There was a desperation in his eyes that made Eva respond to his demand. She gazed at his swollen lips inches away from hers with longing but before she could kiss him back, the doorbell rang, breaking the magical spell between them. Eva panicked expecting his dad at the doorstep and pushed at Alexander’s chest. She couldn’t face his dad!
“Damn!” swore Alexander, releasing her reluctantly. Strangely, he didn’t look as affected as she did by the sound of the doorbell. Didn’t he fear facing his dad? How would he explain her presence to him?
“I need to hide, Alexander! I know who it is,” whispered Eva, looking at him helplessly with wide eyes.
“Stay here. Even if it is dad, I’ll face him.” Eva gazed at him, overwhelmed at the way he was willing to face his dad for her. He wasn’t at all ashamed to be with her!
The doorbell rang again and this time, Eva lost all her courage and shook her head with dismay. “I don’t want you to fight with your parents because of me, Alexander. I’ll hide in my room till your dad leaves. This is a temporary situation, so you don’t need to worry so much.” She ran towards her room without waiting for Alexander’s reply.
Alexander opened the door and to his immense relief, it was Stefan waiting outside. “Took you long enough? What were you up to?” he asked, storming inside and looking around.
“Why are you here so suddenly, without a call or a message?” scolded Alexander with a smile while Stefan looked around suspiciously.
“My wish! I was bored! Ah! Candlelight dinner for two! So that’s what took you so long!” he grinned, looking around.
“It’s not what you’re thinking.” Alexander glanced towards Eva’s door while Stefan followed his gaze.
“Someone’s living with you, right?” he chuckled, walking towards Eva’s room, much to his discomfort.
“Have you come over to snoop around?” Stefan grinned and nodded but before he could reach her room, Alexander caught him and dragged him to the living room.
“It’s Lisa’s best friend, Eva. She’s staying with me till Lisa returns.”
“Isn’t she the one who likes you?” Alexander gaped at his best friend in surprise. He had told Stefan about Eva’s love letter almost nine years ago. How did he still remember it?
“She used to, but maybe not anymore,” said Alexander, taking out two cans of beer for the two of them. He handed Stefan his and sat down beside him to take a swig.
“That’s not how it works, bro. The heart can only love one person truly for life! You don’t forget that person ever. You love for life!” Alexander’s jaws dropped as he stared hard at his friend, seeing the faraway look in his eyes. He knew everything about Stefan, who had been tricked by a woman called Claudia and had to marry her. She was pregnant with someone else’s child but blackmailed him for money. Later, when he found out, he threw her out of his life but adopted the baby girl. He was a very good father to baby Arielle but he was lonely. Years ago he had met a girl called Annabelle Carter, but they separated due to a misunderstanding! Ever since Stefan craved to be with her almost every day. He called her his soul mate!
Of course, Alexander didn’t believe in destiny and soul mates, but every time Stefan brought up the topic, his thoughts went to Eva. He wondered why! Was she his soul mate? Is there something called soul mate?
“Then do you mean to say that Eva still loves me?” he asked, looking bewildered and Stefan nodded, focusing on his best friend.
“I know she does!”
Alexander wanted to believe him, his thoughts going to the way she responded to his kiss. Why didn’t she kiss him back? If she loved him, she would surely have kissed him back. Wouldn’t she? From the way she responded to him, it was obvious that she was totally inexperienced in this. Had no one ever kissed her before? A strange feeling of satisfaction spread all over him at the thought. He wanted to be her first in everything! He wanted to be the one to teach her the ways of love!
“Anyway, I came to inform you that I’ll be going to New Jersey for an indefinite period. Gran is in the hospital and Annabelle called me.” Alexander noted the bright sparks of hope in Stefan’s eyes and felt happy for his friend. After years of neglecting his feelings for Annabelle and staying away from her, he finally found the courage to face her.
“You should bring them here to New York. That way, you could take better care of them.”
Stefan loved his suggestion and smiled. “I intend to.” He completed his beer in a gulp and got up to leave. “I’ll be on my way. I need to start packing immediately.”
“Even I’ll be gone for a fortnight to California. Grandpa isn’t well, and Lisa is there alone to look after them.” He purposely didn’t bother telling him about his plans of taking Eva along. What if Eva opted out after the stunt he pulled?
“That’s great! You need a break from Rotterdams,”
Stefan left but Eva didn’t emerge at all from her room, much to his frustration. He cleared the table and started the dishwasher, all the while conjuring up memories of the kiss he shared with her. It was better than the drunken one before, but it still was left incomplete. He glanced at her closed door longingly, wanting to resume the kiss where they had left off. If Stefan hadn’t come over, he would have kissed her more! He muttered curses at his best friend for spoiling his day!
Finally done, he went up to his room and planned their trip. He hadn’t told Eva what he had in mind for them. Hardly able to wait, he packed for the much-awaited trip.
Eva knew that the guest had left, but she didn’t have the courage to face Alexander again after the mind-blowing kiss she shared with him. What if he demanded that she kiss him back? She would melt in a puddle and it would complicate matters between them. Strangely, she didn’t feel angry with Alexander for stealing her first kiss, but glad instead that he was the one to kiss her first. She didn’t count the drunken one as her first, but the one earlier was very much her first kiss! It branded the taste of him on her lips for life!
“Get a grip over yourself, Eva. You will have to guard your stupid heart for nearly a fortnight with him!” chided her inner voice. Eva sighed, not wanting to be on her guard constantly. Couldn’t she enjoy freely with Alexander for once, the way she wanted to?
She packed up for the trip instead of wasting her time, choosing the best clothes she possessed. It was the first time she would go out of New York on a flight! It might seem weird to others, but that was how her life was! With her parents leaving her to fend for herself, she had struggled all her life, alone, not splurging on holidays ever! It was the first time someone was taking her out on a holiday. She wondered why Alexander was taking her along when he could have gone alone! Did he take Beatrix too?
The next two days, she was quite busy at the hospital, arranging for a substitute for herself, completing the pending work, and negotiating with the CNO about her leave. At home, Alexander kept late hours since he too had to wrap up his work before he left. Therefore, they hardly met before and after work. As for Eva, she had been avoiding him after that scorching kiss, but not so with Alexander. He felt quite frustrated at not seeing her in the mornings and nights when he returned home.
It was Friday night and Alexander returned home early to catch hold of Eva. The moment he unlocked the door, the aroma of freshly cooked food wafted into his nose and a smile lighted his face. She was home and cooking for him! He was tired of warming the food she cooked for him every day and eating it all alone. Today he would eat with her! Would he get his kiss tonight? For the last two days, he had been just dragging himself on, hoping to catch a glimpse of her and resume the kiss from where they left off. On both occasions, he had kissed her, but she hadn’t kissed him back, and it frustrated him beyond words.
He went into the kitchen to see her giving the finishing touches to the food. “Hey! Looking great!” he whispered hoarsely, coming up behind her. Eva smiled shyly but didn’t look up at him, although she was aware of his nearness.
“It tastes good too!” she said, admiring the steak she had made. If she had looked into his eyes, she would have known what exactly he meant. Alexander leaned closer, his warm lips grazing her earlobe as a tingle of electric current shot down her body.
“I meant you,” he said in a husky whisper.