Forced Marriage: Escaping Her Monster

"I didn't know you sing so well, Bobby," Jerlina said with a grimace and Scarlett started laughing out loud.

"Oh, you're here," Bobby's tone was mixed with a lot of emotions. But disappointment was more pronounced.

"I'm leaving," Jerlina waved her hands. "I won't disturb your night of loving." 

"Stay for dinner, madam Luna," Bobby said with a grin after he was pinched by Scarlett.

"No need to feel obliged, Bobby. I can see I am not welcome here," Jerlina said in a serious tone making Bobby sad. 

"Pfft...hahaha... your face!" Jerlina laughed making Bobby surprised. "I'll visit another time for dinner. And one more thing, will you please stop addressing me as 'madam'? It makes me feel like... old... or like I am a..."

"Lady p*mp?" Scarlett added and Jerlina nodded. 

"Yes."

"Or, you know a kinky madame...whoosh," Scarlett made a whipping motion. "It would be funny to see you dressed in leather holding a whip and Jerry kneeling in front of you with a collar begging you-"

"Oh, that's enough, Scar!" Jerlina covered her face with her hands. If she let Scarlett speak, she always goes to the extremes. She is not used to speaking this openly about those stuff with others.

Bobby laughed along, "That would be funny, but it is not that hard to achieve. If you have those preferences, Jerry won't mind to be-"

"I do not! Now move so I can leave! And if you keep on speaking this way, I won't speak to you," she ran away not minding those two laughing behind her.

Those two are made for each other! And she cannot handle them alone when they are united.

She returned home to see dinner waiting for her. 

"You're back. I thought you'd have dinner there," Jeremy welcomed her and Jerlina shrugged.

"Yeah, I didn't want to disturb their plans," she shrugged. "Maybe you can ask them to leave baby Cia here so that they can go on dates or something," she added. "Wow! Ravioli! How fancy!" She started eating. 

"You're an awesome cook, TJ. You should have become a chef. You'd have easily become a Michelin star chef," she spoke from her heart.

She is not a bad cook herself, but she could sense something very different from his cooking; something that made the food special. It had... she didn't know how to put it... Nostalgia could be a close word to what she feels.

"I'll cook breakfast tomorrow," she told him. She felt a little guilty for always eating his cooking and never do any chores around the house.

"No need," he looked at her with his sharp eyes.

"Why?" she asked. "Don't tell me you're slow-poisoning me," she looked at her half-empty plate with little shame. 

Will she stop eating if he says it is? Probably not. It is too tasty.

"No, I am not," Jeremy answered and she was amused to see her eating without even expecting his reply. Just some weeks back, she was hesitant to eat anything she didn't know the source of, but now she would eat it without even considering it is poisoned.

It's not that she started trusting him, but she doesn't care if she gets poisoned.

"Do you think I might poison you then?" she looked at him and he was stunned seeing the childishness in her face. It seems like he is the one sulking and trying to find meaning in everything she does, but she is acting very comfortable around him.

"No," he kept his reply short to check on her mood.

"Then let me. I am not a Michelin-level cook like you, though. So don't expect much. I am a decent cook... I make edible food," Jerlina said. 

Maybe these few days she started to chat with a lot of people, her mood got better and she chatted with Jeremy too without thinking anything else.

Jeremy looked at her and she looked like she is in a fairly great mood. "Okay then... But don't give me anything gooey though," he relented.

He wanted to pamper her as long as she lives with him, but how can he refuse eating her cooking?

"Gooey?" Jerlina knitted her brows.

"I like solid breakfasts. No oatmeals, no green stuff, no avocado, and no beans. Any vegetable other than fries and ketchup is a no-no..."

Jeremy went on with the list of his dislikes and Jerlina looked at him.

What a fuzzy child!

"But fries and ketchup are not vegetables..? Beans are healthy and..." Jerlina was confused. 

"Beans are the dingleberries of the devil. You can eat dingleberries all you want," his face twisted with disgust and Jerlina's face twitched.

Dingleberries? Seriously? Is he a child? 

"And fries are potatoes and ketchup is tomatoes. So they are vegetables," he added and got her plate as she finished eating.

"You must have been really pampered when you were a child for you to be this fuzzy," she shook her head. 

"...yeah, maybe..." 

He placed a dessert plate and placed a slice of cheesecake. Jerlina dug in without even waiting for him and Jeremy's face filled with glee. 

"When my mother was alive, she cooked me whatever I wanted. But after she... I had to eat canned beans and just peas at times and ketchup was a luxury... meat... they'd throw the remaining roasts to the dogs, but they won't spare me a slice. I fought with a dog once for a slice of roast chicken..." he paused seeing her mood getting sad.

"Eat... prepare whatever you want. I'll eat anything," he said with a smile.

"Sure, I'll make sure your bowl is filled with oatmeal with a kale smoothie in the side," she said and watched his eyebrows twitching. "You should keep your promise and finish it all."

Jeremy threw up a little in his mouth imagining oatmeal in his bowl and kale whatever to drink. 

Ugh, if it is her, I'd even eat bitter almonds without thinking twice! 

"...okay, ma'am," he said after a long pause and with great difficulty . His pitiful face made Jerlina feel a little sad for him.

"Sure," she smiled slyly and finished the cheesecake. "Where did you buy it?" she asked. "It's delicious."

"I cooked it. Glad you enjoyed it," he said and Jerlina knitted her brows.

He should be lying! How can one person be this good a cook?

-----

While Jerlina's days went peacefully, Gerard was regretting his decision to have dinner with Emma each night. Rather than ordering out or let the cook handle the cooking, Emma cooked herself and made him lick the plate- literally when her cooking is only suitable for the trash to eat up. Even the trash can would barf it out unable to bear the stink.

How could someone ruin a perfect piece of steak was beyond him. As if that was not enough, she tries to get him drunk and she wears skimpy clothes at home as if that would make him sleep with her.

He decided not to go through that torture anymore and decided to find Jerlina soon. 

From his people, he learned that she is now working in Fitzgerald Lumber Corp. So he decided to pay a visit.

-----

Jerlina looked at Jeremy sitting by her side with a hearty smile. He came to the breakfast table with a blue face and his face lit up when she served French toast with bacon and his favorite espresso. 

He was so happy and since he had work in the corporate office, decided to bring her with him. 

"The food in the cafeteria is nice. You should try it," he said and she nodded.

They finished the work there and as he said, the cafeteria food was delicious. When they returned to Peyton, her heart skipped a beat seeing Gerard's car in the parking lot of their office.

"Jer," he called her the moment she got down and she gulped. "Let's talk," he added and his emerald eyes looked misty under the sun.

He looked unkempt and worn out even compared to the last time she met him just a few days back and Jerlina felt bad for him.

"I have to work," she said and walked inside.

"I'll wait, Jer," Gerard said and Jerlina felt her heart clenching.

"Jerlina," Jeremy stopped Jerlina trying to run away. "You can go."