AllFreeNovel
Share Us
My phone buzzed once more, loud and obnoxious. I finally snatched it off the table to switch off.
It was as if Parker was in the room, somewhere between here and the Hamptons, caught in the middle of this awful conversation. I knew Alejandro didn’t want to face how I felt, but the insistent vibrating was luring him to a point of breaking.
“I need to know if you’ll be joining me on the press tour,” he demanded, twisting his napkin. “I need an answer.”
“Well, I need more time,” I asserted back.
He poured himself another shot, resting the bottle on the table before taking a long sip, not wincing from the burning tequila.
“I need to know by tonight,” he said, his anger more composed, but not well enough. Was this Alex or Alejandro? I hated that I even questioned who he was.
“The kiss…” I interrupted, giving myself the courage to speak my mind. “I was going to tell you on my own, with my words, my feelings. But that was taken away, and now you're taking away my chance to expressmytruth. I need to say it now. Not later like you want.”
“There will be a car sent for you tonight, please be ready by nine.” He pushed aside the plate of food, ignoring my words. “I’ll just meet you at the party.”
I sat in silence, my lips curled to the side. The drop of his shoulders was far more telling than what he was willing to say. I had exhausted him, this was all too much for one day, and I knew that. I only wanted to be heard, but maybe he just needed space.
“I want to hear what you have to say,” he managed to let out, his hand reaching for any sign of agreement. His fingertips met mine with a delicate graze. “I just need to get through today, and I’m only asking for this moment. Remember, this isborrowedtime… not stolen. I’ll listen. I swear.”
As I looked up into his eyes, I could see he was trying, building some fragile bridge for us to cross together on. A single word had the potential to cripple either of us into a series of unchecked emotions, so unanimously, we said nothing. I could give him the day; it was the least I could do.
“You’re right. There’s time,” I nodded.
“But not for the tour, that’s something I need to know.” He leaned in for a kiss, his lips promising a taste of what our future could be, but pausing before reaching my mouth, kissing my forehead instead. “Whatever decision you make, I know it will be the right one for you,” he said, standing up from the table.
I was certain now, that no matter how bad Alejandro wanted Alex Rivers to be gone, that fragments of that celebrity actor remained.
He was pretending, and I knew it, his confidence in my decision making skills laced with doubt, noted by the tequila bottle he sipped from as he begrudgingly left the room.
Chapter42
Gemma
Iloved how rain in New York made me feel, how it sounded against the passenger window where I sat, and despite my resistance to be sentimental, there was something new about the rain; a reminder of Alejandro and the night we sawThe Phantom of the Opera. Back then it rained as well, and though Parker was supposed to be there, it was Alejandro who showed up.
“Do you believe in fate?” I asked Ivanna, who sat in the back seat of the town car with me.
She checked herself in the tiny reflection of a compact mirror, pushing her lips together into a perfect pout.
“Fate? Maybe curses. Of all the days for it to rain, it had to be today.” She shut the mirror in her palm, adjusting the shoulders to her emerald, plunge-neck gown.
“It’s not so bad.”
“I’m an assistant, babe. I don’t like anything I can’t control.”
“And Alejandro?” I asked, trying to make her smile.
She rolled her eyes. “After L.A., don’t even get me started on that man.”
I looked back out the window, completely understanding where Ivanna was coming from. Only Alejandro could be completely maddening and totally endearing at once, like how he managed to force his way into the seat beside me at the Majestic. All I wanted to do was watch the show that night and be alone, or so I thought. I hated how persistent he was at that time, but now, looking back, I adored his resilience.
“I think I like the rain. A lot actually.” I finally said out loud.
“Really?” Ivanna’s accent jabbed across the seat.
“Yeah. I have good memories from it.”
“That’s so strange. Truth is, you can’t find good eggs in the rain.”
