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I had to awkwardly sit through Olivia and Sophia’s laughing as Sophia retold the story to her sister and mother once we were done with eating dinner. The men went back to watching their game, and food was always the best method to knock children out.
The women and I sat in the kitchen after cleaning up and decided to enjoy a glass of wine before we left. “Dad never said that to Miranda, though,” Olivia whispered as she took a sip of her wine. Miranda again?
“He must’ve seen through her bullshit right after Alex signed in the minor league,” Sophia snarled, and suddenly I was interested. They don’t like her?
“You shouldn’t talk about her.” I nodded along with Maya to seem grown, but please talk about her!
“You think she’s terrible as well, Ma.” Olivia laughed as she stood up and stretched.
“I never said she wasn’t, but what change will it bring to Alexander’s life? He’s finally being the Alexander you guys grew up with, so don’t mention that woman's name ever again,” Maya said, and I took a huge gulp of my drink.
“We’re just warning Aunty Nao, Miranda can be a filthy bitch,” Sophia said as she pointed to me.
“Even so, Naomi isn’t like that. Your Dad saw that,” Maya said as she also got up and collected our wine glasses. Isn’t like what? “Right, Naomi?” Maya looked into my eyes, and she was saying plenty with just that look.
“Right,” I whispered, and she nodded, walking away.
What was this warm feeling that spread throughout my chest? I turned around and Alexander was behind me, animatedly conversing with John and Nick. Our eyes met, and he smiled brightly.
Maybe I was overthinking it after all. This was the confirmation I had been wanting from Alexander.
We were finally moving forward in our relationship.
Chapter 21
Naomi
It had been about two weeks since we went to his parents’ home, and nothing had changed between Alexander and me. I came to his place on a regular basis, but he just seemed to be pulling away even more.
He drew some distance between us, and then out of nowhere, he was all over me and following me around. When I came last night, he basically ignored me, not that I minded because I had some reports to finish, but one would think we’d sleep together in the same bed. We didn’t.
He slept in the spare bedroom while I laid on his bed staring at the plaster-designed spiral ceiling. It was beautiful, but at that moment, all it did was make me dizzy and annoyed.
In the morning when I woke up, he was in the same bed he’d chosen not to sleep in, staring at me. I found it weird because not only did he not sleep with me last night in the same bed but he had the audacity to stare at me while I slept. What kind of drugs is he on?
When I asked him why he didn’t sleep with me, he said he had a lot on his mind. Sure, who doesn’t—but you don’t see me running away from him. Instead here I was, staring at the TV blankly with my legs on his lap to show that I was willing to spend time with him because I liked him.
A bit more than like.
Was he so afraid because I actually showed it? Should I just hide my feelings from him? But how was that any different from lying to myself day in and day out? After all, I was the one who tried to draw a boundary between us when we started our frivolous relationship.
“Is this movie okay?” he asked as he gently rubbed my foot. I nodded as I glanced at him and turned to stare at the screen again.
What’s happening in this movie?
We had settled on an action-comedy, but I had no intention of actually watching it. As long as I got to spend time with him, it was okay with me.
Although there is a wall up between us—what is the point of us spending time together? It was all pointless, and at this point, I was exhausted.
As I leaned my head against my fist, Alexander asked another question, and I softly hummed. I had no idea what he said, but he seemed to be satisfied with my answer as he chuckled and looked back at the screen.
It’s too noisy.
“I never expected this movie to actually be this good.” He looked at me, and I nodded as I forced a smile.
“Yeah,” I lied as I stared at the screen.
My heart feels so heavy.
