Chapter Six : The Incident in the Lift
Two days have pa.s.sed and in those two days, Jasmine had not gone to Maria’s Bouquet. She spent most of her time at home, reading the mangas that she bought at Kinokuniya, a bookstore located in KLCC. Her mother wasn’t counting on her helping out at the shop anyway as Suki, the original helper, had returned from her emergency leave. When Jasmine got bored of reading, she would go on the internet, finishing the rest of her time on updating her bog or chatting with her online friends.
However, today, she felt like visiting Kaoru’s Cake House instead. She was bored of reading and going on the internet already. Today, she will have a new hobby—the hobby of seeing (or—ahem—stalking) the man that had stolen her heart two days ago who is also known as…Wing! His handsome face was still stuck in her mind, especially when he raised his eyebrows twice at her. Oh, he is definitely and undeniably so attractive!
Should she go there now?
“Definitely!” she told herself sternly while getting up from the sofa. She then, hurried into her bedroom to get ready to go to Kaoru’s Cake House. The clock in her room showed that it was already 4 o’clock in the evening. Her movements sped up more as she went through the wardrobe to find the perfect yet also comfortable outfit to wear.
Jasmine picked a white blouse from Seed and put on a pair of Motivi jeans to match. She brushed her hair and then tied it into a loose, side braid. The girl then, applied some makeup onto her face. There wasn’t any need for full or thick makeup.
Perfume? Well, Jasmine no longer used Allure Sport for men. There were three other bottles of perfume on her vanity table. After a few moments of pondering, she picked up the bottle labeled ‘Estee Lauder Pleasures Artist Edition’ and sprayed it on her clothes. The perfume was a present from her mother, given to her a day before they moved here. It had a creative scent of lilies, roses, karo karounde, white peonies and the exotic spice; Baie Rose. There were also hints of patchouli and sandalwood.
Once Jasmine was done, she grabbed her cell phone and mini Levi’s wallet which she stuffed into the back pocket of her jeans. She then, dashed out of her pink bedroom.
As fresh as a flower can smell, the meeting inspired by it will be just the same as well…
At the very second she was about to open the grille door, the sound of her neighbor’s front door opening could be heard. Jasmine turned to see who it was. Coming out of his home was Ginn, wearing a PUMA tracksuit. Their eyes can in contact with each other’s, but Ginn didn’t greet her or even gave her a polite smile. All he did was just lock his front door as if Jasmine didn’t exist, as if the incident before didn’t happen and that they have never introduced themselves to each other. Jasmine could feel her blood boiling.
Ginn had already moved onto to locking his sliding grille door, all the while not caring about Jasmine’s presence or the fact she had her hands on her hips as if to expect him to apologize. He made his way towards the lifts once he was done, still ignoring Jasmine like she was air. The girl snorted in an obvious unladylike manner and headed to the lifts as well.
Ginn pressed the lift b.u.t.ton while Jasmine stayed silent, suppressing her anger. Her eyes scanned his form from top to bottom. He was acting like a gangster.
The young man was deliberately not bothering with Jasmine’s behavior. ‘She just wants to show her emotions,’ he told himself while mentally rolling his eyes.
Jasmine, however, continued her behavior, growing more furious by the pa.s.sing second. She was calling him names in her mind, mainly repeating one word, ‘Jeeeeerrrrrk!’
Ting!
The doors of the lift opened and n.o.body was inside. Both Jasmine and Ginn entered, still not exchanging words. Then, the doors closed.
Ginn didn’t press any b.u.t.ton at the b.u.t.ton panel of the lift. He stayed glued at his spot and only stared at the lift’s door. Seconds pa.s.sed and he was still standing there, none of the lift b.u.t.tons pressed.
If possible, Jasmine’s anger had just escalated. She jabbed at the b.u.t.ton labeled ‘G’ and then turned to look at her neighbor who merely pretended that she was not there…again. The girl’s eyes narrowed as she glared at Ginn and then, decided to stop bothering about the jerk until the lift’s doors reopened on the ground floor.
The doors of the lift soon opened, but Jasmine didn’t make a move to exit. She remained still, successfully making Ginn wonder why she was acting so although the girl didn’t know that.
A couple, a husband and his wife, entered the lift. The husband pressed the lift b.u.t.ton labeled with the number ten. Still, Jasmine did not exit and Ginn was getting more and more puzzled. Even the couple was beginning to grow puzzled. They looked at Ginn but the young man only raised his shoulders to show that he didn’t know anything.
Jasmine remained at her spot with an emotionless face. The doors of the lift began to close and quickly, Ginn moved past Jasmine to get out. At that very second, he felt his steps cut off and fell forward, planting a kiss on the doors of the lift that had already fully closed, before lying p.r.o.ne on the floor. By then, the lift had begun to move upwards to the tenth floor.
The couple was taken aback by Jasmine’s actions. Ginn swiftly pushed himself up and stared at Jasmine with a fierce expression. His face threateningly moved closer to Jasmine’s but she maintained her emotionless expression, not even looking at him in the face. The couple was filled with bewilderment then. ‘What had happened?’ their hearts whispered.
As soon as the lift’s doors opened at the tenth floor, the husband pulled his wife out. What had happened before their eyes was upsetting. They wanted to help but felt like it was unneeded. Following their guesses, the couple thought of Jasmine and Ginn as a young couple that were falling apart.
The doors of the lift closed once again and the two neighbors continued to stare at each other, one with a fierce expression and one with a blank one that’s not even looking at the other’s face, both having their own egos to hold.
However, Jasmine was beginning to grow desperate. Her eyes glanced at the closed lift doors and the b.u.t.ton panel of the lift with no b.u.t.tons pressed, but for the sake of her ego, she toughened her will. Ginn on the other hand, kept on glaring at Jasmine without a word. He knew very well that the girl was beginning to grow desperate.
‘How dare you try to conjure trouble with me!’ he snapped in his mind.
Ginn extended his arms and placed his palms firmly on the walls of the lift, trapping Jasmine between them. Jasmine was surprised by his actions. He had gone too far!
…yet, for the sake of her pride and her ego, she continued to stay strong and unmoved.
‘Your expression is like the one of an old lions!’ Jasmine mentally scoffed.
But then, when their eyes locked with each other’s, they felt their hearts flutter all of a sudden. Something had happened. It was as if there was a deep, hidden reason to why their eyes connected and it wasn’t just one of the two that felt that way, the both of them did.
Ginn’s anger had diminished and the ego that Jasmine held onto had gone missing somewhere. There was an unknown feeling that had appeared in their hearts. Just what was that feeling?
Ting!
The doors of the lift suddenly opened. When it had started to move, the two did not know. Ginn turned to look at the L.E.D. sign above the doors. They had reached the ground floor. Standing in front of the door were three people that wanted to enter the lift but were staring in surprise at the position both Jasmine and Ginn were in instead. Who wouldn’t when a young man has a girl cornered and trapped between his two arms at the back corner of the lift?
Noticing the bystanders, Jasmine ducked under Ginn’s arms and ran out of the lift, leaving the young man and the three bystanders watching her disappearing form in a dumbfounded manner.
The three bystanders turned their attention back to Ginn who was still standing there, but with his arms dropped to his sides, in the lift. The moment the lift was about to close, Ginn sprang into life. He blocked the doors and ran out after Jasmine, leaving the bystanders by themselves and silently asking about what they had just witnessed.
By the time Ginn was out of the building, Jasmine was already about to exit the condominium’s grounds. She was definitely a fast runner! Ginn didn’t bother to chase after her anymore. Her form had already disappeared behind the guard house.
‘But…just what was that feeling just now? It can’t be real, can it…?’ he questioned himself.
Don’t even hate someone because when that hatred grows, it may turn to love and it wouldn’t be just any normal love…it can be far stronger and deeper than that!