Episode 150
EPISODE 150
ALEX OPENS UP
Ariel
We were sitting together on the beach, shielded by the small cove, enjoying just being together, talking about favorite colors and songs stuck in our heads, and...
Well, now it’s over.
Over because I pushed what was probably just a simple blunder.
But if it was just a simple blunder, why is he acting so pissy now?
I’m pretty sure Alex said that River lived on a ranch when they were kids, but the other four of them lived in town. He said four, not three, which he claimed is what he meant when I asked him about it.
But that’s not what’s disturbing about the conversation. No. What’s disturbing is his sudden mood shift.
Mama always told me that men, for the most part, aren’t big talkers, and when they decide not to talk, it’s best not to force them into it. That just makes them angry.
So I stay quiet as we walk back to the mansion .
Isn’t this the guy who told me he could fall for me?
Isn’t this the guy who had the chef prepare me the Southern dinner of my dreams, complete with sweet potato pie even better than Mama’s?
Isn’t this the guy who slid a jasmine flower behind my ear and told me I was beautiful? The guy who said he loved a sexy mouth, and who told me I was an astounding woman?
“Alex...” I begin.
He turns to me, his hazel eyes troubled. “I’m sorry, Ariel.”
“For what?”
“For being a dick.” He sighs. “Can I be honest with you about something?”
“Of course.”
He grabs my hand and rubs my palm with his thumb. The mini massage feels nice. “Come on. Let’s find someplace private.”
My room?
I don’t say it. I offered myself up on a platter to him last night, and he declined. But I don’t know anywhere else that’s private here...except for his room.
We end up outside the pool area. I’m surprised Heather and June aren’t in the hot tub. They seem to live there. I can’t go in anyway with my bandage and all. But the pool is empty, so Alex and I go there.
He pulls up a couple of lounge chairs and beckons me to sit. Then he walks to the bar. “You want anything?”
“Some water would be nice.”
He brings two bottles of water and takes the lounger next to mine. I expect him to talk, since he said he wanted to be honest about something, but he’s quiet at first. Like he’s thinking.
Very Alex .
“So...” he finally says, “I’m not sure if I should tell you any of this.”
“You can say whatever you want to me. I’ll hold everything in confidence. Or you can say nothing at all. I’m here for you, Alex. Whatever you need.”
He smiles. And I feel like the old Alex is back. He’s so, so handsome, and the way the skin around his eyes crinkles... I could look at him all day and never tire of his face.
He stares at me, his gaze so penetrating, but then he shakes his head. “You know what? I don’t want to go there.”
“Go where?”
“To any place that isn’t happy. I’m here with you, Ariel, and that makes me happy.”
He reaches out and lightly brushes my cheek with his fingers. Heat flares in me, a warmth that’s more than just the tropical sun. He tucks a loose strand of hair behind my ear and the touch, as fleeting as it is, sends a shiver over my flesh.
His gaze is intense, those troubled hazel eyes softened now, holding so much affection. “I shouldn’t have snapped at you earlier.”
“It’s okay,” I reply. “Everyone has their off days. We’re only human.”
A genuine smile brightens his face and I can’t help but return it. Alex’s mood might be as changeable as the ocean tide this morning, but when he smiles at me like that, nothing else matters.
“I’ve been thinking,” he says after a beat of silence. “Maybe I do want to tell you about some stuff. About why I got weird when I misspoke.”
“The mistake you made counting your friends?”
He draws in a breath. “Yeah. About that.” Silence hangs between us for a moment before he continues. “You know how sometimes our memory fills in the blanks? Makes us remember things that aren’t exactly as they were?”
“I suppose,” I say, though I’m not sure where he’s going.
“Well, there were four of us in town. I just...” He pauses again, as if struggling to find the right words. “I’ve been so used to saying otherwise. There were four of us, but one isn’t with us anymore.”
My heart clenches, and I reach out to squeeze Alex’s hand. He lost a friend? I want to hug him close.
He gives me a weak smile. “God, I don’t talk about this to anyone other than River, Sebastian, and Brett. They’d probably kill me if they knew I was telling you now, but I swear... I think I wanted to tell you, and that’s probably why I made the mistake when we were chatting on the beach.” He closes his eyes for a moment. “We were inseparable, the five of us. Four in town, and River on his ranch. We grew up together, experienced all the highs and lows of life side by side.”
Alex’s eyes are faraway now, lost in the memories of his past. He tightens his grip on my hand.
“I’m so sorry,” I say.
“His name was Jake,” Alex says. “He was really smart and he had this amazing sense of justice. I always thought he’d make a great lawyer, but now that I’ve dealt with my share of lawyers, I don’t think Jake would have had the stomach for it. He was too nice. Too moral.”
“He sounds like a good guy. What happened to him?”
Alex swallows. “He committed suicide when we were fifteen.”
I gasp. “Oh my God! I don’t know what to say.”
“You don’t have to say anything, baby. It was a long time ago.”
I simply nod .
Tears well up in Alex’s eyes, but he quickly blinks them away. The pain etched on his face is almost unbearable, but I keep hold of his hand.
“I’m here,” I say. “I wish I knew what to do for you.”
“Nothing. It just feels good to talk about it to someone other than the guys. Jake is tied up in a bunch of other things that happened a long time ago—things we shouldn’t have done and can never take back, but things that helped carve us into the men we are today.”
“Then it can’t be all bad,” I tell him.
“For so long, we thought it was over. That we’d finally moved on. But the four of us being together... Things are coming around, Ariel. Chickens are coming home to roost, as they say.”
The tone of Alex’s voice has changed. It’s darker. And his eyes have narrowed.
I’m not sure what to say. Is he in trouble?
Before I can think further, though, Heather and June come bustling into the pool area in their short robes.
“Hey, Southern belle!” Heather gives me a wink. “And Alex with the vibrating tongue.”
Vibrating tongue? Right. Alex gave Heather an orgasm on the catamaran.
His tongue is pretty talented. Still, the green-eyed monster is rearing his ugly head. I’m feeling a little possessive of Alex, though I guess I don’t have reason to be.
Though he did just open up to me about something that’s bugging him...
“Are we interrupting?” June asks.
Alex rises. “Not at all. Ariel and I were just leaving.”
“Don’t go back to the mansion,” Heather says. “Evangeline is on a rampage. ”
“What’s wrong now?” Alex asks.
“You’ll have to ask her.” Heather sheds her robe—revealing her naked body—and does a perfect dive into the pool.
Alex grabs my hand. “Come on. Let’s go.”
He doesn’t speak to me again as we head toward the mansion.
And a feeling of dread comes over me like a storm rolling in off the Gulf.