Page 30 of Heart of The Night

Sauntering further into the living room, my gaze was instantly drawn to him. I paused, my breath hitching. Alex was arrestingly handsome, his dark hair and stubble offering a perfect frame to his striking, Romanesque features. His nose had a prominent bridge that brought character to his profile, and his hair was neatly groomed, the natural waves drawn back from his chiselled face, giving him an air of timeless elegance. He was dressed in a powder blue shirt, its top two buttons undone, and light-grey trousers. He sat with his legs crossed on the black leather sofa facing the front door, exuding a commanding aura, like that of a king quietly holding court. Opposite him was the jester, Andy, wearing a white shirt and brown trousers, his dark blond hair catching the soft daylight filtering in from the rain-kissed windows.

The door clicked shut behind us, prompting both men to gaze in our direction. Alex’s eyes caught mine, his square jaw tightening, eyebrows curving in clear surprise. A spontaneous smile bloomed on my face, despite a twist of nerves fluttering in my stomach. But it wasn’t Alex himself that put me on edge. It was his closeness with William. Earning his approval felt like a necessary hurdle, as if failing to do so might cause friction either between him and William, or William and me. From everything I had heard about the trio’s friendship, their mutual respect for each other’s opinions was undeniable.

Swallowing the lump in my throat, my eyes found William’s profile. A soft smile graced his face, his light-blue eyes warmly regarding his friends. His contentment resonated within me, calming my anxiety. Just being near him, just looking at him, brought a smooth, soothing rhythm to my heartbeat.

‘So, who’s the real Will here?’ Andy quipped, his eyes sparkling with mischief as they darted between our outfits.

A blush spread across my cheeks as I caught Alex’s gaze once more. ‘I’m so sorry,’ I said to him, a bit flustered as I gestured to my borrowed clothes. ‘I wasn’t aware you were coming.’

‘No,’ Andy interjected, his smirk growing wider, ‘you thought it’d just be you and Will who would be coming.’

Alex rolled his eyes at Andy’s innuendo, giving him a look that fell somewhere between exasperated and unamused.

‘Well, Andy,’ Alex said, an undercurrent of humour lacing his words, ‘if you weren’t so dim, perhaps Chloe would have come, too.’

Beside me, William struggled to keep a straight face, his shoulders quivering. A muffled chuckle escaped his tightly pressed lips, betraying his amusement, while Andy’s face turned bright red.

Careless of their reactions, Alex smoothly rose from his seat, capturing my attention. I blinked at the sheer height of him. He was even taller than William, and just as brawny. Approaching with a confident stride, he extended his hand, his winsome smile revealing a flawless set of pearly whites.

‘Hello, Cara,’ he said, his large palm enveloping my hand in a firm, friendly handshake. ‘I’m Alexander, but everyone just calls me Alex.’

‘Hello, Alex. It’s great to finally put a face to the name.’

‘It is, isn’t it?’ His eyes, reminiscent of deep-blue sapphires, glinted with recollection. ‘But you know, we nearly met once before,’ he said. ‘I was at the table last time Jason hosted poker night. It’s a shame we didn’t get to meet then.’

A knot formed in my stomach, and I sensed William tensing beside me. That night was a minefield of unpleasant memories, littered with misunderstandings and revelations.

‘Smooth move, Alex,’ Andy said with a chuckle.

Alex’s eyes widened in recognition of his faux pas. ‘Oh, right. I’m so sorry. I forgot about…’

Aaron.

‘No, it’s all right,’ I assured him quickly, though his words sparked a moment of curiosity. Just how much did he know about my past with Aaron? ‘I’m glad we didn’t meet back then, though.’ The memory of what I had looked like that night made me cringe internally – my puffy, tear-stained eyes, my cheeks flushed from crying, my lips red and swollen. Meeting Alex in that state would have been less than ideal, to say the least. ‘I was far from presentable.’

‘And now you are…?’ Andy asked, looking pointedly at my outfit.

William walked straight toward him and delivered a swift smack to the back of his head. ‘Would you please stop?’

Andy laughed, rubbing his scalp. ‘Sorry, mate. She makes it too easy. I can’t resist.’

‘Don’t listen to him, Cara,’ Alex said, sliding his hands into his pockets. ‘What that clown is really trying to say is that we’re glad you’re finally giving Will a chance.’ He gave a small, knowing smile, his eyes briefly meeting William’s.

‘No lie there,’ Andy conceded with a nod, his playful demeanour replaced with a brief bout of earnestness.

I flashed them a grin. ‘Well, so am I.’

‘Good to hear – me too,’ William chuckled. ‘Now, about lunch. Have you made a decision?’ he asked, looking at the lads.

‘Yeah,’ Andy replied. ‘We’re thinking poke bowls.’

William’s eyes swung in my direction. ‘Does that work for you?’

‘Yeah.’ I glanced between Alex and Andy. ‘But honestly, if you guys would rather have a boy’s lunch, I wouldn’t mind stepping out.’

Alex shook his head. ‘No, we’d much rather you stayed. I’m getting rather bored of hearing about you on the grapevine. It’s high time I got to know you first-hand.’

‘She’s usually a lot cheekier,’ Andy said, shooting me a sly smile. ‘I don’t know why she’s suddenly put her halo on. I’m normally counting my blessings if I escape with my dignity still intact.’

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