Jasmine was by her desk, going through the system when she saw Raymond walking towards her. Her heart leaped with excitement and a smile tugged on her lips.

As he got close to her, she gasped in shock, seeing the bruises on his face. He had a small cut on the side of his lower lip and his left cheek.

Getting up quickly, she rushed to meet him. "Raymond, what happened?" There was panic in her voice as she touched his face.

"It's nothing." Raymond chuckled, grabbed her hand and took her to his office. Closing the door, he held her hand and walked to his desk.

He placed his bag and car key on the table. He leaned on the table and holding her on the waist, he pulled her close to him.

"What do you mean it's nothing? Look at your face. Who did this to you?"
She asked, grazing her finger tip on his lip, careful not to touch his wound.

He took her hand into his and brought it to his lips, placing a soft kiss on her knuckles. She was too worried about his well - being that she ignored the warmth his kiss brought to her.

"Does it hurt?" She looked worried as her blue eyes searched his face closely.

"No." He murmured, curling his fingers over hers.

"Who did this?"

He let out a soft sigh and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. "Its nothing to be worried about Jasmine. I'm okay."

She knit her brows in a deep frown and squinted her eyes. "Don't tell me not to worry. You were perfectly okay when I left you yesterday and now, look at your face. I have every reason to get worried," she told him.

He smiled, feeling a sense of satisfaction knowing she was worried about him.

Instantly, her eyes went wide in horror. "Was it Andrew?"

He let out a quiet groan, it was obvious she wouldn't stop asking about what happened to him.

"Oh my God!" She exclaimed in shock. "He did this to you?"

"It's not what it looks like. You see, Andrew and I had a dispute to settle, so things kinda went side ways. But not to worry, everything is alright." He assured her as he ran his palm on her arm.

"what's going on between you and Andrew?"

He let out a low moan."It's a long story. I'm sure you don't wanna hear it." his reply was short. He leaned forward and placed a kiss on the nape of her neck.

A sudden flush covered her face. "Raymond!" She tried to push him off but he tightened his hold on her waist and he let out a soft chuckle. He sucked on her exposed skin and her flush deepened to crimson.

"Raymond what are you doing? we're at the office. Someone might come in. Please stop." She protested as she wriggled, trying to free herself from his hold.

"No one would come in." He pressed soft kisses on her neck, moving his lips down to her collarbone.

"Raymond, please stop.." Her voice betrayed her as a moan of pleasure slipped from her throat and he smiled. He drew his lips away, leaving her gasping for more. He wrapped his arm around her, burying his face in her hair as he smelt the familiar fragrance of her hair.

She rested against his hard masculine body, her fingers playing in his hair and her delicate touch sent jolts of pleasure through his body.
"Tell me Raymond. I wanna hear it."

He shook his head, resisting. "I don't wanna talk about it." She felt his cheek rubbing against the top of her head.

"Is it because of Ella?"

He looked down at her with a questioning glance and arched his brows. "How..how did you know about her?"

"Your mum told me everything." Her reply was soft.

Forcing himself to let go of her, he went reluctantly to the window as he stood there, putting a hand in his coat pocket.

Jasmine walked up to him and placed a hand on his shoulder. "Raymond." She whispered.

He glanced at her, his expression soft but distant.

"I want you to go and visit Ella's family," she said to him.

He looked bemused, then blank. His therapist had told him a long time to visit Ella's family, as it might help him with his struggles but he never went. "Why should I do that?"

"Because it's the right thing to do. I understand that you're still hurting but it's time to let go. I think visiting her family will bring a closure that will help you to forgive yourself and move pass your pain. Besides, you owe it to them."

His mouth opened and closed but he couldn't seem to speak. Jasmine woundered uneasily what emotion was working on him. After a few seconds, he shook his head. "I haven't spoken to her family in eight years. I don't think I'm ready for this now."

She placed a hand on his face. "Raymond, you can never be ready until you take the first step," She said, rubbing her thumb on his cheek. "I know it looks hard but once you take this first step, the rest becomes easy to achieve. So please, go and see them."

He was still and silent, holding his gaze. He pulled her into his arms and hugged her carefully.

"Promise me you'll visit them Raymond." Her hand ran up and down his back in long strokes.

There was no reaction to the statement, no sound or movement. He knew Jasmine was right but he was scared because, going over to see her family would cause him to see a glimpse of Ella in them. It would cause him pain and bring back memories that would taunt his poor heart.

But for Jasmine, he would try. He would let go of his fears and face his demons. Maybe this was what he needed. Maybe this was the closure he longed, to fill the cracks in his battered heart.

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The door bell rang when Jasmine walked into the cafe. She glanced around and her eyes spotted Andrew at the table by the window.

He smiled when he saw her, sitting erect on the chair. She sighed and walked up to him. "Hey," she said as she sat down.

"Hey." He smiled.
She didn't feel disappointed that he didn't call her beautiful like he always did.

Andrew had lodged in a hotel as he wanted to see Jasmine one last time before he goes back to California. He'd called her severally, pleading with her to see him. She had been reluctant but finally gave in

She had forgiven him and to prove she held no grudge against him, she decided to meet with him.

A waiter came to their table and asked for their order. Jasmine requested black coffee and Andrew did the same but with milk. The waiter placed their coffees on the table and walked away.

Jasmine took a sip and held the cup in her palm, feeling the warmth it brought to her.

Andrew didn't pick his cup as he stared at her in way he always had, concentrated, unwavering. It made Jasmine uneasy and she shifted on her seat.

"You wanted to talk, I'm here now," she said.

"I'm sorry Jasmine. I didn't mean to hurt you." His voice was very soft.

"It's okay."

"No, it's not okay." He shook his head. "I was wrong and you have every right to hate me."

"I don't hate you Andrew. I've forgiven you," she said calmly.

He sighed, relief in his eyes. He knew he was wrong and he couldn't deny it. If he could go back to time, he would amend his mistakes and things would have been different.
Knowing she had forgiven him gave him peace, but would she give him a second chance?

"Why didn't you call?" She asked.
She didn't care what his reasons were but she needed to hear the truth.

He was silent for a long moment,as if considering some weighty matter.
"Do you remember when you asked me if I was in a relationship?"

"Yes."she nodded. "You said it was complicated."

He sighed. "Yeah. I was going through some problems in my relationship. My girlfriend cheated on me, so I left. We didn't break up but I stopped seeing or talking to her. I loved her and she hurt me so I needed some space. I got a case that was why I came here and then I met you."

Jasmine brought her cup to her lips and took a sip as she listened to him.

"When I went back home, she apologized and kept begging me for weeks. I was moved, so I forgave her. I didn't have the courage to tell you that I had gotten back with her because I was afraid of hurting you. So I decided to ignore you and thought maybe you would loose interest in me. A month later I found out she was two months pregnant and I discovered that i wasn't the father. It left me hurt and broken and I hated myself for letting her back into my life." His voice was filled with an agony of regret and he shook his head sadly, wiping his palm on his face.

Jasmine was moved and she felt pity towards him. "I'm sorry."

He chuckled."Don't be, I deserved it."

"So who was that brunette that you kissed?" She asked.

"She's no one. I only met her at the restaurant and I decided to give her a ride to her place." He replied.

"Hmm." She scoffed, letting him know she wouldn't fall for another of his lies.

"I'm serious Jasmine. She meant nothing to me, nothing at all. If I was really seeing her, don't you think I would have brought her to Ruth's wedding as my date."

What he said made sense and for a moment she was tempted to believe his words.

"Look Andrew, Like I've said, it doesn't matter anymore. I've moved on, so you should do the same," she told him.

"Jasmine please." He reached for her hand and held her. "Please just give me a second chance. We can work something out, please."

"That's enough, Andrew." She drew her hand away from him as she warned him.

He let out a frustrated sigh as he rubbed his forehead. "What do I have to do to gain your trust again?"

"Nothing. I think it's best we don't bother each other anymore. I have someone now and I'm happy." She folded her arms.

He didn't have to ask to know who she was referring to. "Do you love him?" His voice was low, his eyes filled with hurt.

His question took her off guard and she didn't know what to say.
Did she love Raymond?
She wasn't sure if what she had for Raymond was love but she was certain of one thing. She was attracted to Raymond.

"I don't know." She hesitated.

"He's gonna hurt you Jasmine," he said quietly, his green eyes gazing at her deeply as he waited for her reply.

She was still and silent, holding his gaze as her thoughts raced.

"Jasmine."

She got up from the chair and his eyes flickered up briefly as he stared at her with a frown on his face.

"I'll take my leave now. Goodbye Andrew." She grabbed her bag and walked out before he could open his mouth to say a word.

She bit on the inside of her lip, clenching her bag tight as she thought of the question Andrew had asked her.
Did she love Raymond?
But more importantly, did Raymond love her. She didn't want to get her heart broken after he had stirred these dominant feelings in her.
She wanted to hope, she wanted to believe that yes, there was something between them.

Sadly, our journey with Andrew has come to an end. I really loved his character because he played an important role in this story.
I hope you guys also enjoyed his character♡(> ਊ <)♡.