Chosen Heart (51 page)

I continue to hum, closing my
eyes as I rest against the headboard, lovingly running my fingers through her
hair.  I imagine this is similar to caring for a child.  Alex has
done this for years; he would be an amazing father.  Falling into a light
sleep myself, I’m brought back into the moment by a comforting voice.

“Elyssa?” Alex’s soft whisper
summons my eyes open.  Adjusting to the dim light coming from the open
door, I peek up at Alex.  “What’s going on?”  I bring my finger to my
mouth in hopes he doesn’t wake her.  Walking into the room, Alex quickly
assesses the situation as I continue to run my fingers through Nana’s hair.

“I was hot and when I went to get
a drink of water, she was in the kitchen.  She probably had a nightmare or
something.  So I brought her back in here, and she asked me to
stay.”  Alex slinks over to my side, kissing my forehead.  “What was
that for?” I ask quizzically.

“That was for being you, and for
taking care of her.”  Bending over, Alex swiftly kisses his grandmothers
forehead as he smoothes back the loose strand of hair.  “She’s asleep;
let’s get you back to bed.”  Taking me by the hand, he closes Nana’s
door. 

Standing in front of his room, he
stops, resting his back against the wall.  Alex kisses me again, this time
with more passion.  “Thank you for not seeing this as a reason to
run.” 

“This?”  I’m confused, what
would make me run?  My heart feels full and complete; how could I ever run
from this.  I want this feeling to last forever.

“My grandmother…my obligation to
take care of her.  I’m sure many women, especially your age, would see it
as a burden and run for the hills.  You’re kindhearted and see me
differently…more than I could have ever imagined.”

“I know how important family
is.”  Bringing Alex into an embrace, I nuzzle against his chest, finding
my own solace.  “Your grandmother is more coherent than you think,
Alex.  She worries about you.”

“How do you know?” he asks,
resting his forehead against mine.

“She told me.  She worries
about the future and you being alone.” 

“Well, I don’t feel alone
anymore.”  

Lovingly, I look up at Alex as I
hold him in a close embrace.  “I feel the exact same way.”  Wishing
for Alex to say those words again, I wait.  Instead, I’m met with a swift,
sweet kiss.  I know it took a lot for him to declare his love for me and
I’m not so greedy that I can’t wait for him to say it again.  His
affirmation of love means more to me that I ever thought possible.  After
my past, and his, we are finally home.

Bringing me closer to him, I let
him pick me up, carrying me over to lay me down on his bed.  Spooning me
from behind, we are the closest our bodies can be without being inside one
another.  The last thought before my mind has been cleared of all thoughts
and worries, is the growing attachment I feel for Alex.  He truly is my
heart, pumping blood through my body, feeding life into my once vacant
soul. 

~~~~~

I wake naked and alone, reaching
out searching the sheets for Alex’s svelte body.  All I feel is cotton and
air.  I stretch and open my eyes slightly, inhaling the scent of maple and
bacon.  My stomach grumbles, my mouth salivates, as I realize that I am
famished.  Jumping out of bed, I quickly dress in the t-shirt I borrowed
from Alex, and my jeans I found on the floor.  Walking slowly towards the
kitchen, I can hear muffled sounds of talking and giggling.  Alex and his
grandmother appear to be in full discussion as I appear in the doorway of the dining
area. 

“Good morning, sleepy
head.”  Alex is setting the table with breakfast and immediately shuffles
over to me.  Placing a sweet kiss on my lips, he leads me to the table
where Nana is sitting, smiling, sipping her orange juice.  The table is dressed
with scrambled eggs, bacon, pancakes, and toast. 

“Everything looks amazing Alex
and it smells delicious.  My stomach woke me up.”  He laughs as he
serves me a large portion of eggs, a few pieces of bacon, and two
pancakes.  Grabbing a piece of bacon, I notice Alex cutting Nana’s
pancakes into small pieces before drizzling syrup.  I’m touched by the
sweet and innocent gesture he has probably done a thousand times.  I’ve
never seen anything quite so intimidating, yet so pure, as the way Alex treats
his grandmother.  I’m sure many people do this for their elders, but as
I’ve never experienced this kind of love, it’s overwhelming.  His mother
would be proud of him, and so am I. 

“So Nana, what type of plans do
you have today?”  She glances from Alex and then to me, shrugs her
shoulders and continues to devour her breakfast.  I giggle softly as I
take my first bite.  “I guess I should have asked what you would like to
do today.”

Nana announces with excitement
that she would like to go to the movies.  Alex and I finish breakfast in
silence, holding hands, as Nana rambles on about which movie she wants to see
and the large amounts of popcorn she plans on consuming.  The excitement
in her voice makes me look forward to the rest of the day.

~~~~~

Exhausted, I slump down on my
couch resting my feet on the coffee table.  I would have stayed at Alex’s
again, but I didn’t have anything to wear to work.  Besides isn’t absence
supposed to make the heart grow fonder?  The possibility of my heart
feeling anything more for him is impossible.  I love him so much more than
I ever expected.  Recalling the day, I feel giddy thinking about how much
closer I feel to Alex and his adorable grandmother. 

We took Nana to the movies. 
So small in stature, Nana’s legs barely touched the floor in the theater
seats.  Her eyes wide in amazement as the movie started and during several
moments, tiny tears would well up in her eyes.  Sitting between us, there
were times she grasped both of our hands, expanding my heart even more. 
Even though we were separated, Alex rested his hand on my shoulder. 
Stealing sweet glances at one another, I could feel the adoration between us
even with very little contact. 

After the movie Alex took us to
lunch at Bachi Burger, which had the most amazing pork belly steamed buns;
something exotic I’ve never tasted before.  Apparently, this is one of his
favorite restaurants.  He kept going on and on about everything on the
menu.  To shut him up, I had to give in and tell him he could bring me here
anytime he wanted.  Nana was just excited to be out of the house and
spending time with her beloved grandson, and didn’t care where we ate.

Alex begged for me to stay the
night with him.  But, I reminded him I didn’t have clothes and needed to
tend to chores at my apartment before the start of the week.  Besides, by
the time he finally let me leave it was already late.  Now that I’m
finally home, the housework is looking a little less appealing.  I decide
on a shower instead.  Tired I stand, dragging my feet towards the bedroom,
tossing my clothes into my hamper.

Monday, October 15, 2012

Arriving at work, I notice
there’s energy in the air that I can’t place.  Dropping my belongings in
my desk, I log into my computer and sift through my inbox.  Wishing I had
another two days off, I scan my e-mails and find a meeting request from
Arianna’s secretary.  Luckily, the request was sent to the entire sales
staff, and not just to me. 
Whew!  No more dealing with Arianna
and her interrogations.  At least not today.

The morning went by at a snail’s
pace.  Janice asked me to have lunch with her, which was kind of odd,
because pretty much every day I have lunch with her.  But instead of going
down to the cafeteria, Janice said she wanted to go out for lunch.  Of course
I agreed, so at noon, we walked across the street to a little hole in the wall
that serves sandwiches and soup.

Glad to spend some time with her,
we catch up on all things men.  She just got back from a trip to
California with her boyfriend and found it made them closer.  Going away
on a trip together can make or break a relationship, so I’m glad to hear they
are going strong.  I know firsthand how a trip can affect a relationship,
and am satisfied in knowing my San Diego trip was just as rewarding.  I
only wish I could share my happiness with her, but I can’t risk her knowing
anything about me and Alex.

Janice insists on paying for
lunch, saying something about thanking me for helping her nab her man. 

Arriving back to work, that same
energy hits me in the face when we walk onto our floor.  The office is in
full uproar, gossip spreading about a possible lay off.  My stomach is in
my throat. 
No, that couldn’t be it, Alex would have warned me.
 
Shrugging off the banter, I continue to work and review the plan documents and
quotes that I needed to follow up on.  As the meeting time approaches, I
hear Arianna’s laughter from down the hall. 
Thank God she’s in a good
mood today!
 
Definitely not a lay off! 

I can hear her more clearly the
closer she gets, but what I wasn’t expecting to hear is the familiar sound of a
man’s voice. 
No, it couldn’t be him.
  Pushing my chair out
past my cubicle wall, I peek down the hallway towards the laughter.  As
the cluster of bodies part, I see Arianna and standing next to her is Mr.
Big-Head himself, Oliver Prescott. 
What in the hell is he doing here?!
 

My nerves are in knots as I
comprehend that my eyes are not playing tricks on me.  Quickly, I push my
chair back towards my desk, hoping to hide for a moment while I regain my
composure. 
Maybe he’s just here for a tour.  Brokers tour all of
the time.  Shit!  Alex is going to be pissed. 
Trying to
calm myself, I start to develop a list of a thousand reasons as to why Oliver
is down the hall, and not in sunny San Diego.  The chime of my e-mail
reminder shifts my attention to my computer screen.  Time for our
meeting.   Grabbing my notebook, I head to the conference room in
full on panic mode.

~~~~~

The Sales Associates all flock to
one side of the room as the majority of Sales Executives sit next to one
another in the center of the conference table.  Unfortunately, that means
that Autumn is close by.  Sitting two seats to my left she flips her hair
and crosses her legs, seeking the attention of anyone who’s willing to give it
to her.  Looking around the room I notice Janice arriving, just as she
walks towards the empty seat next to me.  Autumn rolls her eyes at
Janice’s seating choice, but I pay her no attention.  Autumn and her
holier-than-thou attitude can shove it where the sun don’t shine.  Janice
works hard and deserves to sit wherever she pleases.

Alex finally arrives; our eyes
meet for a brief moment before he takes a seat directly across from me. 
Thankfully,
he isn’t sitting next to Autumn again.
  My body relaxes and relief
rushes over me just knowing he’s in such close proximity.  This meeting
should go a lot smoother without Autumn’s whore hands all over my heart. 

Playfully, Alex smiles and taps
his chest twice, directly over his heart.  I swoon at the intimate personal
gesture and repeat the same movement.  Carefully, I glance around the
room, ensuring I have no one’s attention before pretending to brush away a
stray hair on my chest.  Instead I tap twice over my heart and blush
slightly looking into Alex’s deep blue eyes. 

The room’s attention turns to
Arianna as she arrives in full banter.  I recall her being overly excited
earlier, and can’t imagine why she would be in such a good mood.  Directly
behind her is Oliver. 
Shit!
  A large toothy smile spreads
across his face as our eyes meet.  Arianna chooses the seat next to Alex,
Oliver following in suit.  Alex flexes his fingers, trying not to tense
them into fists as he glares at the both of them.  Grabbing my pen, I
fidget with the cap to focus my attention on something other than Oliver’s
seductive gaze. 

The room is silenced as Arianna
addresses the room, heads turning to give her the full attention she
demands.  “I want to thank everyone for coming.  I know this meeting
was short notice, so I will get right to the point.”  Her demeanor has
returned to normal compared to the last time I saw her; flustered with a sloppy
appearance.  Instead, her hair is impeccably styled in soft tendrils that
frame her face. 

“You may have noticed a stranger
among us.”  She smiles at Oliver and in unison the rooms’ attention is now
on him.  “This is Oliver Prescott.  Some of you may know him, or his
name.  He has quite the reputation in our industry, and is currently the
number one salesman over at Britt & Sterne.  Well, I guess currently
is a thing of the past, since I have decided to bring Mr. Prescott in as our
new Sales Executive.” 

The room erupts in applause as
relief floods over everyone’s faces.  The thought of lay-offs has been
pushed to the far corners of their minds.  In that moment, I glance at
Alex who is gripping the end of the table with white-knuckle force.  He’s
clearly upset over her decision.

As Arianna joins in the
celebration, clapping in unison with the rest of the sales staff, tiny diamonds
adorning her watch glimmer against the sun shining in from the windows behind
me.  The ornate band is something I will never forget, as I recall toying
with the watch as I stood in Alex’s kitchen.  The same watch I questioned
Alex about is fastened to Arianna’s boney wrist.  Her long fingers toy
with the band, rolling the watch around and around, as my eyes stray from her
wrist, finally meeting her eyes.