AllFreeNovel
Share Us
I’m breathless, weightless; my heart sings, and I feel like I’m flying and falling all at once. He takes his time, allowing each of us to acknowledge and accept these feelings rushing through us. When he pulls away, only to rest his forehead against mine, I know this can never be just a friendship.
Chapter Fourteen
Alex
My mind is once again elsewhere as Benji talks about the numbers on the screen in front of me. Jana’s soft lips, her intoxicating scent, her deep brown eyes, and the splatter of freckles across her nose; she’s branded in my thoughts, my memories, my heart. She iseverywhere.
“Are you—fuck, Alex! What’s the point of me explaining this shit to you if you’re not even gonna pay attention?” Benji fumes, slamming his pen roughly against the counter. The plastic casing shatters beneath the pressure and scatters across the desk.
“You’ve got my attention now, Benj.”
“Fucking shit,” he mutters under his breath.
“What’s going on, Benji?”
“What’s going on is that you’re not paying a lick of attention to what I’m trying to tell you about your damn store,” he growls, scooping the broken pen up and dumping it into the trashcan under the counter. “You’re fucking distracted.”
“I thought youwantedme to start dating,” I say, raking my hand through my hair. He scoffs, shaking his head. I observe him for a moment, taking in his messy curls, the thick beard coming in, and the dark circles under his eyes. “What’s going on, Benj?”
“Nothing.” He shakes his head and rubs a hand down his face. “I’ll just talk to you later about this shit.”
My phone rings the moment he walks out, distracting me. I make a mental note to talk to my brother later as I fish my phone from my back pocket. Surprise races through me when I see my sister-in-law’s name on the screen.
“Leslie, hey,” I say. A sharp exhale comes through the speaker.
“Alex.” Her voice is soft, surprised even, and then she laughs. “Sorry, I didn’t know if you would answer.”
“Why wouldn’t I answer?” I ask, tucking the phone in the crook of my shoulder and picking up the pages Benji left scattered over the desk. The numbers and graphs make no sense to me, and I’m starting to wish I had been listening to my brother.
“You haven’t picked up in the last two years,” she says. I blink, staring at the bookshelves across the room in disbelief.Has it really been two years since I answered her call?“Mom and Dad gave up calling a few months ago. Everyone was positive you had written us off.”
I sigh. “It’s not like that,” I say, dropping the papers back to the counter and running my free hand down my face. “I just…I couldn’t face you. Laura’s family.”
“I get it.” Her voice is calm, understanding. “I’m just glad you picked up.”
We’re quiet for a moment.
“Why’d you call, Leslie?”
“I’m in town.” She’s unsure now, her voice wavering. “I was hoping we could get lunch, maybe?”
???
I sit at a small table near the windows of Sandy’s Diner, coffee sitting untouched in front of me as my fingers tap restlessly against my knee. I get why Jana is constantly tapping her thigh and arm if this is how she feels. A pit of dread settles in my gut, and no matter how much I try to focus on my breathing, it still feels rushed.
I don’t know what possessed me to agree to lunch with Leslie, but here I am, waiting for her to show up. When she said she was in town, I was shocked. I haven’t seen any of Laura’s family members since the funeral two years ago. Now, here I am, waiting for someone I haven’t seen in years, someone who will no doubt bring up unresolved emotions.
I’m about to bolt out the door when the bell above it rings and a slender blonde woman steps inside. I swallow roughly, past the lump of tears forming in my throat.Laura.
But it’s not my wife.
“Alex, sweetheart.” Leslie smiles, her cheeks dimpling. She takes the seat across from me and begins to shrug off her coat. “I’m so glad you came.”
“I’m not staying long,” I say, my throat scratching with every word.
“Oh.” Disappointment is clear on her face. “I had hoped we would get a chance to talk. It’s been so long since we’ve been in the same state, let alone the same building.”
“What are you doing in Harmony, Leslie?” I ask, resting my arms on the table and leaning forward. Her hazel eyes, so similar to Laura’s, dart between mine, searching for something I know I can’t give her.Answers.
