Something had definitely changed recently. He’d felt it. It’d been over a year now that they’d both started to become a little more demanding of the other. Their time apart consisted mainly of a few days a week at the longest like this week. And like tonight the hurt had started to weigh heavier, causing more damage than it ever did before. She was getting tired of this game, and Alex didn’t even try to hide his feelings of entitlement to her, even though they’d never formally declared themselves a couple. It was the main reason why he’d decided he was going to step things up with her.
Alex felt the urgency to do something soon. The spats and falling-outs they’d had most recently had the explicit feel of verging on the irrevocable now. Tonight she’d actually asked him about the girl Sarah overheard him on the phone with. As angry as Alex had heard her in the past, this was by far the worst. She’d been livid. Apparently, Sarah had asked Valerie if she’d talked to him this week, and Valerie told her no then tried to excuse him for disappearing on her because of how busy he was. That’s when Sarah had informed her about the call she’d overheard. She said it was humiliating to have to admit that, as usual, he was just too busy for her.
He hated to hear the hurt in her voice. It scared the hell out of him now. It was why he decided he’d do something he didn’t do often—show up at her place without warning. He’d been dying to see her. Just hearing her voice after not hearing it all week had been heaven.
Until she started going off on him.
His parents were finally home, and Sal had come down to help out for the weekend with the restaurant. They all knew Alex needed a break. Even if it was just for a couple of days—maybe less. No way was Alex passing up the chance to spend the whole weekend with her. He knew she was mad, and he understood why, but if he could just convince her how much he’d missed her all week and that he wanted nothing more than to make it up to her, she might forgive him. He had to at least try because he had every intention of making up to her not just for this week but for all the times he’d hurt her in the past.
The short walk from his truck to the front door of her apartment was nerve-wracking. If she slammed the door in his face, it wouldn’t be the first time. But the last time he’d shown up to see her, when he knew she was upset with him, had been at her dorm. It was a small enough place where he’d been able to stand on the other side of the door, pleading his case, and he knew she could hear him.
This was a two-bedroom apartment she lived in. She could easily slam the door in his face then retreat to her bedroom where there was no way she’d hear him. Alex would have no choice but to leave, and he did not want to do that tonight.
He took a deep breath then let it out before knocking on her door. Her car was parked in her usual parking spot, but her roommate’s wasn’t, which gave him hope they’d be able to talk alone. A minute or so passed before he knocked again. Maybe she’d seen him already and was just not going to open the door.
“Valerie?” he called out against the door. “Will you give me just a few minutes? Please? I wanna talk to you, babe.”
He’d almost given up and was about to walk away when he heard the doorknob jiggle then heard the latches being undone. Thanking God inwardly, he waited anxiously and then the door opened.
She stood there in front of him, wearing a pair of soft lounging shorts and a lacy tank top, the kind he loved seeing her in. It was one of her favorite things to wear around his place when they were having one of their carefree days of just hanging out and making love all day. She’d either wear one of these lacy tanks or one of his T-shirts that were so oversized on her. He couldn’t decide which he loved to see her in most. Her hair was up in a twist, and her face appeared freshly washed. No makeup at all.
Breathtaking.
At least it appeared she wasn’t going out tonight as she did so often when she was pissed at him. But the hurt glare on her face said it all. She was beyond pissed at him.
“Why are you here?” she demanded.
“I wanna talk to you?” he asked hopefully.
“No.” Her response was too quick—abrupt. “I’m busy now. Try me another time.”
Okay, maybe he deserved that. But he knew she wasn’t busy. He knew he had to convince her to hear him out. Alex was determined to say everything he came here to say to her tonight. And then he saw it: the movement behind her. His eyes zeroed in on a guy sitting at her small kitchen table, looking equally as relaxed as Valerie, texting something on his phone, and there were two glasses of wine on the table.
Alex took him in for another second from top to bottom as the slow boil inside him began to bubble. The guy put his phone down then reached for the bottle of wine and poured them each a little more.
On instinct, Alex put his hand on the door in case she even thought of trying to slam the door in his face. That wasn’t happening now. Any hope of this night ending amicably as he’d been optimistic about was instantly squashed. He turned to Valerie, whose earlier incensed eyes lost a little of their severity. “Who the f**k is that?”
Chapter 5
Valerie
Anybody else. Anyone with half a brain would’ve explained immediately, but the hurt Valerie was still feeling was an unbearable living thing. This wasn’t the usual hurt either. This was different. She really thought she’d felt something change between them in the past few weeks. Knowing that on such a heartrendingly busy week for him—a week he hadn’t had a minute to spare for her—he’d gone out with another girl—a girl he referred to as smexy—cut so much deeper than normal.