Chapter 8 Uninvited
“Hello,” Alex replied, his eyes scanning her face with a blank stare that made my skin crawl on her behalf.
“You don’t remember me?” the lady asked, her smile fading.
“I’m sorry… I don’t,” he said.
“We dated for a week and you can’t recognize me?” the lady continued, her voice dropping into a humiliated whisper.
“Oh… I’m so sorry about that. How are you doing?” he asked.
Alex's expression didn’t shift into realization. It just switched to damage control.
“I’m good. I…” the lady wanted to say something but stopped.
“You know what… never mind,” she hissed and left.
I scoffed in disbelief, loud enough for him to hear. I couldn’t help it.
I hopped into the car and he moved over to the driver’s seat.
“Trust me that isn’t what it looked like,” he said, a soft smile playing on his lips.
“Oh,” I smirked, looking outside the window.
“It’s a long story actually,” he added.
“Right,” I said.
“Can we move now?”
“Sure,” he replied and turned on the ignition.
Soon, we got to the restaurant.
I was wowed by the sight of the building. The restaurant was far away from the busy streets and it looked effortless, yet expensive.
When we entered, I paused just at the entrance, taking the ambience all in.
One of the waiters, dressed sharply and moving with confidence, ushered us in.
“Welcome,” she said in a hushed tone.
This wasn’t casual at all.
I glanced at Alex, then back at the candlelit tables' and intimate spacing that made the diners look like they were sharing secrets.
“So much for not being a date,” I muttered under my breath as I smoothed my dress and followed him in.
I’m not sure if he heard me, but the slight curve of his lips was a confirmation that he did.
We sat, scanned the menu, and made our order. Shortly after, our food arrived.
Dinner was smooth and easy.
We talked about work, laughed about small mistakes from the pitch, and even teased each other like we used to. I almost let my guard down. I almost forgot why I had built these walls in the first place.
I almost did.
Then his phone vibrated against the table.
He glanced at the screen and picked the phone up.
“Excuse me,” he said and answered the call, turning his shoulder to me.
“Hello,” he said and paused.
But his face changed immediately.
He looked like he shouldn’t have answered the phone.
“No…” he said quickly, lowering his voice.
“I can’t talk right now.”
He pulled the phone away from his ear and ended the call without another word.
“Everything okay?” I asked as I looked at him, trying to keep my expression as neutral as possible.
“Yeah… it’s work stuff,” he answered fast.
I nodded and didn’t press further, even though something didn’t sit right.
We continued eating and he didn’t touch his phone again.
ALEX HART’S POV
The moment I heard “Mrs. Hart gave me your number” my heart raced.
I didn’t know why, but it did.
That was my mother’s latest project. Another hand-picked candidate for a life I didn’t want.
I excused myself and turned slightly away from Joan as I answered the call.
“Alex,” she said softly, like we were already something.
That was when fear hit me. I knew how it would turn out.
Again, I feared not only because of how the situation would turn out but also because of Joan, because if she had heard even a word from that call, she might think that another woman existed in my life.
Then everything I was trying to rebuild would crumble before it even stood.
“I can’t talk right now,” I muttered into the phone and hung up immediately.
I placed my phone back on the table and tried to force my expression to settle, but my mind was already filled with different thoughts.
“What if my mother and this girl ruin everything before it even begins?”
Joan asked me if everything was okay, and I said yes.
I even lied through my teeth.
She didn’t say anything after that. She was eating calmly, but I knew her.
I knew she had noticed with the look in her eyes.
“I can’t lose Joan again… not even before I get the chance to try.”
JOAN COLE’S POV
We finished eating, Alex cleared the bill and we stepped outside.
“Let’s take you home,” he said with a soft smile.
“Oh. That’s not necessary. I will just take a cab,” I replied, knowing fully well that he wouldn’t agree to such.
“No,” he said firmly.
“I’m taking you home.”
“If you insist,” I muttered, letting out a small sigh as Alex slid the car door open for me.
“Thank you,” I said and climbed in.
“No problem,” he replied, his lips curling into a small smirk.
The drive back was quiet and comfortable, but the silence between us felt forced. I stared out the window, pretending to watch the city lights blur past, but I couldn’t stop replaying the call earlier.
When we got to my place, I noticed Lena through the window.
“Oh, no,” I groaned quietly as Alex pulled over in front of my place.
“Congratulations to us once again,” he turned to me and said.
“Yeah. Congratulations to us,” I said honestly.
He smiled but it seemed like he was holding back what he wanted to say.
“Goodnight Alex,” I said as I opened the door to get down.
“Goodnight Joan,” he said.
“Looks like someone had a fun evening. I can say for a fact that it was Alex who dropped you off,” Lena said, as I stepped inside.
“Oh no… don’t start,” I groaned, dropping my bag.
“Don’t worry. I’m not judging… At least not much,” she teased with a smirk.
“But seriously, you are getting really close with Alex,” she said.
“It was just a celebration, Lena. We aced the proposal,” I explained, trying to act nonchalant.
“Really,” she said, giving me a knowing look.
“I’m tired. I need to have a bath and sleep,” I said, dragging my legs toward my room.
“I know I will get the full story later,” she laughed, clearly enjoying my discomfort.
I couldn’t help but smirk despite being tired.
ALEX HART’S POV
I was so happy that I got to spend time with Joan again, even if one call wanted to spoil the moment.
I felt her laughter once again and that was more than enough for me.
I pulled over in front of my house, got down and walked towards my door as I hummed happily.
I opened the door, expecting the coolness of a quiet house, instead, the lights were all on.
My mother sat on the sofa looking too pleased with herself and a girl I’d never seen before sat beside her. She looked beautiful and perfectly styled.
But it was the small designer suitcase sitting at the center of my living room that caught my eyes.
“What’s going on here?” I asked, my keys clenched tightly in my hand.
“Why is there luggage in my living room?”