Chapter 22 - What Is The Little One Planning?

Months passed by peacefully and the year finally ended. Jiminie soon started his second year of college, and grew increasingly busy with his tests, exams and end-of-year projects. Though we tried to find time to spend together as I was as busy as he was, I didn't realise that it frustrated the little one.

I had assumed that everything was going well in his life as he didn't complain about anything. The times that we spend together were usually spent in my loft during the weekend; cooking food, watching movies and simply soaking in each other's presence.

Jiminie was twenty one now, he is an adult and sometimes I seem to forget it.

I got a call from him at three in the morning. I thought I was dreaming when I heard my ringtone and I snapped open my eyes when I realised that I do not dream. He was calling me. It was my special ringtone I had created. Rolling over to where my mobile phone was charging, I grabbed it to confirm the caller ID.

It really was him and it really was three in the morning.

I accepted the call.

The first thing I heard was the loud background music thumping and mortals screaming as they sang along to the loud music. I was taken aback, he told me that he was out studying with friends and that he won't be able to come visit. Though I was surprised, I understood that he ought to have fun like any normal human being does.

"Jiminie?" I doubted he could hear me.

"Alice! Come here!" His voice was shrill and he was laughing. He was drunk. "I wanna dance with you!"

"Where are you?" I asked. "I'll come and fetch you."

"No! I want you to dance with me!" he insisted.

"Okay, but you need to let me know where you are so I can come and dance with you," I said, playing along with him as I got off the bed and headed to my wardrobe to pull on a pair of jeans and a t-shirt, enabling speaker mode before putting the phone on the bedside table.

He giggled. I could hear other voices talking to him. "I'm at Saint John's!"

I let out a soft curse. Of all the clubs that he had gone to, he had to go there. Why can't he go to the one by the quay? Oh right, that's expensive for college students. I went to retrieve my phone, changing it back to normal call mode and grabbed my keys before running down the stairs.

"Okay, don't move," I said. "I'll be there in ten minutes."

"Okay! I'll wait!"

I got out of the loft and jogged to the elevator lobby to get to the basement carpark. It was cold at this time of morning but I didn't pay any attention to the temperature as I got inside the car. Putting my phone on the dashboard, I started the car and dialled a number.

"Boss, it's three a.m," came the disgruntled reply.

Checking my mirrors, I pulled out of the basement car park and headed down the route where it'll lead me to the highway. "Tell the boys at Saint John's to keep an eye on Jiminie," I instructed without a greeting. "If I find a hair out of place, I am burning down that club."

"Okay, boss."

He ended the call with a click and I stepped on the gas, the speedometer lurching a few notches as I got onto the empty street. On normal occasions, the drive to the club would take twenty minutes or so, but thanks to it being three in the morning, the drive was cut off by half and I parked outside the club to see my boys there.

They saw me getting out and they bowed in greeting, telling me that Jiminie was where he has been the entire time. Nodding, I entered the club - passing by the bouncers much to the aggravation of the other club goers who were busy queueing to get in.

The noise was ignored and so were the gyrating human bodies that were concentrated mostly on the dance floor. One of the boys pointed to where Jiminie was, and I went ahead - meandering around unsuspecting mortals and immortals alike.

There he was.

My ray of sunshine amidst the storm, drunk and giggling with his equally drunk friends. They were sitting around a table, taking shots after shots and egging the other to down one more shot when I arrived at their table. It took him a while to register me standing there, and he broke into a huge smile before throwing himself at me.

"Alice! You came!"

I patted his back, eyeing the other mortal friends of his and wondered if they were going to be fine. They looked like they were about to keel over any time soon. They were flushed red and swaying gently. I raised a hand and beckoned the boys over to deal with the drunk mortals.

"Let's dance!"

He pulled me down to the dance floor, the other immortals pulling away when they noticed me coming so we got in the middle fairly easily. He let go of my hand and took a few steps back before he started dancing to the beat. Drunk Jiminie was a wholly different person, and his eyes burned as he let himself go.

With evil eyes holding me captive, his hips swayed along with the rhythm sensually and his lithe legs enraptured my attention. How had I not realised just how delicious he looked all these while? My eyes raked along his narrow waist, up his defined torso and then he flashed me a triumphant grin as we locked eyes against the other.

Restraint yourself, Alice.

He beckoned me over to him, inviting me towards him and I stepped forward - my restraint disappearing by the seconds. I wrapped the boy in my arms, his hands on my waist as we swayed along to the music. I felt his lips humming against my neck, and we stopped abruptly when I felt him sinking into me.

He was asleep.

Smiling at him, I gathered him in my arms and walked out of the club without wasting more time. I left the club's sweltering premise and walked down to where my car was parked. One of the boys hurried to help open the passenger door, and I lowered the chair so he could lean back as he slept.

"Next time if you see him entering our clubs, do not let him enter. Chase him and his friends away," I told the immortal. "If I catch him entering our club, I'll sever everyone's heads."

He turned pale upon my words. "Yes, boss."

I smiled. "Thanks for the hard work," I said cheerily and slammed the door shut before I made my way towards the driver's side.

Looking over at the sleeping human as I got in, I shut the door - buckling in before I started the engine. Lowering the volume of the music, I checked the heater and ensured it was comfortable for the little one. Checking my mirrors, I pulled out of the parking lot and drove back home.

The entire ride home was silent except for the soft, crooning music and I had one hand on the steering wheel as I had the other hand resting on the gear stick. Jiminie's behaviour was strange, this was the first time he had done something out of character and I wondered what made him do it.

Did he want a break from school? A night to let go of his worries and problems?

I glanced over at him as I thought about it, seeing him sleeping serenely. I wonder how he was able to sleep on a reclining chair like that and I knew he trusted me with his life. As I pondered over, he shifted slightly in his seat and began murmuring gibberish.

"Alice?"

He sounds sleepy.

"Hmm?"

"Where are we going?"

"We're going home, bub."

"But I want to dance with you."

"We did, bub."

"We did?"

I tried not to chuckle at him. "Yes, we did."

"Okay."

"Get some sleep, bunny."

"Okay," he mumbled as he yawned. "I love you, Alice."

His confession made my dead heart squeeze and I couldn't stop the smile from spreading across my face. Hearing him say it made me warm all over, and I loved hearing it. But to hear him when he's drunk was not as pleasant as I thought it would be.

Would he even remember this?

I carried him bridal style out of the car, slamming the door shut with a leg and took the elevator up to my loft. It was four in the morning by the time I put him to bed. Taking off his shoes and his jacket, I tucked him in and went downstairs to grab a glass of water as well as medication for when he wakes up.

Setting the items on the bedside table, I swapped my outdoor clothes back to the pyjamas and slid into bed. He was a hot water bottle, and he turned to wrap himself around me - throwing his arm across my chest as he cuddled. Knowing it might be a few hours before he wakes, I decided to recharge while I wait.

At ten in the morning, a groan startled me from my daydreaming and I turned to see Jiminie finally waking up. His head poked out from underneath the comforter as he stretched his body - whining and groaning about his head. I sat up and grabbed the glass of water I had placed on the bedside table.

"Here hydrate yourself," I said as I helped him sit up to take a sip of water. Getting him to drink half the cup was a struggle and I made him swallow ibuprofen to lighten his headache. "How are you feeling, little one?"

"Alice, why am I in your house?" he asked, his voice cracked as he spoke. "Did I come over without knowing? Why does my head hurt so bad?"

I stared at him. "You … you called me at three in the morning," I said. "You were at a club with your uni friends."

"Oh yeah," he said. "I forgot about that. We were bored with mugging all day so we wanted to dance the night away. I was supposed to head back at midnight but I guess I lost track of time."

"Did you have fun though?"

"Yes but it's all a blur," he replied as he brought himself closer to me, snuggling into my embrace. "I didn't do anything embarrassing, did I?"

I paused. A flash of him dancing sensually with bedroom eyes appeared in my head. I was disappointed that he had forgotten about all that, and though I wanted to ask him why he did it, I knew I wouldn't be able to get an answer from him. Not when he forgot them.

"Alice?" he asked hesitatingly.

"You … shouldn't drink a lot next time," I said softly.

"What did I do, Alice?" he cried out as he sat up quickly, his hands going around my elbows as he pulled himself up. "Come on, tell me!"

"... provocative," I murmured.

"What?!" he cried out again. "What does that even mean? Elaborate!"

I held his gaze, my eyes boring into him quietly. "I have so much restraint around you, Jiminie," I said. "Using my weakness against me is not what I had in mind at all."

"Stop speaking in riddles," he urged. "Just tell me!"

I let out a groan and dropped my face into my hands. "You pulled me onto the dance floor," I said, my voice muffled against my fingers. "You were dancing to a sexy beat, with that hips of yours and you wearing bedroom eyes staring at me all provocatively. It took all I had not to devour you in the middle of the dance floor."

An awkward and stunned silence settled between us.

"I didn't want to say it," I said quietly. "I didn't want to make you uncomfortable."

"It is embarrassing, I wasn't about to lie," he said.

I looked up at him, seeing that he had his face turned away from me and his neck up till his ears were painted red from embarrassment. He looked down, his eyes were misty with a faraway look. I didn't know if he was regretting from drinking too much or from hearing a new side of him.

"But you didn't hate it, did you?"

"No?" I asked in confusion. "Why would I hate it?"

"Then … then you might need to expect more of that in the near future," he replied.

I let out a breathless chuckle and grabbed his head to press a kiss on his hair, earning a whine from the younger. "Get some rest, I'll order some hangover soup for you," I said as I got up from bed to fetch my phone, leaving him on the bed.

"Hmm. Okay."

.

A typical work day consists of me waking up at eight in the morning and popping into the bathroom for a warm shower. Putting on some upbeat music after I stepped out of the bathroom, I headed to the wardrobe to pull on a monochrome suit and applied a layer of makeup before putting on my accessories.

Styling my hair, I knew that I ought to pop over to the hair salon for a touch up and I ought to tell Sebastian to book an appointment for me. I wonder what colour I should dye my hair. I ought to ask Jiminie for his opinions too as I'm torn between two-toning it or dip-dying it.

Would I look professional if I do that?

I went downstairs to the kitchen to pour a cup of blood for myself while I got the coffee machine ready, taking out a tumbler from the shelf. Hearing a beep, I poured the coffee down the tumbler and downed the rest of the blood, heading to the sink to wash the cup before putting it upside down to dry.

With the tumbler in hand, I headed to get my heels out of the shoe cupboard by the side and my car keys from the top of the piano. Taking one cursory look around the apartment and making a mental note that I had everything with me, I left the loft and headed to the lift, going down to the basement where my car was parked.

The drive to my office took twenty minutes and I was greeted by my team of managers as I passed them to head to my office. Bowing them in return, I thanked them for their hard work and took a turn passing by Sebastian's desk who was already standing to greet me a good morning.

"Morning, boss."

"Do I have a lot today?" I asked.

"A handful, boss," he replied as he followed me inside my office. "I've already placed them on your desk for review."

"Do I have a free slot today?"

"You have three hours after lunch," he replied.

"Can you book an appointment for me at the usual hair salon?" I asked. "I want to touch up on my hair."

"Okay boss."

"Thanks."

As Sebastian left the office, I set my bag down and sat down - pulling myself towards the desk to begin work. I booted up my computer and connected to the internet, opening my email to see for any important ones. After I was done reading and replying to emails, it was already ten thirty in the morning.

As I was pouring over a report, a knock could be heard on my office door and I looked up to see Jaemin entering my office carrying a bag filled with food. Raising my eyebrow at his arrival, he made himself home and plopped himself onto the sofa while exclaiming this and that about my office.

I usually ignored him at that point.

"So," he started off a new topic, a sudden lilt in his voice, making me highly suspicious on the topic he was going to talk about. "When are you going to pop the question?"

"What are you talking about, Jaemin?"

"Don't pretend you don't understand what I'm saying, Alice."

"Don't come into my office just to ask me that, Jaemin."

I heard him sigh, and I looked up to see him giving me a flat expression on his face. I leaned back against the chair, steepled my fingers together as I looked at him closely. The immortal was busy admiring the rows of books on his left, and he had his lips pursed as he scanned the books closely.

"How long are you going to wait for the boy?" he asked.

"Why does it matter, Jae?"

"Do I have to remind you that you're one of the Seven Emperors?" he asked. "You have an image to uphold."

"And one of them is to have a mate?" I asked. "That's really low."

"Alice."

I let out a sigh deeply. I was getting annoyed at his range of questions. "He is a human boy," I said flatly. "He needs time. He just knew about my being a vampire. You gotta slow down, Jaemin. I don't even know if he wants to spend eternity with me."

Jae sighed again and gave me an unamused expression. "The kid has been spending his holidays with you," he pointed out. "He stays over at your apartment on weekends. You fetch him from school every single day. Why do you think he wouldn't want to spend eternity with you? Are you insane?"

"You know, you're lucky you're Jae or I would've whooped your ass," I pointed out.

"I know, being me has its perks," he replied.

"Shut the fuck up."

"Come on Alice, be serious," he said. "When are you going to make him yours?"

"When the time is right, Jae," I said firmly. "And don't you dare plant weird ideas in him or I will whoop your ass."

"Alright."

.