CHAPTER 12 :

“Brevity is the soul of wit.” — Hamlet (Act II, Scene II)

Klein didn’t make an effort to take his hands off Winter's face. He could only look into his eyes, bewitched, possessed, enthralled. All he wondered was how every bone of that face was cut with exactitude which everyone could only wish for. Winter's expression was unreadable, his face giving nothing away, when he finally opened his mouth to say something.

“Come to my penthouse at 11. We'll talk. Come alone, don’t let anyone know that you're coming over.” He breathed out a sharp exhale, after which he stepped out of Jase's embrace. The cop nodded, after which Xavier disappeared in the crowd.

That was all Klein came for, wasn’t it? To apologise to Winter and make sure they had a little chat. They needed it. The sexual tension between them made it hard for the cop to even stand close to Xavier and not feel like his face was scalding as temperature rose in the room.

He exited the party shortly after, hoping in his black SUV to drive back home. It was only 9 and Xavier had asked him to pay a visit at 11. He came home, tired, as he lazily took off his mask, putting it back in the drawer where he found it.

He slouched on the sofa, when the phone in the breast pocket of his suit rang. As much as he'd like to avoid every call that bothered him, he knew he wouldn’t be able to pull it off; he was a cop after all. He fished out the ringing phone from his pocket, as he saw Elena's name flash on the screen.

He swiped up on the screen, receiving the call. “Hey there, Elena. What made you call?”

“Oh Jase, I only called to ask if you were coming to meet me tomorrow. You know, just confirming the plan. That’s all.”

“Of course I'll be coming tomorrow. I would've let you know if I thought I couldn’t be able to make it.”

“Uh, yes. I have something big to tell you which I'm really excited about.”

“I'll be all ears to hear it. Have a good night, Elena.”

“Good night, Jase.”

And he hung up the call. He wondered how big a news it should be, to make his ex wife call him at night. He placed the phone on the nightstand, as he lolled back on the couch and closed his eyes.

Flashback :

“Jase…why would you cheat on me?” A crying woman glanced at the man who stood in the doorway, too shocked.

“Elena..I was…I was not in my senses. I was drunk.” His face was apologetic, etched with every mark of self loathing which kept his behaviour in check.

“How could you? After all this time, you could just go and sleep with a man, and you tell me that you were drunk?” She looked at him with glassy eyes, holding a cup of chamomile tea to her lips.

“Elena…forgive me, please.” He whispered in a broken voice, moving closer to his wife who had seated herself on a chair. He was being a disgrace.

“Our marriage is on the rocks, Klein. We have nothing to talk about, nowhere to visit, and no time to spend with eachother, and we haven’t had our lousy sex in like forever. Bye, promising cop. Keep the divorce papers ready.” She shouted, savagely getting up from the chair, storming to her room as she slammed the room shut, leaving him alone. All alone.

Flashback ends.

Klein woke up with a jolt, the scare from a piece of memory that burned a hole in his head, and haunted him to this day. When had he even fallen asleep? Ignoring all the adrenaline, he briefly glanced at the wall clock, which said 12:37am. Shit, he was one hour and thirty minutes left.

He had no time to freshen up, thus, he hastily collected the car keys from the table, and scooted out of his apartment. Driving to Xavier's penthouse was relaxing for him. The roads were mostly deserted. After reaching his destination, he found the door to be open.

Thinking Winter left it open for Jase, he stepped in without knocking, and was left dumbstruck at the sight which he came face to face with.

(A/N : Many people wanted to know Jasw Klein better, so, here you go. I've been listening to Elvis Presley all over again, and I feel like that still is gold.

And, I've been constantly getting Corona Virus news all over my feed, and I've been feeling so sad about it. People are dying, and there's nothing we can do, except mourn.

Anyways, if you like this book, press on the like button, leave a comment, go forward for giving it a review. I appreciate you all. Te amo