Into the Darkness

I understood now why he hesitated. The last time he told me he was going to London I acted like a spoiled brat and ran off on him.

“Are you angry with me?”

“No… I’m sorry I behaved like some petulant child. I completely understand your work commitments. There’s always email, texting, Facebook, Skype and tweeting. I’m sure we can find ways to talk to each other.”

He laughed. “I don’t have time for social media.”

“Well then we can stick to good old-fashioned emailing and texting.”

“Sounds good.” He grinned.

I didn’t want to end the night but it was late and I was exhausted after last night. The crowds slowly dispersed leaving Lex and me alone admiring the beautiful sight which was New York City. The skyscrapers lit up and I had never felt so much at home, here in this big city. But maybe it wasn’t the city. Maybe it was the person beside me.

“Where do you stay when you’re here?”

“The Waldorf. My home away from home. When the head chef knows exactly what you eat, you know you have it good.”

“Or a lot of money,” I quipped.

“Yes, that too. Are you free tomorrow for lunch?” he asked with hesitation.

I thought about my answer. This night was going so well and I didn’t want to ruin it. I could have lied but what kind of friendship was I trying to build based on lies and deceit?

“I don’t want to fight, Lex. But I have brunch with Samantha.”

“Samantha, right.” I knew by looking at his face that he was trying hard to keep his opinions to himself.

“How about dinner though?”

“It’s a date. No, sorry, that’s the wrong term to use. A friendly catch-up involving something delicious to eat,” I added.

He smirked, unable to disguise that mischievous grin that spread all over his beautiful face. I could tell he wanted to say something until it finally clicked and I couldn’t help but laugh.

“OK, I know. I walked right into that one. Nice to see I’m not the only one with the dirty mind, Mr. Edwards.”

We stood up and walked to the street which was lined with cabs. I didn’t want to say goodbye but I had to. I had to learn to restrain myself. If we were going to be friends I had to obey rule number one: avoid all physical contact.

“Thank you, Charlotte. For tonight.” He leaned in and kissed my cheek. Every part of me wanted to grab him, take him back to my place and make sweet sweet love to him.

“Till tomorrow night then.” I pulled away.

I laid there in bed that night frustrated as hell. I wanted to text him; I wanted him to say something to me. Who was I kidding? I needed dirty Lex at this moment. But instead I turned my cell off, something I never did, and went to town on myself.

The next day I sat opposite Samantha going through the contracts for the custody agreement that her lawyer drew up for her. As usual she looked stunning. Not a single hair out of place, dressed impeccably in her Gucci dress.

“This custody battle has really taken its toll on me.”

“Try to stay positive, Samantha. Don’t show any sign of weakness, that’s what he wants to see.”

“Right, OK, remain positive.”

“So has Lex calmed down yet?” she asked, taking a sip of her latte.

“Lex and the word calm don’t belong in the same sentence,” I retorted.

“That’s true. He is very demanding, always was and always will be… I don’t want to sour the mood but for a while I looked back and wondered why I never saw what was going on between you two. I eventually found out when I hacked his emails but the signs were all there.”

“Samantha… I… It wasn’t fair to you. He was your husband. I can’t believe how crazy I was back then.”