3. Mystery Guy
3
Mystery Guy
A lexa stood in front of her cherry-wood dresser, staring at her reflection. She tapped her foot impatiently on the floorboard, waiting for her best friend to pick up, with the phone pressed to her ear.
Daphne didn’t answer.
Alexa called her again.
Just before the last bell, Daphne’s voice sang from the other end of the line. “ It’s been a long day without you my friend, and I’ll tell you all about it when I see you again. ”
Alexa’s stoic expression in the mirror cracked with a small smile. “That’s the problem, my friend, I can’t wait to see you again—that is tomorrow morning at school—to tell you the drama that unfolded in my unfortunate life just an hour ago. ”
“What?” Daphne asked with a bitten laugh.
Alexa wrapped her free arm around herself. “What would you say if I told you that I was dating my—long-lost? secret?—step-brother all these months?”
Daphne was silent for an immeasurable moment before she exploded with, “ What? ”
Alexa released the breath through her nose. “Jude and I broke up.”
“Not a surprise, but… Lexi! Whatever did you mean by that ?” Daphne dropped her voice in a dramatic whisper, obviously in disbelief.
“He’s my mother’s step-son, son of the… the-the—” she swallowed the cuss word burning at the tip of her tongue with utter difficulty— “ the man she ran away with. And I’m so ticked off right now, so distract me before I turn my room into a wreck,” she gritted out, her words venomous and dripping in frustration.
“Okay, alright. Just take a deep breath,” Daphne instructed, her words slow and cautious, and Alexa heard her take a deep breath.
“I tried, Daph—”
“With me , Lex. Come on. Do it,” Daphne urged. “ Deep breaths…”
Alexa clenched her jaw and breathed in through her nose, and exhaled.
“How does that feel?”
“A tad better,” she answered honestly, surprised that she actually felt a tad better.
“Alright now, where is Cass?”
“She’s on a date with Brandon—”
“She left you behind when you’re about to tear your room apart?” Daphne exclaimed .
“Oh, if only you knew my sister.” Alexa rolled her eyes. “She almost swore not to leave my side, but she had promised Brandon a date, so I reminded her that she better keep her word. Trust me. I practically pushed her out of the house when she and Brandon tried to get me to go with them. I didn’t want to intrude on their time together, and I wanted to be alone.”
“So you can tear apart your room by the time Cass returns,” Daphne said sarcastically, just before her voice grew serious. “Now, tell me everything from the beginning.”
As much as Alexa preferred forgetting what happened and never having to relive the memory, she knew it couldn’t be done before she had spilled everything to her only best friend—best friend besides her sister. She put Daphne on speaker and set the phone on the dresser before pacing back and forth near it as she poured her fury.
Every gasp, what , and how dare he from Daphne only fuelled the flame of her building hatred toward the boy she had not loved but cared for.
Alexa ended the venting with an exasperated, “Distract me!”
“Oh, okay—” Daphne sounded as desperate as she was, to rescue her from her misery. “Oh, oh, oh… books! ”
“I canceled my KU subscription and haven’t renewed it yet.” Alexa glanced at the wooden shelf on the corner stacked with her favorite books. She ran a hand through her hair in frustration. “And the books in my shelf are the ones I’ve read at least two times. I want something new.”
“Go to the bookstore. Go, go, go! Just don’t stay in your house until Cassie returns. Ugh, why did my parents plan the extended family get-together today ?” Daphne groaned. “I wish I was there with you instead. Will be you all right? Or, would you like to come here? My parents won’t mind! You know they love having you here.”
“That’s so… you of you, Daph, but no. I’ll survive. I definitely don’t want to intrude on a family dinner.”
“You won’t—”
“You know what, I’ll just go to the salon and get my hair done. It’s been a while. Then, I’ll go to the bookstore with a to-go coffee and read until Cassie returns. How does that sound?”
Daphne sighed. “As long as you don’t wanna tear apart anything, it’s perfect. But, are you sure?”
“Positive.” Alexa nodded at her reflection in the mirror. “Besides, I’ve been planning a salon trip for a while now; just never been in the mood before. Perhaps I’ll get highlights this time.”
“Ooh, I know! Cut your hair short and dye it blond with blue highlights! Besties with matching hairstyles. We could be trendsetters!” Daphne laughed at her own ridiculous suggestion.
Alexa shook her head with a smile. “I’m pretty sure short and blond won’t match me.”
“You’ll never know unless you’ve tried it.” Alexa imagined her rolling her eyes. “So, what’s on your mind?”
“How about I surprise you at school tomorrow?”
“Sounds good. But, Lex?”
“Yeah?”
“You’re over the breakup, aren’t you? Honestly?”
“Yeah, why’d you ask?” she asked, wringing her hands at her reflection. “I have, and I’m not going to waste a tear on him.”
“Just looking out for you, Lex,” Daphne said softly, just before her voice rose, “because I’m going to throw a punch into Jude White’s face when I see him at school tomorrow. We’re going to show that deceitful snake that you’re completely over him and haven’t wasted a tear. And changing your hairstyle might be the best start, so go for a unique look no one’s ever seen on you before.”
Alexa smiled, and the slender girl of average height in the mirror with waist-length straight hair that hadn’t touched a scissor in five months, smiled back at her.
“Aye, aye, captain.”
* * *
Alexa decided to go with a butterfly-cut and red highlights.
She looked herself in the mirror of the salon and snapped a shot, and sent it to Cassie. Her sister immediately responded with a few GIFs, one saying gorgeous , another with a jaw-dropping girl, and the last one saying how dare you go alone . She chuckled and almost sent the photo to Daphne as well, then remembered she wanted to surprise her at school.
Alexa walked from the salon to the café she worked as a barista every day after school, the best in their small town of Harmony Hills, and grabbed a cappuccino before heading straight to her favorite bookstore. Not that there were many bookstores in Harmony Hills or that she had a particular favorite; Alexa loved every place that sold books. This one though, it had her sister’s books on their shelves.
The five-minute walk to the bookstore made her miss her SUV. Alexa sighed. She didn’t want to regret her choice, it was for the best, but she did. The car had been her dad’s gift on her sixteenth birthday, and Alexa had only driven it for a year and a half before she had to give it up.
They’d had no other way to see to the expenses of the funeral and pay the hospital bill; selling her car was the only option, and Alexa had been willing to sacrifice it, as much as it hurt her to let go of what she counted as a piece of herself and her beloved dad.
Cassie wouldn’t let them take Alexa’s college fund, and Alexa wouldn’t let Cassie sell her car; she needed it to go to her work more than Alexa needed hers to go to her school. In the end, they agreed to sell Alexa’s SUV, and Dr. Knight had jumped in to buy it from them as soon as he heard it. He also paid them more than the fair amount, leaving no room for argument.
The kind man had said the car was for his son. Alexa hadn’t even known he was a married man until then, as she had seen no ring on his finger; but to know that her precious car would be in familiar hands gave her a slight relief. She might even be able to see it one day. Dr. Knight was an old friend of their dad, after all, and whenever he had time off duty, he called to check in on them, and had promised to visit as well.
Alexa walked into the bookstore.
The familiar air greeted her like a cozy embrace. Almost out of habit, she ventured off toward the shelves where her sister’s books were. Not to her surprise, half of them were already sold out. Alexa brimmed with pride for her sister, and the feeling was as new as she felt it when Cassie published her first fantasy romance, Out of the Sea .
She moved on to the young adult section and began taking out titles she had never read before. She read the blurb of a few and chose one that piqued her interest before taking out her phone and googling to see if it was a spice-free romance.
Her preference for no-spice romance had roots in past encounters with books that left her with inappropriate thoughts and desires. The struggle to get over them had been real, but she got off it eventually with help from her sister and…
And God.
Alexa pursed her lips, an ache forming in her heart. What was this feeling?
Because you’re hurt, silly. He has abandoned you. He doesn’t care for you anymore. He has decided you’re a waste of time to give His attention to.
Alexa agreed with the cold voice in her head. Yes, God cared for her then , but not anymore.
Her aversion to spice wasn’t unnoticed by the girls in her social circle, the so-called mean girl club. They took pleasure in teasing her about her choice whenever they could, labeling her church girl as a playful dig. Though, even after she had shed the confines of religious associations, her preference for closed-door romance remained unwavering.
The Google results showed her, not to her surprise, that it was a spicy book. She moved on to another title and did the same.
Book after book, Alexa continued her hunt for a good read. When she was on the brink of giving up and going for a familiar read, she found a book with an irresistible blurb and opened it to read it. Only to shut it close when a character named Jude popped up on the second page.
Alexa huffed in frustration; she didn’t want to think about him. But, how to do that?
She pulled another book from the shelf, and allured by its cover, opened to read it when a sudden thud echoed through the quiet ambience. She turned, and her eyes widened in surprise to see a book on the polished wooden floor.
Alexa closed her book immediately and bent down to retrieve the fallen one. Her eyes shifted to the tall, back open, wooden shelf on her left, and seeing the narrow gap between the lined books, she realized it had fallen through.
Some careless reader must have placed it, she thought.
Alexa straightened, and just as she was about to place the book back in its place, through the narrow gap, she spied a tall young man in black attire on the other side. His back was turned to her, and he looked engrossed in a book.
Alexa’s eyes observed him silently.
Oh boy, he had a hot back.
And his stature was not only attractive, but oddly familiar.
Why did he—his back —seem familiar? Had she seen him somewhere?
He wore a button-down with sleeves rolled up to his elbow, paired with jeans. Alexa was ready to bet on anything that, if he turned, she’d lose her breath; he was a gorgeous man. If someone with a back as attractive as his wasn’t drop-dead gorgeous on the front, then the world was surely spinning in the wrong direction.
Drop-dead gorgeous…
This was the second time she had used the term today.
Then it struck her. She remembered the handsome stranger from church. Black attire, tall, pale skin… yes, pale skin, with an attractive back…
Alexa’s eyes widened. She put the book back on the shelf and retreated. Could it be him? Her heart accelerated for no reason.
What should she do? Should she go and say hi ? And what if it wasn’t him?
Perhaps she could go, pretend to look for a book, and see if it was him. If it wasn’t, she’d turn back.
And what if it was him? Would he recognize her? They’d locked eyes, after all.
If it was him, she would strike up a polite conversation and act surprised to recognize him as the boy from—
Alexa nearly jumped out of her skin with a small gasp as another book tumbled to the floor. She stared with wide eyes, her eyes flickering between the fallen book and the oblivious reader she could now again see through the gap.
And, this was the same book.
She held her breath. Was he trying to play? With her?
Alexa didn’t know what came over her. She grabbed the fallen book and put it back in its place, just before pushing it out. She covered her mischievous grin with a hand as the book tumbled out of the shelf to the floor on the boy’s side.
She retreated to her original position and pretended to be engrossed in the book she held, with her back facing him— if he would see her when he’d turn to place the book back.
If he would even notice the book had fallen.
If he was the one behind the mischief at all.
Seconds later, she heard a book falling to her side. She closed her book and placed it away, a chuckle escaping her lips before she could stop it. He was behind this.
“Are you having trouble keeping your book on the shelf?”
The boy’s chuckle joined hers. It was a delightful sound. “It seems to me that we’re both playing a game.”
“The one you started.”
“And you stepped in to play along gladly.”
“You left me with no other choice.”
“Oh, you had a choice. You beckoned me into the game by pushing a book to my side.”
“Oh, really?” Alexa bent down to pick the book. When she straightened and looked through the narrow gap, he was still facing his back to her. “What was the game supposed to be?”
He lifted a shoulder in a graceful shrug. “I was merely recommending you a book; you seemed to be struggling to find one.”
Alexa narrowed her eyes at his back. “Were you stalking me? Are you that guy from church who was staring at me?”
Up until then, she had forgotten that she had caught him staring at her. All that occupied her mind had been her trying to catch him and his disappearance, and the tad disappointment it left her with. In between, she had completely forgotten about his staring.
“You’re too smart for your own good.” He shook his head, and she detected a smile in his voice. Still, he wouldn’t turn.
“I’d say I’m observant and cautious.” She crossed her arms, hugging the book to her chest. “Are you going to turn so I could speak to your face, or are you going to leave me staring at your back all the time?”
“Do you enjoy staring at my back? Sounds like you do.”
Up went her eyebrows. “Are you flirting with me?”
“Trust me. I don’t know the first thing about flirting.”
Alexa rolled her eyes, but was unable to hold off a smile. “Could’ve fooled me, because you’re doing it right now.”
“I’m honored by your approval.”
Laughter bubbled up inside Alexa, and the next moment she was bursting with laughter.
“You’re laughing,” the handsome stranger said, and his voice took on a soft note, almost surprised, marveling.
“Because you made me.”
Then his words clicked into place. She hadn’t laughed since her dad’s departure. The last time she ever laughed like this, extending her heart, had been with him, two days before he took his last breath. She and Cassie were reliving their most cherished and hilarious memories with him.
The memory evoked the ache in her heart. Alexa shoved the thoughts aside.
Her dad wanted her to be happy, and here she was, laughing for the first time in three months. She had chuckled, stifled and spluttered laughs, giggled a little… but laugh? Like this? No, she hadn’t. And she was as surprised as the handsome stranger.
“You alright? Did I offend you?” His concerned voice brought her attention back to him. She looked through the narrow gap; he still hadn’t turned.
“No, you didn’t.” Her voice was soft in marvel.
“You sure?” he pressed, sounding unsure.
Alexa sighed with a soft smile. “If it makes you feel better, you just made me laugh for the first time in a long while, since my dad passed away.”
“I’m so sorry for your loss,” he said, his voice earnest. “And yes, it does make me feel better. I’m glad I got to make you laugh.” Again, there was a smile in his voice.
Alexa was intrigued now; she wanted him to turn, she wanted to see that smile. She replayed his face in her mind and wished to see it again.
“Are you going to turn or not?” The words escaped her lips before she registered them. But she didn’t regret it, nor did she shy away. Hanging out with the mean girls in her school and pretending to be a cool girl like them had done her some good—besides getting Daphne as her best friend. She didn’t get shy easily.
“Why are you so keen for me to turn?” His voice took on a playful note.
“Seriously?” she asked with a bitten laugh. “I’ll play with you as long as you want, if you turn and face me.”
“I don’t want you to faint.”
Alexa snorted. “I’m tougher than I get credit for. ”
“You do seem tough.”
“You don’t even know me yet.”
All he did was shake his head; she imagined him smiling too. It drove her insane and annoyed, trying to picture a smile on his face while he was right in front of her.
“What?” she asked.
“Nothing.”
“Why can’t you just look at me? You do realize you’re proving that you’re a stalker by not turning around to look at me, right? First, you were staring at me in the church, and now you are here, saying that you saw me struggling to find a book for myself.” Alexa didn’t mean her accusations, her only hope was that he would be offended enough after being called a stalker and turn and face her.
“Now, now, you can’t accuse an innocent man of being a stalker for coincidences.” He was amused. Amused! He wasn’t even defending himself.
“I don’t see any coincidence here.” Alexa uncrossed her arms and threw them in the air, still gripping the book.
“I’d love to enlighten you,” he said, obviously smiling. “I stopped at the church when I heard the most beautiful singing voice I’ve ever listened.”
Alexa’s heart skipped a beat. Me? A blush coated her cheeks for the first time in a while longer than since she had laughed.
“Now, here, I came looking for my next read when I spotted you. And you are calling me a stalker.” He laughed.
Alexa didn’t respond; she couldn’t, she didn’t know how.
“You still there?”
“You could turn and see for yourself, you know?”
The handsome stranger laughed. “How about we turn this into a game? Neither of us should turn and look for each other.”
Alexa rolled her eyes. “And what’s in it for you and me?”
“Isn’t being mysterious something girls find as hot and alluring in boys?”
“Can you repeat the part where you said you don’t know how to flirt?”
“Gladly,” he said, and recited his previous words, emphasizing each word. “I don’t know the first thing—”
Alexa burst out laughing. “You’re hilarious.” Couldn’t he detect jokes?
“And you’re laughing,” he said in that soft voice once more. “Again.”
“What’s your name?” she choked out, realizing that they’d been throwing jabs at each other without knowing their names.
“Why are you asking my name, my lady? It’s mysterious.”
“What, is it something like Rumpelstiltskin?”
“I thought it was spelled Rumpelstill tes kin.”
“People pronounce it differently, I think.” She narrowed her eyes at his attractive back that was starting to infuriate her. “But don’t change the subject. If you’re planning to say that not revealing your name to a girl is another hot thing, keep it to yourself.”
He laughed, and it was melodious, nearly soothing her fury. “Wasn’t going to. What I was actually going to say was, what if you don’t like my name?”
Alexa snorted. “You’re the most impossible boy I’ve ever met.”
“You can say that again.”
And she repeated, mischievously, emphasizing each word. “You are the most impossible boy I have ever met.”
He didn’t interrupt as she had interrupted him, but only chuckled, shaking his head.
Oh, if only that head would just turn!
“So, your name?”
“What if my name is boring and ugly? What if you don’t like it?”
“Alright, here’s what I’ve learned about names. Once upon a time, there were names I liked, loved, and disliked. But you know what, books made me love the names I once found boring and unlikable. Take Alex for example. I didn’t like that name. At all.”
“Is it because—” he began and paused for a long moment that prompted Alexa to ask, “Because of what?”
“Because of Alexander the Great?”
She laughed. “And why would I not like it because it was his name?”
“Or perhaps you’ve met some bad Alexes?”
“Of course not.” Alexa couldn’t stop laughing. She clutched her stomach; it hurt, but it also felt too good. After getting a hold on herself, she continued. “Honestly, the names I claimed to dislike, I really didn’t have a reason for it. Anyways, my point is, my dislike of the name Alex changed when I read a certain character; he was an amazing male lead. Same with Ryan, Michael, Damien—oh, oh! Stefan! I did not like the name Stefan before, but Stefan Salvatore from The Vampire Diaries made me love it. He’s now my number one book boyfriend.”
The handsome stranger laughed. “My parents should’ve named me Stefan.”
“Don’t be ridiculous.” Alexa laughed with him. “I’m sure you have a charming name. I’ve learned that it’s not the sound that makes a name handsome but the person bearing it. So dear mysterious stranger, you have a charming, easy-going personality, and whatever your name is, I know it is charming. So, stop keeping me waiting and spit it out.”
There was a beat of silence. Alexa held her breath in waiting.
“Tristan,” he said at last, his voice almost reverent. “My name is Tristan.”
“Tristan,” she repeated, a smile blooming on her face and an odd triumphant feeling settling inside her. “See, I told you your name would be charming.”
“So you think my name is charming?”
“Tristan is one of my favorite male names, actually.” Before he could make a remark, she added, “But don’t even think of gloating.”
“Wasn’t going to.” He laughed again. “So…?”
“So what?” she asked, feigning innocence. He was hinting at her revealing her name too.
“May I know your beautiful name?”
“It’s mysterious, Tristan , why would you ask?” She would’ve batted her eyes at him if he were looking at her.
“Oh, you don’t want to do this…”
“Oh, but I want to.” Alexa couldn’t help her smirk. “How about… I’ll tell you my name if you face me?”
“Here we go again,” he muttered. “I knew this was coming.”
Her smirk turned smug. When he didn’t say anything more but shook his head, she prodded, “So… what do you think?”
“I think I’m not about to play that game.”
“But that’s unfair.” Her eyes widened. “I played yours!”
“Doesn’t mean I should play yours , clever girl.” He smirked, she was sure of it. “It was nice meeting you, by the way. But I should really go.”
“What? Wait!”
He placed the book he held back on the shelf in front of him and turned to go, not sparing a look at her, not even saying another word.
“Wait, Tristan!” But he was already out of her sight. She moved along the shelf with him, listening to his hurried footsteps. “Will I see you again, at least?”
His footsteps paused, and she did too. “You want to see me again?” he asked in a low voice, surprised.
“Yes, of course.” The note of her voice matched his. “As infuriating as you are, I enjoyed your company.” She hesitated for a moment and continued. “I came here looking for a book to distract me from the drama that recently unfolded in my life. Not only I didn’t find a good book, I knew it wouldn’t have given me a lasting distraction; but you did. And you made me laugh, so yeah. I want to see you again.”
Alexa hoped she didn’t sound as desperate as she felt. She rocked back and forth on her heels, suddenly nervous.
“I’ll keep that in mind.” His answer disappointed her. It wasn’t straightforward, promising, or assuring. She couldn’t make out his tone either; whether he was smiling or not.
“You better, because you’ve still gotta come for my name.” Alexa knew she could walk forward out of the pathway and catch up to him, but something held her back. Strangely, she didn’t want to break the rule of his game even though she hadn’t quite agreed to play along.
“Trust me. I won’t be able to sleep a wink without knowing the name of the girl who makes me feel alive by simply existing in this world.” This time he smiled. She heard his smile, but his words refused to make sense.
“What is that supposed to mean?” she asked with a forced, cool laugh as her heart began to accelerate.
No answer came.
“Tristan?”
No answer.
“Tristan, are you there?” She pulled out a book from the shelf and spied through the narrow gap. He wasn’t there. Where could he have gone? Her heart raced faster as she walked out of the pathway and turned to the one where he had been.
It was empty.
“Do you have a diploma in disappearing or something?” she murmured as disappointment and annoyance weighed down on her. “Because I hate this more than you refusing to face me.”
She turned on her heels to go after him; but just like at the church, there was no glimpse of him in the entry hall or outside the shop. She spied the manager at the counter, Mrs. Hanson, and slipped back to the bookshelves before anyone noticed her. She still had the book in her hand that he’d pushed out.
Sighing, Alexa walked to the pathway he had been.
A white page sticking out from the line of the books caught her attention. She picked up her pace. It was right where they had stood and bantered. Alexa placed the book in its place and took the small piece of paper tucked between two books next to it, with trembling fingers.
You have a beautiful voice, one that can put even a siren to shame. It was nice meeting you, Alexa.
Her eyes bulged. How did he know her name? Had he asked around the church for her or something?
Alexa looked down at the cursive handwriting, reading the black-inked words again. Her disappointment and annoyance soothed slightly, and a small smile tugged at her lips.
Everyone who ever heard her sing said she had the voice of an angel. He called her a siren—well, that her voice could put a siren to shame.
Her smile widened.
She couldn’t wait to get back home and belt out Taylor Swift’s Enchanted until she’d fall asleep.