Into the Darkness

“Seriously, get a room. Or a toilet or something.” The moment I said it they quickly walked off towards the exit. I wondered how she would get that dress off. Mental note to ask her later.

I could hear Emma and Eric whispering, the words ‘big hands’ and ‘I wouldn’t kick him out of bed’ audible. I started laughing; Eric always kept things entertaining. I was so grateful to be surrounded by amazing friends and a very handsome fiancé who I planned to tie up catwoman-style later tonight at his apartment.

“Ten o’clock, Charlie. Oh damn, he is the shiz, wow. Oh crap he saw me.” Eric looked at his shoes, pretending to be talking about something else.

“Ten oh what, Eric?” I asked.

Eric nodded his head towards the left. I looked, hoping to get a glimpse of this so-called candy. My head took a moment to catch up with what my eyes saw. It was green emerald candy which belonged to the one and only Alexander Edwards. My face was frozen, I couldn’t look away. Like a bad car crash only it was the opposite, the most beautiful sight you could possibly imagine walking towards me… Oh shit, walking towards me. I started panicking. There was no way out of this.

“Charlotte, what a nice surprise to see you again,” he greeted.

My legs were threatening to cave. Oh fuck, the accent. He sounded so sexy. Oh. My. God. Charlie, stop it! Dressed in a black Armani suit, his hair perfectly cut and his skin nice and tanned. His eyes shining bright emerald, his face lit up with a smile flashing his perfect teeth. I tried to think of something witty to say. I desperately wanted to smack Eric and Emma right in the face as they stood there, fly-catchers open in shock. Julian stopped talking to Mrs. Bennett. He looked at Alex, then me.

“Alex, this is Eric my assistant, Emma one of my colleagues, and Julian my fiancé.” I spoke quickly, trying to push aside my nerves. Why was he so calm and collected?

Julian extended his hand. “Lex Edwards, CEO of the Lexed Group?” Lex? Why was he calling him Lex Edwards and how the hell did he know him?

“Yes, the last time I checked,” Alex answered, surprisingly shaking Julian’s hand.

“How do you and Charlie know each other?” Julian asked. He took his arm off my waist and held my hand. I was seriously hoping that this was where they both slapped their dicks out and started to measure them.

Alex watched him, his face showing no emotion. Maybe I was wrong about him. Maybe he had matured and moved past what happened, moved past us. Maybe he was a happily married man with a family. Don’t get ahead of yourself, and where on Earth did that pang of jealousy come from?

“We’ve known each other for, what? Fifteen years? Since we were kids. We dated in high school.” He grinned, knowing what he was doing. He was signing the contract for the pissing contest that was just about to start. Of course he added that last bit. I wasn’t sure he would call it dating. More like fucking around behind his wife’s back. So I take back what I said about him maturing. Just like old-times Alex, except this time I wasn’t going to be the sad girl on the side. I was a woman now and no man treated me any less than what I deserved. Now the nerves were overtaken by anger. If we weren’t in public I would have probably punched that beautiful face of his for talking to me like an arrogant bastard. Like the past was nothing, like he didn’t leave me in the worst pain imaginable.

“I’ve written a couple of pieces on Lexed. You may have read the one that was published in the Wall Street Journal last year?” Julian spoke highly of his work but what caught my attention was the fact that Alex was CEO of the Lexed Group. Of course I had heard of the company, I mean, who hadn’t? But I had no idea Alex had anything to do with it. What didn’t make sense was that he was no longer in the medical field. My curiosity was getting the better of me. I wanted to know more but I didn’t want to have that conversation with him or give him the satisfaction of thinking I was interested. Note to self: check Wikipedia.

“Ah yes, quite an interesting article.”

“So Alex, are you from New York? Your accent is very Hugh Grant. God, I loved him in Notting Hill. Anyways, love your Armani suit,” Eric rambled on.

For godssakes, Eric’s obsession with older British men was borderline creepy. Hugh Grant? I knew what Eric was trying to do though. He had that mischievous look on his face, the one he had every time he was trying to get me laid—but I’m fucking Batman, I wanted to yell at him!

“Actually, it’s Lex. Not Alex,” he corrected Eric, never breaking my gaze. Argh, pretentious bastard.

Fine, if he wanted to play that game I would treat him like we had no past, therefore Alex no longer existed. It was Lex, just like he wanted it.

He continued. “I live in London. Our New York office is currently being remodeled so I am planning to stay here for a while.”

So he lived in London, totally explained the hot accent. The distance was somewhat comforting but then he said he would be in New York more often. The city wasn’t that big, not when your ex was suddenly lurking around every corner. Again the cogs were turning and I thought to myself, why London? I needed to stop asking myself these questions. I didn’t need to know anything about him. He shouldn’t be in my life in the first place.

“And thank you, my sister chose the suit. She lives and breathes fashion. I’ll introduce you later.”

“Adriana is here?” I nervously asked.

I hadn’t seen her since that day when she asked me to leave her alone in the street and straight-out called me a whore. The past was quickly coming back to me like a freight train and I didn’t know what to do. I scanned the room for her. Surely he had to know how uncomfortable all this was.

“Somewhere floating around with Elijah.”

“Her and Elijah are still together?” I don’t know why I asked or why I was surprised. I couldn’t see those two apart but then again, I thought that about Alex—I mean Lex—and me once upon a time.

“Yes, they’re still together. I don’t think anyone else could put up with her. They live in Brooklyn. Adriana owns a boutique downtown.”

The music softened as the MC announced that dinner was about to be served. People started walking back to their tables. I went to follow Julian as Lex grabbed me. I reluctantly turned around.

I avoided his scent.

I avoided his eyes.