I couldn't have heard him properly. I keep my eyes trained on him suspiciously but when his face doesn't break into laughter, I know it's real. He isn't joking. So I do that laughing instead. It bursts out of my chest in a loud rumble and that's when I really begin to feel the humour. Alex wants me to follow him….to see his family. Talk about the funniest things in the world and I'm definitely going to mention that line. I throw my head back and let the laughter rock my body and by the time I'm done, I literally have tears coming out of my eyes. Now that was funny. I look at him through the blur of my tears and I see that his expression is the same as ever. He's staring at me plainly, his eyes flat and humourless."I appreciate the humour". I say in between pants. "That's the hardest I've laughed in a long time. Thank you"."I'm not joking, Nicole". He says coldly."No…no..no, you have to be. And I understand. I really do….."."I'm. Not. Joking…..Nicole". That has me pausing. Whatever
I wake up with a headache. The sunlight streams brightly through the window and I groan audibly. Still very groggy, I stumble up and yank the curtains closed. When I glance at the clock, I see that it's just a few minutes past 8. The first sliver of happiness for the day runs through me as I remember that I'm not obligated to turn up for work today. All my work in the Galaxy partakes to the product and it's just been launched. I still make a mental note to contact the PR team today to ask how the launch is going though. I fall back on the bed, a small smile on my face. When we arrived last night, Alex and I had barely said a word to each other before we went our seperate ways. Me probably because I was too busy trying hard not to let myself fall apart and him because…..he was waiting for me to talk? The moment I entered the room and shut the door behind me, I had given up the act. With my back against the door, I had stayed there and cried my eyes out. Perhaps it was the drink from e
That successfully gets him quiet. He does a good job of keeping up the passive face but I see the irregular straightening of his spine. He's nervous. The truth is I've not nearly given it as much thought as I was supposed to but he doesn't need to know that. I'd literally say anything to get him to stop bringing up my past now."I have your answer". He reaches for his cup of coffee and takes a sip, raising a brow at me inquisitively."I'm listening". I rummage in my head for my decision. Before I can change my mind, I say quickly."I'm coming". His eyes widen, they literally widen and for once, I can clearly see the shock on his face. A sick sense of satisfaction settles in me at the fact that I finally ripped off the annoying passive mask. I take another sip of my coffee and straighten in my seat, my lips curling up slightly into a smile."You….you will?". He stutters. I raise a mocking brow at him. "What? You don't want me to?". He's still staring at me wide-eyed when he bursts out
For the first time in a long long time, I have a nightmare. Except, it's not even night. After leaving the garden, I had come up to my room and snuggled up in bed, pulling the duvet all the way up my chin as the shudders still racked my body. When Alex came knocking on my door, it took everything I had not to fling it open for him and beg him to wrap me up in his arms, just like he used to do. But I didn't do that. Instead, I had merely told him that I was fine and that I'd see him later. A few minutes after, he had sent me a text saying that the trip is supposed to happen tomorrow but that he'd push it back a little if I didn't feel up to it. Of course I'm not about to ruin his plans so I'd said I was fine. I'm not. With weirdo's image in my mind, I'd let my eyes drift into sleep, the worst possible mistake I could have made. He got dragged into my dreams. In the dream, I was on my bed back home, in that place far far away. I was staring up at the ceiling, eyes following the neon st
We commence the trip shortly before 1pm. I offer the air hostess a lovely smile as she offers me a drink. Nervousness roils in my belly. I doubt it'd be a good idea to take anything at this point. She turns to Alex who's sprawled in front of him and offers him a drink too. Now I know they are all smiley and friendly but I'd be damned if I didn't see the extra cheesiness that came with her smile as she faces Alex. My blood hums in my veins and I pretend to continue reading my magazine, hoping my eyes can't be seen through the impossibly dark sunshades I'd chosen for the occasion. Alex wants one and she bends over sensually as she pours into his glass. What the hell does she think she's doing? This is a jet, not a damn suburban club. Finally, she deems her act enough and walks away, a slight exaggeration present in the sway of her hips. I'm pretty sure she hadn't been walking like that when we first started the trip. My mouth tightens in distaste as I drop the magazine and reach for my
We finally arrrive shortly after 6 after a long, long flight. I push up to my feet and stretch out, the hems of my black crop top hiking up my belly unintentionally. I see Alex's eyes fix on me like a hawk and as exciting as it is for him to look at me like that, I make a mental note to make us lay some ground rules that'll guard how we'll relate to each other in the spaces we'll be sharing. We step out of the jet and I see that a sleek white car is already waiting for us. There's a sharp looking driver standing to the side of the car, dressed in a smart pair of black pants and black shirt. When we approach, he yanks the door open and offers Alex a huge, welcoming smile."Welcom back sir". Alex offers one back and urges me into car before climbing in with me."Thank you, Olec. Have you had a good day?". The car engine revs to life and it sounds just a cat purring. It's that smooth. The driver….Olec, flashes us a wide grin from the mirror. "Oh I have sir. We all have, awaiting you and
I glance at myself for the umpteenth time in the mirror, wondering if I've indeed just made a good decision. I make a mental note to try not to be so impulsive in the future. For the evening, I chose a short, emerald wrap dress. The fabric is clingy and it accentuates my body effortlessly in all the right places. The sleeves are fitted and long, bursting into a dramatic flare at the wrists. I press and style my bob sleekly and when I move into the light, I see how it glints off it. It takes a slight tilt of my head to have my hair bouncing healthily. On my feet, I'd gone for a bold pair of pink shoes and a matching pink purse. The enter look screams confidence and that's exactly what's going to be projected tonight. I hear a slight knock on my door and I know it has to be Alex. I take in my appearance one more time in the mirror and yank the door open."We have to…..". His words die on his lips dramatically at the sight of me. I see his eyes intentionally drift down my body, from the
My body instinctively goes stiff and the laughter dies on my lips. But I will not be intimidated, not ever. I stand up straighter, the laugh compressing into a stiff, cold smile on my face. She walks forward, her impossibly high heels making a steady clickity clack on the tiled floors. How does a woman of her age even manage to present herself like this? "Mum". Alex calls from beside me. He walk towards her and engulfs her into a tight hug and she closes her eyes contentedly on his shoulder. I guess they do love each other in the most…..Van Lewis way possible. I'll try not to be too judgemental. Finally, they release each other and while pulling away from him, that's when her eyes catch on me. All warmness vanishes from her face even though she keeps the smile on. "You brought a visitor I see". She says softly, taking a step towards me. Alex flashes me a wink and comes to stand beside me, wrapping his arm around my waist "Mum, meet my girlfriend. Nicole Webster". Her brows furrow i
My heart thuds loudly in my chest. What the hell have I done? How do I convince a smart, grown man that he heard me wrong. Of all my truths, this was the one thing I wasn't ready to divulge. How did I get so into my feelings and give myself away like that? "Alex…. it's not what you think". I hate the way my voice comes out small. I have always been a bad liar so if my voice doesn't tell already that I'm lying right now, my face must. Either ways, I'm caught. "Nicole, then tell me what it's like". He still manages to exercise good control over his voice. I'm impressed. And I need to learn that at least from him. "Alex….". So fast, our roles have been switched. Suddenly, I'm the one who wants to slide closer and reach for his hand and make sure I'm holding him close to me so he doesn't go away. I resist all urges to do that as I wring my hands in my lap. "Alex….I have something to tell you". I look at him tentatively through my lashes. His face is impassive, just staring at me directl
When I open my eyes the next morning, it takes a little while before my brain processes my surroundings. For the past two weeks or so, I've been in one space, waking up in the same bed, to the same ceiling and to the same warm, reassuring hand wrapped tightly around my torso. Today, things are different. Much different.I roll over on the bed onto the side of my good arm and just….stare out the window emptily. Slowly, my brain does a reboot of everything that lhappened yesterday. This is it. As hard as it was, I finally managed to talk about the weight that's been holding me down, hanging over my head and shoulders. That alone brings a small smile to my face as I register the light feeling in my chest. It sure feels good to offload to someone. It seems like a thousand year's worth of weight has been lifted, I guess talking about all of it was good for me afterall. But now that I have….what now? What next for me? Are things really going to stay the same between Alex and I?My mind flas
Alex pulls the duvet up to my chin, tucking me in fully before coming to settle beside me. As he stares at my face, for some weird reason, I can't stop imagining what he sees. Does he just the red eyed, puffy faced me, or perhaps….is there a layer of disgust over it? Not that I'd blame him one bit. I hold my breath as he brings a hand up to caress my cheek lightly, his gaze burning fiercely into mine. And yet, he doesn't say anything. I suddenly feel the need to break the silence."I ran away when I was 15". I say, my voice hoarse. He sighs softly and just continues to stare straight at me. It's almost as if he's afraid to say something, scared to have the moment crumble away. I'll take that as my cue to continue. "One day when my mum went to work and Ace was in school, I snuck back home from school and took my things. I never looked back ever since that day. But perhaps that was a mistake because he found me in New York". One of Alex's eyebrows go up in surprise but he still doesn't
My heart thuds lightly in my chest as I follow Alex to the bedroom. This is the exact moment I've been avoiding all these days. All along, I knew Alex seemed to be fine with me but he's only human and I know a huge part of him probably still wants to know everything going on. Or rather, that went on. It's been nearly two weeks since the incident and so far, we've both done a good job of acting like something life changing didn't go on. As sick at it is, a part of me actually hoped he'd have forgotten. Like he could. I'm such a fool. I focus on the ripple of muscles on his back as we make out, racking my head actively for what to say, anything at all to lessen the tension."How was it at the hospital?". I ask quietly. What I really mean to ask is how is he? I'm a bit scared of that answer. Because I know I don't want him to be fine."He's….the same". Alex says, his voice neutral. I resist the urge to let out a sigh of relief. He's stitin the coma. Why the hell won't he just….die alread
I seek his lips desperately as we make our way upstairs. We crash through the door blindly and make our way to the bed. Despite the heat of the moment, Alex places me on the bed gently, taking time to ensure that my arm isn't a position that could potentially hurt it."Where did you say that zipper was again?". He asks, mocking resignation in his voice. I chuckle and reach for the little pink hook, sliding it open. Alex gladly takes over, opening it the rest of the way and parting the dress on either sides of my body. I'm well and truly naked in front of him now and I can't wait for feel his skin against mine. He positions between my legs. I firstly think he's going to part me wider and slide into me already but he seems to have other plans. He lowers his head and kisses my face tenderly. He doesn't stop there. He continues to trail the tiniest, more featherlight kisses down my cheek, neck and finally, my chest. I arch upwards, inviting him to take my nipple in his mouth but he has ot
My heart rate quickens as he claims my mouth again. Every single nerve in my body seems to be alert. He brings an arm forward to wrap around my waist, pulling me tightly against his frame, making me feel what I'm doing to him. The bulge in his pants is hard, proud and unflinching. He wants me to feel it, and that's exactly what I do. With my semi-good arm wrapped loosely around his waist, I reach down with my good arm and reach for his zipper fumbling around awkwardly for it. When I finally pull it apart, I feel that front of his briefs staining against the pressure of his cock. It wants free, and I'm here for that. Before I can reach for his waistband, I feel his hand snake under the hem of my short dress and reach upwards. The breath catches in my throat at the delicious sensation and my nails embed crescents into his back as I dig them into him. He takes his time, hiking his fingers up my inner thighs, leaving after him a delicious trail of heat that tingles my core. Subconsciousl
By the time my arms starts to heal, I'm damn well already tired of staying in bed. But Alex is strict about it, not letting me up for longer than necessary. When the bullet wound finally healed enough for me to move my arms, I was more than elated to let him know.I'm just in bed when Tori brings up a lovely bouquet of roses. I groan but inside of me, I'm screaming and melting. Ever since I got shot, Alex has pointedly given me the best of attentions. He brings me flowers every single day and makes sure the words are barely out of my mouth before my wishes are met. Tori has been a lovely help by his side and if anything, I was really glad to see her again at least. On the times Alex had to leave me to be present for work, she kept me good company and this little development got us even closer than ever. It's official, I genuinely like her and she seems to like me too. As she brings the flowers up, the smile on her face is unmatched."Here we go again. This man is going to overload thi
My mind regains consciousness first before my body does. As I come to, I take the deepest breath I can manage and the first thing I notice is the fact that the air smells of….flowers. Lavenders, roses….and something else. I can quite place a finger on it. It…. really can't be, can it? There's no way I made it to heaven. The Lord must have had a lot of mercy on my soul to have put me here. I must say though, the flowers smell way too earthy. I'd think the flowers in heaven would be different. And so slowly, I let my eyes drift open as I prepare to be bewildered.I take in the pearly white ceiling above me first. When it finally seems like I might have enough control over my body to swivel my neck, I turn at small angles to glance at either sides of me. My brows furrow in mild confusion as I take in all of my surroundings. It somehow looks…. familiar. I try to push up on my arms but a pain so sharp shoots up right into my arm's length. I wince loudly and plop back on to the pillow. That
I see his eyes widen as he rushes forward. I'm full on crying now, the tears streaming down my face and obscuring my vision. It feels like a miracle, perhaps this is the one miracle to make up for all the years of misfortune I've gone through. "Nicole!!!". Alex rushes forward and firstly reaches for my hands that are still taped behind me. "Are you okay? Fuck, what the hell is even going on?". His breaths are coming hard and fast as he works on freeing my hands. From the sitting room, I hear Ace's grunts as he probably tries to get on his feet. Alex's blows must have landed well. When I hear his grunts coming closer, I feel a sense of panic settle in my chest again but thankfully, the tape comes undone around my wrists and for a moment, my hands feel too good to be mine. The blood flows right in my arms again and it's the most delicious sensation ever. Ace walks in through the door right in that moment and I see that the lower half of his face and a good fraction of the front of his