CHAPTER 4
1863 Words
For a moment, I could only stare at him… Alex Rogers. The Alex Rogers. The boy who used to borrow my notes in high school only to forget to return them for weeks. The boy who once told me my handwriting looked like ‘aggressive cursive’. The boy who once shoved me out of the way in gym class because he swore the volleyball ‘wasn’t headed toward me’ and then it smacked me in the forehead two seconds later.
The boy who, to utmost surprise, was now a man. And a very very attractive one at that.
His jaw was more defined, his shoulders broader, and his once messy hair was now cut neatly, with a few rebellious strands falling over his forehead. Same hazel eyes though, warm, bright and annoyingly familiar.
“Yup.” Daniel said, patting Alex’s back. “The same Alex.”
Alex chuckled softly. “Wow. It really is you.”
“Yeah.” I said, still trying to process everything. “Small world.”
“Small town,” he corrected with a smirk.
I rolled my eyes. That attitude hadn't changed.
Daniel left us alone in the kitchen as he went back to help Aunt Lucy with God knows what, and suddenly, I was standing with Alex in an awkward and somewhat tense atmosphere of silence. He leaned against the counter, sipping his water, watching me with curiosity.
“So.” he finally said, “You’re back.”
“For a while,” I confirmed.
“Your mom didn’t say why.”
“She never does,” I muttered.
His eyes narrowed slightly with… Concern, maybe? “Everything okay?”
No. Not even close. But I didn’t owe him an explanation. Not now. Not ever.
“Yeah.” I lied. “Just… needed a break.”
He gave me a look like he didn’t believe me, but he didn’t push. Instead, he closed the bottle and nodded toward the window.
“You wanna help me with the lights outside? I could use someone to hand me the clips. My arms are pretty much done for today.”
I sighed. Anything was better than staying stuck in my own head.
“Fine.”
“You don't sound too enthusiastic.” he teased.
“I’m here to help, not entertain.” I shot back.
Alex laughed. The kind of laugh I didn’t remember him having in high school.
“Fair enough.”
Outside, the cold basically slapped me in the face, but it felt good… Refreshing… Even grounding. Alex leaned the ladder against the right side of the house and started climbing.
“Hand me the clips?” he called down.
I grabbed a handful from the box and held them up. “Catch.”
“No, no, no - don’t throw -”
I tossed.
He fumbled dramatically, reaching too far, nearly lost his balance, and grabbed the ladder with one hand and the clips with the other.
“Are you trying to kill me?” he demanded, breathless.
“I said catch.”
“You can’t just… throw things to people on ladders!”
“It wasn’t that high.”
“You could’ve murdered me.”
“Trust me, Alex. If I wanted to murder you, the ladder would be on the ground.”
He stared at me. Then he burst out laughing.
“You haven’t changed at all,” he said.
Something inside me tightened. Not painfully, no, but in the way you feel when someone sees a version of you you’d forgotten ever existed. A version from before everything fell apart.
Before heartbreak.
Before betrayal.
Before Lucian.
I swallowed, forcing a small smile. “Maybe.”
He went back to working, attaching the lights one by one. The sky was turning soft shades of gold and orange as the sun went down behind the roofs, and the twinkle of the Christmas lights reflected against the windows.
“So.” Alex said casually, “Are you staying for Christmas?”
“I think so.”
“Good. Your family misses you.”
I looked down at the grass. “Yeah. I know.”
“And for the record…” His voice softened. “Your dad talks about you a lot. Always says you’re his pride.”
My throat tightened. “He does?”
“Pretty much every time we grab a drink.”
That was news to me. Dad was never the overly emotional type, but hearing it secondhand… it stirred something gentle in my chest.
We stayed quiet for a moment…. More comfortable this time.
Then Alex broke it with a teasing grin. “You wanna put the star on top of the big tree in the yard later? I feel like that’s your brand. Main-character-ish.”
“My brand?” I scoffed. “What does that even mean?”
“You know…” He wiggled his fingers dramatically. “Brooding, dramatic, breathes like everything hurts but still sparkles anyway.”
I stared at him.
“Are you describing me or a vampire?”
“A little bit of both.”
I shook my head, but I couldn’t stop the laugh that escaped me.
When the lights were finally done, we stepped back to admire them. The house glowed, soft, warm, inviting. Just like my childhood Christmases.
“You did a good job.” I admitted.
“We did a good job.” He corrected.
I nodded.
“Thanks for helping,” he added, nudging me lightly with his shoulder. “It was nice. Haven’t seen you since… What, graduation?”
I folded my arms. “Yeah. It's been a long time.”
“Too long.” He paused. “You look different. In a good way. More grown. More… I don’t know. Yourself.”
My cheeks warmed despite the cold. “You do too.”
He smirked. “You saying I got hotter?”
“I said grown.”
“Hotter is implied.”
I snorted, and he grinned like he’d won a prize.
“Dinner!” Mom called from inside the house.
Alex wiped his hands on his jeans. “Guess that’s my cue.”
“You’re staying?” I asked before I could stop myself.
He shrugged. “Your mom always invites me. And I never say no to her cooking.”
“Fair.”
We walked inside together. The warmth and chatter enveloped us immediately. My family was loud, laughing, talking over each other, arguing about who burned what last year. It was chaotic, but it was home.
Alex greeted my dad with a warm handshake and a shoulder tap, and my dad’s eyes lit up like he’d just seen his favorite football player.
“Alex! Still saving us from bad wiring, I hope.”
“Trying my best, sir.”
They laughed, and I couldn’t help but smile. Alex fit into my family so easily, like he always had.
We took our seats at the table. I ended up next to Alex, across from my mom. She shot me a look - a knowing look - but said nothing.
“So, Olivia,” Dad began as he took a bite. “How’s life in the city? Work treating you well?”
“Yeah.” I said, forcing a smile. “Everything’s fine.”
Daniel raised a brow at me.
Alex watched me quietly.
Mom reached under the table and squeezed my hand.
I bit the inside of my cheek. No. I wasn’t falling apart at the dinner table. Not here. Not tonight.
Instead, I cleared my throat and lifted my chin. “I’m… Adjusting.”
Alex leaned slightly closer, voice low enough only I could hear.
“If you ever need to talk… I’m around.”
I looked at him.
The sincerity in his eyes almost knocked the breath out of me. That wasn’t the Alex I remembered. That wasn’t the boy who teased me relentlessly.
This was a man offering comfort with no strings attached.
I swallowed hard. “Thanks.”
He nodded.
After dinner, some of us drifted around the living room, some grabbing dessert, others watching whatever Christmas movie Dad insisted on playing. I stepped outside for air again, needing a moment.
The night was crisp, quiet, and peaceful.
Then the door creaked open.
Alex stepped out, hands in his pockets, breath fogging in the cold.
“You okay?” he asked gently.
“Yeah.” I said softly. “Just needed a break.”
He nodded and came to stand beside me, close enough for warmth but not enough to crowd me.
“You know…” he said after a moment, “People leave. People lie. People disappoint. But you don’t let that take your worth away.”
I froze.
He wasn’t guessing. Somehow, without knowing the details, he understood I was hurting. Deeply.
“How do you know I didn’t do something wrong?” I whispered.
He looked at me with a softness I wasn’t prepared for.
“Because I know you, Olivia.”
I blinked. “You haven’t known me for years.”
“Doesn’t matter.” His gaze held mine. Steady. “Some things don’t change.”
The cold wind brushed past us, sending a shiver down my spine.
Alex noticed.
Without a word, he shrugged off his jacket and draped it around my shoulders.
I stared at him. “Alex—”
“Just take it,” he murmured. “You’re freezing.”
I didn’t argue. The warmth was immediate, comforting, grounding.
“Thank you.” I whispered.
He nodded, his hands sliding back into his pockets. “Anytime.”
We stood there quietly under the soft glow of the Christmas lights, breathing in sync with the winter night. And for the first time since everything with Lucian collapsed, I felt… Steady.
Not fixed.
Not healed.
Just…. Held together.
By silence.
By cold air.
By someone who remembered who I used to be.
Someone who saw me.
And wasn’t going anywhere.
“Are you staying for the night?” I asked softly.
“Do you want me to?” He replied with a teasing grin.
And I scoffed. “No, I just asked cause of Daniel.”
“If you want me to stay, just say so, Olivia.”
I rolled my eyes and sighed. “Okay, fine. Yes. I want you to stay. We have a spare guest room.”
“I know about the spare guest room, Livia. This is practically my second home.”
He stopped. Then continued. “But…. If you want me to stay, then, yeah. I'll stay. Now, come on. Let's go inside, it's freezing out here.”
He turned around and started walking towards the house and I followed close behind him.
Maybe this Christmas wouldn't be so bad.
As soon as I stepped into the house, I felt my phone vibrate in my pocket and I took it out.
It was a text from Lucian. I had been ignoring his calls and text messages.
I sighed and opened this one and my blood ran cold.
It read - “Don’t forget about our little tape.”
Tape?
What tape?....
No….
He wouldn't…
He didn't…
- Writer
