~ Volume Two ~
Alexis had been sitting in the same pub down the street from her hotel for nearly two hours, listening to Brandon explain why he had come to find her. She had felt her emotions change entirely towards the situation several times during his presentation. At first, she had been shocked, flattered even, that he would come all the way here for her. Shortly after, however, she was furious that he would presume that she would fall right back into his arms if he came and swept her off of her feet by showing off his newfound initiative and excitement. ‘He’s got some nerve’, she thought.
The problem was that, if she was truly honest with herself, she had to admit that she still had feelings for him. When she had first seen him, her heart had fluttered. The chemicals in the brain that release when a person has not seen someone she loved for so long were supposed to hold back; when they surged anyway, she had been relieved to see him for just long enough to make her upset that she felt that way.
This trickery of the brain, her failure to recognize him with no attachment, like she wanted to, made her livid with herself and with him. She hated that even though she had assured herself countless times that she was done with him and that she could move on now from boring and safe Brandon to something more exciting, she had to admit that she felt something when she saw him standing on her hotel doorstep in London.
Of course, for now, she was trying to avoid what actually bothered her about all this: Richard Greene. She was beginning to have feelings for him and she knew they were sincere, but she was not anywhere near the comfortable point with him that she had been with Brandon. What worried her more was the possibility that she would never feel that again with any man. It did not seem to get any easier to find eligible, interesting men to date as time went on, she thought. Not to mention that the mysterious Mr. Greene could disappear from her life any day now. She had no real claim to him; they were traveling, and whether she wanted it or not, soon this romantic dream world would jerk her awake with some harsh reality.
“Babe?”
“What?” she snapped back, annoyed at the use of pet names now. “I’m listening.”
“Okay,” Brandon answered, taken aback slightly, but ignoring her dismissal quickly.
“Well, I was just asking you what your time has been like here and where you’re going next.”
“Oh,” she said, taking in a deep breath. She was not sure she wanted to start this with him.
“Listen, Brandon, the thing is, I’m just not sure about all of this. You show up here and you say you don’t expect anything, but if that’s true then why are you here telling me all of this like I just live right down the street and you just happened to stop by? I’m in Europe. You came across the ocean to tell me you’re over Sophia, and that you’re experienced and independent and a go-getter now, and you expect me to believe that you have no other motive?”
Her words shocked him. He looked as if he had been slapped in the face. He did not say anything for a moment, but stared down at his pint, watching the beer swirl intently.
“Look. I’m sorry,” she started. “I’m just surprised you’re here and I should not turn it all around and make it negative. I was actually happy to see you, but I don’t think I’m supposed to feel that way. We’re done, you know? We’ve moved on. You’ve said that yourself.”
“I know that, Lexi,” he answered earnestly. “I moved on. That’s what I’m saying. And it just made me better, but I think it made me better for you . That is my real point. I guess you figured
Alexis had been sitting in the same pub down the street from her hotel for nearly two hours, listening to Brandon explain why he had come to find her. She had felt her emotions change entirely towards the situation several times during his presentation. At first, she had been shocked, flattered even, that he would come all the way here for her. Shortly after, however, she was furious that he would presume that she would fall right back into his arms if he came and swept her off of her feet by showing off his newfound initiative and excitement. ‘He’s got some nerve’, she thought.
The problem was that, if she was truly honest with herself, she had to admit that she still had feelings for him. When she had first seen him, her heart had fluttered. The chemicals in the brain that release when a person has not seen someone she loved for so long were supposed to hold back; when they surged anyway, she had been relieved to see him for just long enough to make her upset that she felt that way.
This trickery of the brain, her failure to recognize him with no attachment, like she wanted to, made her livid with herself and with him. She hated that even though she had assured herself countless times that she was done with him and that she could move on now from boring and safe Brandon to something more exciting, she had to admit that she felt something when she saw him standing on her hotel doorstep in London.
Of course, for now, she was trying to avoid what actually bothered her about all this: Richard Greene. She was beginning to have feelings for him and she knew they were sincere, but she was not anywhere near the comfortable point with him that she had been with Brandon. What worried her more was the possibility that she would never feel that again with any man. It did not seem to get any easier to find eligible, interesting men to date as time went on, she thought. Not to mention that the mysterious Mr. Greene could disappear from her life any day now. She had no real claim to him; they were traveling, and whether she wanted it or not, soon this romantic dream world would jerk her awake with some harsh reality.
“Babe?”
“What?” she snapped back, annoyed at the use of pet names now. “I’m listening.”
“Okay,” Brandon answered, taken aback slightly, but ignoring her dismissal quickly.
“Well, I was just asking you what your time has been like here and where you’re going next.”
“Oh,” she said, taking in a deep breath. She was not sure she wanted to start this with him.
“Listen, Brandon, the thing is, I’m just not sure about all of this. You show up here and you say you don’t expect anything, but if that’s true then why are you here telling me all of this like I just live right down the street and you just happened to stop by? I’m in Europe. You came across the ocean to tell me you’re over Sophia, and that you’re experienced and independent and a go-getter now, and you expect me to believe that you have no other motive?”
Her words shocked him. He looked as if he had been slapped in the face. He did not say anything for a moment, but stared down at his pint, watching the beer swirl intently.
“Look. I’m sorry,” she started. “I’m just surprised you’re here and I should not turn it all around and make it negative. I was actually happy to see you, but I don’t think I’m supposed to feel that way. We’re done, you know? We’ve moved on. You’ve said that yourself.”
“I know that, Lexi,” he answered earnestly. “I moved on. That’s what I’m saying. And it just made me better, but I think it made me better for you . That is my real point. I guess you figured
Similar Books
