8. It wasn't you, right?

Alexandra

It was such a great feeling... the fresh air, playing with my hair, some grasshoppers making calming sounds in the night. I was just relaxing on the bench with a fruit drink. It almost made me forget about what I truly wanted... almost.

The music from the bar, that I could barely hear, got mixed with someone's footsteps. Oh, it must be my cousin slash matchmaker!

"Clarissa, do you have another boy that you want to shove in my f...?" I started, but as I turned around the strangest thing happened.

It was Michael... Walking towards me.

"What the fuck?!" I asked in surprise, accidentally spilling my half-empty drink on the ground as I got up from the bench.

Realizing that I was in no good shape to stay stable on my feet, I sat back down and waited for him to come. He had a dark red thin leather jacket that I had seen only two or three times... but I loved, and the bottom part of a black tracksuit. As he came to sit across from me, I saw the worry in his eyes. Or was it something else?

"Why are you here?" I questioned.

He looked at me like I was talking nonsense. His lips made a move like he was going to answer me, but then he looked away and stared in the darkness. What the heck? I was waiting for Michael for too long to let him dodge my questions again.

"You can't do that forever, you know." I pushed and he pierced me with his amazing eyes. I swallowed and continued. "I wanted to talk about things all damned day."

"You waited, huh?" He mumbled to himself, looking at his feet.

I can't take this anymore!

"Michael, I will quit if what almost happened is bugging you so much!" I yelled, calling him by name for the first time instead of "boss".

"Quit? No... Please don't!" He said and moved a bit closer to me.

His whole body language changed and I did not know how to read it. His eyes were begging, and he was leaning towards me like he wanted to hug me or something.

"Then start talking. I don't get you. I don't get any of this. You are acting so strangely. One minute you are... I don't know... like made of fire. Then you are avoiding me and don't want to talk. Like really talk. Damn!" I blurted and ran my hands through my hair in frustration.

"I can't tell you! Please don't make me, Alex." He pleaded and I turned away, letting him face my back.

Yeah, I know it's childish, but it was what I did. I had enough of this crap!

I got up and started walking towards the bar... or zigzagging more correctly said. It wasn't an easy task. I should not have drunk that much... especially when it did not help me at all. And yet, here I was going to buy another fruit cocktail thing from that curly-haired bartender girl. Maybe I should switch to girls since boys only seem to disappoint me.

I was almost at the door when his voice stopped me.

"It wasn't you, right?" He asked.

I turned around to see him standing a meter from me with torture in his eyes. What was he talking about?

"What?" I blinked at him.

"The messages? Who sent them...? Or you are too drunk to remember you did it?" He gently asked, but I felt the anger filling me.

I had no pockets in my dress and my purse was at our table. My mobile wasn't with me. Clarissa! She did something... she... damn! I leaned on the wall, biting my lower lip as I felt my face going red. I got so mad at her for whatever she did.

"What did she send to you?" I turned to my boss.

He came in front of me, looking kind of sad if I was making it right on this poor light.

"It doesn't really matter... if it wasn't you. Just forget it, I am not mad." He calmly said.

Was there something for him to be mad?

"Damn, what did she write to you?" I yelled.

"You do curse a lot when you are drunk." He smiled, but his eyes were still sad.

"Michael!" I warned clearly not in the mood to smile.

"It's nothing... I thought you were in some kind of trouble... so I came." He explained and looked away.

He came because he thought I was in trouble? Like to save me? What the heck? He cares about me... or am I dreaming again? Butterflies started playing tag in my stomach.

"I don't get you... is this a game to you? Are you scared of something?" I guessed.

"Look, can I promise you that I will tell you when I am ready and you can try and come back to work?" He asked, hope clear in his voice.

"Why do you want to keep me at work so much?" I stared at him.

"I do care, Alex." He sighed. "I just can't... do this... not yet."

He also leaned on the wall next to me, and we both stayed there in silence for a few moments.

I was too drunk to understand what he was trying to hint, or I was too dumb to get it. Either way, I was too tired and too tipsy to keep this going tonight.

"I will agree to stay at work if you take me out of here. I can't face my cousin right now or I will do something cruel to my relationship with her."

"Ok, where do you want to go? Should I take you home?" He asked, relieved.

"No! It's the same as going back to the damn bar. It's her place and I want to be sober before I confront her about using my phone without permission." I snapped.

He scratched his neck while thinking about what to do with me. I didn't care if he had to stay with me all night at the bench here. He grilled me enough, now was payback time.

"Okay, let's go then!" He said and started towards the parking where his Toyota was waiting for us.

I made a few steps in that direction but tripped over my own feet, almost falling. He saw that and came to my rescue fast, putting one of his hands around my waist, and we started walking together. His touch sent electricity to my whole body and made my tipsy mind go wild with the possibilities.

"Where are we going, boss?" I asked and smiled at the way I addressed him after all that is going on between us.

"My place." He simply answered.