LIGHTNOVELSTORY Chapter 26: The lakeside
Vanessa," Why do you keep threatening?" Vanessa snapped at Jayden. It was as if he were displeased by everything she did. She did not force him to book her or take her to a gala, which she was not qualified to attend as a tier 1 girlfriend.
" That's the only way you would reason. Why the hell would you want to go in dressed like that? Do you want to attract unnecessary attention, or do you crave attention so badly?" Jayden retorted at Vanessa, who was acting without reasoning.
Vanessa was tongue-tied, she had to admit Jayden was right she was presently overdressed to casually get shawarma, but she was not going to outrightly agree with Jayden, there was no way she was going to gratify his ego. She sat back in her seat with her puffed cheeks. She hated the fact Jayden was right.
Jayden instructed the driver to get the food and drinks instead. Vanessa requested a Max size shawarma because she was starving, she hadn't eaten a proper dinner that day.
After the driver got the items, Vanessa requested that they go to the park which she had initially wanted to go to with Jayden for the date. She insisted on going there and also made excuses that she was not comfortable eating in the car.
It was almost midnight and the park was deserted. There were not any security measures put in place because the residents of the neighbourhood did not find it necessary because the neighbourhood was considered to be safe.
It was late spring, so the temperature was not freezing, Vanessa was wearing a fur coat which came with her dress since it was still cold because it was night. The park was still beautiful even though it was dark, and the flower buds were not in bloom. It had a predominantly lush green colour because of the large grass lawns which were well-maintained and tall trees. There was also a playground for children to play in.
Vanessa had convinced Jayden to come with her, which to her surprise, he reluctantly agreed because Vanessa said she had somewhere to show him, and he could count it as his Family Fantasy experience. The driver was waiting for them in the car, while Vanessa and Jayden were seated on a bench with was under a streetlight in front of a lake.
The lake was located deep inside the park. It was a beautiful lake but was not frequented by visitors because it was a long walk from the entrance. Vanessa discovered this place because of Sinclair while in her freshman year.
It was a beautiful lake, the water was very clear and you could see the fishes and multiple coloured pebbles at the base along with the water flora. There was a footbridge over the lake, and it was surrounded by flowers growing along the edge of the lake. It was such a shame it was dark, and the flowers were not in bloom.
" So you brought me here to listen to the croaking sounds of toads. It is not an appealing sound to listen to while eating." Jayden complained, referring to the loud croaking sounds he was hearing from the lake. He was gulping a soft drink from the bottle. His Adam's apple gobbled as he swallowed.
Vanessa rolled her eyes at his complaint. Why was it so difficult to have a minute of peace with Jayden? She complained to herself.
" I can also hear crickets since you are so sensitive to sounds. Of course, you would hear toads it is dark and close to a lake. Can you just please enjoy the view in from of you while we eat." She replied to Jayden with a forced smile, then took a bite of her shawarma.
" Sorry if it is not up to your expectations. I just wanted something simple, enjoy some food in front of a lake. While we chat to pass the time even though it is eerie silent." She rumbled. It was a beautiful sight and even a bit romantic.
Jayden did not say a word to reply to her, he just continued drinking his drink while his eyes travelled across the lake, studying the environs. It was not the most beautiful lake he had seen, but it was indeed a peaceful sight.
" You mentioned at the gala you were a student of software engineering at Babcock University. That's not a course girls are ready to opt for. I remember when I was in school, there were only 5 girls at my level."
Jayden tried to strike up a conversation. He was bored with staring at the lake, and Vanessa had no plans of leaving any time soon since she was not done with her max-size shawarma.
Vanessa shallowed the food in her mouth before replying to Jayden. " Yeah, that's my actual course. I didn't even realize I gave out my personal information." She chuckled nervously.
" In general, there are few girls in engineering, even up to now. What made me go for software engineering was because of a movie I loved, which I used to watch a lot with my dad because my mother was not the type who enjoyed sci-fi movies." Vanessa explained
" It was about this futuristic world and the main character was a woman who was an ingenious hacker. Always pulling super cool crazy stunts." Vanessa narrated going through memory lane, the few years she spent with her parents would always be her greatest treasure.
Her parents were good people, why was it always good people that bad things happened to? Her father was the kindest soul she had ever known, while her mother was strict and a little stubborn. She always made sure Vanessa was well-behaved that's why at times she and her father made jokes about her mother's strict and dramatic attitude.
" So my first choice was studying computer science, but later diverted to software engineering."
" Let me guess your mum was into romance movies and dramas," Jayden mentioned with a light laugh. Most women loved drama, even his mother was not left out.
"My mother did love drama not just romance, but her favourite was horror movies or those apocalyptic-themed ones. Her favourite then was IT, the one about a killer clown. I will have to say I had a phobia of clowns while growing up because of my mom." Vanessa's eyes were blank as she was lost in her thoughts. Even though it has been 10 years now, since her parents left her alone in this world, she never failed to remember them every day.
" Horror movies that a rare taste, was your mother a housewife." Jayden saw Vanessa's blank look and was a little curious about who she was. There was a hint of sadness when she spoke about her parents.
" No, she wasn't. My mother was a doctor. I remember then she used to work during the morning shift while my father who is a technology fanatic was a real estate agent. Believe it or not, I was intelligent as a kid, but I don't know about now in college. Then my mother always wanted me to be a doctor, but I never really liked the idea of being a doctor I always hated the smell hospitals have. Smelling like drugs, ugh"
Vanessa pulled out her pink tongue in disgust thinking about hospitals. When she was little, she hated visiting her mother at the local hospital in their town.
Jayden observed how Vanessa referred to her parents in the past tense, maybe why she was sad mentioning them because they were dead. He would rather not talk on a sensitive topic since he and Vanessa are technically strangers.
" You were smart when you were younger, so what happened." Jayden teased.
Vanessa whose ears turned red because she was embarrassed.
" What can I say, engineering would make you feel dumb. Like anything, engineering should come with a warning sign and I don't want to discuss computer science itself, that is another devil." Vanessa huffed, she had always considered herself smart but trying to balance her jobs and studying had impacted her studies greatly. She heard Jayden laugh at her complaints. What does he know about the life of a college student trying to balance school and work? She was sure his college experience was very smooth.
After Jayden had laughed enough, he cleared his throat, but he still had a slight smile on his face. He had to control himself because Venessa saw very was displeased with his behavior because of the daggers in her eyes shooting at him while staring at him with an obvious frown.
" It is not that hard, I hold a Degree in both software engineering and computer science. Well, you can say I am a genius because I was in the gifted program, but that's the truth." Jayden did not relate to my Vanessa experience, but he did remember some of his coursemates making similar complaints.
" Enough about me, I have already given out a lot of private information so to make this even Mr Ashford I request you do the same," Vanessa demanded, she had involuntarily given out a lot of her private information. She felt like facepalming herself.