Page 40 of Release
“Busy,” he grunted, hoping she would leave him alone.
She checked the electrodes. Sebastian tried to ignore the way her hand stopped on his thigh rather than on the electrodes. He looked up to see her reaction, and let it slide rather than embarrassing her. He was more interested in what the new anchor was about say.
Kennedy consulted her watch. “Alright, looks like time is up,” she announced. “For me and you, that is. I’m ready to clock out. You have another ten minutes on the massager here, and the other therapist will be in to remove the equipment.”
“Thanks.”
“What about you? Got any special plans this week?” Kennedy arched a brow, and Sebastian’s attention went back on the TV.
“Hang on a sec.” He waved her off, hoping she would stop talking so he could find out which celebrity couple might or might not be back together. She moved in front of him just as the anchor continued with the story.
Kennedy turned to the TV. “Oh, look! Lexxi Rock and Wilkes Barracks hooked back up! I always liked them as a couple. They look great together.”
The blood drained out of Sebastian’s face. Kennedy moved aside and Sebastian’s eyes slowly lifted to the TV. The blurry photograph was now crystal clear. Standing in front of an ornate door, Wilkes and Lexxi were locked in a passionate kiss. His hands cupped her face, but a blind man could see that it was Alexandra. Sebastian knew exactly how those raven curls fell, and he recognized the curves of her body…a body that was pressed against Wilkes’. Her eyes were closed. The longer he watched, the quicker his heart rate sped up, painfully, and he struggled to breathe. She looked like she was enjoying it.
In his head, a black dagger of anger darkened every memory he held of Alexandra. Alex Roberts was a farce. Alexandra Storme was a fraud. She may have said she loved him but she had no idea what that meant. The song, “Linger,” was quite a performance, but the award winning act went to Alexandra Storme for convincing him that she actually cared about him when she did not.
It was suddenly clear that he was her hometown good time, meant to be kept in the shadows, but all along she had Wilkes waiting in the wings to take center stage.
I fell for it.
I fell for all of it.
The squeezing pressure in his chest got tighter. He tried to take a deep breath. Sebastian had worked through pain before, even the unbearable. Attempting the air of nonchalance he didn’t feel, he rose from the chair, electrodes still attached, and stood to face Kennedy. His voice sounded hoarse and untried when he opened his mouth to speak, but he cleared his throat and tried again. “You remember where I live, right?”
Kennedy looked up at him, confused. “Yes. Why?”
“Since you’re free, and I’m free, just come by.”
“Really? When?” she asked excitedly.
Sebastian remembered he had dinner plans with his aunt that evening.
“Tomorrow.”
“Sure!” She didn’t hesitate. “How’s nine-thirty?”
“Great. Get these electrodes off me now please.”
Kennedy’s smile cranked up by about a thousand watts. She disconnected the wires before she left the room, and Sebastian stormed off in the other direction. He headed straight for the main floor doors, no crutch this time.
A thousand personalities. The lyrics to Lexxi’s song echoed in his head.
A thousand personalities.
You’d think one of them would be real.
