Chapter Thirty-Six
Joel
Alessandra was dancing with Jenson when I decided it was time to make my move, praying the kid wouldn’t let me down.
“Mind if I cut in?” I bowed, playing it up, which made the kid smile. His mother was giving him the stink-eye,but like every teenager, he liked to rebel now and then.
He placed her hand in mine and walked off.
You could see the steam coming out of her ears, that her son just kinda threw her at me. Good to know he was still willing to give me a shot.
“Dance with me, Alessandra; let’s not ruin the happy couple’s special day.” I pulled her in and placed our joined hands over my heart. She let me lead, and I began to move us as a new song came on. The perfect slow melody about finding the perfect woman, and never giving her up.
We glided in our little square in silence, but not in anger. She was in that moment with me, feeling our bodies as we moved in sync, something we never had a problem with.
The lyrics were hitting me so hard that I leaned down to whisper the words in her ear.
“I can’t do this.” She ripped her hand out from mine and fled the dance floor.
Not this time, love. I followed behind her with grace, so no one would know I was in pursuit. She entered the bathroom, and I didn’t even think twice about going in there to get her.
“Let me in, Alessandra.” I knocked on the stall door, and unlike the last time we were in this situation, she didn’t open for me.
I bent down and made sure there was no one in the other stalls before doing something crazy. I crawled under the door.
“What the hell is wrong with you?” she snapped and backed as far away from me as she could get.
“I’m willing to do anything,” I told her as I stood, brushing my shirt and jeans off.
“You’re crazy.” She shook her head, and I could tell that her eyes were starting to water with tears.
“Crazy for you.” I was a cheese ball, and she called me out on it. But I didn’t let that deter me; I walked over to her and looked her in the eyes. She looked like a frightened animal, but what was she afraid of?
I leaned in and kissed her gently, trying to express all of my words through touch. She let out a strangled cry, then wrapped her arms around me and met my passion with her own brand.
“I’m sorry; I don’t think I can do this again.” She broke away from the kiss and whispered her rejection between us. I ignored it.
“We’ll take it slow.” For as long as she needed.
“I just can’t. I’m sorry I overreacted. I just—” She pulled back and ran for the door.
“Just not right now.” She looked back at me and then exited the bathroom.
Well, that didn’t go how I wanted. I mean, I saw it in her eyes that she still loved me, and wanted me. But something was holding her back.
I left the bathroom with two goals in my mind: putting my acting skills to work for the rest of the night so Killian and Livia wouldn’t know there was anything going on with me, and then hitting a bottle of something hard.
We sent the couple off for their hotel room in a painted and ribbon-decorated truck. Their flight to Australia departed tomorrow for their month-long honeymoon.
As soon as everyone left, I made eye contact with Alessandra briefly before turning back inside to grab whatever bottle I could get before heading back to my hotel room.
I woke up with my music blasting from my plugged-in phone.
My head was pounding, and I needed something to wash the nasty, rancid taste out of my mouth. Ignoring the music, I crawled to the shower and shed my clothing in the water’s spray, not caring what mess I was making.
How did yesterday go so wrong for me?
That was pretty much the question that kept going on and on in my head, with every sip of my drink.
