10. Alex #2
“Or, is it possible you’ve never found a man actually worthy of you?
One who would worship the very ground you walk on?
Tell you how incredibly blessed he is to have you as a partner every day.
” Her breath hitches slightly, the intensity of her eyes boring into my soul.
“Prove to you over and over again that no other woman in the world could capture his heart like you have. The truth is, any man who was stupid enough to let you go never deserved you in the first place.”
Chelsi’s cheeks redden as she stares into my eyes, like she’s looking for the answer to an unknown question. She shakes her head, blinking rapidly as if it will somehow dismiss my words from her mind—the ones I know she’s struggling to accept, given what she’s experienced.
“What you’re describing sounds like a fairytale,” she says softly, placing her hand over her heart.
“Isn’t that what Kate has with Jake?” I ask, raising my eyebrows and wondering how she’ll respond to recognizing the true love her best friend has found.
She sighs. “That’s different: Jake is one in a million. Maybe a billion.”
“So are you,” I reply, unable to stop the words from coming out of my mouth. It’s the truth. She may not see how incredible she is, but everyone around her does…especially me.
“I should probably put some clothes on before everyone else gets here,” she says, standing and adjusting her towel once again. “It was nice talking to you, Alex. I’m sure I’ll see you around.”
She walks out of the kitchen, leaving me sitting by myself with a massive erection, a brain that keeps misfiring, and a pounding heart that feels alive for the first time in two decades.
We’re on hour three of this meeting, and my brain is still in a fog, refusing to think clearly about anything other than Chelsi. It’s a major problem since I’m supposed to be the one leading it, and I can barely answer a question without having to look at my notes.
“What’s our estimated arrival time in Dallas?
I have a media outlet that would love to do an in-studio interview if we can make it work,” Anna asks from across the table.
Her bubbly personality is on full display today for everyone, including Jason.
It’s almost unsettling the way the two of them are being so nice to each other.
“Probably 8 a.m., if we’re lucky and don’t get caught in any traffic.
The previous stop is only a few hours away.
We’re usually able to break down quickly in that amphitheater.
” I pause briefly, double-checking my spreadsheet to make sure I’m correct.
“Best case, you could have Jake starting at 10 a.m. for three hours, which includes travel time. We’d have to push back soundcheck, but we could make it happen. ”
“That would be wonderful,” Anna coos, flashing me a wide grin.
She might come across as sweet and innocent, but you never want to get on her bad side. She’ll destroy you without a second thought if you harm someone she cares about. And she’ll do it while smiling, thanks to her Southern charm.
“Are you sure about the timeline, Alex?” Max asks, his brow furrowed. “I thought the stop before Fort Worth was almost six hours away. The turnaround should be really tight. But I could be looking at an outdated schedule.”
Jake glances in my direction. “Are you feeling okay? You’ve been a little off all day.”
Jason scowls. “You’d better not be getting sick. We don’t have time for anyone at this table to call in for a sick day.” He goes back to angrily typing on his phone, not looking up. “Jake definitely can’t get whatever the fuck you have. I need him in the studio every minute he’s not on tour.”
Anna sighs. “Alex…your health is more important than anything else. Do you need a cup of tea? That always does the trick for me whenever I’m not feeling well.”
What is happening?
“I’m not sick,” I stammer, trying to comprehend how this conversation started spiraling so quickly.
“But you’re not acting like yourself.” Jake raises his eyebrows and stares directly at me. “You’re always on top of everything. I haven’t seen you this flustered in, like…ever.”
Anna reaches across the table, placing her hand on top of mine.
“Are you stressed with all the work that’s been put on you because someone,” she pauses, glaring in Jason’s direction while he remains fixated on his phone, “likes to dump steaming piles of shit on other people’s doorsteps and not take any accountability? ”
“Oh…so we’re doing this again.” Jason locks eyes with Anna, both of them staring each other down with looks that could kill. “You know the other drama wasn’t my fault. I couldn’t have prevented him from doing what he did.”
“Uh-huh. It’s never your fault. Someone else is always to blame,” Anna responds, crossing her arms.
“Do you know what is going on?” Max whispers to me.
“Not a clue,” I murmur.
Jake sighs loudly. “Knock it off, the two of you. We talked about this before. None of us wants to hear your bickering.” He shakes his head and rests his elbows on the table. “Back to Alex. Are you sure you’re okay?”
“Yeah. Can’t a guy have an off day? What’s with the twenty questions?” I drag my hand down my face, letting out all of the air from my lungs and praying everyone will let this go.
There’s no way in hell I’m going to mention my brain is on the fritz because I saw Jake’s new roommate half-naked in a towel and can’t stop thinking about how she’s so close yet so far away.
How I’ll never get a chance with her because that’s not in the cards for me.
Past decisions have made that impossible.
“Okay, if you insist,” Jake replies, leaning back in his chair and refusing to take his eyes off me.
“All right, back to logistics. Max is correct about the longer travel time before the Dallas show, so Jake won’t have time for an in-studio interview unless he’s taking an alternate method of transportation to Fort Worth. Let me know if that’s something I need to arrange, Anna.”
She nods in my direction and quickly types something on her laptop.
“After Fort Worth, we’re headed to Albuquerque. It’ll take us about ten to eleven hours to get there. We’re going to be pushing the limits of what’s possible in terms of setup, but I’m confident the crew can…”
My mind goes blank when Chelsi walks into the room, wearing a crop top and skintight yoga pants.
“Hey, everyone. Don’t mind me. Just getting a snack,” Chelsi says, smiling sweetly at the group.
Even though I know better, I can’t keep my eyes off her as she strolls across the room and opens the refrigerator door.
My mouth waters at the sight of her, desperately wanting to carry on our earlier conversation.
Get to know her better. Hear her laugh. Earn more of her smiles.
Shower her with the attention she so deeply deserves.
“You good, Alex?” Jake asks, jarring me back to reality. His eyebrows are raised as his eyes dart between Chelsi and me, then a knowing smile spreads across his face.
I’m so fucked.