Page 47 of Behind the Scenes

“I will,” he said as he walked out of the kitchen.

Glancing down the hallway, he thought about knocking on Alexis’s door to see if she was okay but decided to let things lay as they were. He likely couldn’t say anything to help her feel better anyway.

Chapter Fifteen

Alone in herroom, Alexis enjoyed the pot roast dinner Carla made for her, wishing she felt like being out in the dining room where everyone else sat enjoying themselves. She heard Lauren and Hunter out there laughing about something, but even their happiness didn’t cheer her up.

Honestly, she wondered if anything would ever make her truly happy again.

Carla’s meal worked just like Lauren knew it would. Whenever she felt sad, Alexis could always count on her best friend to make sure she had something to help her through it, and comfort food that reminded her of her childhood never failed to make her reminisce about growing up in Minnesota.

Life then was easier, and not just because they were kids. People could be trusted back home. Caring about one another meant something important to the people she grew up with. Back in high school, no one would have ever bothered to stalk her. She was just one of the girls in those days.

Lauren knocked lightly and said in her worried voice, “Honey, are you okay in there? Do you want me to come in and hang out with you for a little while?”

As she stared at the bedroom door, she shook her head, even dreading having to see the person closest to her in the world. “No, thanks. Please just tell everyone I want to be left alone tonight. The bodyguards can go home. I’m not going anywhere tonight, so let them have a night off.”

She heard her friend sigh before she said, “Okay. I’ll be around if you want me. It’s only eight o’clock, so I won’t be going to bed anytime soon. Just yell for me if you need anything, okay?”

“Okay. Thanks, Lauren.”

Nothing she could do would make her feel better, so Alexis doubted she’d need anything that night. What she needed was for her life to go back to a time when she didn’t fear everything in her world.

Alexis set the tray of food on the dresser and lay down on the bed. She curled up in a ball and closed her eyes, praying that sleep would come and take her over until the next morning.

She awoke stillcurled up in her bed and looked around, wondering if she’d gotten her wish and she’d made it all the way to the morning. Craning her neck, she looked out the window on the other side of the room and saw the sad truth in the darkness. Whatever time it was, it wasn’t morning yet.

Checking the time on her phone, she saw she’d only slept two hours. Disappointed, especially since that probably meant she’d be up most of the night tossing and turning, she quietly opened her door and listened for any indication that Lauren or Carla were still around. The last thing she wanted was to talk about what was bothering her. She’d done enough talking to last a lifetime.

She crept down the hallway as silently as she could and went to the kitchen to get a drink. Looking across at Hunter’s door, she wondered if he had gone to sleep yet. Unsure if she should bother him, Alexis tapped on his door lightly and waited a minute. When he didn’t answer, she figured it was for the best and began to walk back toward her room.

“Are you okay, Alexis?” she heard behind her about halfway down the hallway.

Turning around, she nodded. “It’s nothing. I was just wondering if you were still awake.”

He smiled and she couldn’t help but notice how sexy he looked at that moment. Still in his jeans and a dark blue t-shirt, he seemed so comfortable just standing there in his doorway.

“I’m not Lauren or Carla, but I’m still awake. What’s up?”

She walked to where he stood, and for a moment, neither one of them said anything. It didn’t feel awkward, but there was no denying the sudden silence. Not that Hunter had shown himself to be a big talker. That was one of the reasons why she knocked on his door. She didn’t want to talk so much as not be alone, and out of everyone in her world, only he seemed to fit the bill for that.

Hunter stepped back out of the doorway to welcome her into his room. “I’m not doing anything much at the moment. Come in.”

As he closed the door behind her, she looked around at the room that used to be her office. It felt foreign to her now. Masculine. As her gaze settled on his gun sitting on the dresser, Alexis couldn’t even remember what this room had looked like as her office such a short time ago.

Then she noticed she hadn’t thought to get him anything to sit on other than the bed, so she stood in the center of the room as he sat down and cleared away papers he’d been reading.

“I’m sorry I didn’t get you any chairs, Hunter. I don’t know what I was thinking. I should have gotten you a desk too. I can take care of those things tonight and have them here tomorrow,” she said, hoping he didn’t notice how embarrassed she felt.

He tidied up the papers and set them on his nightstand. “That’s not necessary. I can work like this.”

She smiled at his attempt to be gracious but made a mental note that she needed to get him a desk and at least one chair.

After a few moments, he asked, “Do you want to sit down?”

Alexis looked around awkwardly wishing so much that she hadn’t been such an idiot when she bought the furniture for this room. The only place to sit would be on the bed with him, but she didn’t want to stand the whole time she stayed there.

“Yeah. Thanks,” she mumbled as she sat down on the side of the bed opposite him. Still feeling out of place, even though this was a room in her own home, she said, “This feels comfortable. I’m glad. I wasn’t sure which mattress to get.”

---