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[ B L A I R E ' S P O V ]

Holy fuck.

God, please take me now.

"You have got to be kidding me," both Jax and I say in unison, as if our minds are wired together. I'm pretty sure it's the first time the both of us have actually agreed on something—and that is me being Jax's bodyguard is a completely absurd and ludicrous thing to even suggest or even speak about.

"Her? Protect me?" Jax says, absolutely baffled. "I might as well be attacked by the paparazzi the second I'm out of the house!"

"Thanks for the leap of faith, Jackson." I glare at him.

He points his finger towards me. "You know very damn well it's true. I can protect myself just fucking fine without your help."

"Come on, guys," Jax's father groans. "I don't have the time to interview hundreds or thousands of people for this position. It will take me weeks—months, even. And that's too slow. I need protection for Jax ASAP. He can't stay caged inside this damned mansion forever, you know."

"But Mr. Deneris," I start off, panicking. I can't do this. I seriously can't. I can't hold on to a job even if my life depended on it. If I did, I wouldn't need to go around robbing houses in the first place. "I can't do this. You can find someone better-"

"I agree." Jax huffs.

Baxton sighs. "I know I can. But I need you now, Blaire. At least until I can find a replacement." His eyes linger on me, eyes trained like a tiger, determined as ever. I know when Baxton sets his mind on something, he doesn't think twice about it. There's no changing his mind. Ever. "Look, you and Jax are on good terms-"

      Jax snorts.

I almost burst out laughing.

Baxton glares at the both of us to shut up.

      We do.

"-Okay, let me rephrase that," he says with a bit of an edge. He places his hands and both of his hips and angles his body at the space in between Jax and I so it's like he's talking to the both of us at once. "I told you and Jax to get in good terms with each other. And I say it's a success considering you guys aren't at each other's throats."

Jax grits his teeth and his eyes are trained on me in slits, like a vicious snake. "Yet. Aren't at each other's throats yet."

I scoff and roll my eyes dramatically.

Baxton emits a long sigh. "But you must not hate Jax that much if you were willing to save him just now."

I don't even know how to explain what happened. I dived head first into the crowd without thinking and pulled Jax out of there. Baxton is right—if I hated him, I would have left him to fend for himself. But a part of me also felt guilty. I felt like I owed him for bringing that officer to the mansion last night. If I had been a little more careful executing my robbery, none of this would had happen.

I would say I'm a selfless person but I'm really not.

"Look, Mr. Deneris, I don't know I'm up for this," I tell him. What else am I going to say? That the reason why I don't want this job is because I dislike Jax and I told myself to stay far away from him? "I'm not qualified for this... job. I've never done any protecting in my entire life. Jax is better off alone than with me."

"I know you've never done anything like this before," Baxton nods, walking towards me now. He angles his head, assessing me quietly. "Which is why if you choose to help Jax-help us, we'll be able to get you the training you need. You know all about weapons, so you don't need help in that department. My bodyguards-" he gestures to the two men standing by the door with their hands clasped behind their backs, "-can teach you basic things. You'll need extensive workout, a lot of cardio, and fighting skills... just in case something goes wrong."

Oh, Jesus.

I'm definitely not up for this.

I'm already about to faint just thinking about the mere thought of being Jax's bodyguard.

"Dad, what part of 'she's not up for this' do you not get?" Jax snaps. "I mean... look at her. She looks like she's about to shit herself."

"I'm not!" I say, baffled. "I just... I can't do this, alright? This is not me."

Baxton cocks his head to the left and his lips jut forward, his teeth scraping against each other. "I'll pay you, Blaire. Anything you want. Just name your price."

Just like that-just those eleven words has my mind screeching to a halt. Just like that-I'm all fucking ears.

He wants me to name his price? How about twenty fucking grand so I can get my brother out of that hellhole he calls his home?

I hold his gaze, as if telling him not to play any games with me. He better not be messing with me about money.

"I just need you for the summer, Blaire," he tells me. Urges me. "Three months. That's it. You even get a salary. Protecting a celebrity surely ain't going to come cheap but I'm willing to splurge. For you. Of course, given that you're living in my home and your lack of certain skills, it has to be a reasonable amount."

I know he's not trying to be mean. Baxton is just stating the reality of the situation. Of course it would have to be a reasonable sum. I can't just ask twenty grand from him. I've already taken advantage of his beautiful home and he is offering me a job in which I barely know anything about. If anything, I should be lucky he's even willing to pay me for my services.

"How much?" I ask, curious.

He smiles, satisfied that I'm willing to oblige him. "Marcus, get me a paper and a pen." He gestures to his bodyguard. Marcus does exactly what he says and a minute later, materializes with a notepad and a pen. He hands it over to Baxton who then scribbles down something, tears the paper from the notepad and hands it over to me.

I stare at the figures.

"Does that satisfy you?" He asks.

"Holy..." For three months of basically babysitting Jax, that's a pretty fucking big sum. "Fuck."

Jax raises a curious eyebrow.

"Of course, that amount would be split. So your monthly salary is a third of that," Baxton clarifies. It's still pretty fucking great. If I pawned off the jewelry I stole from Jack Wright's house last night and add it with my salary this month, I'll be able to get in contact with the lawyer in no time. "So, you're interested, Blaire?"

For some reason, my eyes meet Jax before I tell his father my answer. He still looks pissed off as hell. No doubt that his ego has taken a hit big time by letting me be his bodyguard, but he seems... somewhat, content with it. He's not opposing it. Perhaps he knows how much I need that money.

A long pause ensues and I know I need to tell Baxton my answer.

I'm probably not going to like this job, but I'll do it. For Eden. For the life we deserve.

"Okay," I nod. "Count me in."

As soon as those words escape my mouth, I feel a little bit relieved. Maybe it's not a big deal after all. I think can do this. I can protect Jax. I can be the best fucking bodyguard in the whole world.

I turn to look at Jax again, perhaps seeking a little bit of comfort, but all I receive is a smug look. A sudden pang of fear hits me in the chest and that's when I realize that I'm now Jax's employee, which means that he has power over me.

And something tells me that is not going to end well.

"Oh fuck," I swear.

What have I gotten myself into?

☸☸☸☸☸☸

I had to sign a contract.

I don't think I've ever done that in a very long time.

I sort of just glazed over the words. I can't help it-after three full hours of discussion with Baxton and his team, I'm too exhausted to read the damn thing properly. But fortunately, Baxton already told me what was in the contract so I just nod, flip to the last page of that ten-paged contract and scribble my signature on it.

Jax was there the entire time, his gaze burning holes in me. Often, I take a couple of peeks to see how he's holding up. I'm not sure if he likes this arrangement. I know that me being his bodyguard is a huge blow for his ego, so he's probably really unhappy about it. But maybe, a little part of him is looking forward to taunting and hurting me now that it seems I'm going to have to spend almost every waking moment with him.

As if sharing a place with him isn't enough.

A small laugh escapes me. Me? A bodyguard? It's hilarious. It's completely absurd. I could barely protect myself from that officer last night and I'm supposed to protect Jax? Fuck me but Jax? The guy who plays a tug of war with my emotions. One minute I loathe him and the next I don't. He's a master manipulator and he confuses the heck out of me.

I don't even understand him. How am I supposed to protect him?

Does he even need anyone to protect him?

He's more skillful than me. He's a trained fighter for many years now. I got nothing on him. So I have no idea why Baxton would hire a bodyguard—let alone me—to protect Jax. Jax can handle himself all too well, way better than I can handle myself.

Today has been so... weird.

Thankfully, following Jax around like a lost puppy around the house isn't exactly mandatory and seeing as how he doesn't intend to go out today, I'm allowed to roam free. I don't even hesitate to grab my bag and head out the door, not even bothering to bid anyone goodbye. I'm already late to pick Eden up and I will never forgive myself for reducing what little time with him.

I grab my skateboard and ride that sucker to the nearest bus station. It takes me approximately eight minutes for the bus to reach my destination and another two minutes to sprint over to the Adams's household. I ditch my skateboard halfway through, realizing that my legs may give me a better advantage in getting me there. When I reach the front door, I'm completely out of breath. I use what little energy I have to ring the doorbell.

"Coming!" I hear Eden's voice and it definitely lifts my spirits. I gasp for another lungful of air and straighten up, an eager smile creeping on my face. When the door opens and I see him, I immediately launch myself at him, throwing my arms around his small body.

"Gahhh! Blaire!" He groans, squirming against me, but I only hug him tighter. He's pretending he doesn't like my hugs, but I know deep down, he does like it a lot. "You're all sweaty and stuff!"

"Sorry, Eden," I finally release him and pinch his nose. "I just missed you. I'm sorry I was late but I-"

"How many times do I have to tell you not to open the door to strangers, Eden?" Another voice sounds, a hard and sharp one, and I wince.

Mrs. Adams materializes from behind Eden, a stern look crossing her face. She walks with poise and sophistication, two things that I'm clearly lacking, her heels softly clicking against the hardwood floor. I force myself to look at her with a forced smile. I may hate this bitch's guts but is being nice to her is what it takes to get more time with Eden until I can sort out the shit with a lawyer, then I'm all game.

She stands beside Eden, placing a hand on his shoulder, as if she's staking her claim. Her eyes scan me, no doubt judging what I'm wearing. I've only a frayed leather jacket that my mother had given to me, a grey tank top and jeans, and a pair of worn out boots. She clicks her tongue, probably in disapproval, as her eyes bore into mine.

"You're late," she states.

"So I am," I say. "Sorry about that. I had stuff I needed to settle in the morning."

She seems uninterested, her eyes now landing on Eden. Eden's beaming up at me, bouncing on the balls of his feet.

"Right," she says. "Just be back by eight o' clock."

Eight hours.

      I got this.

"Sure," I say, my hand extending towards Eden so he can take it. He doesn't hesitate, his warm fingers clasping around mine.

"Eight o' clock, you hear me, Blaire?" She glares at me. "Not a second longer."

"Thanks, Mrs. Adams." My smile is so strained. I'm actually picturing stabbing her repeatedly in my mind.

She frowns, and then before I can take Eden away, she crouches down so her face is leveled with his and she presses a small kiss on Eden's forehead. Her hands cup his face and a genuine smile replaces the fake one. "Be good, alright?"

"Okay, mom." Eden nods. "Can I go now? Please?"

"Fine." Hurt crosses her eyes and I pretend not to care. "Have fun."

I tug Eden's hand along and after a while, let it go and slide my arm around his shoulder so he's closer to me. An excited gleam dances in his eyes as he sees the skateboard I dumped at the side of the street.

"You brought it!" He exclaims. "Maybe today is the day I'll finally get the hang of skateboarding."

"Hey, if you believe you can do it, I ain't stopping you." I release him and pick up the skateboard, then hand it over to him. "Let's just not practice here. It's too dangerous. Should we go to the park?"

"That's actually number six on my list," Eden takes out a crumpled piece of paper from his pants and showed it to me.

I almost forgot about it. Ever since he got adopted by the Adams, I made him promise that every week he would make a list of all the things he wants to do with me when we finally get together on the weekends.

"Alright then. What are the first five?" I prod and he thrust the paper towards me. I take it from him and whistle lowly when I see the long list. "Holy crap, Eden. Thirty things to do? In two days? You sure we can finish it?"

"Yes." He nods. "We always do it. We always finish the list."

"Alright, alligator," I shrug. "I'll let you lead today. Let me see... number one is... ice cream. Of course."

"Duh." He rolls his eyes. "You're paying."

"I see what game you're playing at," I tease. "Bringing me along so I'll pay for your food? Not a chance, buddy. We split. 50-50. It's the only way."

"You're joking," he scoffs.

"Come along now," I drag him along. "We got..." I look at my watch, "about 7 hours and 43 minutes to complete thirty things. We got to make every second and every penny count."

☸☸☸☸☸☸

We're perched on the park bench, eating our ice-cream as Eden tells me about what I've missed during this entire week. I was going to teach him how to skateboard but after five minutes on trying-and failing-to stabilize himself on the thing, he eventually gave up and suggested we get more ice-cream. I'm not complaining; ice-cream is fucking nirvana in my mouth, especially the one from the ice-cream shop near the park.

"Look, here's me in my costume..." he lets me scroll through the pictures in his brand new IPhone. Another thing that I can never possibly afford to get him. "I met a couple of Gokus and Narutos. It was pretty awesome. A lot of people even wanted to take pictures with me. I felt like a celebrity."

"You look like one too," I say out of awe as I look at the pictures with him in his costume. His adoptive parents really did splurge a lot of money on his costume. "You look amazing, Eden. I wish I was there to see it."

He takes another lick of his ice-cream and rests his head on my shoulder. I'm grateful for the simple gesture and I wrap my hand around him, pulling him closer to me. My eyes quickly land on my watch. I have less than an hour left with him and my heart drops at the mere thought of giving him back. I know I still get to see him tomorrow, but it still hurts.

      Every single time.

"Sometimes, I wish mom and dad were still alive," Eden says quietly. "So I wouldn't have to be separated from you."

I smile, turning my face a little so I can kiss his forehead. "I wish for that everyday, alligator. You have no idea."

"I mean... my adoptive parents are cool," Eden starts off, "I love them. But it's not the same. It's never the same with them. I kind of missed it too when I was in foster care with you. It sucks that I can't see you all the time. I asked my adoptive parents why they couldn't adopt you too but they didn't want to..."

"It's okay, Eden. I'm just fine on my own." A tear leaks down from my eye and I make no attempt to wipe it away. "Why are we talking about this, anyway? It's so depressing. It will only make us sad."

"More ice-cream may just make us feel a little bit better," he smiles up at me.

"Hah. Nice try, kid. If you keep eating anymore, you're going to be diabetic. And I don't want to be responsible for that."

"Fine," Eden sighs. "We still got twelve more things to do on the list."

"We can save it for tomorrow," I nod. "It's getting late. Why don't we walk you back home?"

That makes him frown. "How much longer do we have?"

"About half an hour." I shrug, grabbing my jacket that's hung on the edge of the bench and putting it back on. "I don't want to be on bad terms with your adoptive parents."

"Crocodile, they already hate your guts," Eden snickers and I punch him on the shoulder mockingly.

"It's true," I say. "But I want them to hate me less."

"I don't think that's possible," he shakes his head. "They hate you because I love you slightly more than them. And also, they think you're a bad influence on me. They say that you don't have a place to stay and you don't have a job-"

"So not true!" I blurt. "You know I live in a mansion, right? Dad's friend let me stay there for a while. And he also offered me a job to be a bodyguard."

"Whoa! Seriously?" He does an instant double take on me. "Who are you protecting?"

I tell him all about it. How Jax Deneris, Baxton's son arrived in LA and now that word has spread that he's here, the paparazzi are out for his blood. I tell him about how I'm tasked to protect him from all the craze that comes with the media and the reporters. Eden grows more excited after every word I utter.

"That's amazing, Blaire!" He launches himself at me, hugging me. "I'm proud of you. You have a job now."

I'm only doing it for you, Eden. Everything I'm doing right now is for you.

I hold my tongue and smile instead. "Yeah. I do. And I'm protecting a celebrity. How cool is that?"

"Can I meet him?" He jumps on the balls of his feet eagerly. "Please, Blaire? Please, please, please-"

"Alright. Alright." I laugh. "But not this weekend. He's a little bit cranky that a girl is going to be his bodyguard."

"Is he sexist or what?" Eden snorts.

That makes me laugh even harder. "No, I don't think so. I think he's just really embarrassed that he needs someone to protect him. He's a fighter, you know."

       And a very hot one at that, I add quietly.

"Now I really want to meet him," Eden grins. "He can teach me all those cool moves! He's like Jackie Chan in the Karate Kid and I'll be his student and-"

"Okay, alligator. Let's not get ahead of ourselves," I smile. The both of us start walking back to his house. I have to force my legs to move because my heart really doesn't want me to. "We'll talk more about this tomorrow, alright?"

"You promise I'll get to meet him?" He asks me and I nod. "Is he hot?"

I eye him curiously. Did Eden really just ask me that? "Eden, is there something you want to tell me?"

He chokes on a laugh. "No, I'm not gay. I mean... I was asking because... maybe you and him would...?"


      "Oh god no!" This time I'm laughing. "No, Eden. It's not like that. We live together and I'm his bodyguard. That's pretty much all there is."

He eyes me warily. "Riiiiight," he says, like he doesn't believe me.

I try to prolong the time it takes for us to get back to Eden's house as much as possible. We end up talking a ten minute break by the sidewalk and I let him attempt another go at my skateboard. He ends up falling and I catch him in my arms before he tumbles straight to the ground. The both of us burst out laughing at his failed attempt again.

"Come on, alligator," I heave him up and check my watch again. It's almost time. "We gotta get you back home."

When we're at the front door, I hesitate on ringing the doorbell. Before I let Eden go back in, I embrace him again, my nose buried in his hair. He wraps his arms around me and I'm aware of everything-his scent, his touch, his heavy breathing.

"I wish it didn't have to be this way," Eden whispers.

"Me too, Eden," I cup his face in my hands. "Answer me this: If I gave you an option right now: to leave this place and to come live with me... forever... would you take it?"

He blinks a couple of times, trying to process my question. "Why are you asking me that, Blaire?"

      "Just because." I smile.

He doesn't get to answer because the door flies open and Mrs. Adams is already prying him away from me.

"Come on, Eden," Mrs. Adams cooes. "Lets go."

But Eden doesn't stop looking at me. Like he knows what I'm planning. I bid him goodbye and watch as the door shuts at my face.

"I'm going to get you out of here, alligator," I whisper to myself. "I will."

☸☸☸☸☸☸

A/N: So how are we doing? We good so far?

Status on JAIRE: not doing so well. Yet.

Also, I have news. Bad news. I'll be sitting for my IGCSE exams in two weeks time, and I know I usually update twice a week, but I simply cannot do that for the next month and a half. I've already have premade chapters for the next six weeks so I can spread my updates out, but it's simply not possible for me to update more than once a week.

So for the next six weeks, I'll be updating every FRIDAY. It's only temporary; once my exams are over, I'll have more updates for you all.

I'm so sorry! I feel like I'm disappointing you guys.

See you on Friday!

Love, Claudia.