Page 22 of Shattered

They seemed…nice.

“Alek, how are you, son?” the man greeted as he took hold of Alek’s hand, pulling him in for a tight hug.There was a familiarity which passed between them, appearing genuinely happy to see one another.

“Mr. Collins.How nice to see you.”Alek turned his attention to the gentleman’s wife, leaning forward to kiss her cheek.“Mrs. Collins.How are you both?”There was a longing in his eyes.Almost as if he was living in the past, if only for a brief moment.

“We are very well.And how many times do we have to insist you call us by our first names and stop with all of this formalness?”

“Old habits die hard.” He laughed.

Both of them glanced back and forth between myself and the man crowding my personal space, waiting for him to introduce me.

As if on cue, Alek regained his manners and spoke up.“Sorry, I apologize.Please let me introduce you to a very special woman.This is my girlfriend, Sara.Sara, this is Brad and Natalie Collins.”

To say I was surprised would be an understatement.We hadn’t discussed the true nature of our relationship in the days which followed my discovery of his secret.

Yes, I’d agreed to be his girlfriend.But that was before the shit hit the fan.

I wasn’t going to correct him, however.Especially not in front of anyone.It was kind of nice to know he still desired to put a label on me.On us.

Knowing myself, I was sure I would bring it up later on, trying my best to figure out where we stood, once and for all.If I’d forgiven him then we needed to move forward.

Question was, had I?

Brad reached out to me first, then his wife, both pulling me into a big hug.It took me by surprise how forward they were, but I didn’t mind.Not at all.There was something so warm and inviting about the two of them.They seemed down-to-earth and genuine.It was quite refreshing.

“It’s nice to meet both of you,” I said.Since setting foot inside the hotel earlier, they were the first people I actually wanted to have a conversation with.

While Brad chatted with Alek, his wife leaned in closer to me, vying for my attention.

“So, sweetheart, how long have you and Alek been together?”

“Not long.”I couldn’t think of what else to add to my answer.Even though I instantly liked them, I wasn’t sure how much information I should reveal.

“Well, you must be pretty special.Alek has never introduced us to a girlfriend of his before, not that he’s had many.And we’ve known him since he was a young boy.He only dates, forever the bachelor.I was wondering when he was going to get serious and start to settle down.”Her smile was telling, as if she was privy to a delicious secret.“Alek will forever hold a special place in our hearts,” she continued, her smile never vanishing.“He’s so incredibly thoughtful.”

“How do you mean?” I asked, trying my best to keep her talking.

“I had surgery a little while back, and the same day I was brought home, there was a huge array of calla lilies waiting for me when I arrived.He remembered they’re my favorite flowers.He’s so quick to think of others, doing his best to make them happy.”

Holy shit!Shewas the one he came into the shop that first time to buy flowers for?I shook my head slightly, lost in my own memory of a time which seemed so long ago.I was about to blurt out something but luckily held back, not wanting to burst the poor woman’s bubble.It was actually Katherine who created her arrangement of lilies.Alek had nothing to do with it.Well…he paid for it.And had it delivered.

Okay, so he had a big part in it.

Natalie cleared her throat, trying her best to gain my attention again.I had lost myself in the past and it was rude.Garnering all of my focus back on to her, I spoke up.“Well, I really like him, and we’re having a great time getting to know each other.”Feeling as if it was a prime opportunity to gain some more knowledge about him, I casually pressed her for more information. “How do you know Alek again?”

“We were close friends with his parents.We all practically grew up together.”She looked off in the distance for a split-second, as if she was remembering a time long ago.But she caught herself quickly enough and returned her stare to me.“It was such a tragedy what happened to their daughter, to Alek’s sister.Just tragic.” Breaking eye contact again for a spot in time, she said, “But this is no time to dwell on heartache.This is a time to celebrate all of the good work he’s doing with his charity.”

We chatted for a little while longer about the upcoming evening when nature knocked on my door.When I found a small lull in our conversation, I jumped all over it.“If you’ll excuse me, I have to find a restroom.

“Sure thing, honey.”Before I turned around, she added, “Hopefully, Alek will bring you by our house for dinner sometime.”

“I would like that.”Placing my hand on her upper arm, I finished with, “It was a pleasure to meet you.”

As I moved closer to the men, I heard Brad say, “Your sister would be so proud of what you are doing here.”While Alek tried to put on a brave face, I knew talking about his deceased sibling was difficult for him, even to people he’d known forever.His smile started to falter the longer they stood together.

When neither one of them spoke again, I swooped right in.Rising on my tippy toes, I leaned in close to his ear, my warm breath fanning over him as I asked, “Alek, I have to use the ladies room.Do you know where one is?”

I wasn’t dumb.I knew what I was doing to him.My little gesture caused his posture to straighten even more, his chest expanding with the deep breath he inhaled.And while I wanted nothing more than to stand there and engage in a silent battle of sexual games, I desperately needed some time to myself.I needed to regroup and garner enough emotional energy to succumb to the rest of the evening.Never mind the fact my bladder was complaining and would surely revolt if I didn’t find the restroom soon.

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