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“My dad was upset, and he never got over losing you as a friend, either,” I explained, hoping this would bring him comfort.
Alex stared at our hands joined together before looking at me. “Thank you. That means a lot. I was devastated when I heard he passed away. I'm sorry you had to go through that alone.”
We shared a moment of silence.
Eventually, Alex cleared his throat and started to talk about other topics. “So, it's good to see that you're still writing. Are you working on a new book?” he asked me.
I swallowed loudly, feeling a little uncomfortable. “Well, honestly, the book I wrote with your help was the only thing I ever worked on. That's why I'm at this retreat. I haven't written anything as successful as that. I mean, I have had a lot of ideas that I started, but I always leave them half-finished,” I admitted to him with a little embarrassment.
He frowned at my words. “I'm sorry to hear that. We had so much fun working on that book together. I came on this retreat for the same reason. I haven't written anything since leaving you that night,” Alex admitted, sounding a little sad.
I hadn't been expecting him to feel the same way that I had been feeling. This suddenly gave me a thought of inspiration, and I startled him when I sat up quickly in bed. “We could help each other,” I said as I looked at him.
“I'm sorry?” Alex asked in confusion.
I reached for his hand again. “We can write together like the old days. You can inspire me, and vice versa. That way, we can both write again and finish our projects. We'll be each other's motivation, and the best part is we'll be together,” I suggested happily.
He blinked at me in astonishment. “You would really help me like that?” he asked.
“Of course,” I replied without hesitation.
Alex slowly smiled at me. Being with him was like coming home. I felt happy in that moment.Chapter Six - HazelThe following day I hurried to get ready. I was actually feeling pretty good about everything, and I didn't want to be late for the group discussions. I couldn't get over the fact that Alex was alive, and that we had found each other again.
I dressed casually, opting for jeans and a tee. I was there to work, not impress — besides, I already had Alex. I was eager to meet up with him during the brainstorming group and get started writing.
Alex had a lot of great ideas for his book, and we spent all night talking about them. Now I couldn't wait to share mine with him. I grabbed my notebook and went over some of the ideas I had written after he left. They seemed pretty good, but I wanted to get a second opinion to make sure.
I rode the elevator by myself down to the conference room. Everyone was already there, talking. I didn't see Alex yet, so I waited in a corner by myself. I saw the other writer I had spoken to yesterday, Jay, but he didn't notice me. That was fine because I was more interested in talking to my mentor.
The resort had a beautiful green space right outside the conference room, known as the open space. It was almost like a park, with gorgeous plants, benches to sit on, and a paved walking path. That's where our writing group was meeting today. Most of the writers had paired off and moved outside.
I saw Alex emerge from the elevators and waved to him excitedly. He gave me a big smile while walking over to me. “I'm glad you are here. I had another great idea that I wanted to talk to you about!” he said, sounding excited.
“Oh, okay! Great!” I replied.
I was always happy to help him. My ideas could wait until the end of the session. We walked side by side throughout the entire green space as he explained his latest concept to me. I listened attentively. It was an excellent idea, and it was nice to see that he had found his creative edge again. I was also happy that Alex was sticking with science fiction.
When we were nearing the end of our group time, we stopped walking.
“So, what do you think?” Alex asked as he turned to look at me.
“Honestly? I think it's your best idea yet. It's definitely better than your previous novels, and you know how impressive those are,” I complimented him.
He smiled proudly at me before leaning in closer. “How about we meet up at the hot tub later and discuss ideas some more?” Alex whispered suggestively.
Before I could respond, he pulled me in for a swift, passionate kiss, walking away after. I stood there, frozen, trying to collect my thoughts. Jay was standing nearby. I couldn't be sure, but I thought he pointed in our direction as he was talking to a fellow writer. I suddenly worried that Alex and I would get kicked out of the group for our behavior.
