He waits until Eden shuts the door before turning to leave. The second he gets outside, he lets out a huge exhale. This night has been... Well, it’s been a lot. At this point, he just wants to go home and crash. Alexander’s about to get back into his car when his phone chimes.
Bea: Feel like coming over?
He sends a quick text back before slipping into the driver’s seat. Once he hits send, he drives off, a massive weight lifting off his shoulders.
Alexander: Hey, Bea. Sorry, but I think it’s time we end this. It’s been fun.
Bea: Hey, no need to be sorry. We’re both adults. I guess I better dust off the old Tinder account.
Bea: Did you meet a girl or something? Just curious.
Bea: That brunette from your work was hot.
Alexander smiles to himself, the ghost of Eden’s touch and the smell of her hair lingering like a dream.
Alexander: I 100% agree with you there.
Bea: LOL Happy trails, tiger.
Eden wanted to kiss him. She settled for hugging him. Now she’s kicking herself for chickening out.
Could have kissed him, Eden. You could have kissed him, but did you?
NoOooOoo.
It all happened so fast. One second, she thought for sure she was about to lose her job. The next, she’s at trivia with her friends the next evening and everything’s completely fine.
The more she thinks about it, revealing her secret was going to have to happen sooner or later. She just didn’t think it was going to be Alexander who figured it all out first. She’s glad to finally be able to at least tell someone the truth. Still, she’ll have to be more careful from here on out. The last thing she needs is to complicate matters further by telling people who have no business knowing.
The pub in question looks to be a rather decent place. More of a sports bar, if anything, what with massive TV screens turned to various channels like ESPN, the NFL, and the NBA. There are two distinct sections to the pub, the bar on the higher tier near the back, and the main floor one step down where tables have all been re-arranged specifically for trivia night. She spots Freddie, Peter, and Rina at one of the tables, having arrived before her.
“You made it!” Rina cheers, scooching over to pat the free seat next to her. “We thought you weren’t going to show.”
“It would have been super awkward if you hadn’t,” Peter mumbles.
Eden arches a brow. “Why would it have been awkward?”
“Because the boss man is here,” Freddie supplies.
Eden doesn’t know how she missed him, but she did. Alexander is absurdly tall and broad, so now that she knows he’s here, her eyes lock onto him immediately like some kind of homing beacon. Everyone else disappears, and he’s all she can focus on. Her heart skips a beat.
Eden’s always thought he looked dashing in his chef jacket. But outside of the kitchen, dressed in a pair of dark jeans and a dark gray Henley that has no business being as tight on him as it is, he’s...
Well, he’s sexy as hell.
Especially so when he holds an entire tray full of drinks in one hand like it’s nothing. Eden briefly wonders what she wouldn’t give to be that tray.
Down, girl.
Alexander smiles at her, and she almost loses grip on reality. It’s a barely-there sort of smile, the corners of his lips tugging upwards ever so slightly. Regardless, it leaves her speechless.
“You’re here,” he says warmly.
“I am.”
“I’m glad.”
She laughs. “Why would I invite you only to not show up?”
