16. Chapter 15
Chapter 15
Felix
I was thankful for my sister ringing, as it stopped me from doing what I wanted to do. Kissing Alisha. I didn’t know if the moment would have been right, especially with her friend cooking in the kitchen. If I was going to kiss Alisha, I wanted it to be special. Our first kiss wasn’t going to be here. I was a man of many romantic gestures so I’d do it when the time was right.
After speaking with my sister for a few minutes, Alisha returned and seemed calm in her demeanour. She finished the remainder of her hot chocolate and I mimicked. Her friend did make good beverages, probably one of the best I’d tried. I had been a bit nervous meeting her but there had been no awkwardness. Ophelia seemed genuine and made the effort to get to know me. She also seemed like a true friend to Alisha, who told me she had been through a horrible break-up.
Dealing with a break-up was always tough, but having someone you thought you loved and trusted cheat on you? Now, that was another thing.
Alisha and I both had dealt with heartbreak and she had been brave to share her story with me today. I needed to pluck up the courage and be honest with her too. I really admired the woman next to me. Fuck, she was the definition of beauty itself.
Do yourself a favour Felix and kiss her. Fuck the rules.
I argued with my conscience however, as this wasn’t the right time. We needed to get the interview out of the way and then, maybe I could ask her out for dinner again. This time, I would admit that it’s a date. That would be a perfect opportunity.
“Food is ready!” Ophelia’s voice sang and just like clockwork, my stomach growled.
“Finally. I am starving.” Alisha smiled, offering me her hand to pull me up from the sofa. With no hesitation, I took it, enveloping her fingers through mine. I loved how small her hand was and how soft her skin felt. I would hold her hand forever if I could, just to remain close to her. To my surprise, she didn’t let go, even as we sat down to eat and Ophelia had served us. Maybe she felt the same way. Just maybe.
***
Lunch had been the chef’s kiss, and the three of us were now satisfied. Ophelia had decided to get some work done, so left Alisha and I sitting alone together on the sofa. We were in a comfortable silence, as we watched an episode of Friends. I didn’t mind watching this, as every so often, Alisha would laugh and fuck, I loved it when she laughed. I felt bold enough to intertwine our fingers again, and she smiled at this, giving my hand a squeeze.
“Are you okay?” she asked me, her brown eyes wide with slight concern.
“Yes,” I breathed, squeezing her hand back. I could get used to this, feeling her touch. I could happily sit here, just holding her hand and watching Friends episodes. But I knew that time was ticking by, and she wanted to get some work done. I wouldn’t hold her back from her job. I would do what I could to help her write the best article. I wanted her boss to give her that promotion she craved. I wasn’t an expert at writing but I knew how important it was to Alisha. And whatever was important to her was now important to me.
“Well, this article won’t write itself. You up for some questions and answers then?” Alisha asked me, turning the TV off with the remote.
“Fire away, my lady,” I said, noticing that as soon as I said the last two words, a faint hint of pink was tainting her cheeks.
“I’ll go get my laptop,” she said sheepishly and practically raced away to go and retrieve it. I had a good view of her ass as she did so, and fuck she had a good one. Her whole figure was amazing but the best feature? Her eyes. I could get lost in them if I wasn’t careful. Well, on a few occasions I had. Couldn’t help it.
Yes you could, and if you don’t stop, you’ll end up getting hurt.
The deeper part of my brain was telling me that stepping over the barrier between Alisha and I would be a bad idea, given the experience I had in my previous relationship, but your brain wasn’t always right, was it?
Alisha interrupted my thoughts as she returned, shifting close beside me.
“You know what, it’s more comfortable in my room. Would you like to join me?” Alisha asked. Wow, already inviting you to her bedroom.
“O-of course,” I fumbled for words but this was enough for her to pull me up from my position and lead us toward her room. My heart was pounding and blood was rushing to my ears. I knew nothing would happen in there, that we were just going to work. Then I would go home.
When I entered Alisha’s room, I could see how neat it was. She had arranged her dressing table with an array of body cream, perfume and make-up. The bed itself, which had pristine white sheets on it with a grey throw on top, looked comfortable and big enough for two people. I was glad she was sleeping comfortably.
Alisha sat down and gestured for me to join her, placing her laptop in front of her.
“So, I’ve got some questions. But I’ll let you take the lead too. Don’t mind me if I go quiet, just because I’ll be taking notes. You’ll see how fast I can type. I have magic fingers.” Alisha grinned, her gorgeous smile was infectious and I couldn’t help but smile back at her. Smiling no longer felt foreign to me, this woman seemed to have this effect on me.
“No problem,” I said and watched as her fingers danced across the keyboard. She then lifted her eyes from the screen and cleared her throat.
“So, tell me about your life here in Ischgl. What’s so appealing about it?” Alisha questioned. Interesting that she hadn’t asked me about my family but I was grateful for it. I didn’t want to dive into my sad childhood.
“Well, a lot of people think this town is just for skiing. But there’s so much more to it. The people, the atmosphere, the nature. Once you’re here, you don’t want to leave. I haven’t plucked up the courage to step outside of Ischgl yet. Does that sound crazy?” I paused as Alisha continued to type but she gave me an answer anyway.
“Not at all, it’s understandable. You remind me of myself. I’m usually comfortable staying in one place,” Alisha said.
“Do you feel glad you came here?” I asked, and I felt a sudden pang knowing that she would be leaving in less than two weeks. All the more reason to act on my emotions and ask her on a date. So, why was I here sitting like a lovesick puppy, unable to ask her the very words that had been swimming in my mind for the past twenty-four hours?
“Yeah, I’m enjoying my time here. I’ve met some great people.” As she mentioned the last two words, she met my eyes and there was a softness within them.
“So, I’d love to know more about your family and how you celebrate Christmas,” Alisha asked me, and it felt like a more personal question, maybe one she really wanted to know the answer to rather than just for the purpose of the article.
“I’m not sure your readers will want to know about my family life,” I said. To be honest, my past had been documented in the past all those years ago and it had been hard, knowing that people knew exactly what me and Mira had gone through. They pitied us and I hated it. Aunt Brenna had tried to prevent us from seeing the daily newspaper but she’d been too late. As soon as I saw our names within an article, I wasn’t able to stop reading. I still had a copy of that article somewhere at Aunt Brenna’s, whether I’d read it again, who knows.
“Well, I think they will probably want to know what a traditional Christmas is like in Ischgl. So tell me, I’m all ears.” Alisha smiled softly at me, but her eyes were telling me that it was okay if I didn’t want to talk about it. However, I was thankful I had some good stories to tell about Christmas so as I spoke, Alisha would make notes and flash me a smile that made me almost lose my breath. Another barrier that was breaking away, which maybe was a good thing. Honesty was a good thing.
“My sister and I love to go skiing usually on Christmas Day, then our aunt prepares us a late lunch for us. We usually eat an array of things, ranging from bratwurst, to turkey and weihnachtsgans which is christmas goose,” I told her and I didn’t miss the way her tongue darted out to lick her bottom lip. This caused my cock to twitch in my trousers and I internally groaned, telling myself to stop becoming aroused by just a simple motion.
If only I could have taken that lip of hers between my teeth and swiped my own tongue across it.
“Wow, sounds delicious,” she said in response, then looked back up at me from her laptop screen.
“What about you and your family?” I asked her. She told me previously her parents were from India but not much about their traditions.
“Well, we love Christmas. Back in India, it is like a wonderland with all the lights and decorations. We recently celebrated Diwali, the five-day festival of lights. It’s a form of worship to the goddesses of India. It’s amazing seeing everyone get together,” Alisha told me, and I didn’t know much about the festival but I certainly would find out more about it later. I wanted to learn more about her culture.
“Do you spend Christmas in India normally or in the UK?” I wanted to know more about her family and their traditions.
“For the last few years, we’ve celebrated in the UK. My aunts and uncles usually like to come down for it. We all stay at my parents place and a delicious meal is cooked. We have a lot of things to eat, like masala smashed potatoes and then for dessert, mum likes to bake a carrot cake or maybe an Indian dessert board which has nuts and fruits on it. Gosh, even thinking about it is making me hungry.” Alisha smiled, getting lost in thoughts of home I would imagine.
“Sounds really great. How is your sister doing?” I pretty much wanted to stop talking about myself and learn more about Alisha, fuck the interview.
“Kiya, yeah she’s alright. I always look out for her, she’s very sweet and she has a good heart. Unfortunately people have taken advantage of that.” Alisha let out a sigh. I could sympathise as I knew how that felt. It’s what made it hard to trust people, but I felt as though I could trust Alisha, and it sounded like her family was trustworthy too.
“It’s the same with my sister. Heart of gold which people are very quick to tear apart. We do what we can for our siblings, don’t we?” I pondered on this comment, thinking back to the past few months where Mira picked up the pieces of my shattered heart, she really had been there for me and although she didn’t have the instant solution of healing my heart, at least her company had done me good. I owed her a lot and I would do my best now to be a good brother.
“My brothers are a little different to me. Both stubborn but they mean well,” Alisha said, scrunching her nose slightly.
“I bet it’s nice to have a big family though,” I said and she smiled at this, nodding in agreement.
“Oh, yeah. They have my back and I’m very lucky.” Alisha flashed me another heart-stopping grin before getting back to typing.
She really was a quick typer.
“Sorry. I’m distracting you with my questions,” I said, realising that really we were here to talk about me and my traditions.
“Not at all. It’s nice to talk to someone who’s genuinely interested in me and my family,” Alisha said. I wondered who wouldn’t be interested, she already had me in the palm of her hand and it’d only been a few days. Absolutely crazy. Originally I’d felt conflicted about my growing feelings for her, whether I was kidding myself or not. But the more I spent time with her, the more I felt like myself. The lost version I didn’t think I’d get back. Maybe I was starting to become less afraid of the idea of liking someone again.
As if she could read my mind, Alisha’s eyes met mine and I couldn’t find myself looking away. I didn’t want to.
I got lost in the abyss that was her deep brown eyes, deep and inviting. I didn’t want to stop talking to her, to admire the way every so often she would wet her lips as if she was parched. This feeling was indescribable but I wanted more. The question was, how was I going to make the first move?