t even know that he should be thankful for Kiera’s actions or angry about how he treated her in the past.
Kiera did so much for him and his daughter from day one. But Jason, remaining blind to her actions, neglected her, insulted her, and hated her all this time for her father’s mistake. But Thanks, to that day he no longer hates her; the day when he finally realized how wrong he was to treat Kiera badly for something that she doesn’t even know about. But things changed and he knows that he was wrong, in the past, and now he wanted to make things right for both of them.
“Thank you,” Jason said, smiling and thanking his lucky stars. He is lucky to have Kiera forgive him and be a friend in his life. Kiera said nothing and smiled at his words, leaving both the father and daughter duo alone. She doesn’t want to intrude, the father-and daughter duo being the third wheel in between them.
“Kiera,” Jason spoke, seeing Kiera about to leave. “Where are you going?”
Kiera looked at Jason, whose eyes were focused on her. “I should go___ I don’t want to disturb both of you….,”
“Stay,” Jason said, stopping Kiera from speaking any further. “It’s because of you. Aria is trying to learn words that are new to her, day after day and speaking, and she is even trying to form sentences. All these only because of you..”
“It’s just that I don’t want to intrude.”
“Stay. Please…,”
Kiera nodded her head at Jason’s words, not finding the heart to say NO one more time.
Jason turned his head towards Kiera with his eyes scanning her face. He can’t say why, but her face, which was shining with a simper seconds ago, now seems disturbed, and stressed. But as soon as Kiera felt Jason’s eyes on her, she changed her distressed expression into a happy one by plastering a fake smile on her appearance.
Kiera doesn’t know about it, but little by little, Jason’s noticing the way Kiera suppresses her sentiments in front of others. She is always smiling and cheerful; not once will anyone have ever seen her anxious about anything, as she is the happiest person in the entire world who doesn’t have a bit of worry in her life. It’s this, or she just doesn’t want to be weak or sad in front of anyone. Because the only time Jason has seen her sad and vulnerable was when her father had an accident other than that never happened. but today, the way Kiera quickly shifted her appearance, hiding her pain with a smile, made Jason realize that Kiera is nothing like she shows to everyone. There is far more mysterious than everyone thinks of her. She hides her pain beneath her happiness and smile.
“Kiera, are you okay?” Jason couldn’t help himself but ask.
Kiera turned her face toward Jason, plastering her face with a warm grin. “Yes, I’m perfectly fine. Why?”
“Okay,” Jason nodded, as he didn’t know what else to say.
Then Jason turned his attention towards Aria, getting himself busy playing with her, trying to teach her more words to pronounce.
But things get tense when Kiera interrupts Jason by speaking of the same topic, the one he doesn’t want to answer and ignores at all costs. “Jason, I think I should move back to my father’s house….,”
Jason sighed. “But…, Why?” Jason pointed, stopping Kiera from speaking any further. “Don’t you like staying here with us,” he pointed his hands towards him and Aria.
Kiera sighed, listening to his words. “It’s not that, I like it here and I also like spending every minute of my time with Aria. You know how much I love her.”
“What about me?” Words slipped out of Jason’s mouth before he could stop himself. He doesn’t know why, but he likes Kiera in his life. Maybe that is why he never has the heart to submit the divorce papers they signed to court. He doesn’t know why he doesn’t want that one string connecting them to break. And he is very much regretting lying to Kiera about their divorce. But again, the thought of not having her in his life anymore makes him heartbroken. With each passing day, Kiera is becoming more and more important to him and his life. And he doesn’t think he can hide it any more, at least not from himself. Jason has a developed feeling for Kiera feeling that never felt for anyone before in life. Maybe he loved her.
Kiera’s face suddenly turned stern as her eyes were doubtful, staring at Jason. Jason, regarding the change of atmosphere in Kiera’s mood. Cursed himself in his mind for saying something so foolish. Jason already lost Kiera once, and he doesn’t want to lose the bond between them by the slip of his tongue. Not this time. He doesn’t have the strength nor the heart to lose one more person he loved and cared so much about to leave him.
“I mean… we both would be lonely without you,” Jason tried his best to clarify before Kiera could misinterpret his words.
Kiera nodded her head at his words. “Jason, but I can’t always stay with you guys… Someday, I have to leave.”
‘That’s what I don’t want,’ Jason mumbled to himself before he became all silent for a few minutes, his mind busy thinking of a reason to stop Kiera. He can’t let her go. Jason can’t lose one more person in life that he loves. Love, yes. He loves Kiera, but he is too afraid to confess it to her. If he confessed his feelings to her, it could ruin the friendly bond between them, and he can’t afford it. He can live without her love, but he can never be able to live if he loses his one and only loyal friend in life.
“Daddy,” Aria called, diverting Jason’s attention towards her. And just like that, Aria helped him, silently, presenting him with a great idea. Jason kissed Aria on both her cheeks, thanking her for providing him with this brilliant idea. And Aria’s face brightened with a cunning smirk plastered on her lips. Maybe she knows what’s running through her Daddy’s mind. Like father, like daughter.
Jason, happy with the brilliant idea in his mind, turns his face towards Kiera. “I know, why do you want to leave… you think that you don’t have any relationship with me or with Aria so you think it’s wrong for you to live here with us, but how about you live here with us, not as my friend but as an employee?”
“What do you mean?” asked Kiera, surprised by his question.
“Look, I know, how bad you want to restart your father’s company, but you have no knowledge or experience to run something so big.” Kiera silently examined Jason’s face without interrupting him, even when she is overwhelmed by Jason knowing so much about her. “How about I be your mentor and teach you how things work?”
Jason looked at Kiera, who was silently staring at him. “So… What do you think?”
Kiera stood from the place where she was sitting and started strolling around the space. With her mind filled with many thoughts, without the knowledge of expressing any of them.
Jason, bewildered by Kiera’s thoughts, couldn’t stop himself but stopped her by putting both his hands on his shoulders, looking deep in her eyes. “Kiera….,”
Kiera stopped Jason before he could speak any further. “Why?” That’s the only word that came out of Kiera’s mouth after so much brainstorming.
“What….?” Jason questioned, not understanding her question.
“Why do you want to do all this? Why, when you’re the one who destroyed everything, Why Jason?”
“I’m sorry, and I can apologize to you for all my life, but I just want to help you build what I once destroyed.”
“And, how?” Kiera demanded with her hands crossed over her chest, her eyes burning with rage.
“As I have mentioned before, I’ll mentor, guide you to how things work in business, and help in every way,” Jason stated calmly. “I know that you’ve forgiven me for what I did with you and your father, and believe me, I have no grudge towards your father about the past; just take it as one friend trying to help another friend moving forward in life.”
“First, how do know, all about me and my aspirations so much,”
Jason’s throat goes dry the second he hears Kiera’s words; he doesn’t know how to answer Kiera’s question and how she will react after knowing about it.
“Jason…,” called Kiera, in Jason’s silence.
“I spied on you.” Jason couldn’t stop the words from coming out of his mouth.
“WHAT?” Kiera roared.