Page 49 of Cloudy With a Chance of Bad Decisions
One.
Bit.
The nice thing about riding with Alex? I was sitting in the front seat. The not-so-nice thing about riding with Alex?I was sitting in the front seat.Which made it very difficult to ignore him.
I was a mess of jumbled up feelings.
Did I find Alex attractive? Yes.
Had he saved me from immense embarrassment? Yes.
Had he taken the heat off of me yesterday, going so far as to outright findmy mom and “make things right”? Yes.
All of those thingsnormallywould’ve made me more inclined to like him. But nothing about this situation was normal.
My saving grace was the fact that Alex’s particular brand of playful teasing never slipped into a category that was actually abusive. I’d had ample time to reflect on yesterday's events. Without the hurt clouding my judgment, I’d come to the conclusion that the only time Alex had come close to crossing that line had been at the barbecue when he’d brought up Neil—and even then, he’d been careful not to speak openly enough to cause me real embarrassment.
Even his provocation was mindful.
I wasn’t sure if that was another manipulation or not. Truthfully, I didn’t know what to make of him. The fact he’d spoken to my mother in itself was unexpected. Brendon would’ve never done something like that. Ever. Aside from the odd hot-and-cold behavior he’d exhibited yesterday, nothing about Alex reminded me of Brendon.
I knew logically, I should dislike Alex—and part of me did. Simply because I had not accounted for his presence when I’d taken off work to visit. He was throwing a wrench in my plans. Which was something I had always hated.
However…
I could tell he wasn’t totally awful.
And objectively speaking, I could understand why my family—and his—were trying to push us together. On paper we were compatible. Not to mention that neck grabby thing that he’d done to get me in the car had been…fuck. My skin was still tingling from it. In a good way.
“So…” Alex started as he pulled out onto the street. I truly had no idea what was about to come out of his mouth. Nothing good. The CD player kicked on, a song beginning to play that sounded kind of like one of the musicals I loved. Alex quickly hit the off button. “You and Roddy, huh?”
I sighed, frustrated that I had no choice but to respond. “A long time ago.”
“High school?” he asked, arching a brow.
“Briefly.” I could tell he was going to keep pushing, so I figured I might as well go ahead and tell him to save us both the headache. “We were never all that compatible.” Alex made a sound, and I continued. “When I went away for college it seemed logical to end things. We knew it wasn’t working. The breakup was amicable.”
“Did you love him?” Alex’s voice was subdued.
“I’ve loved everyone I’ve dated,” I replied.
“Huh.” I’d never seen Alex’s face look so broody. Alex gathered his thoughts and I soaked up the sun that hopped between the trees planted along the road. Almost perfectly spaced. Shadow, light, shadow, light. “I’ve only loved one person,” Alex confessed. “Romantically,” he added, as though that hadn’t been clear.
“And did it end amicably?” I inquired, honestly curious.
“No.”
Now it was my turn to stew. I wasn’t sure why we were having this conversation at all. But as I glanced through my lashes Alex’s way I couldn’t help but come to the conclusion that he was…maybe possibly as damaged as I was. At least, if what he’d just said was true, and the expression on his face wasn’t fake.
“What happened?” I knew I shouldn’t ask. I certainly didn’t want him prying into my private business. I could only assume that feeling was mutual. We were strangers. But…well. He looked…
He lookedsad.
A furrow between his brows, his lips pressed into an unyielding line. The muscle at the corner of his jaw jumped as he clenched it tight. “He was a liar,” Alex said simply. It was a small admission, but it was enough.
Immediately, I thought of Brendon. Of his dark eyes. His brown hair. Of the smile he’d given me every time he’d told mesoon, soon, soon.
Soon we’d go public with our relationship.
