Chapter 17 About Yesterday
He stood there in a simple black T-shirt and jeans, looking tired but put together. I didn’t care about that, all I cared about was the fact that he was there at the wrong moment.
I stepped out immediately and pulled the door half-closed behind me.
“What are you doing here?” I asked in a low tone.
“Is this… a bad time?” he said with a small frown.
“Yes,” I said too quickly, my voice a bit loud.
Then I softened it.
“I mean… yes.”
I heard Theo’s voice from inside.
“Sis… who is it?”
“No one,” I replied, my voice a bit high.
“It’s just someone at the wrong house.”
“Someone,” Alex repeated, his brows furrowed.
“You can’t be here,” I said, my expression screaming a warning.
“Joan…”
He wanted to talk, then I heard footsteps approaching. I didn’t know if it was Theo or Lena, but I didn’t want to take the risk.
I hurriedly pulled Alex to the back of the house.
“That was your brother… why don’t you want me to meet him?” he asked, studying my face.
“Now is not the time,” I replied.
He sighed and looked at me again.
“I just wanted to check on you,” he said calmly.
“About yesterday.”
“I’m fine,” I quickly replied.
“You didn’t even reply to my messages,” he said, but I pretended not to hear that.
“You have to leave now,” I added.
“Okay… I will leave,” he said, confusion clear on his face.
“Thank you,” I whispered.
As he turned to walk away, I heard Lena call me loudly.
I hurriedly went back inside and closed the door.
“I checked you outside now, I didn’t see you… Who was that?” Lena asked.
“It’s just a random lady… she asked for directions,” I said and headed to my room.
I closed the door slowly and leaned my forehead against it.
“That was close,” I muttered.
ALEX HART’S POV
I stood beside my car for a few minutes after she had closed the door, staring at it as if it would open again.
I let out a slow breath and ran my fingers through my hair, the air feeling suffocating. I didn’t come with a plan, I came just with the urge to see her and to make sure she was okay after everything that happened the previous day.
Still, I didn’t expect to be dragged to the back of the house like a secret.
“I should go,” I muttered to myself.
I stared at the house for a few more seconds and wondered what she was doing inside after sending me away.
“I’m fine,” she had said.
But I knew that tone. I knew how she always said she was fine even when she was not.
I leaned against my car instead of getting in with my eyes closed.
“I just want to be sure you are fine,” I muttered, as if saying it might somehow reach her through her walls.
I didn’t blame her because she had made it clear that we weren’t close anymore.
Still, being hidden hurt more than I expected.
I sighed, opened the car door, and slid in.
After leaving her place, I didn’t go home. I drove straight to Marcus’s place. I needed someone to tell me I wasn’t doing the wrong thing.
On getting there, Marcus opened the door in plain joggers and a T-shirt.
“Guy,” he said, holding the door for me to enter.
I sat down, he served me water and we started talking.
I explained what happened at the site and how Joan had sent me away from her place.
When I finished talking, Marcus leaned back and breathed out slowly.
“You can’t rush this, Alex,” he said after a while.
“From what I know, your breakup was messy. You can’t expect her to just open her heart for you again. You don’t even know if she’s already in a relationship. You just keep pushing things,” Marcus said, clearly not minding how I would feel.
“I know right… I’m just confused,” I admitted.
“Confused about what?” Marcus frowned.
“I want to be in her life even if it means pretending I don’t want more, ” I said.
“Even if it’s not the way I want.”
“Then give her time,” Marcus said calmly.
“What if time pushes her further away?” I asked.
“Then at least you didn’t force yourself into her space and that counts for something,” he replied in a low tone.
“I really don’t want to lose her… not again,” I said quietly.
Marcus stood up and placed a hand on my shoulder.
“Give it time, bro,” he said.
“Let me bring food so that you can eat and forget your sorrow,” he said playfully and left for the kitchen.
JOAN COLE’S POV
The next morning, the whispers had even grown. The gossipers didn’t even hide it anymore.
They stared at me as I stepped into the site, not bothering if I noticed them or not.
“She’s pretending now,” one of them said.
“That’s how they act when they’ve been caught,” another said.
“As if we didn’t see everything that had been happening.”
“I mean… how can you seduce a man in just a few weeks?”
I kept my head down and focused on my clipboard, pretending the words weren’t getting to me.
“I don’t care… let’s just get over with today’s work and get out of here,” I whispered, calming myself down even though it felt like the ground should open and swallow me.
I was adjusting measurements when I noticed the sudden shift in energy.
The murmurs had stopped suddenly as if someone held their voices.
Then I looked up and saw Alex walking towards me.
He wasn’t his usual calm self, his jaw was clenched and he looked like someone ready for war.
“What is he doing?” My stomach twisted.
Finally, he stopped in front of me, ignoring the curious stares gathering around us.
“Enough,” he said, loud enough for people nearby to hear.
Before I could react, he reached out and took my hand.
“Huh,” I muttered, my eyes widening.
He turned slightly, as if he was daring anyone to talk again.
“She’s not pretending,” he started, his voice firm.
“And whatever you think you know…”
Before he could land, I pulled my hand away with a flash as if his touch burned me.
He froze, his hand awkwardly remaining in the space between us before he slowly dropped it to his side.
“Joan…” he whispered, his voice trembling.