Page 39 of Release
Chapter 15
SEBASTIAN wascautious when he entered the physical therapy center for his appointment. He approached the desk and requested his usual therapist. Mike was not there, and he was assigned to Kennedy again. Knowing he was about to be pseudo-stalked again made the task of enduring the session more unbearable. Had the tables been turned and this were happening to a woman, the strong recommendation would have been to report it. Sebastian didn’t want to be responsible for anyone being put out of a job, so he decided to ignore it.
Today, he had made it through her flirtatious overtures without opening his mouth to say a word. The only time he had to draw the line was in the electronic pulse massager room. He told her if she tried anything, that would be it. She went on to tell him she couldn’t get over his ‘moves’.
Fuck.
She’s never going to stop.
“This is the last couple of sessions for you, Bash,” Kennedy murmured before leaving him in peace. He breathed an inward sigh of relief. Soon this would be over and he could take the firefighter’s fitness test, and learn his fate.
He glanced at the television in the corner as the massager did its work. A soccer game was playing, until another patient came in to use the second machine on the other side of the room. He changed the channel to entertainment news. Sebastian groaned aloud at the irony of seeing Lexxi Rock flash across the screen.
My woman.
He smiled softly and looked on, drawn in by the bright colors framing the entertainment news desk. He was about to relax his head on the backrest when the news anchor became more animated. The volume was turned down, but there was enough sound to get the odd word in. Images flashed of Lexxi, first with her purple hair, along with news about her soon to be released album. Bash did a double take when more pictures showed Alexandra looking like Alex Roberts. The purple hair was gone, replaced by the soft black curls he was familiar with. Her petite form was hugged by a pantsuit cropped below the knees, with a white t-shirt and form-fitting black blazer. Her bright blue loafers made him smile a little. The glamorous makeup from the earlier pictures was replaced by nude lipstick and a natural face. She looked great.
By now he wanted to hear more. He leaned closer without realizing, and the other patient turned up the sound for him to take a listen. He nodded his thanks and relaxed back into the chair.
“We caught up with Lexxi Rock in the studio recently, and scored exclusive behind the scenes footage of her laying a new track. We’ve watched this clip about a thousand times, and we can’t wait to hear the full song. Now viewers, keep in mind the Lexxi Rock you know, the girl who has been taking the world by storm for the past four years, has matured. You can see it in her new look, and you can definitely hear it in her new album. Take a listen to the first single scheduled for release, a song called ‘Linger,’ and remember, we brought it to you first.”
A snippet of a music video filled the screen. Everything about Alexandra reminded him of her time living next door.
Lexxi held headphones to her ears and sang into a suspended microphone. At one point she stared out from the television like she was looking directly at him. Sebastian could barely pay attention to the lyrics of the verse. He missed her.
She winked and belted out the words to the chorus of the song, which drew him into a trance as he paid closer attention:
Don’t get me wrong
I tried to hide the real me
Showed you a thousand personalities
But you saw through every one
Don’t getme wrong
Even though I know we’ll never be
There’s a single light inside of me
That lingers on
You linger on…”
That was all. It was just a snippet of her video. The entertainment news anchor reappeared. Just a taste. Just a taste of her on a damned TV and his appetite wanted more. The desire was a physical ache, a reminder of the distance. Things were going to be a hell of a lot simpler when he could see her more often.
This weekend will help.
“Are you a fan of hers?” asked the man who had turned up the TV.
“Sure,” he answered.
He was not about to tell a stranger he knew Lexxi Rock and they were together and she might have sang a part of that song for him. He smiled distractedly as the segment continued with more about Lexxi. Then, a digitally blurred photo hit the screen, and in bold red letters flashed the words, “Are they back together?”
The show went to commercial before clearing up the picture enough for Sebastian to make out who “they” were. He glanced away when Kennedy returned to the room, but with Lexxi on his mind, he turned back to the TV to wait for what was coming up.
“How are you doing in here, Bash?” she asked, making a beeline to him.
