15. Angel & Knight
15
Angel immense and agonizing pain. And her heart twisted at the thought.
She sent him a text.
Alexa: Call me when it’s over. I can’t seem to rest until I hear from you.
She stared at her screen and her vision blurred together. Her heart broke for him. She tried telling herself that he had been through this before and he would be alright. Not even direct lightning strikes could harm him.
Yes, not even direct strikes can harm him. She took a deep breath, letting the thought wash over her. He’s a survivor.
With that assurance, she climbed off the bed and did her daily workout before getting ready for school. She kept checking her phone for his response every now and then, despite the thunder still clapping in the skies. When she went down to the kitchen, Cassie was making breakfast.
Alexa told her sister what happened last night, and her sister hugged her with a gentle smile. When she shared her worries over Tristan with her, Cassie brushed them off with assuring words.
It rained that whole day, and Alexa didn’t recall having ever hated the weather before. Lightning flashed across the sky, small or big, occasionally. And not receiving Tristan’s response, not even that he had seen her message, only proved he hadn’t been able to recover. It took half an hour for the effect of the lightning to wear off, after all.
It was frustrating that the lightning kept flashing one after another before his recovery time was up.
By night, the weather had calmed. Alexa stood in her balcony, looking up at the star-less sky, watching the lightning flash in the distance. She sighed and went back into the room, grabbing a book for a short read before bed.
The intended short read prolonged like always, pulling her from its depths only when the phone pinged with a text.
She nearly threw the book away in her hurry to grab the phone. Just as she anticipated, it was from Tristan. A smile bloomed into her face.
Tristan: I’m so sorry it took me long to respond. Today was bad, but I’ve lived through worse. I did see your message notification when the phone chimed, but wasn’t able to touch it until now. Thank you for checking on me, Alexa. I’m alright, please don’t worry. I can’t wait to see you again.
Alexa’s vision swam as tears veiled her eyes. Goodness, she’d been in an emotional turmoil lately. What was happening to her?
Alexa: Me too. I’m so relieved to get your reply. I knew you’d be alright, but I couldn’t help worrying.
Tristan: I could come now. Can I teleport right inside your room?
Alexa: No! I mean, don’t come now! As much as I want to see you, don’t! Please, for me, don’t risk it. Please, please, please. Promise me you’re not gonna leave your house until the thunderstorm has moved on from town .
Tristan: I can’t turn you down when you plead like that.
Alexa: It’s no secret I care for you, Tristan. If you didn’t know that already, now you do.
Tristan: I do, Alexa. I wish I could see your face now.
Alexa: I’m smiling, surely you can imagine that?
He didn’t respond. Alexa immediately realized why when thunder clapped in the skies. She groaned and glared out at the night sky, just in time to see another lightning flash. “Could you please stop the show?”
She waited for it to stop until her eyelids grew heavy and she fell asleep. When she woke up in the morning, to her great annoyance, it was raining again.
Alexa groaned and tossed aside her blanket and climbed off the bed to stomp toward her bathroom when her eyes landed on a small piece of white paper on the floor, near the main door. She almost ignored it, thinking it was trash, until her eyes brushed over the familiar handwriting.
She reached for it .
I’m late to respond to your message, so I thought this is the best way of letting you know my reply. I’ve been smiling too. I am smiling now. You have never ceased to put a smile on my face.
—Tristan.
Alexa read the note repeatedly with an uncontainable smile. Being one of the most popular and gorgeous girls in the school, she never lacked admirers. Nearly every day, until she was officially dating Jude, she had love letters waiting for her in her locker. Most of them were anonymous—but from the difference in their handwriting, she realized they were from not just one boy—and some had been from Jude himself.
But none of them made her heart soar with contentment like this one did. Alexa hugged the note to her chest for a moment, like it was a piece of Tristan himself, before she turned around and grabbed her phone.
Alexa: Got your response. So thoughtful and sweet of you, Tristan. But I’m not pleased that you didn’t wake me up during your ‘visit’.
That was it. Since he didn’t call her when he came by, she was going to pay him a surprise visit after school today.
* * *
The dark clouds loomed overhead, threatening to rain at any moment, or worse, to restart the lightning. Alexa parked her scooter in the driveway of Tristan’s house. She spied her former car in the garage next to Dr. Knight’s sedan and sent a smile its way before walking up the portico.
She rang the doorbell, and a moment later, the door opened, revealing a surprised-looking Dr. Knight in casual attire.
“Alexa, what a surprise!” The older man gestured her inside. She stepped forward and gave him a quick hug in greeting. “It’s so good to see you again. Although, I’m sure you’re not here to see me. ” He wriggled his eyebrows.
Alexa chuckled. He was super friendly and always positive. It was no secret he was the town’s favorite doctor.
She stepped back and grinned. “It’s so good to see you too, Dr. Knight.”
“ Albert , Alexa. How many times should I tell you there’s no need for formalities between us?” Albert tilted his head with a soft smile.
“Then, Albert it is.”
Albert rolled his eyes with a smile. “That’s what you say all the time.”
Not this time. Alexa chuckled. This time, not only he was her dad’s friend but Tristan’s father as well. And she and Tristan were… close . She opened her mouth but shut it as her eyes hooked on the figure that appeared on the staircase behind Albert.
Tristan. Clad in black as ever.
The surprise was evident on his face as he descended the stairs to them. “Hey.”
Alexa was suddenly and uncharacteristically shy. “Hey.”
“And that’s my cue to leave,” Albert announced cheerfully. Alexa turned to find his eyes bouncing between the two of them with a twinkle. “I’ll be in the kitchen if you need me—though I doubt you will.” He winked at his son and nodded at Alexa before turning and walking toward the living room, hands in his pockets and whistling.
Tristan shook his head at his dad’s retreating back with a small smile before his eyes turned to her. Alexa didn’t think twice before closing the distance between them and throwing her arms around his neck. He returned the hug, pressing his face into her hair and inhaling.
“Missed me?”
Alexa smiled against the collar of his shirt. “Sort of.”
“You’re a terrible liar, Alexandra.” He chuckled into her hair, making her toes curl in pleasure. She loved her name on his lips, a name she had despised being called by even Cassie. “You’re clinging onto me for dear life.”
“I’ve been worried.” She pulled away to look at him. “And before you even try to soothe my worries—I can’t help it.”
Tristan’s eyes softened in an adoring way. “I know. One day you will.”
“Will I?” She furrowed her eyebrows. “I don’t think I will. You in agony when there’s lightning? No, definitely not.”
Tristan only grinned, and Alexa arched an eyebrow at him.
“You do care for me.”
He sounded exactly like she had the night before yesterday, in marvel. She smiled at him softly and replied to him as he had her.
“Yes, I do,” she said with a nod. “I care for you.”
Tristan’s smile broadened as if he remembered his own words from that night. “You truly are an angel,” he said with a shake of his head. “Would you like to come upstairs?”
“Sure.”
Tristan led her upstairs and paused at the open doorway of his bedroom reluctantly. He turned to her, his eyes uncertain. “Would you like a tour of my room or should we go somewhere else?”
Alexa sensed his nervousness and offered him an assuring smile. “I won’t be here long, my shift starts in an hour unfortunately. So, I really don’t mind where we linger. I just came to see you.”
She flushed at the last words and scolded herself for always going red in the face around him. What was happening to her?
Tristan’s uncertainty shifted and a crooked grin that fluttered her heart claimed his lips. “Welcome to my cave.” He gestured her into his room.
“Why, thank you, caveman, ” she teased and walked into his room, taking tentative steps inside.
A mixture of excitement and nervousness brimmed in her. She had never been in a boy’s room before, not even Jude’s when they were together. She had never even been to his house. He never brought her there. She had always wondered why, even though she never asked him; but now, she knew.
A distinct scent greeted her, a combination of Tristan’s cologne and a hint of something she couldn’t quite place. Unlike what she had expected to see in a boy’s room, Tristan’s walls were adorned with paintings rather than posters of bands and artists. One section of the wall was a mural, capturing a cityscape bathed in twilight.
Alexa approached the wall in awe. “This is so beautiful,” she whispered. “I’ve never seen anything like this before.”
“Thank you. I’m so glad you like it.”
Alexa whirled toward him, her eyes wide as she tried to make out the meaning of his words. “Did you—did you paint it?”
Tristan smiled her favorite crooked grin. “You might be surprised to know I’m an artist.”
“Oh, my goodness, really?” she nearly exclaimed.
His smile turned humble as he gestured to all the paintings around his room. “These are what I call my masterpieces, my favorites among my collection.” He explained. “As for the mural, I change it once every year.”
“You’re full of surprises aren’t you?”
Alexa glanced over the wall with a small smile. Her eyes traced every detail before they lingered on the two silhouettes standing atop a tall building and watching the city panorama.
Her breath hooked. “Is that…?”
She turned to Tristan as his response delayed. His eyes held uncertainty, but he nodded, almost cautiously. “You and me.”
Alexa swallowed, her eyes searching for the reason for his uncertainty. “You don’t sound so certain.”
His eyes turned rueful. “I didn’t want to freak you out.”
“Oh, Tristan.” She nearly melted. “You didn’t. I’m…” She glanced over at the painting and then back to him. “I’m just surprised. When did you paint this?”
“A few months ago.” Tristan averted his gaze to the painting, to the two silhouettes standing together. Alexa followed his gaze and watched the figures closely; the male had an arm around the female’s waist. She flushed at her discovery. “At the time I met you, I was giving it the finishing touches. But the silhouettes hadn’t been there until a month ago.”
A question burned on the tip of her tongue and she didn’t withhold herself from releasing it. Whatever this was between them, it couldn’t go forward without them being honest and open with each other.
“I thought you said you realized you loved me when you saw me leap from the bridge.” She kept her eyes glued on the boy and girl, yet she felt his gaze on her.
“I did,” he said. “At the time I added this, you were my dream. I dreamt of taking you to the rooftop of the highest building in the city and showing you the beautiful panorama. I longed for it, and as I fulfill every other impossible dream of mine, I gave it life in the only way I can. I painted it. I hope you—I hope you don’t mind,” he added hesitantly.
Alexa turned to him, her gaze meeting his open, honest ones. Hesitancy made him look vulnerable, and she adored this side of him, unafraid to be honest. It was beautiful.
“That dream of yours, this —” she pointed to the painting “—is not impossible. Not anymore.” She offered him a warm smile and watched as his countenance slowly lit up, hope filling his eyes. It was like watching the sunrise itself.
“You mean you’d like me to take you to the city and show you…” He trailed off, at a loss for words to finish.
“It’s your dream, so yes. I’m here, and every dream you’ve had that I can help you fulfill, I will.”
An intense look entered Tristan’s eyes. “It’s a date.”
Alexa gasped lightly. “Are you asking me out?”
“You’ve given me a chance to prove myself, so why not?” he asked, and then frowned, concern replacing the intensity in his eyes. “Unless you want us to wait—”
“No,” she cut him off, surprising herself with her haste. She smiled shyly. “I’d love to.”
Tristan dropped his gaze to the floor as he let a wide grin fill his face, running a hand through his hair. When he lifted them back to hers, they were undeniably warm. “I’m afraid we will have to wait until—”
“I’ll wait as long as it takes.” The words escaped her before she could check them. Since she couldn’t take them back, she added, almost coyly, “ If you let me visit you every day until the storm is over.”
“Oh, Alexa.” He sighed. “I can never tell you how much that would mean to me. Especially since I can’t visit you…”
“Oh, but you did visit me to leave the note, in case you forgot.”
“I didn’t enter your room.” Tristan shook his head, amused. “I slipped the note beneath your door. Didn’t you find it on the floor near it?”
“Yes?” Alexa drew out, prompting him to continue.
His smile turned lopsided. “I told you, not even the lightning could keep me from coming to you, but when I did come, it was too late and I was sure you were fast asleep. So I slipped the note under your door.”
“But,” she stammered, confused. “Why beneath the door? I thought you left it on my table and it may have flown to the floor.”
“I have never intruded on your privacy,” he said, like a reminder.
Alexa stared at him in open disbelief. “I swear, Tristan, I have never met a boy like you.” How could she have ever accused him, a gentleman to the core, for intruding on her privacy? “You—you are—you keep surprising me.”
“As do you, my Alexa.” Tristan’s eyes softened with that adoring look again.
My Alexa. She smiled, nearly undone. At that moment, she realized that she wanted to see to the end whatever that they were now. They smiled at each other for a moment before she spoke again.
“Would you give me a tour of your art?”
“You’re interested?”
“Of course.” Her voice conveyed the disbelief why he asked like that. “These are masterpieces, Tristan. Your bedroom is literally an art gallery. I don’t know what I expected when you led me in here, but definitely not this. Though I did expect one of the walls to be painted in black, I’m not at all disappointed to find a wall of art.” She laughed .
Tristan joined her, his laugh so open and contagious. She loved the sound of it and was silently pleased that she made him laugh. He waved an arm in a sweeping gesture over the room. “Where would you like to start?
Alexa’s eyes ran over each painting hung on the white and bluish-gray walls. They brushed over a particular one near the door and stopped, the only one that featured a person in it; in this case, four people.
She moved toward it, crossing the room, her gaze assessing the faces of the people in the portrait. Four people. Two male and two female. Two of them were older and the other two younger. Two of them were familiar and the other two unfamiliar.
Alexa immediately realized what the painting was. Her eyes dampened as she stopped in front of the portrait. This was the dream of the smiling boy in the frame who had an arm around his younger sister, the boy with impossible dreams who gave them life in whatever way he could.
Oh, how she adored him and admired him.
And she liked him very much; very, very much.
“The family I never had,” Tristan whispered from behind her. “I know people may think it’s rather insane of me to paint my dead mother and my unborn sister, not to mention, like this . But this is how I live my dreams in a life of impossibilities and limitations.”
He sighed heavily.
Alexa blinked away her tears and turned to face him. “Oh, Tristan.”
Her heart broke at the pain in his eyes that he didn’t bother to hide from her. She stepped closed and hugged him. Tristan wrapped his arms around her tight, one of his hands burrowing into her hair and holding her close.
“It’s not insane. You are not insane. If anyone has ever told you such, it’s them who are insane.” She pulled away to look at him. “Has anyone told you so?”
Tristan’s countenance gentled entirely. “No, angel.”
“Good.” Alexa grinned. “Or else I would deal with them myself.” She gentled her eyes and her voice. “Your dreams are beautiful, Tristan, because you don’t let the impossibility of reality deter you from them. I love it.”
Tristan pressed his lips to her forehead. “I’m glad you think so,” he said, before looking down at their embracing selves with a furrow of his eyebrows. “Is this okay?”
She gave him a teasing smile. “I wouldn’t have hugged you in the first place downstairs if it wasn’t.”
“Right,” he said with a breathless chuckle. “And me kissing your forehead?”
Heat coated her cheeks. “That too,” she murmured.
“I’m glad to know that.” He kissed the top of her head this time before leaning back to look into her eyes again. “But I want you to tell me if any of my actions make you uncomfortable in the future; it’s the last thing I want. Meanwhile, I’ll be on my best behavior.”
He gave her a heart-stopping smile.
“I don’t doubt that.” She turned her smiling face toward the painting, taking in every detail. It awed her how well he had captured himself and his dad in the painting; the only ones she knew to compare and compliment. “Your mother is beautiful, and so is your sister. I assume you drew her a bit like both your father and your mother.”
“I actually meant her to look like me, ” Tristan said, almost whiningly, but with a smile in his voice. “But painting someone purely out of my imagination and with the help of my mom’s childhood photos brought this as the result. Though, since I resemble my dad more than my mom, I could say I succeeded in capturing an aspect of me in her.”
“Of course you did. You two have the same eyes.”
“Yeah.” Tristan sighed, his chest rising and falling against her. “I was only fourteen when I painted this. Dad was astonished and at a loss for words when I showed it to him. He cried a little and hugged me tight. Since I wanted to keep this in my room, I drew another for him with just him and Mom. He treasures it in his room. Sometimes I wonder… if my mom and my sister are really up there, in Heaven, like he believes.”
Alexa peered up at him, watching the faraway look in his eyes. “Don’t you believe in Heaven?”
Tristan met her gaze with a soft but wry smile. “Believing in Heaven’s existence comes with the existence of the God my dad serves. So, I really don’t know.”
She didn’t know they had a faith struggle in common and was surprised at his admission. “You don’t believe in God’s existence.”
Tristan shrugged uncertainly. “I don’t know what to believe or what not to believe, so I simply don’t think about it.” He tilted his head, his gaze curious on her. “What about you?”
Alexa averted her gaze from him, staring into the space. “I believe in the existence of God. And Heaven too, because my dad believed he would go there when his battle with cancer was over.” Tears attacked her eyes, but she fought them. “Heaven is said to be a place of happiness, so yeah.” She shrugged and diverted her gaze to his compassionate ones. “I want to believe it’s real and my dad is there.”
He nodded. “My dad believes we’ll reunite with my mom and my sister one day soon.”
“One day soon? ” Alexa tilted her head. “I can see you’re desperate for them, but I have no intention of letting you go so early.”
All the traces of pain faded from his eyes. He grinned. “Is that a promise?”
“We’ll see.” Her teasing smile faltered as a question sprang to her mind. “Can I ask, what makes you wanna not believe in God?”
Tristan’s frown returned. He clenched his jaw. “He did my mother no good.”
“What do you mean?”
“After I was cursed, my mom desperately sought help to free me. She even tried tracking down witches, but before she could, when she was at the hospital for the checkups, an older woman approached her and said, ‘ Jesus is the path you’re looking for, walk in Him.’ Since then, she’d been invested in reading the Bible and praying for hours. Dad was soon drawn to her faith and they both were baptized. He used to say that it brought them hope about my situation. But what good did it bring them? My mom died a few months later, tragically by my own hands—”
“Tristan—”
“And I’m still the same! There’s no hope for me. As long as I’m alive, I’m like this. I can tell that Dad has lost his faith in this oh-so-promising God after Mom’s death, a God who failed to keep her safe, a God who was unfaithful to her, who served Him faithfully. I have nothing to do with Him, Alexa, just like He has nothing to do with me. The only reason Dad still bears the title of a Christian is Mom. After her death, he discovered her journal where she left a note for him and me. She said that she was compelled by the Holy Spirit to write it, telling us to never lose faith in God or question Him if anything bad were to occur in our family. Trist will be saved, the Lord has promised, and no matter how long it will take, I want us to wait for His perfect timing. Those were her words. An empty promise from a God who failed her.
“That’s why.” Tristan paused to breathe, and dropped his voice. “That’s why I don’t believe in Him. I hope my honesty didn’t offend you.”
Alexa frowned sadly and touched a hand to his face. He froze but composed himself and leaned into her touch, closing his eyes. “No, I understand,” she whispered. “I very much feel the same about Him.”
Tristan opened his eyes, baffled by her response. “But I thought you were a church girl.”
She shook her head with a sad smile. “My dad met Jesus in his brokenness after my parents’ divorce. He was a complete new man since, and it drew Cassie and me to the faith. I… I have seen God doing something in my family, Tristan, even though He didn’t listen to my pleas to bring our mom back. That’s why I can never deny His existence, no matter what I feel about Him now or in the future.
“We were a happy little family, thriving without our mother, until Dad tested positive for cancer. I had great faith that God would heal him, so I prayed like never before. I’ve heard the testimonies of God healing cancer and I believed a little too much, but… He didn’t listen. My dad was in pain for months until the day he was taken from us, and God did nothing. He. Did. Nothing. I realized He didn’t care for us anymore, I mean, hasn’t He got a million other perfect Christians around the world to care for rather than someone as filthy as us? He showed partiality; why couldn’t we have a good life with our parents like other kids get to? So I stopped bothering Him.”
Alexa wiped away her furious tears rather aggressively. She hadn’t realized how much affected she was by God’s silence until then, as she had never spoken aloud her feelings before. Though she and Cassie shared the same view, they had never bothered to talk about it. Why talk when there was no point? They had simply chosen to keep attending the church and pretend their faith was as good as ever.
“Attending church every Sunday is a charade,” she continued, as Tristan cradled her face in his hands and stroked her cheekbones back and forth with his thumbs. “If we let it slip, if anyone gets wind of our shattered faith, we’d likely be lectured. I hate lecturing, especially about faith. Keeping up the charade is good for Cass and me, plus it gives me a stage to sing every week—so you can’t let anyone know this. I trust you, Tristan.”
Alexa finished with an expectant look in her wide, imploring eyes.
“I will treasure your trust at all costs,” he promised. “Thank you for sharing this with me. We have a lot more in common than I thought we did.”
That brought back Alexa’s smile. She sniffed and got rid of the unshed tears from her eyes. “Can we change the subject? It’s ironic that I started it; I was merely curious.”
His eyes gentled. “You wanted to know me more, and I’m not hiding anything from you.” He dropped his hands from her face and stepped back. “Now, how about we complete the tour of my art?”
Alexa wanted nothing more than finding herself back in his arms again, his hands cradling her face, his fingers caressing her skin, and his loving gaze fixated on her. She almost felt turned inside out, floating, and all sorts of lovely feelings she had read in books when a boy held a girl. It felt heavenly, yet being with him felt as natural as breathing.
“Angel?”
Alexa’s heart jolted and her attention snapped to his concerned face. Oh, if they went on like this, she’d soon find herself in love with him. No doubt. Weren’t these feelings the beginning of it? Her heart began hammering, and she was surprised to realize it wasn’t by fear. Though the thought of falling in love had scared her before, the thought of falling in love with Tristan thrilled her.
She grinned up at him. “Yes.”
“Are you okay with me calling you Angel ?”
Oh, she was more than okay. Alexa’s grin turned sly and she peered at him through her lashes on purpose, like the female leads from books. “I know you can’t help it because you think I sing like one.”
All uncertainty vanished from Tristan’s face. He chuckled, shaking his head. “No, it’s not that. I called you a siren, remember? I wanted to call you Angel because,” he paused and gathered her back in his arms. “You came like an angel into my life, spreading light and hope, and pulling me out of my shell and my despair. After you, I never wanted to go back to my old self again.”
Heat coated her cheeks, and Tristan lifted a hand to trace her blush. The sweet look in his eyes was turning her insides into a mush. “Angel and Knight.”
Goodness, what had happened to the never-shy, never-blushing Alexa?
She’s being undone, Alexa told herself.
“Angel and Knight,” Tristan repeated and brought his lips to her forehead. But just as his lips brushed her skin, he jerked back, pushing himself out of their embrace and backing away from her.
“Tristan?” Alexa gaped at him, confused. Before she could voice her question, she saw the answer with her own eyes.
Tristan squeezed his eyes shut, his face twisting in pain. He clenched his hands into fists, every muscle in his body tense, and every vein bulging.
Thunder clapped in the skies.
Horror gripped her soul like never before.
“No, Tristan!” She lunged forward to his side, but he snapped open his eyes in agony and horror, and backed away further.
“No, Alexa, stay back,” he pleaded in a strained voice. “Please, don’t touch me.” He slumped into the lounge behind him, exhaustion falling over him and sweat beads forming on his forehead. He glanced at her ruefully and moaned. “I’m so sorry you have to see this. Oh, Alexa, you shouldn’t have come.”
Alexa narrowed her eyes in disbelief. How could he say that to her after what they shared just a moment ago? “No lightning can stop me from coming to you,” she quoted back his words. “So, definitely not you, Tristan.”
A grateful glint flickered in his eyes just before he snapped them shut, his face contorted in pain. Alexa felt like someone was trying to pluck her heart from the veins. Helpless tears crammed her eyes and rolled down her cheeks before she could stop them.
Out of the corner of her eyes, she saw Albert rushing into the room. She turned to him and saw him staring at his son with devastated eyes. He slowly turned his eyes to her and they softened.
So he knew; he knew that Tristan told her everything.
“Alexa dear, maybe you should leave now,” he said softly, watching the tears trickling down her cheeks.
“I’m not leaving him,” she protested defiantly, turning back to Tristan. He opened his eyes, and somehow amid his pain, he was looking at her with warmth, love, and adoration again.
“You should—”
“No, I won’t!” Alexa cut him off firmly.
“You have work.”
“It doesn’t matter.” It did matter, but Tristan mattered the most. She couldn’t just leave him like this.
“Angel, listen to me,” he said in a strained, weary voice. “ This is me; it’s always going to be like this with me. Please know that I am alright despite this. If you want to know me more, this is going to be a part of it.”
That struck her. His words sank into her, and she realized crying wouldn’t help either of them. She had to be helpful, but how?
She wiped her tears away and sniffed to contain herself. “You’re right,” she agreed, but her heart kept twisting inside. “But there has to be something I can do rather than standing by and watching you in pain.”
Tristan gasped in pain, followed by another thunderclap. “Distract me,” he rasped. “You can distract me.”
Alexa looked around the room frantically and her eyes fell on the piano and the guitar in the corner. An idea sparked in her mind. She walked over to the piano past him and dragged out a stool, sitting on it.
She brainstormed for a suitable song. Realizing that she didn’t know his favorites yet, she made a mental note to ask him later. Every song that came to her mind was romantic, as romance was her most-listened genre.
Tristan needed distraction. She didn’t have time to search for a suitable song.
Her fingers hovered over the keys and she began playing the first melody that came to her. It was one of her favorites, and she began to sing, hoping her voice would be enough to siren him from the excruciating pain. She closed her eyes and let the song take over her. A whirlwind of emotions stirred in her when she reached the chorus.
“‘Cause you’ll be safe in these arms of mine
Just call my name on the edge of the night
And I’ll run to you… I’ll run to you…”
The thunderstorm continued outside, but Tristan had stopped gasping and groaning. Alexa could feel his eyes on her, watching her every move, perhaps even smiling amid his pain.
As she launched into the second stanza, a fierce realization hit her. This song, one that she listened to whenever she craved comfort or was left with yearning after reading a good romance, said every bit about who Tristan was to her. Unlike a dozen other times, now, singing these lines felt like they belonged to him, that they were his words to her .
It stirred her emotions wild, and they flowed into her voice. When the final notes drifted away and she began a new melody, her favorite voice floated to her.
“Alexa,” Tristan called her softly.
She wiped away her tears and turned to him. Warmth and adoration eclipsed the pain in his eyes, but as he saw her teary gaze, concern lined in them.
“Are you alright?” He stirred, as if wanting to get up and reach out to her.
Her heart warmed at his attempt. She smiled to lessen his worry. “I just got a little emotional. Music has always reached to my depths.”
Tristan’s lips twitched at the corner. “You just made me wish I were music.”
Alexa decided to keep up with the lighthearted mood; anything to distract him. She stole a glance at the doorway and saw that Dr. Knight— Albert was no longer there. Diverting her gaze to him, she smirked a little.
“You’re a terrible liar.”
Tristan managed to pull together a faux-affronted look. “How so, my lady?”
“You’re an incredible flirt but you say you don’t know how to flirt. Likewise, two days ago you claimed you were no poet and every word that came out of your mouth was poetry.”
Tristan returned the smirk, now looking more at ease. Alexa noticed with relief that the lightning had stopped. “I guess I’m no longer who I thought I was.” He glanced over at the timepiece on the nightstand near his bed. “ Your shift begins in ten minutes, Alexa. As much as I’d love to keep you with me, I don’t want to keep you from your work.”
“It’s not like I’m going to be fired for being a little late. My boss knows I have a part in keeping his café going.” She jested playfully.
“He better, or he’ll answer to me.”
Of course. He was her Lightning Knight.
Alexa smiled at him softly, her playful mask dropping. “How are you feeling?”
“Just a little exhausted, but no more pain.” Tristan gave her an assuring smile. “I take back what I said earlier. I want you to come visit me until this storm passes—if you’re still inclined to it.”
Alexa leaned forward in her seat and tilted her head. “No storm can stop me. Like I said, not even you can stop me.” She rose from the stool. “Call me when you’re better, alright?”
“I will.” Tristan smiled, as wide as his exhaustion allowed him. “We have a pending tour of my art, tomorrow.”
“Can’t wait.” Alexa paused in front of the lounge he sat in. She wanted to hug him goodbye, at least take his hand and give it a squeeze— something . But she couldn’t touch him. She saw the same desire burning in his eyes, the intensity in them making her insides tingle in a way she took pleasure in. “I’ll see you, Tristan.”
“I’ll see you too, Alexa,” he murmured back slowly.
Her heart pounded in her ears as she turned and walked to the exit, but before she reached there, his voice stopped her.
“Alexa? ”
She turned to him, holding her breath. “Yes?”
“What was that song you played?”
Of course, she wasn’t the only one who felt the impact of the lyrics. “ Run to You. ”
A grin slowly bloomed into his face. “Thanks for my new favorite song.”
“My pleasure.” Butterflies dancing in her stomach, Alexa offered him one last smile and walked out of his room.