Chapter 5 NEEDY BOYFRIEND

For a brief moment, Ava hesitated to answer the call.

She wasn't sure if she was ready to speak to her boyfriend, Jack.

She wanted to tell him everything that happened at the bar, how that man with a weird hairline had touched her inappropriately, how she had been humiliated and how she had felt disgusting.

She, so wanted to complain to him that her boss asked her to find some other place if she wanted to be more comfortable and even insisted that she must apologize to that pervert.

She wanted to let him know how much the day had broken her, but she didn't.

She couldn't.

Ava wiped her damp hands on the towel, sighing hard as she swiped the answer button, trying her best to control her emotions.

"Hey,Love," she said, forcing a smile. Unfortunately, her voice came out more strained than usual.

"Hey babe,"Jack replied.

"How are you doing?"

Ava asked before he could say anything else.

"Trying my best, baby, and you? I hope you are doing great?"

Jack responded.

"Yeah," she replied, her voice quieter now.

"I'm okay...."

She whispered sadly.

She didn't know why she lied instead of telling him that she had spent the entire evening with her head pounding and her eyes soaked with tears.

Maybe because he really won't do anything about it anyway, so she pushed down and decided to handle it like an adult.

"Baby, are you listening?"

Jack's voice cuts into her thoughts.

Ava blinked and gasped.

"What?..I mean ...yeah... you...were saying, babe?"

Jack was silent for a while.

Ava could tell he was a bit offended by her response.She cursed inwardly.

"I said that I've been thinking about this new business deal, you know? I think this one's gonna hit a big. Jackpot. I promise. We need to trust this one."

Ava's stomach twisted.

She didn't want to hear about his unending business deal anymore.

This is the ninth time!

Ninth!

Yet nothing to show. No progress, nothing. She had been the one funding it all.

"That's great," she murmured, though the words felt empty coming from her lips.

She bit down on her lip, forcing herself to stay in the conversation, not wanting to show any sign of disinterest.

"Yeah. Also, I was thinking,"Jack continued,"You should maybe try double-shifting. or maybe even pick up another job during the day. You know, it will help us out. I don't know if you can do it, it's just a suggestion."

Ava was silent.

She thought by now Jack would have noticed her mood, they have been dating for a year, yet he can't tell when she is not happy and moody.

She literally doesn't sound like herself on a normal day.

How could he not notice?

Or maybe he simply doesn't care.

Complaining to him will have him nagging that she is an adult yet complaining like a teenager, who has never been in a relationship before.

Next he will bring up her daddy issues and past trauma.

Jack's voice continued.

"I promise you once I get this stuff done, I will fix our wedding,I want a great home for our kids! I don't want them to lack what we lacked."

And here comes the wedding promises, Ava thought and rolled her eyes.

She might be a lonely woman but not as much as he always made it look like she's desperate to get married.

Jack wasn't like this in their few months of dating and recently his behavior changed.

He always brings up the marriage promises whenever he needs money as if she is too dumb to see what he was trying to do.

"That's sweet babe."

Ava replied as her voice cracked just slightly, but she quickly recovered, hiding the tears that were threatening to fall.

"So,like I said babe, I'm gonna need that money tomorrow , so see if you can get it for me. I really need it to close this deal. Like,it's really urgent. You've got this, right?"

Ava closed her eyes tightly letting out a shaky breath.

Of course he needs money again and urgently!

Her fingers tightened around the phone. She didn't want to say yes but she didn't know how.

She wanted this relationship to work, no matter how much it drained her.

She had spent so much of herself just trying to make it last, to keep it together. And this.....this was the only one that had lasted this long.

She didn't want to lose it.

"Babe?"

Jack's voice came back.

"I'll see what I can do," she replied slowly.

"Good, babe. You're the best. Love you. Talk soon."

"Love you too".

She forced it out of her mouth.

He hung up.

Ava stood there for a long moment, staring at her phone, her fingers still gripping it tightly.

The tears that had been threatening to fall finally spilled over. This time it wasn't just about the creepy men nor the Manager's unfair judgement at the bar.

It was this, too.

The emptiness in her relationship.

The way she was expected to keep giving, keep sacrificing, without anyone asking her if she was okay.

She wanted to be that mature woman in the dating pool but it seems like it has destroyed her mental health even more.

Ava sighed and sat down on the bed, hugging her knees to her chest, the phone still in her hand.

The thought of how to scrape together the money that Jack needed, hit her like a ton of bricks. She had been in debts already and this one will send her back to taking loans again.

Her heart was aching, her chest tight, her mind spinning .

At a time like this, she needed a shoulder to rest on, not another burden.

She didn't know how much longer she could keep this up. She had given so much to this relationship, and yet, somehow, it felt like it was never enough.

______________________

After the phone call, Jack pushed the hotel room door open and stepped inside.

The cool night air followed him from the balcony.

His eyes immediately went to the bed where a naked young Asian lady was lying beneath the soft duvet.

She was small, petite but with a curve just like he liked it.

Her black hair cascaded in gentle waves over her shoulders, and her eyes, dark and almond-shaped, sparkled as she turned her head to see him.

A popular model.

All thanks to Ava, Jack was able to bag such a woman.

He can't afford to date a top South Korean model like her if he had approached her jobless like he did when he met Ava.

To Jack she is nothing like Ava.

He compared their beauty and their values.

She is beautiful and young, that's a high value quality to be exact.

She's Asian, which is a bonus!

Ava is just a desperate thirty-seven year old, who wants to settle down at any cost.

Meanwhile, Wonyoung is only twenty, she's young and fun.

"Who was that?"

Wonyoung asked tiredly as she straightened up, the duvet falling slightly to reveal a glimpse of her full heavy bosom.

"My eldest sister," Jack replied as he lowered himself beside her on the bed,he took her hand and gave it a gentle squeeze.

"Eldest sister?"

Wonyoung asked, not entirely convinced.

"Yep, she sends her greeting".

Jack replied with a smile and kissed her.