Chapter 17
London
That was a close call.
I hadn’t actually had much to drink, but my cheeks burned so hot that I couldn’t think of another excuse. I just didn’t want him to believe I was blushing because of him—even though that’s exactly what was happening.
At the stairs, I pause to catch my breath. My things can stay upstairs for now; I’ll grab them before heading home for the weekend. I should rejoin the crowd anyway—and maybe grab a few more snacks. I’m still quite hungry.
It's a good hour later when I see Alexander again as I stroll near the lake. The fresh air feels good, and I let myself have a drink or two—just enough to relax but still stay in control.
I want to try something, and for that, I’ll need a little courage from the champagne.
Gradually, people start heading home. It really was a beautiful summer party—speeches, music, , entertaining performances, good food, and wonderful weather.
The day couldn’t have gone any better. By just before 9, only a handful of people are left, saying their goodbyes one by one, until finally just the top executives remain.
Alexander comes over to his parents, while I’m standing next to them.
“Oh, how sweet of our son,” Mrs. Blackthorn chirps happily when I tell her Alexander has offered to drive me home.
“Do you want to take the limo?” Mr. Blackthorn asks as Alexander joins me.
“I’ll drive myself,” Alexander replies. “I only had a few sips of champagne hours ago.” He looks at me and can’t stop himself from smiling. “But you’ll be sitting properly in the passenger seat.”
“And how am I supposed to get my car back?” I ask. I can’t exactly show up to work on Monday without it.
“I’ll pick you up Monday and drive you in,” he offers.
“But I need my car over the weekend,” I counter.
“Then I’ll have it brought to you. That’s what the staff is for. Just give me your spare key, and they’ll park it right at your door.”
That sounds much better.
“Well, you two will figure it out,” Mrs. Blackthorn says, tugging at her husband’s sleeve. “Come on, let’s head home too.”
“I’ll stop by sometime this week, Miss Waverley—but only briefly,” my soon-to-be former boss says.
“Yes, yes. Very rarely. I’ll make sure of that.”
His wife doesn’t seem thrilled by the idea. She hugs me quickly, then her son, while my boss simply shakes both our hands.
“Well, you two enjoy your evening.” Then she pulls her husband away, leaving Alexander and me alone at the venue while the staff starts clearing up.
“Can you grab your things or should I?” he asks.
“Hmm, I’m feeling a little dizzy,” I lie. In truth, I’d had some champagne but could’ve driven myself just fine.
Still, my little shit-test wouldn’t work otherwise.
“Alright. Then wait for me out front, and I’ll grab your things from Room 99.”
Alexander starts walking, and I trail behind with deliberately unsteady steps. He places a steadying hand on my back. “Are you okay?”
“Yes, no problem,” I fib again. Sweet—he’s worried. First point for him.
He escorts me to the reception area, where I sink onto a bench outside. It gives me a moment to collect myself before Alexander returns with my bag.
“All set.” He offers his hand, and I’m only too happy to take his arm as we walk to the parking lot. Two employees are waiting with two limos. One is for us; they’ll return with the other.
Alexander opens the passenger door for me, then has a quick word with the employees. He hands them my car key—the spare is at my apartment. Alexander comes over to me and asks: "What's your address?"
I give it to him so he can give further instructions to the two employees before he stows my bag in the back seat before climbing in beside me.
Meanwhile, his parents are being escorted to their own car by another driver.
“Seat belt on?” he asks with a raised brow. No, not yet. “How much did you drink?”
“Just a little,” I mumble, feigning to be much more tired than I actually am.
Alexander leans over to me - and boom, I'm wide awake. I stare at him with wide-open eyes, but thankfully he doesn’t notice.
He pulls the seat belt across me, buckles it, and says, “If you want to sleep, go ahead. We’ll be on the road at least ninety minutes. ”
“Are you going through the city?”
“No, around it. At this hour, traffic in London would take us more than two hours.”
“That’s a big detour for you, isn’t it?”
“It’s only about thirty minutes from your place to mine. Not a big deal,” he assures me, fastening his own belt.
“Thanks for doing this,” I say, watching him start the car.
“I’m already the best boss in the world, aren’t I?” he teases with a smile that makes me drift into a little daydream.
“Top ten,” I joke, my gaze sliding down his body.
His hands especially catch my eye—strong, masculine.
The watch on his wrist looks ridiculously good on him.
Why is it that men with watches are so damn hot?
Just before pulling out, he rolls his sleeves up a bit, revealing his toned forearms. Although I’ve seen him train shirtless before with his whole torso bare, somehow this—just the two of us alone in the car—feels completely different.
Heat curls through me as I stare. Then I glance up and startle—he’s looking right at me, and I’m pretty sure he caught me staring.
“Want to take a picture?” he asks audaciously.
“You’re impossible…” I deflect, blush, and turn to the window. “Shame it’s still so bright out. The sun’s setting, but it won’t be fully dark for at least another hour.”
“Do you prefer driving at night?” he asks as he steers us onto the road. The gentle rocking of the car calms me, but it also makes me more aware of the alcohol in my system. I glance at him, wondering if he has any idea how attractive I find him.
“No, it’s about the stars.”
“Because London is too bright, you mean?”
“Yeah... Out here, with all the fields and forests, there’s no big city lights so the sky gets dark enough to see them.
We get so used to not looking for stars anymore, even though we know they’re always there.
And when you finally see them, it’s just…
beautiful. The universe is infinite and simply… beautiful.”
I probably sound ridiculous.
“I know what you mean. We shouldn’t just accept the brightness of the cities—we should notice nature more.”
“Yes…” I sigh. Amn, I can’t help yawning. This time I don’t even have to fake it; drowsiness is settling in for real.
“You could stretch out on the back seat,” he offers. The car’s as luxurious inside as it looks from the outside—the seats are wide and soft. It’s tempting. But then I wouldn’t be able to watch him anymore.
“I’m fine. I don’t want to leave you driving alone.” Another yawn.
“Just don’t make me catch your yawns,” he laughs, merging onto the main road.
“Can I ask you something?”
“Of course.”
“I only heard this in passing today, but you must have answered it a hundred times: Why did you really go to New York back then?”
Alexander laughs. “Yeah, almost everyone wanted to know that. I always said I found the city fascinating and wanted to experience it, but the truth is I wanted to prove myself. In London, everyone who’s someone knows who I am.
I wanted to succeed without my father’s help.
And I did. It felt really good. But of course, I couldn’t say that to the staff. ”
I catch his words while being gently rocked back and forth.
“Do you miss New York?” I ask, stifling another yawn.
“Oh yes. Very much.” His expression softens.
“But I’m the only son. It’s my responsibility to take over the company.
That’s my burden—and my duty. Still, New York is something special and I miss it a lot.
Life there is different. People are more relaxed, more open-minded.
I had good friends there who didn’t know who I was.
That was a gift—it helped me figure out who was genuinely with me. ”
The next thing I know, his warm hand touches mine, and the car isn’t moving.
“Huh?”
“Hey, sleepyhead. We’re here.”
I blink at him, startled. Alexander unbuckles his seatbelt while I stare through the windshield in confusion, because all I see is: nothing. It's pitch black. We're definitely not at my place—there are no streetlights or brightly lit windows.
“I didn’t mean to fall asleep,” I mumble, yawning again as I unbuckle my belt.
“I must’ve been boring you,” he teases. “But I think this is the perfect spot.”
“Perfect spot?”
“Yeah.” He steps out of the car, while I sit there, confused. The interior light illuminates him briefly.
I unbuckle my seatbelt and open my door. A cool breeze slips under my dress and wakes me up instantly. During the day, with the sun still out, it was wonderfully warm, but now this late in the evening, it cooled down quickly. The grass beneath my feet confirms we’re in the middle of nowhere.
“Please tell me my eyes are the problem and you’re not planning to bury me in the woods,” I say. Slowly, my eyes are adjusting to the darkness. There are headlights flickering in the distance. Alexander comes around to my side.
“I hadn’t planned on it,” he says, placing a steadying hand at the small of my back and nudging me away from the open door so he can close it. “Cold?”
“No, it's actually quite pleasant," I mumble. "It especially helps to clear my head."
Alone with him in the dark, at least he can’t see how red my cheeks are—but I can definitely feel the heat in them.
“Sit,” he says gently, guiding me to the hood.
We lean against it together. Slowly I can make out more, which is also due to the brilliantly bright full moon that is clearly visible in the sky.
Wait. What am I thinking? In amazement, I stare at the sky, which is so clear and beautiful above us that I can hardly believe it.
“Look!” I tug at his sleeve, pointing upward. “It’s so bright! And the stars too!”