Page 38 of The Sound Of Silence

The way he sayseverythingmakes my chest tighten. It feels like he’s implying he knows more than I do. And maybe he does.Someone does.Only I never thought that someone would be willingly sharing the information.

I hate that he has the upper hand, so because of that, I don’t ask him for more details.

“Well, now you knowwhymy sister’s boyfriend is looking out for me,” I say, even though Jesse doesn't know what happened. Pippa promised she’d never tell him about it. Or anyone. Not because I’m ashamed of it, but because I hate being the girl everyone pities.The one that can’t remember.And lucky for me, Pippa’s very supportive of my need to block it out. Half the time she pretends nothing even happened. Which is easy for her to do considering she was away at boarding school at the time.

Alex smiles again. “Like I said. Understandable. But I guess what I’m wondering is… Does that mean they’ll snap my head off if I ask for a date?”

My eyes widen but I quickly school my features.Is this guy crazy?Does he not remember Jesse’s “touch her and die” speech? I’m paraphrasing but it was something along those lines, and the intent was there. In fact, the look he gave Alex is still ingrained in my mind. He definitely meant it.

Alex stares at me expectantly, taking a step closer as he waits for an answer.

“Oh, you’re serious.”I bark out a laugh before covering my mouth with my hands.

“Deadly.”

“I don’t think they’d harm you for asking,” I say and then pause. “But I can’t guarantee your safety if I say yes.”

Alex smirks as he bounces his fingers on the wood of the counter. “And would you say yes?”

“Nope,” I say honestly. “So you’re safe.”

My answer awards me a laugh, but there’s an edge to it. I’m guessing he doesn’t get rejected very often. Not that I’m rejectinghimper se. I’m rejecting men in general. Have been for a while now.

“I guess you can’t blame a guy for trying.”

“No, you most certainly can’t.”

“Well, I’ll take this…candle?…and be on my way.” He holds up my Forever Love oil and bath salt pack, and waves it in front of my face with a serious expression, despite not understanding what’s actually inside the box.

I hold his gaze to see if he’ll break first, but he doesn’t waver until I giggle. “It’s essential oils and you don’t have to do that.”

“What if I want to? In case I need to gift it to a special someone.”

I bite back my smile, because he’s being a little bit cute, and then take the box out of his hands. “Would you like it gift wrapped?”

“Most definitely. What do you take me for? A monster?”

I smirk at that, though I have a feeling Jesse’s answer would be yes. Yet, I’m struggling to see his issue. Alex seems quite charming, and other than knowing more about me than I’d like him to know, he hasn’t actually done anything that would make me think otherwise.

Taking my time, I place the box on the teal paper and start wrapping. “You can choose a gift card from that box if you’d like,” I say without looking up.

“Thank you.”

“There’s a pen there too, if you want to write something.”

Alex doesn’t respond, making me look up curiously. “Would you mind doing that? My handwriting is atrocious.”

Keeping a straight face to match his, I finish up the packaging before reaching for the gift card he chose and the pen.

“To my future girl,” he begins, and I write as he talks. “Will you be mine? Yours truly, Alex.”

“Well that’s sweet. It’s sure to impress.”

“Why, thank you. I’m a romantic at heart.” His lips pull up to the side, revealing the most gorgeous dimple as he winks. And I can’t deny it, my heart skips. He’s definitely a charmer.

Although don’t they say charming and attractive men can be even more dangerous because you never see their dark side coming?Damn. The thought sends a chill down my spine, and I internally scold myself for letting my mind go there. This isn’t a serial killer documentary.

When I’m done, Alex pays with a smile before walking away, and I find myself moving from behind the counter so I can watch him. He steps into the warm air and stops just outside of the building. He’s still for a moment, lost in thought before turning abruptly and marching back inside.

---