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His eyes are shining bright emerald, his face lighting up with a smile flashing his perfectly straight white teeth. I try to think of something witty to say, hoping someone will rescue me. Eric and Emma remain quiet, their mouths wide open like fly-catchers in shock. These two are pathetic.
Julian stops talking to Mrs. Bennett, switching his attention to me, then Alex.
Fuck, okay. Get your shit together. This can go really bad. Or, if you play nice, go away real fast.
“Alex, this is Eric, my assistant, Emma, one of my colleagues, and Julian, my fiancé,” I rush, trying to push aside my nerves.
Why is he so calm and collected? I appear to be the only one panicked by this situation.
Julian extends his hand. “Lex Edwards, CEO of the Lexed Group?”
Lex? Why is he calling him Lex Edwards? How the hell does Julian know him? Tilting my head to the side, curiosity overshadows my anxiety.
“Yes, the last time I checked,” Alex answers, surprisingly shaking Julian’s hand.
> “How do you and Charlie know each other?” Julian questions, taking his hand off my waist to hold my hand.
I can hear Eric’s voice in my head, hoping this is where they both slap their dicks out and start to measure them. Dirty bastard, and as the rascally grin forms on Eric’s smug face, so I know I’m dead right.
Alex stares at Julian, his face showing no emotion. Maybe I’m wrong about him. Just maybe he has matured and moved past what happened. Moved past us. What if he’s a happily married man with a family? Don’t get ahead of yourself, and where on earth did that pang of jealousy come from?
“We’ve known each other for what… fifteen years? Since we were kids. We dated in high school,” he answers with a cocky grin, knowing exactly what he’s doing.
Alex is signing the contract for the pissing contest that’s just about to start. Of course, he had to add that last bit. I’m not sure I’d call it dating, but more like fucking around behind his wife’s back. So, I take back what I said about him maturing. Just like old times Alex, except this time I’m not going to be the sad girl on the side. I’m a woman now, and no man treats me any less than what I deserve.
Now the nerves are overtaken by anger. If we weren’t in public, I’d have probably punched that beautiful face of his for talking to me like an arrogant bastard. Like the past was nothing. Like he didn’t leave me in the worst pain imaginable.
“I’ve written a couple of pieces on Lexed. You may have read the one published in the Wall Street Journal last year?” Julian speaks highly of his work, but what catches my attention is the fact that Alex is CEO of the Lexed Group.
Of course, I have heard of the company, I mean, who hasn’t? But I had no idea Alex had anything to do with it. What didn’t make sense is that he’s no longer in the medical field. My curiosity is getting the better of me. I want to know more, but I don’t want to have a conversation with him or even give him the satisfaction of thinking I’m interested.
“Ah, yes, quite an interesting article.”
“So, Alex, are you from New York? Your accent is very Hugh Grant. God, I loved him in Notting Hill. Anyway, love your Armani suit,” Eric rambles on.
For God’s sake, Eric’s obsession with older British men is borderline creepy. Hugh Grant? I know what Eric is trying to do, though. He has that mischievous look on his face, the one he has every time he’s trying to get me laid. But Batman’s fucking me, I want to yell at him.
“Actually, it’s Lex. Not Alex,” he corrects Eric, never breaking my gaze.
Pretentious bastard.
Fine, if he wants to play that game, I’ll treat him like we have no past. Therefore, Alex no longer exists. It will be Lex, just like he wants it.
He continues, “I live in London. Our Manhattan office is currently being remodeled, so I’m planning to stay here for a while.”
So, he lives in London, totally explains the hot accent. The distance is somewhat comforting, but then he said he’ll be in Manhattan more often. The city isn’t that big, not when your ex is suddenly lurking around every damn corner.
Again, the cogs are turning, and I think to myself, why London? I need to stop asking myself these questions. I don’t need to know anything about him. He shouldn’t be in my life in the first place. Period.
“And thank you, my sister chose the suit. She lives and breathes fashion. I’ll introduce you later.”
“Adriana is here?” I ask, nervously.
I haven’t seen her since the day when she asked me to leave her family alone, in the middle of a busy street, and straight-out called me a whore. The past is quickly coming back to me like a freight train, and I don’t know what to do.
Scanning the room, I don’t see Adriana anywhere.
Surely, Alex has to know how uncomfortable all this is for me.
