You Can't Choose Love (5 page)

Janet was in the library, trying
to focus on her work when she was interrupted by a group of girls, led by
Michelle.

“Hey serving girl,” a voice said.
The voice was low, at the library accepted level.

Janet stared down at her notes,
determined not to respond.

“There’s no Ethan here to protect
you,” said another voice.

“And what kind of spell have you put
on him anyway, witch?”

“Yeah, it’s either a spell or he
just feels sorry for you. Don’t flatter yourself, serving girl.”

Janet sighed and looked up.
Michelle and her cronies were sneering at her.

“You’re right. I did put a spell. Would
you like me to teach you?” Janet replied sweetly.

“You insolent little—” Michelle
made to lunge at her but her friend held her back. Janet stood up.

“Michelle, I’m really sorry that
Ethan doesn’t want to sleep with you but it’s not my fault or my business. You
can go settle this with him if you want.”

“You bitch!” Michelle shrieked,
now struggling against her friend to reach Janet.

“Michelle, leave her alone,” a
quiet voice said behind Janet. She turned to find Ethan standing there, hands
in his pockets and a solemn expression on his face.

“How could you?” Michelle shrieked
at him. People were beginning to stare now and the librarian was making her way
to their table. “How could you choose her? This- this plain stupid serving
girl! What has happened to your standards, Ethan?”

“Is it still considered wrong to
tell girls to shut the fuck up?” Ethan asked no one in particular.

Michelle looked like she was going
to cry.

“What is all this?” the librarian
said, trying to sound stern but keeping her voice hushed at the same time.
“Where have your manners gone? I want you all out of the library. Now!”

Michelle was teary eyed now as her
friends escorted her out. The librarian looked at Ethan who still stood at the
same spot but did not say any more. She left the two alone. Janet said down and
resumed staring at her notes.

“Janet—” Ethan begun but Janet
shook her head.

“I don’t want to talk about it,”
she said simply. “Leave me, Ethan. I’m studying.”

For a moment, it seemed like he was
about to protest but then he stood up. He was gone a moment later.

Hours later, as Janet exited the
library she was greeted by George and Kan. Janet smiled, happy to see them.

“Hello, serving girl,” George said
jokingly. Janet rolled her eyes. “How dare you steal Ethan away from us!”

“So you’ve heard of what happened
at the library then?” Janet asked as they walked on either sides of her.

“Ethan told us. And word gets
around fast here. There were others in the library and I think everyone knows
at this point.”

“Are you angry at Ethan?” Kan
asked. “He kept going on about how he stood up for you but you told him to
leave.”

“I was working,” said Janet in a
would be casual voice.

“Is that all?” Kan asked.

“Yes.”

“Is that really all?” George said.

“Yes.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yes.”

“Is there anything you want to
talk about?”

“No.”

They had stopped walking and now
she glared up at both of them as they continued their investigation. Her arms
were folded and her expression was defiant. Then she sighed and unfolded her
arms.

“Maybe there is something…” she
trailed away, doubtfully.

“We thought so,” Kan said. “Let’s
go over to my place.”

“Another mansion? No, thanks.
Let’s go  to The Four Stars. I have work anyway.”

“Work doesn’t start until 3 hours from
now.”

“Alright, let’s go to your house
but then you’re dropping me to work.”

“As you command, serving girl,”
Kan said.

Janet wasn’t even surprised at the
extravagance anymore. It was something she was used to by now. She had grown
used to the insane amount of money and luxuries these kids had.

When they were seated in Kan’s
living room and a servant had brought them tons of food, Kan begun to speak.

“So tell us, why are you angry at
dear old Ethan?”

Janet was unsure of how to answer.
She was also unsure of how much they knew about their relationship. When she
conveyed these concerns, George laughed.

“We know all about your
relationship,” he said winking.

Janet rolled her eyes. “Of course,
Ethan would tell them,” she muttered to herself.

“I’m not angry at Ethan,” she
started. “I just- he’s just so- confusing? He’s still afraid to admit we’re
more than friends. It’s frustrating. He introduces me as his “friend”. I mean
does he sleep with all his friends?” Janet blushed as she said that.

“Well, we wouldn’t put it past
Ethan…” Kan joked.

“I’m serious.”

“Ethan is just scared of
commitment because he has never actually been serious with anyone,” George
explained. “He does like you. He really does. And maybe he will come to terms
with the fact that you’re not just an ordinary friend. But he has commitment
issues, Janet. I don’t even know if it’s my place to tell you this. Plus, his
family would go berserk if they find out he’s dating someone from the- from a
different class. And trust me, the way Ethan ruins people’s lives isn’t even
close to the way his parents can ruin someone’s life if they think that someone
is coming between their plans for Ethan.”

“So this is for my sake?” Janet
said annoyed.

“Partly, yes. It’s complicated.
Look at it from Ethan’s point of view.”

“I don’t understand. Please
explain.”

“You’re a rich kid with loads of
expectations from your parents. Your dad wants you to join politics in his
footsteps but your mom thinks it’s too dangerous for you to do so considering
you’ve had near death experiences already because of your father’s enemies.
Your mother wants you to inherit her business and your parents frequently
bicker over which one is better for you. Alongside, they expect you to grow up
to be a rich, well-mannered boy who knows how to run a business and be a
politician too. You’ve never had a functional relationship and one day you meet
a girl who you might actually like. But everyone thinks it’s wrong to be with
her. And you grew up surrounded by what your parents wish for you and what is
expected from a young man of your class and status. So you want to be with her
but you don’t want to let your parents down either. You’ve also seen how your
parents can easily manipulate events in their favor without any regard for
other people’s lives or well-being. So you’re scared for the girl’s future as
well.”

Janet sighed. “That’s ridiculous.
Why can’t he just ignore other people?”

“It’s not as easy for others as it
is for you.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“Only that you’re strong and fierce
and you can handle a lot of things that Ethan might not be able to handle.”

“He had no problem trying to ruin
my life initially,” Janet said, bitterly.

“Are you still holding a grudge
over that?”

“Of course I am! He never
apologized for that.”

Kan sighed. “I think you should
talk to Ethan about this. Honestly. Be straight up about it.”

Janet sighed.

She had paid Ethan a visit at his house
with the purpose of confronting him about the issues they had been facing
recently, but she found herself in a compromised position with Ethan.

“Would it help if I sat up?” Ethan
said.

Janet nodded. It was a completely
new position for her and she had no clue what to do but Ethan was guiding her
patiently and her ignorance didn’t bother him. His muscled torso rose from the
mattress as he caught Janet’s hand.  

He guided her hips up as her hand
grasped hold of his erection and positioned it for her to slide down. She
failed to connect them and sighed in frustration. She was reminded again of how
experienced Ethan was and felt clumsy and stupid compared to all the other
girls who had pleasured him. What she didn’t know was that Ethan didn’t care
about her inexperience. He found it amusing at times and cute at other times.
But in particular, he didn’t really care. Ethan sensed her apprehension and
murmured words of encouragement. His hand rested on her nervous one for which
Janet was grateful. His other hand adjusted her hips slightly and made small
adjustments before his erection gently pushed in.

Janet panicked, gripping his legs.

“Shhh, it’s alright,” Ethan
whispered. “Slowly.”

She sank down according to his
instruction, whimpering at the new feeling. He still remained seated with her,
guiding her hips up and down. Her head rested on his shoulders as he did most
of the work for which she was grateful. He lay back down, taking her with him.
Her bra clasp was released as she sat up on her own. Ethan pulled down the
straps down her arms, a throaty groan escaping his lips as Janet began to set a
slow pace. His fingers played with her nipples as her breasts moved gently with
her pace.

“You can lean on me, Janet.”

He took her hands and placed her
palms on his chest to alter her position forward which made it easier for her
to ride him.

His palms slid down to her hips
again, setting a pace she had been unable to achieve. He lifted his hips to
meet hers and she instantly titled her chin to the ceiling, pushing her chest
out as she leant back on his thighs.

 “Fuck, you’re so hot,” he
groaned.

She bit her lips to stop the
uncontrollable moans escaping her lips. As they both rode down their highs,
Janet screamed his name for the first time which left Ethan feeling pleased.

As they lay in bed later, Janet
felt extremely conscious.

“Was that alright?” she asked him.

“You did well, babe,” he replied,
pulling her closer.

“I’m sorry,” she said awkwardly.
“I’ve never done it before so—”

“Shhh,” he whispered pressing a
kiss to her forehead. “You did really well.”

The truth was, Ethan liked the
element of uncertainty when he had sex with Janet. The fact that she was new to
it made it even more exciting and alluring.

Janet was content as she lay
quietly in his arms. And then she looked up. “There was a reason I came to talk
to you today.”

“I know,” was all Ethan said. He
wasn’t looking at her. He was staring up at the ceiling but his arm was still
wrapped around her as she lay on his chest. “Can it wait till tomorrow?” he
asked softly. “I don’t want to ruin the moment.”

And in that moment, Janet realized
that Ethan thought their little relationship had come to an end. He was trying
to cherish what he thought were their last moments together.

Janet wondered if that were true.
But she would have to wait till tomorrow. For now, she just wanted to lay in
his arms and forget about the impending conversation that might be their end.

Any hopes of confrontation were deferred
when Ethan got a call early morning from his father who wanted him present at a
meeting as his replacement. Ethan had to rush to get dressed and left the house
before Janet was fully awake. The touch of his goodbye kiss lingered on her
lips as she roamed around the house, a while later.

In the kitchen, she was greeted by
a middle aged woman named Chef Bufe. She was setting up a breakfast table and
insisted that she will set up a separate one for Janet up in the living room
but Janet could not understand why they couldn’t dine together. In the end,
Chef Bufe reluctantly agreed but asked her not to tell Ethan.

“Why?” Janet asked surprised.

“He asked me to make breakfast for
you and serve it in the living room like we serve all the Reeds.”

“I see,” Janet said slowly.
Suddenly, she had an idea. “What’s Ethan like?” she asked. “I mean what do you
think of him?”

“He’s very good to us,” Chef Bufe
replied. “Looks after all our needs. Gives us extra money. Makes sure all my
children get Christmas presents. He’s very good kid.”

Janet frowned.
Why was he such
an asshole to me and the general school population then?

“Are you his girlfriend?” Chef
Bufe asked hesitantly.

“Oh no,” Janet said. “Just a
friend.”

The older woman nodded. “Ethan
only ever had one girlfriend in the time I’ve known him. And that was put an
end to by his parents.”

“What do you mean?”

“They thought she isn’t good for
him.”

“Was she… not rich?” Janet asked
cautiously.

“Oh she was rich. Very rich. But
she belonged to a rival political family. I think that really affected Ethan
adversely.”

“What did his parents do?”

“They broke them up. Threatened
her and her family. I don’t exactly know the whole story but Ethan was
distraught.”

Janet looked at the assortment of
foods in front of them. She had never had such a rich breakfast. Five different
types of breads, several cold meats and spreads, vegetables and fruits, all
types of eggs, croissants, puddings, cakes and pastries.

“This is all too much,” she
pointed out, mostly so she does not have to answer Chef Bufe talking about
Ethan’s past.

“I thought it’s too less…” the
woman trailed off. “Ethan asked me to make everything. I still missed out some
cereals and porridges.”

“Ethan is crazy,” Janet concluded
picking up a piece of bread and coating it with honey.

Chef Bufe gave her a suppressed
knowing smile but didn’t say anymore.

“I hope Ethan’s meeting is going
well…” Chef Bufe said as an afterthought.

In fact, it was going quite well. Ethan
had filled in for his father several times, a fact his mother did not
appreciate owing to the dangers associated with entering politics. Ethan wasn’t
sure how he felt about campaign meetings which all basically discussed
marketing strategies and how to manipulate people into giving Mr. Reed their
vote. It could be interesting in a manner but most of the time it felt wrong to
discuss methods of manipulation. Ethan frequently thought politics wasn’t his
cup of tea but at other times he thought he would do well in politics and enjoy
it immensely.

Ethan shook hands with the other
attenders of the meeting as they gathered up their belongings to depart. Once
he was safely in his car, he pulled out a cigarette. He had unconsciously cut
back on smoking ever since he had met Janet. Perhaps it had something to do
with her sunshine and rainbow personality. Or maybe he was trying to match her
innocence at some level. Whatever it was, Ethan Reed didn’t smoke anymore. He
rolled the cigarette around in his hands, contemplating his choices.

He knew what Janet wanted to talk
to him about and he also knew that he would not have an answer sufficient
enough for her. He had no real explanation for why he couldn’t call her his
“girlfriend”. Janet was the closest to a girlfriend he had ever had. He had had
many flings in the past and one serious relationship which was brutally ended
by his parents but in a way, he was happy it had ended. He had sometimes
thought he was looking for a way out of it anyway.

Janet had also seemed angry over
something else which he couldn’t quite comprehend. Perhaps he should stop
avoiding the confrontation and get it done with. But the truth was Ethan was
afraid. Afraid that Janet would end things with him and he knew she would have
no problem with that. And since he had never let them become anything official,
he didn’t even really have a say in it if Janet said she no longer wanted to do
what they were doing. After all, she wasn’t his girlfriend. How was he supposed
to stop her?

Ethan sighed. Perhaps he really
should smoke that cigarette. But then he rolled down his windows and the
cigarette was thrown outside.