Page 53 of Falling Too Late

“I love those two.” I smiled after them. Troy and Gavin brought a different kind of lightheartedness that I wasn’t capable of. They joked and played with each other like nothing could bring them down. I loved to watch them.??

When Alex didn’t say anything, I looked up at him. His warm brown eyes were on me, a gentleness to them that I was familiarwith. Alex had become my world. He was my rock in a storm, always keeping me above water.

He reached out, and I didn’t flinch when he tucked loose strands of hair behind my ear. His rough thumb brushed down my cheek.??

“You are so beautiful when you smile.” His hand rested on my cheek a little longer before he pulled me into a hug. I buried my face into his chest, letting his woodsy amber scent envelop me.??

I had fallen so deeply in love with Alex. I wasn’t sure when it happened. I wasn’t really even sure of the emotion. I had discussed it with Laurel at length, describing my feelings about him, how he made me happy.??

For the longest time, I thought it was a trauma bond with him. That he was the first person who treated me with kindness, who helped me get out of the situation I was in. That there was a part of me that decided I just needed him to breathe. But after talking to Laurel, we dissected it and gave it a name.??

Love.?

The radio we had brought from the apartment was plugged in and sitting on top of the fridge. Alex reached up, turning the song up louder. He stole my pizza crust, popping it into his mouth in one bite. He took one of my hands and guided it to his neck, taking my other hand and holding it. We danced around the small space of the kitchen to the song. He had me doing turns and dipping me back. I laughed, not a care in the world.?

“Well, look at you two.”

As Alex spun me, I got a glimpse of Jon standing in the doorway. Alex didn’t falter in his step, keeping us moving in the small kitchen.

“Hey, Jon,” I greeted him, breathless.?

"My turn,” he said.

Alex put me in a spin right into Jon’s arms.

Jon guided me in his own dance, a little faster than Alex’s. The song ended shortly after.

“I didn’t know you were coming over tonight.”

“Alex texted me earlier. I managed to get out of the last few meetings of the day.” He grinned, reaching up and loosening his tie. “Pays to be the boss’s son.”

As soon as we graduated from high school, Jon had started working for his dad’s law firm.

“The whole plan is for me to take over one day,” Jon had said one day the summer after high school. All I could think about is what it would be like to have parents who had your whole life planned out for you. It sounded amazing.

“Glad you could make it,” Alex said, walking up behind me and wrapping his arms around my shoulders, chin resting on my head.

The butterflies erupted in my belly.

This wasn’t something new that Alex did, but now that I had feelings for him, it seemed so different.?

After my college graduation, Jon had taken us all out to a really nice dinner. Gloria passed on the invite, so it was just the three of us. He brought a pink bouquet of roses, a beautiful necklace, and a very sweet congratulations card.

Alex had been quiet that night. I tried asking him what was wrong, but he denied anything was wrong and we never talked about it again.

“How’s work been?” Jon asked Alex.

“Good.” A smile split Alex’s face and he looked down at me. “Dan promoted me. I get to run my own crew.”

“Congratulations!” I beamed for him. “That’s amazing, Alex.”

“Good job, man. You are coming up in the world.” Jon slapped Alex’s shoulder.

A weird tension seemed to build between them in that moment. I looked between them, about ready to ask what was wrong, when Gavin spoke up.

“Hey, where do you want these?” Gavin carried a box in. Alex stepped forward and grabbed the box that had my name on it.??

“Here, I got this one. Troy, that one goes to my room.”??

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