a
friend right now. I'm glad you were there when it all came crashing
down.”
What she says
comes as a shock to me. I thought she had a few other friends
besides Victoria and Drew. My heart breaks thinking about
everything she's lost. I'm just as thankful to have her as she is
to have me, but she's right. If she wasn't there when Victoria
left, I would have had people to fall back on. I may have gotten my
life back on track—it hasn't been too difficult for me to move on
quickly in the last couple of years. I have to admit that without her, I probably wouldn't
have bounced back so quickly. My relationship with Victoria feels
like a blip on the radar, one that's come and gone and leaves no
trace of itself as I walk away.
All because of
Alina.
“ You know,” I
say, “I may have them, but it's nothing compared to someone like
you.”
“ Sweet
talker.” She presses her lips together to stifle a chuckle, but it
escapes past her lips.
“ Fine, don't
believe me.”
“ No, I do. I
believe you.” She gives me one of her sweet smiles. “Do you have to
get to bed?”
“ Unfortunately.” I give her hand one last squeeze and
reluctantly let go as I get up. “Come on. Stand and get your hug.”
She laughs and complies. I cut the hug short when her scent fills
my nostrils because it stirs sensations in the lower half of my
body that I don't want her to notice.
When I get to
my bedroom, the first thing I notice is that my bed is made. I didn't make my bed this morning.
In fact, I never make my bed. It's kind of an unwritten rule for
me. I step back out to the living room. Alina has the TV on and
she's flipping through the channels. She sees me out of the corner
of her eye and turns to face me. “Is the TV too loud?”
I shake my head.
“Did you make my bed?”
Her cheeks flush.
“Uh, yeah. I guess I did.” She tucks a strand of hair behind her
ear and I notice that she still hasn't put any earrings in. “I took
a nap on your bed earlier. I figured you wouldn't mind.”
I raise an
eyebrow. “I do mind.” She
instantly freezes at my response, worried she crossed a line. “I mean, you're more than welcome
to sleep in my bed, but I would prefer it if you would join me
instead of sleeping alone.”
She rolls her eyes
at me, then points toward my bedroom. “Just go to bed.”
My jaw drops and I
hold a hand to my heart. “That hurts, Alina.”
“ I'm sure
your ego will bounce right back,” she says with a wink.
“ It did. But
the invitation still stands.” I return her wink, leaving her with
that thought as I go to bed.
~*~
I get home from
work the next day to find Alina curled up on my couch reading one
of her books. She glances up at me and I notice something different
about her. “You wear glasses?”
She slips them off.
“Only for reading.”
“You look cute in them.” When she makes a
face at my comment, I say, “I'm serious, you look adorable.”
“ Thanks.” She
drops her book into her bag before I can see what it is and tucks
her glasses back into a case. “You ready to go?”
I nod and we go out
to my truck. We make small talk about our day as we drive to her
old apartment. When we get there, she rummages through her purse
instead of getting out of the truck. I reach out and give her hand
a squeeze. “I'm here, remember?”
Alina smiles. “I
know.” We go inside and she unlocks the door. She quickly checks
every room for Victoria, then returns to me with a thumbs up. “All
clear.”
“ Good. No
distractions.”
She spends
the next hour going through the apartment and passing different
items to me to put in the boxes we brought. We almost have all of them completely full when
she freezes in front of her shelf. “You've got to be kidding me,”
she mutters.
“ What is
it?”
She stands on
her tiptoes to look at the top shelf, peering at each one
down the line, resting her hand on the shelf as she’s looking at
it. Her eyes dart around the
room before she turns to
friend right now. I'm glad you were there when it all came crashing
down.”
What she says
comes as a shock to me. I thought she had a few other friends
besides Victoria and Drew. My heart breaks thinking about
everything she's lost. I'm just as thankful to have her as she is
to have me, but she's right. If she wasn't there when Victoria
left, I would have had people to fall back on. I may have gotten my
life back on track—it hasn't been too difficult for me to move on
quickly in the last couple of years. I have to admit that without her, I probably wouldn't
have bounced back so quickly. My relationship with Victoria feels
like a blip on the radar, one that's come and gone and leaves no
trace of itself as I walk away.
All because of
Alina.
“ You know,” I
say, “I may have them, but it's nothing compared to someone like
you.”
“ Sweet
talker.” She presses her lips together to stifle a chuckle, but it
escapes past her lips.
“ Fine, don't
believe me.”
“ No, I do. I
believe you.” She gives me one of her sweet smiles. “Do you have to
get to bed?”
“ Unfortunately.” I give her hand one last squeeze and
reluctantly let go as I get up. “Come on. Stand and get your hug.”
She laughs and complies. I cut the hug short when her scent fills
my nostrils because it stirs sensations in the lower half of my
body that I don't want her to notice.
When I get to
my bedroom, the first thing I notice is that my bed is made. I didn't make my bed this morning.
In fact, I never make my bed. It's kind of an unwritten rule for
me. I step back out to the living room. Alina has the TV on and
she's flipping through the channels. She sees me out of the corner
of her eye and turns to face me. “Is the TV too loud?”
I shake my head.
“Did you make my bed?”
Her cheeks flush.
“Uh, yeah. I guess I did.” She tucks a strand of hair behind her
ear and I notice that she still hasn't put any earrings in. “I took
a nap on your bed earlier. I figured you wouldn't mind.”
I raise an
eyebrow. “I do mind.” She
instantly freezes at my response, worried she crossed a line. “I mean, you're more than welcome
to sleep in my bed, but I would prefer it if you would join me
instead of sleeping alone.”
She rolls her eyes
at me, then points toward my bedroom. “Just go to bed.”
My jaw drops and I
hold a hand to my heart. “That hurts, Alina.”
“ I'm sure
your ego will bounce right back,” she says with a wink.
“ It did. But
the invitation still stands.” I return her wink, leaving her with
that thought as I go to bed.
~*~
I get home from
work the next day to find Alina curled up on my couch reading one
of her books. She glances up at me and I notice something different
about her. “You wear glasses?”
She slips them off.
“Only for reading.”
“You look cute in them.” When she makes a
face at my comment, I say, “I'm serious, you look adorable.”
“ Thanks.” She
drops her book into her bag before I can see what it is and tucks
her glasses back into a case. “You ready to go?”
I nod and we go out
to my truck. We make small talk about our day as we drive to her
old apartment. When we get there, she rummages through her purse
instead of getting out of the truck. I reach out and give her hand
a squeeze. “I'm here, remember?”
Alina smiles. “I
know.” We go inside and she unlocks the door. She quickly checks
every room for Victoria, then returns to me with a thumbs up. “All
clear.”
“ Good. No
distractions.”
She spends
the next hour going through the apartment and passing different
items to me to put in the boxes we brought. We almost have all of them completely full when
she freezes in front of her shelf. “You've got to be kidding me,”
she mutters.
“ What is
it?”
She stands on
her tiptoes to look at the top shelf, peering at each one
down the line, resting her hand on the shelf as she’s looking at
it. Her eyes dart around the
room before she turns to
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