Goodbye Isn't Forever (3 page)

Alex
had driven by the club’s entrance slowly, just to see if Zand was still
there.  She had briefly glanced at a few of the cars, but did not see
him.  Alex let out a breath she hadn’t realized she had been
holding.  She was torn between the relief that Zand was not waiting and
disappointment.  What had she expected?  She had kept him waiting for
over half an hour.

Maybe
he went back into the club to search for her.  That thought put a smile on
the blonde’s face.  It quickly diminished when she realized the
embarrassment that he would feel upon being stood up.  Or, would it even
faze him?  Would he just replace her with another pick-up and be on his
way?  Was Toni right?

Alex
realized that was what she would have done.  But only for the sake of
Gaddy and those damn bets of hers.  How had she ever let her talk her into
playing their crazy game of “pulling the hottest guy"? Or, as Toni had
argued, after trading too many shots with Kate one night, “it wasn’t actually
pulling, because you didn’t pull on anyone, but more like coming, because
someone was coming home with you.”

The
pun was not lost on any of them, and Toni was on a roll.  If their choices
were on an even keel, then points could be earned, Toni had eagerly suggested,
by cleverly using these alternative phrases as part of their pick-up lines,
“come home with me”, “come what will”, or “guess who’s coming to dinner?” 
That one was for Alex and her movie fetish, Toni had insisted.  She had
been so proud of her ingenious idea, and so confused that no one wanted to use
it.  Good grief!  How many drinks
had
she downed that night?

Alex
rolled her eyes at that memory.  Leave it to Toni!  Really, how did
Drew endure the constant craziness?  Were muzzles illegal to put on
humans?  Alex made a mental note to check.  That might be a perfect
gift for Drew.  As Toni’s loft mate, it would probably come in handy.

Alex
let her mind focus back on tonight and the “game”.  The reality was that
Alex just put on a show in front of her friends with her so-called “date” until
they left the club.  Then, she usually begged off with a work excuse or an
instant migraine.

Alex
laughed out loud.  She couldn’t remember the last time that she had
suffered from a real migraine.  But the excuses usually worked and most of
the time ended with the unwitting male feeling nothing but concern for
Alex.  If she ran into any of them again, she found that it was a friendly
encounter void of the drama.  A win-win situation for everyone.

Gaddy
would kill her if she ever suspected that Alex hadn’t actually slept with her
pick-ups.  It just wasn’t her style.  She could play the love ‘em and
leave ‘em attitude to the hilt, but that was only for show.  Wouldn’t
Gaddy be shocked if she knew that deep down, Alex just wanted to find the
person that she was meant to be with.  Her soul mate.  Did a soul mate
actually exist for her, Alex wondered?

Zand
Gabriel.  Zand.  Alex didn’t notice the segue as her mind led her to
that name. Now that was a name that she hadn’t thought of in years.  Alex
tried to picture him the last time that they had seen each other.  Tall
and slender.  Perhaps even a little ungainly.  But still incredibly
handsome.  And those eyes!  It was hard to put that skinny, young guy
in the body of the man he had become.  Slenderness had given way to a very
defined and muscular build that Zand carried with ease.

Alex
felt goose bumps rise on her arms as she shivered.  Just thinking about
the stunningly handsome man that she had danced with brought an ache to her
arms.  She giggled as she thought about the dance part.  They must
have looked very inept as dancers considering that all they did was stand there
and make-out.

Alex
let out a sigh of longing.  She wanted to hold him again.  Feel his
body against hers and truly enjoy it this time.  And the kisses that they
had shared, well, Alex was starting to feel another ache and this time it
wasn’t in her arms.

Damn
it, Zand!  Alex suddenly felt anger towards her gorgeous but unexpected
pick of the night.  Why now?  All of these years and nothing. 
Nothing!  Until now.

Alex
had a new and more disturbing thought.  Was it just a coincidence that she
had inadvertently picked Zand?  She didn’t think that Zand came to L. A.
very often. Why was he in town?  And better, yet, why was he at her club?

There
were plenty of good clubs in the area.  Did he know that Alex frequented
that club more often than not?  Indeed, it was her favorite pick for the
Friday night games.  Oh, what had Toni said?  That Zand was a known
Casanova?  Alex wanted to laugh.  Were they talking about the same
Zand?  That shy, skinny kid of long ago must have really changed. 
Alex thought back to the flirting on the dance floor.  Zand was smooth
that was for sure.  And the kissing.  Alex couldn’t remember one that
had aroused her as much.  She had even decided that this time, she was
going to throw caution to the wind and take the man home.  Contest or not,
she had wanted him.  If he hadn’t said her name, Alex knew that she would
have spent one amazing night with her pick-up.  How in the hell had that
pick-up turned out to be Zand Gabriel?

Alex
slammed on her brakes and did a U-turn on the highway.  She had some
burning questions and there was only one person who could give her
answers.  She glanced at the clock on the dash of her car.  It was
late, but Alex didn’t intend to endure a restless night.

She
wanted answers and she wanted them now!

The
knocking at the door invaded the peaceful sleep of the occupant.  She
slowly realized that the insistent knocking was not part of her dream. 
She sighed as she glanced at the clock.  2:00
a.m
.  Damn!  She hurriedly got up and donned her
robe.  This had better be important or someone was in big trouble! 
As the pounding persisted, she looked through her peep hole.  At her
unbelieving eyes, she peered again.  This time she could hear her name
being whispered against the door.

“Jennifer,
are you home?  Please let me in.”

As
the door swung open, Jennifer could only stare at her late night visitor.

“Zand?”

Zand
smiled sheepishly at his older sister.  “Sorry it’s so late, Jen.  I
just,”

“Is everyone
alright?  Daddy?  He’s not…”  Jennifer interrupted with terror
in her voice.

“No,
no.  He’s fine.  Everyone is fine.”  Zand looked around the
hallway of the apartment building.  “Can I at least come in?  I don’t
want to wake everyone up.”

Jennifer
smiled ruefully and backed up, opening the door wider for Zand to enter. 
“No, just me apparently,” she mumbled.

Zand
entered the apartment and quickly took in his surroundings. “This is really
nice.  I like it much better than the last one.”

Jennifer
pulled her robe tighter and headed to the kitchen to make coffee.  If Zand
was starting out with pleasantries, then it was going to be a long night. 
She might need to pull out the fruit pastries that she kept on hand for just
this type of occasion.  Zand always did have a sweet tooth.  “Come on
in.  Have a seat while I make a pot of coffee.  Then you can tell me
what is so important that it couldn’t wait until morning.”

Zand
glanced at his watch and grinned.  “It is morning, Jen.”

Jennifer
looked at her grinning idiot of a brother.  “Of course it is, Zand! 
And even back in New York, it is still just five o’clock.  Too damn early
to be up no matter which side of the country you are on!”

Zand
had the decency to look a little shamefaced.  “Sorry, sis.  I guess I
should have just gone back to my hotel and waited until later, but I …”

Jennifer
felt a twinge of guilt.  It was just sleep and this was her only
brother.  “It’s okay, Zand,” she interrupted.  “You have something on
your mind and I am glad to be here for you.  Sit down and tell me all
about it.”

Zand
sighed and wondered where to start.  Jennifer was going to think that he
was crazy.

“I
saw someone tonight that I haven’t seen, well, in a very long time.  I
don’t think that she remembered me, but I felt so…drawn to her.  And then
we kissed and…”

“Wait,
what?  Who haven’t you seen in a while?  And you kissed?”

“I
know, I know, Jen.  But when I saw her again, all of the years just faded
and I was this gawky, adolescent kid again.  I forgot how to dance,
Jen.  I literally, damn well forgot how to dance!”

Jennifer
sat across from Zand shaking her head.  She was grasping bits and pieces
of the story, and, so far, nothing was making sense.  Jennifer waved her
hand in front of Zand.  “Whoa, little brother!  Slow down.  My
head is spinning just trying to keep up with you.  Now, slowly, start from
the beginning, will you?”

Zand
took a deep breath and started again.  “Jen, remember that camp that I
used to attend every summer when I was a kid?”

“That
stuffy camp with all the snotty-nosed rich kids that Dad insisted was good for
you?”

Zand
chuckled, “Yeah, that’s the one.  Did I ever tell you about my last summer
there?”

Jennifer
thought a moment, wondering where this was heading.  “I guess that was
when you were, what, seventeen, eighteen?  I had just left for college, so
I don’t remember much about that summer,” Jennifer turned away.  She
didn’t remember much of anything that summer.  The school, the campus,
classes…all was such a blur.  An alcohol and drug-induced blur spurred on
by her crazy musician boyfriend at that time.  She had come close to
losing a lot more than just a summer.  Her time of carelessness and
debauchery had left its mark on her.  She had struggled for years with
alcohol addiction, and the last she had heard of her summer love was that he
was still serving time for his stint at armed robbery.  It was an
eye-opener for Jennifer.  She couldn’t believe he had let the drugs
control his life to that extent.

Zand
reached over and patted Jennifer’s hand.  “I’m sorry, sis.  I didn’t
mean to remind you of that time.  It’s just, well, when I met…
her
.”

Jennifer
shook her head from her bad memories and tried to focus on what Zand was
saying.  “Her?”

“Yes.” 
Zand’s eyes took on a dreamy appearance.  “I was eighteen though, I
think.  I was upset with Dad because I didn’t want to go to the
camp.  A couple of classmates were going abroad and I wanted to go with
them.  There were some art exhibits on international tour and I wanted to
see them.”  Zand glanced at Jennifer, who was rolling her eyes. 
“What?  You know how important art has always been to me.”

“Oh,
don’t I know it!  Even at that age, all you wanted to do was hang out at
some stuffy ol’ art museum.”

Zand
paused from his story to feign outrage.  “They are not stuffy!”

As
he saw the grin that Jennifer let show, Zand relaxed and resumed his
story.  “As I was saying, I didn’t want to go that year so Dad promised it
would be my last.  I would be old enough for an internship with Dad after
I turned eighteen, so I agreed to go one last year.  His business
connections were all that seemed to matter to him.  But, that summer
turned out to be one that I would never forget.  I met someone there that
completely left me undone.”

Jennifer
stared at Zand’s face.  His choice of words was shocking to her because
nothing or no one could “undo” Zand Gabriel.  He took center stage and
complete control wherever he went.  Jennifer didn’t have long to ponder
Zand’s statement.  The coffee machine beeped signaling it was
through.  Jennifer glanced at Zand, who was still lost in memory, and left
the table to prepare their drinks.

Zand
was still staring out into space when a steaming hot mug of coffee was placed
in front of him.  He grabbed it without thinking and was about to take a
drink when Jennifer snapped her fingers.  The noise helped bring Zand back
to reality.

“Earth
to Zand!  Zand!  Be careful, it’s hot,” Jennifer warned.

Zand
stopped himself from taking a large gulp from the mug.  Where was his
mind?  He knew exactly where it was.  Still staring into the lovely
eyes of the beautiful Alexandra Kensington.  Or, as Zand had lovingly
dubbed her twelve years ago,
his
Alex.

Zand
sighed deeply and began his narrative of the summer that had changed his life.

It
had been an odd meeting, at first.  They had been paired together to
complete a required camp project and neither one was happy about it.  Zand
had his friends that he had come to know over the years through his dad, and
Alex was not one of them.  It was his last summer at camp, and he had just
wanted to have fun with his friends.  Now, he was stuck with this
newcomer.

While
Zand had waited for his “partner” to arrive in their meeting room, he was
filled with dread.  Great, just great, Zand had thought.  His last
summer of camp was going to drag on and on and he would die from boredom. 
And his helper couldn’t even be on time!

Those
last thoughts had left him completely when he caught a glimpse of the blonde
that had entered the room, checking her itinerary.  Zand watched as she
walked back outside and even rechecked the number on the door.  As the
blonde re-entered, her eyes slowly scanned the room and paused briefly on
Zand.  She looked past the skinny co-ed, but her eyes quickly returned and
seemed to light up as they focused on her fellow camp mate.  She slowly
approached Zand, taking in the dark-hair and eyes as she approached.

Zand
could feel the heat slowly rise to his cheeks.  Was this girl checking him
out?  Before Zand could grasp the answer, Alex was standing in front of
him with an outstretched hand.

“I’m
Alex.  You must be,” Alex quickly scanned the name on her project
guidelines sheet, “Zander Gabriel?”

Zand
stood up and shook the offered hand.  “Actually, it’s Zand.”

“Oh?” 
Alex asked, rechecking her notes.

Zand
chuckled.  “I’m sure that it does say, Zander.  My father just dares
anyone to call me otherwise.  So, all of my schedules here list me as
Zander.

“But,
you prefer Zand?”  she asked, smiling.

“Yes.”
Zand answered, looking briefly into Alex’s eyes before quickly averting his
gaze.  Any other response just left him.

Alex
grinned.  She had noted the color in Zand’s cheeks.  A shy one, she
mused. It could be a long summer.  But, she thought, still looking at
Zand, he has potential.  Tall, dark tan, nice hair.  A little thin
for my tastes, but, still easy on the eyes.

While
Alex was analyzing Zand, she didn’t realize that he was secretly watching her,
too.  As Zand became lost in his study of the blonde, he lifted his head
and they locked eyes.

Alex
was taken aback by the beautiful, yet, soulful deep-brown eyes.  “Wow,”
she whispered under her breath.

Zand
was the first to break contact and cleared his throat.  The noise brought
Alex back to reality as well.

“Okay,
um, Zand.  I guess that I am your partner for the camp projects. 
Since I am new here, you may have to hold my hand some to get me through it.”

At
the surprised look on Zand’s face, Alex added, “Not literally, Zand. 
Although, I think I wouldn’t mind,” Alex winked and giggled at Zand’s stunned
expression.  “I am just kidding.  It was just an expression. 
You know, extra help, be by my side?”

“I
know the expression, Alexandra.”  Zand cleared his throat again.  “Is
that what Alex is short for?  Alexandra?”  Zand asked to avert the
attention from him.  This girl was definitely flirting with him and
clearly had the upper hand.

A
couple of girls had hit on Zand a time or two, but he had politely
refused.  He had a girlfriend, well, sort of.  She was more of a
friend than anything, but Jackson, his dad, encouraged him to include her in
any business event that deemed a date was appropriate.  He didn’t approve
of any girl that wasn’t from his elite circle of friends.  Colleagues, or
business associates, was the more accurate term.  Jackson Gabriel didn’t
take the time to make real friends.  Only the people that were beneficial
to his multi-million-dollar company were considered friends.

That
was why he pushed Zand to attend this camp every year.  It was the one
place that he insisted was full of the wonderful contacts that Zand would need
for his future.  No better class of people in the world, he had told
him.  You can’t go wrong with anyone there.

Is
that right, Jackson?  Zand thought with a grin.  Somehow he didn’t
think that this girl would fit his Dad’s idea of a wonderful contact.  She
had to be wealthy or she wouldn’t be at this camp, but Zand could sense a
light-heartedness in her attitude.  Maybe it was more of a free-spirit
vibe.  And Jackson certainly wouldn’t approve of that.  It lacked
discipline, he loved to say, and discipline equaled success.

Alex
watched the odd expressions on Zand’s face.  She knew that she was
flirting, but she just couldn’t help it.  This boy was actually gorgeous,
or at least, would be in a few more years.  Still, Alex decided to take
the flirting down a notch.

Although
she felt that he had been checking her out, too, Alex sensed something almost
unapproachable about Zand.  She would find out what it was in time. 
After all, they were hooked together for the duration of the camp, whether they
liked it or not.

Realizing
she hadn’t answered his question, she softly replied, “Yeah, that’s me. 
Alexandra Kensington.  Or, Alex, if you want.  That’s what most of my
friends call me, anyway.”

Zand
looked at her strangely.  “Does that mean I am your friend already?” 
It wasn’t a common occurrence at this camp to make friends so quickly.  At
least not for Zand.  He didn’t share the same interests with most of the
kids he called “friends” as it were.  Without the wealth factor, he
doubted he would have ever gone past the acquaintance stage with most of them
here.

Alex
thought about this for a moment.  The judging on the projects wasn’t until
the last week, so they had almost eight weeks of togetherness.  Surely
they would be friends within that length of time.  Spending most of their
waking hours together to complete the required project, how could they
not
become friends?

Feeling
satisfied that she could answer honestly, Alex responded softly, “Yeah, I think
you already are.”