FORBIDDEN DESIRE
Forbidden Desire – Episode 12
Tags; Love, friendship, drama , thrilling.
📢Warning: Stay clear from my book. signed on platform
© Authoress Isabella Library
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At the water’s edge, laughter echoed as everyone reveled in the sun-soaked afternoon. Susan had joined the group, her presence a gentle reminder of friendship, while Taylor and the others splashed joyfully in the waves. Greg stood sentinel, his watchful gaze ensuring their safety. Nearby, Mirabel and Susan sat together, engaged in light conversation, sipping their drinks as the world around them blurred into a backdrop of carefree delight.
“Why didn’t Jimmy come along?” Susan asked.
“He said he was hanging out with his friends,” Mirabel replied.
“Oh,” Susan murmured.
“So, how did it go with Ryan? You never told me if you two met or not,” she asked. With a sigh, Susan took a sip from her drink, contemplating her answer.
“There is no Ryan,” she finally admitted, her words heavy with a weight that caught Mirabel off guard.
“What do you mean?” Mirabel’s eyes widened in confusion.
“It was all a lie. There was never a Ryan. The person who posed as him was someone I know,” Susan revealed, her voice steady but tinged with resignation. Mirabel was surprise.
“What? Really? Who?” she pressed.
“It doesn’t matter anymore. What’s important now is that it’s over, and I’m pursuing surrogacy,” Susan stated, her resolve firm. Mirabel sighed, sensing the depth of Susan’s turmoil and choosing not to pry further.
Meanwhile, at home, Jimmy fabricated a story about hanging out with friends, opting instead for the comfort of his couch and his favorite TV movie. As he munched on chips, the hours slipped away, and soon he succumbed to sleep, the flickering screen a lullaby in the background.
A sudden car horn jolted him awake, and he sat up, disoriented, just as his family burst through the door, laughter spilling into the room.
“Jimmy!” Mirabel called out, her voice bright.
“You guys are back,” he replied, rising to greet them, only to be startled by Susan’s presence. Taylor rushed to his side, gripping his arm with enthusiasm.
“You didn’t go out with your friends?” Taylor asked.
“Er, I did, but I came home early,” Jimmy stammered, the words tumbling out awkwardly.
“How are you doing, Jimmy?” Susan asked. He responded with a smile that felt forced, a mask hiding his true feelings.
“Excuse me, everyone,” he said, slipping on his slippers, gathering the remnants of his chips and his phone before walking away, Taylor trailing behind him.
Susan watched him go, sensing the heaviness in his mood and the lackluster response to her greeting.
“Bro didn’t look like someone who went out. He’s been home all day,” Rachel remarked, her observation cutting through the air with unsettling clarity.
★★★★★
As the weeks slipped by, Susan began to notice the growing distance between herself and Jimmy. She found herself pondering the reasons behind his avoidance; even during her visits to the house, he would concoct excuses to leave, not returning until she had departed. He ignored her calls and turned down invitations to join the family, and when she attempted to engage him in conversation, he would deflect, pretending to spend time with Taylor. The rest of the family, too, began to sense the shift and questioned what might have transpired.
One afternoon, during a break, Jimmy and his friends sat outside the basketball court, lost in conversation.
“Is this working out for you?” Austin asked, prompting a weary sigh from Jimmy.
“I hope it does; it’s been almost a month now,” Jimmy replied.
“Have your feelings changed during this time apart from her?” Samuel inquired, and Jimmy hesitated, releasing another deep sigh.
“You can’t deny what you feel. Avoiding her won’t solve anything,” Austin said, watching as Jimmy sprang to his feet, frustration etched on his face.
“What should I do, then? I’m losing it! Keeping my distance only makes my feelings grow stronger. I’ve tried to suppress them, to pretend they don’t exist, but I can’t!” he exclaimed, struggling to reign in his emotions as his friends exchanged concerned glances.
“You have to tell her the truth,” Samuel urged.
“I can’t! I don’t want her to hate me; I can’t bear to lose her as a mother,” Jimmy replied, sinking back into his seat.
“Maybe if you share your feelings, she might feel the same way,” Austin suggested.
“No, she doesn’t. The only love she has for me is that of a son for his mother,” he countered, falling silent. The group sat in contemplation until Samuel suddenly stood, a spark of determination in his eyes.
“That’s it!” he declared, drawing their attention. “We can’t hide the truth any longer. You have to tell her now. If you don’t, she’ll find out eventually. Let her see your true intentions.” Without waiting for a response, he snatched Jimmy’s phone and began typing a message to Susan.
“What are you doing?” Jimmy protested, but Samuel ignored him, sending the text before handing the phone back. Jimmy read the message, astonished. “What did you do?”
“Bringing the truth to light. You have to stop hiding and stand up as a man. Fight for what’s right,” Samuel insisted, leaving Jimmy utterly bewildered.
Meanwhile, in the office, Susan glared at the text message with barely concealed fury.
“He’s ignored me for weeks, and now he wants to meet? What’s wrong with my son?” she muttered, releasing a heavy sigh just as her assistant knocked and entered.
“Ma’am, Mr. Cliff has called to remind you about dinner at seven,” she announced.
“I can’t make it; I have something more important to attend to.”
“Understood, ma’am. What should I tell him?”
“Anything. Just come up with an excuse.”
“Of course, ma’am.” The assistant turned and departed.
With another sigh, Susan returned her gaze to the text message on her phone.
“You better come up with a plausible reason for your silence,” she said to the screen.
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Hours later, Susan arrived slightly late at the amusement park where Jimmy had asked to meet. She walked toward the water fountain, scanning the area for any sign of him. Doubts crept in—had he already left? Just as she was about to turn away, she spotted Jimmy standing behind her, a warm smile illuminating his face. They locked eyes, the moment stretching into an eternity.
“Um…” he began, but was abruptly silenced by a stinging slap across his face.
“How dare you!” Susan shouted. “What were you thinking, ignoring me for nearly a month without a word?”
“Aunt Susan, I’m sorry, I didn’t—”
“You didn’t mean to!” she interjected, a bitter laugh escaping her lips. “I was worried sick, convinced I had offended you, and yet you said nothing.”
“Aunt Susan…” he attempted to explain, but her words flowed over his like a relentless tide.
“I don’t need your excuses! If you had something to share, you could have told me. I would have apologised. But instead, you chose to ignore me…”
“Aunt Susan…” he tried again, but she continued, drowning him out.
“Even if I am not your birth mother, you are my son. I deserve to know what’s happening in your life and why you’re avoiding me, don’t you think—”
Before she could finish, Jimmy could bear it no longer.
“Aunt Susan!” he called, and without warning, he grasped her face, turning it toward his. Before she could comprehend the shift, his lips brushed against hers, soft and unexpected, leaving her utterly stunned.
Susan’s eyes widened in shock, a reaction mirrored by Austin and Samuel, who had accompanied Jimmy but now hid from view, equally taken aback by his sudden boldness. Taylor and her friends had also witnessed the scene unfold, Lucy having overheard Jimmy discussing it earlier and decided to follow, now also concealed from sight.
In that suspended moment, as their lips met, it felt as though the world itself had come to a standstill.
