He thought about Bella’s appearance the night before, how it solidified what he wanted for his life. He dreamed of family dinners and birthday parties with his friends and Sofia and his dad. Noisy BBQs on the beach like he had growing up. His children going on adventures around the world, meeting people of different cultures, learning about their traditions, hearing their stories.
And he could see all of that and more withAria. His mind wandered as he pictured all of it.
He had to figure out a way to win her back.
Unsure of his plan to wait for her there, he finally decided to sit on her wooden chair that flanked some potted plants. It had a cushion, but was small and barely contained his large frame.
Alex had no idea when sleep overcame him as he sat there, his eyes heavy.
He woke up with a start, and it took several minutes to realize where he was. Looking around, trying to reorient himself and shake himself from a dream that had felt so real, the dreaded realization washed over him.
He was still sitting at Aria's house on her porch. He closed his eyes and tried to remember the incredible dream he had just been having.
He and Aria were sitting on the sofa of their house with a sweet baby girl in his arms. Aria was looking at him with pure love in her eyes.
Then a flash and another scene of them in a beautiful bed in a cozy house with white sheer curtains blowing in the wind from the open windows. Aria was blissfully asleep while he and their two children sat on the bed whispering together.
“Papa, we're hungry. Please make us your special crepes with jam? Please?”
Alex's lovely dream recall was rudely interrupted by the poke of a wooden cane.
Recoiling, he looked up into the face of a tiny, but angry elderly woman. Dressed in a long black skirt, white blouse and a button-up black cardigan, she was barely a head taller than him sitting down.
Her white hair was offset by a deeply tanned and wrinkled face, eyes piercing his like fire. A small black purse hung from her forearm and swung with each impact of her cane.
“Hey, you. Why are you on Aria's porch? Don't you have a house to go to? Do I need to call the police?” the woman asked gruffly.
“What?Wait.No, no. I'm a friend of Aria's. I'm just waiting for her to come home,” Alex said, jumping up.
“I don't believe you. And Idon'tlike your long hair. Don't you know any barbers? Now, come on, get up and go away or I will call the police. Don't think I won't do it. I live across the street, and I'll call them if you don't get out of here now,” she yelled, continuing to poke him in his leg.
Believing her and fearing the tiny woman, Alex tucked the scarf in his jean pocket, jogged off the porch hurriedly, got in his car, and pulled away.
Checking his phone for any word from Aria, he blew out a heavy breath as he headed for home. Once there, he threw his keys on the counter and headed to the shower, kicking off his boots on the way.
Determined to give her the rest of the day without his constant calls, he turned on the water as hot as he could stand it and prayed that it could ease the tension he felt not only in his tired muscles but his heart.
He didn’t have a choice. She obviously needed space, time, or both, and he feared if he pushed too hard, he’d lose any chance of fixing what was broken.
Chapter Thirty-Three
After a marathon dayof playing hooky, Aria headed home in a taxi after their light dinner of pasta, declining Corinna’s offer to bring her. They had laughed and sung along to their favorite music and movies throughout the day, both feeling like naughty school children sneaking away like they had back in school. It left her lighter than when she had arrived the evening before, once again grateful for her friend.
Noticing that Alex’s calls had ended before lunch, she wondered if Bella was still in town, and she was the reason why he’d given up.
The drive was quiet except for the low hum of the taxi driver’s radio. Her heart picked up speed as they passed the marina, but she dared not look too hard. The moon shone brightly in the darkened sky, and she pushed back the memories of her and Alex gazing at it together.
When she arrived home, she paid the driver and used her phone’s flashlight to get her key in the door as she slipped inside, regretting not having left on the porch light the night before in her excitement to see Alex.
Dropping everything on her kitchen table, she went to her room, glad to be home. Eyeing the clothes strewn about on her bed, she gathered them up and sat them on the chair by the window, remembering all the outfits she had tried on before deciding on her unfortunate choice.
“Plaid. Ugh, what was I thinking?”
Taking her clothes off and dropping them as she walked, not caring about the mess she was making, she turned on the shower and brushed her teeth as she waited for it to warm up. Looking in the mirror, she spit and rinsed, the steam already fogging it up.
After her shower, she kicked her clothes out of the way, climbed into her pajamas and slid into bed, praying that sleep would come. Plugging her phone in to charge, she looked at it again, disappointed that there was only a message from Corinna asking if she had gotten home safely. Texting her that she had, she threw the phone across the bed and closed her eyes.
Fatigue must have taken over at some point and before she knew it, her alarm was blaring.
