Chapter 4
1596 Words
CHAPTER 4
Alena POV
I’m about to turn and make a run for it, but then Patrick sees me. He pushes his blond hair back, giving me his signature crooked smile.
“Pumpkin! There you are! Just a little late like always!”
I ignore his comment and watch as Evander’s face doesn’t give anything away. Did he even recognize me? Does he even remember me?
I quickly walk towards him and awkwardly stick my hand out towards him, almost hitting him in the gut, “Hi, I’m Alena.”
My voice goes so soft I wonder for a moment if I actually spoke?
He looks down at my hand and back up at me and I know. He knows exactly who I am. He slowly smiles and takes my hand as his eyes run up my body taking me in. Then he nods and smiles. That smile. The smile I’ve been dreaming about for years. Why is this happening!
“Hi, I’m Evander. Have we met before, you look so familiar?” he says and my eyes flicker to Patrick who looks caught off guard.
“Wait what! Have you guys met before? Where, how?”
I shake my head acting like I can’t remember and I see Evander studying me before he looks over at Patrick again. His eyes were the darkest shade of brown I have ever seen. I had to look at my feet for a moment just to concentrate on my breathing. Fuckstickals.
“I think I saw her at the Harvard Merge party a couple of years back when I was still a senior, but I could be wrong! There were so many girls there that night!” he says and I’m surprised by the lack of emotion in his voice. I shrug my shoulders and realize I haven’t let go of his strong warm hand. As if realizing it too he slowly lets go. I take my hand back and hold it awkwardly against my chest as Patrick smiles at me in question.
“I think I can remember you,” I say and am surprised I haven’t thrown up yet. This was crazy!
“Well that is amazing! See Alena! You guys do know each other! These couple of weeks are going to be awesome!” Patrick says and steers Evander towards the door of the restaurant by holding his shoulders.
I mumble a curse word as we step into the restaurant and see Evander look over his shoulder at me.
“What was that?”
I feel heat scorching my cheeks and shake my head, “Nothing!”
“Are you alright, Alena?” I go rigid when he says my name. What a strange feeling hearing him say my name after all these years.
We get a table in the corner and I feel conflicted as I sit down between them. Why didn’t he just take the seat opposite of me? I could feel he was looking at me as Patrick was waving a waiter over to help us.
“What will it be?” the waiter asks and she does a double take when she looks at Evander and I almost laugh out loud. This was ridiculous! Her eyes flicker to Patrick and I see her taking him in as well, I could be invisible. He gently puts his arm around me and I watch the waiter until she meets my eyes.
“I would like a single Jameson whiskey on the rocks please,” I say and Patrick laughs and eyes me.
“No way! It’s too early for that! She’ll take water and I’ll take a Cherry coke,” Patrick says and I wish he could feel how stressed I was right now.
I finally look at Evander and see he is staring at Patrick. He takes a moment to scan the menu and I try not to look at him. The waiter writes down our orders and starts talking to Patrick about the specials.
“And you sir what would you like to drink?” The waiter says and bends down to retrieve her pen that she just ‘accidentally’ dropped on the floor. Her cleavage goes unnoticed as Evander scans his menu again. His fingers were turning white. I watch his hands and then when I look back at his face I catch his gaze and quickly revert my eyes. Scars. His hands were covered in scars. He then orders water without giving her a second glance.
“Why do I feel a little jealousy radiating from you Pumpkin?” Patrick mocks me and I try hard to not roll my eyes and just shrug my shoulders.
Patrick and Evander start chatting about their memories back home when they were young and I realize I’ve heard so many of them before. Why didn’t I ever ask what Evander looked like?
“This type of friendship is like the stuff people write books about man! We should have joined the army and become war hero’s!”
Evander shrugs his shoulders and Patrick takes a sip of his coke. So I found out Evander was two years older than Patrick and it was obvious Patrick idealized him when they were younger. He winks at me and asks Evander, “You still boxing? Sports anything?”
“Yes, I still fight,” Evander says and my eyes flicker to his knuckles and I’m surprised to see a fresh light bruise. That must be where he got all those tiny scars.
“Why?” I ask bluntly and bite my tongue as it’s the first thing I’ve said after we ordered.
“Why what?” Patrick says and raises his eyebrow.
“Why do you fight?”
“For exercise,” he says and I don't look at him as I nod. Patrick gives me a questioned look and squeezes my shoulder. I quickly finish my water as our food arrives.
We eat in silence and I barely enjoy my chicken salad as I see in the corner of my eye how he eats. I could literally hear Dewei say, “I wouldn’t mind being that steak!”
“Do you like any sports Alena?” Evander asks, breaking the awkward silence and Patrick answers for me before I get the chance.
“Yes, she is a 100m athlete for the NYU team and she’s running her last track meet in two weeks. That’s actually how we met! Just look at her legs!” Patrick says and Evander clears his throat.
“Yes, beautiful. You’re a lucky man Patrick,” he says and takes a large bite of his steak.
They start chatting about business and I just listen. So Evander was an engineer at his fathers business and would have to run the entire business on his own at the end of this month, because of his fathers health condition.
“What Evander! Wow! That’s amazing! I’m sorry to hear about your father though! Is there any treatment for what he has?”
Patrick is trying to fish out details about what type of disease Evanders father has, but Evander just shakes his head.
“Yes, there are some,” He wipes his mouth and glances briefly at me. I look back and take the last bite of my meal.
The bill comes and Patrick awkwardly pinches me under the table and I quickly grab my handbag.
“Oh I think I have your card.” I lie and quickly get my card out and act like it’s his. This was our little show everytime Patrick couldn’t afford to pay or forgot his wallet in the car.
“We’re sticking you for this one,” Patrick tells Evander and he shakes his head.
“No let me,” he says and takes out his wallet, but Patrick grabs the bill and jumps up to go pay the waiter at the counter. Evander and I are left alone and I slowly look at him.
“So this is awkward,” I say and entwine my fingers under the table.
“Just a little,” he says and I smirk. We’re quiet until I feel his leg press against mine under the table. My eyes widen and I finally look at him as he rests his elbows on the table studying me with those knowing dark eyes.
“Tell me when you get too uncomfortable,” he says and I try to move my leg away but then I bump his other knee hard with my knee. s**t small table! Small table!
He brushes his leg against mine again and I finally glare at him.
I awkwardly grab his leg and say softly, “Don’t do that!”
“Do what?”
“Touch me!”
I look down and see somekind of black smoke running across the floor. I olook back up a him. Great now my mind was playing tricks on me.
“Don’t you like to be touched, Alena?”
“Yes, but only when it’s my boyfriend doing the touching!”
“Then you should probably take your hand off of my leg before I break this table,” he says and I then realize I was still gripping his leg really hard. s**t!
I grab my hand back and quickly jump to my feet.
‘Let’s go!” Patrick says as I jump and hit his shoulder. Thank goodness I didn't scream!
“You scared me!”
He laughs and looks at Evander, “This one is so jumpy today!”
- Writer
