for a long time, that he had loved me, that we had something special. But I had been very, very wrong.
“Life happened, I guess," I said, my voice barely above a whisper.
“I thought you two seemed pretty serious,” Alex commented, suddenly seeming compassionate and gentle. He always had such a tough exterior, but I supposed that was necessary when you were a lawyer. You could be the sweetest guy in the world, but you couldn't show it. Not in the legal world. There the only thing that mattered was being firm and powerful. There you had to be strong.
“I thought we were." I paused before adding, "We broke up yesterday and I moved out. There’s really nothing to be salvaged.”
“Were you having a lot of problems?”
“Nope. Just one giant problem named ‘Sandy’ that I didn’t anticipate, I suppose.”
“I’m sorry, Liz. That’s really tough.” Alex reached across the table and placed his hand on top of mine. I stared at his bright, snow-white watch, the paleness of his skin, and the tiny freckle just beneath his pinky finger. I tried not to enjoy the way that his skin rubbed against mine. I tried not to think about the way that Alex sent goose bumps throughout my entire body.
“I’ll be okay, but thanks, Alex.”
“Do you need a place to stay?” Ah, the offer. Alex was a gentleman and I wondered if he would offer to let me stay with him. I didn’t want to intrude. I barely knew him. Yes, he was gorgeous, rich, kind, and handsome, but was that really what I needed right now? Every part of me wanted to scream "yes," but it seemed like such a bad idea. What if he had expectations that I couldn't meet? What if he wanted more from me than I was ready to give? What if he viewed me only as a roommate and nothing more? I had so many unrelated and unexplained emotions running through my head that any decision seemed like it could be a wrong decision.
I shook my head softly, knowing it wasn't a great idea. Mixing business with pleasure was one thing. Moving in with my boss was another, especially right after a breakup.
“I got a room at the Hotel Blue.” I knew before I had even finished speaking how the conversation would end.
“At the Hotel Blue? No, no, you can’t stay there. Liz. Honestly now, that’s not a safe place to stay.” He shook his head slightly as he sipped his wine, looking concerned.
“It’s not that bad, really.” It was true. The room was clean and it was fairly quiet. Sure, there might be a few hookers wandering around the lobby, but that really didn’t bother me as long as they didn’t wander their way into my bedroom.
“I have a guest room. Please, you should stay with me.” He offered again. "It wouldn't be any trouble at all."
“Okay.” The word slipped out before I could stop it, and I pursed my lips together immediately. Alex looked nearly as surprised as I was about my easy acceptance of his offer.
“No arguments?”
“No arguments.” I raised my glass and he did the same.
It was going to be a wonderful adventure.
Chapter 12
The blankets on my new bed were soft and warm. I shifted in them, happily, letting my entire body relax as I melted into them. It seemed strange to live in a place as comfortable as all this. I avoided thinking about whether it was the “good” or “right” or “proper” choice in staying with Alex. I was, after all, a grown woman. If I wanted to stay at a man’s house and make adult decisions, I was old enough to do so. Was I making the right choice?
“Life happened, I guess," I said, my voice barely above a whisper.
“I thought you two seemed pretty serious,” Alex commented, suddenly seeming compassionate and gentle. He always had such a tough exterior, but I supposed that was necessary when you were a lawyer. You could be the sweetest guy in the world, but you couldn't show it. Not in the legal world. There the only thing that mattered was being firm and powerful. There you had to be strong.
“I thought we were." I paused before adding, "We broke up yesterday and I moved out. There’s really nothing to be salvaged.”
“Were you having a lot of problems?”
“Nope. Just one giant problem named ‘Sandy’ that I didn’t anticipate, I suppose.”
“I’m sorry, Liz. That’s really tough.” Alex reached across the table and placed his hand on top of mine. I stared at his bright, snow-white watch, the paleness of his skin, and the tiny freckle just beneath his pinky finger. I tried not to enjoy the way that his skin rubbed against mine. I tried not to think about the way that Alex sent goose bumps throughout my entire body.
“I’ll be okay, but thanks, Alex.”
“Do you need a place to stay?” Ah, the offer. Alex was a gentleman and I wondered if he would offer to let me stay with him. I didn’t want to intrude. I barely knew him. Yes, he was gorgeous, rich, kind, and handsome, but was that really what I needed right now? Every part of me wanted to scream "yes," but it seemed like such a bad idea. What if he had expectations that I couldn't meet? What if he wanted more from me than I was ready to give? What if he viewed me only as a roommate and nothing more? I had so many unrelated and unexplained emotions running through my head that any decision seemed like it could be a wrong decision.
I shook my head softly, knowing it wasn't a great idea. Mixing business with pleasure was one thing. Moving in with my boss was another, especially right after a breakup.
“I got a room at the Hotel Blue.” I knew before I had even finished speaking how the conversation would end.
“At the Hotel Blue? No, no, you can’t stay there. Liz. Honestly now, that’s not a safe place to stay.” He shook his head slightly as he sipped his wine, looking concerned.
“It’s not that bad, really.” It was true. The room was clean and it was fairly quiet. Sure, there might be a few hookers wandering around the lobby, but that really didn’t bother me as long as they didn’t wander their way into my bedroom.
“I have a guest room. Please, you should stay with me.” He offered again. "It wouldn't be any trouble at all."
“Okay.” The word slipped out before I could stop it, and I pursed my lips together immediately. Alex looked nearly as surprised as I was about my easy acceptance of his offer.
“No arguments?”
“No arguments.” I raised my glass and he did the same.
It was going to be a wonderful adventure.
Chapter 12
The blankets on my new bed were soft and warm. I shifted in them, happily, letting my entire body relax as I melted into them. It seemed strange to live in a place as comfortable as all this. I avoided thinking about whether it was the “good” or “right” or “proper” choice in staying with Alex. I was, after all, a grown woman. If I wanted to stay at a man’s house and make adult decisions, I was old enough to do so. Was I making the right choice?
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