AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Chapter Twelve
Catriona
Alex has been behaving strangely ever since last night, when I came home to find he had cooked a big dinner for us. He said he understood why I needed to talk to my sister, and he gave me the beautiful earrings he'd bought as a not-quite anniversary gift. When I opened the box and saw the light-blue sapphire stones, I couldn't believe what he'd done. Expensive earrings? There's no such thing as a year and ten months anniversary, but I didn't tell Alex that. For some reason, he wanted to turn a pseudo-event into a real one, and he was clearly disappointed when that didn't happen.
This morning, I wake up alone in our bed. After quickly dressing, I rush into the living room to look for Alex. He's in the kitchen making tea, it looks like, staring down at two cups as he fills them.
He lifts his head when I approach the island and smiles tightly. "Good morning, Catriona."
"Aye, good morning, Alex. I'm sorry about last night."
"You have already apologized several times. There's no need for more." He hands me a cup. "I ate earlier, but I'd be happy to make something for you."
"I can do that myself." Alex always waits to have breakfast with me. The fact that he didn't today, coupled with his tight expression, proves that he's not himself this morning. "Are you sure you aren't upset about last night? I know you had a gourmet meal planned for us—"
"Not gourmet. Just food."
"But Alex—"
"I am fine, Cat. Stop worrying." He strides over to the sofa and sits down, taking a sip of his tea. "I let you have a bit of a lie-in, but you should eat quickly or you'll miss your nine o'clock class."
My gaze darts to the clock on the microwave oven. "Mhac na galla. I didn't realize how late it was."
After a quick breakfast, I gulp down the last of my tea and grab my rucksack, then race out to the car. Alex is already in the driver's seat with his hands firmly gripping the wheel. He stares straight ahead, only glancing at me sideways. The second I've got my seatbelt done up, he backs out of the driveway and onto the road. We don't speak in the car. And when we arrive at the campus, Alex gives me a quick peck on the cheek before he marches off to his office.
I go to class, but I have trouble concentrating. Why is Alex in such a mood? He doesn't seem angry. I almost think he's embarrassed or ashamed. Alex is the most confident man I've ever met, so I cannae imagine what might upset him this way. We have lunch together, and he seems more relaxed then. I hesitate to ask him about last night and this morning, but by the time we're done eating, I can't wait any longer.
So I set down my water bottle and face him. "I know you said you didn't mind that I talked to Jamie instead of having dinner with you last night. But I feel like I have hurt you by doing that."
"Not hurt." He wriggles on the bench and avoids looking at me. "I was disappointed. You see, I had planned—Well, it was nothing, really."
"Please tell me, Alex."
His fingers curl into his thighs. He still won't look at me. "I had an idea, but I realized later that it was just as well my plans didn't work out."
"What plans? Dinner? I donnae understand why it was just as well that didn't happen."
"Not dinner." He shoves a hand into his hair and sighs. "Can we forget about last night? I'd rather move on."
I've lived with Alex for almost two years, and I know that once he decides a topic is closed, I can't convince him to reopen it. Aye, I knew when I started dating him that he had secrets he would never share with me. I accepted that because I believed the present and future mattered more than the past. Was I an eejit to believe that?
Alex rises and tosses the remnants of his lunch into a nearby trash bin. "I'll meet you at the car after your last class."
He doesn't even kiss me goodbye. He just walks away.
In a situation like this, I would normally ring one of my sisters to talk about it. I can't do that. Once I resolved to keep our relationship a secret, at least from my family, I shut that door for good.
After my last class, I step out into the corridor, prepared to head for the faculty car park. But Alex is there in the hall, leaning against the wall.
He smiles and takes my hand. "Shall we go, darling? I'm famished, so I thought we might stop at our favorite bakery for a decadent snack."
Aye, he has suddenly reverted to his usual self. And I feel like a crash test dummy that just got flung through a windshield.
"I'm glad you're in a better mood," I say as we walk down the corridor. "But it seems to have happened very fast."
"Never mind last night or this morning." He slings an arm around my shoulders and aims his patented charming smile at me, the one that always makes me forget everything except how much I love him. "I prefer to focus on right now, with you."
Maybe I should question him, but he starts telling me humorous stories about his students, and I love listening to him describe those incidents. Alex is a consummate storyteller—and a consummate seducer. Whether he uses his charms to enthrall students during a lecture or to make love to me, I've never been able to resist him when he's like this.
