Pursuit For Lucidity (Crashing Waves) (16 page)

“
You had a head start and I had to take at least a year off college due to the attack.  I would’ve finished sooner, but I had too much therapy required to get me through my stress.  My mother also sent me to school a year later when I was a child.  I was always the oldest student in class.  She believed that the later children started school, the more mature they would be and it wouldn’t be as difficult socially or developmentally,” I explained.

Alex looked over at me and said, “Well, she was right about that.  Look how well you turned out, so smart and career oriented.  So career oriented that you don’t want any outside relations with a colleague,”
he said as we both laughed.

When Alex pulled his Ferrari into the garage, an idea came to his mind, “Let’s change into our comfortable clothes and watch the sunrise from the roof.  We can sit o
n the sofa and I’ll even light the fireplace and we will enjoy one another’s company until sunrise.  What do you say, baby?” he asked.

“
I would love that,” I replied.  We changed out of our clothes and took the elevator to the roof.  Alex brought out champagne and strawberries and poured each one of us a glass of champagne.

“
To us,” he cheered.  The sound of the waves crashing against the shore was taking my breath away.  It was such a relaxing sound, something I would love to do yoga to.  Alex took my glass from my hand and set it down next to his on the coffee table.  He took both of my hands into his.

“
Claire, I’ve been wanting to say something all week, but was unable to get through the nerves to say it,” he began nervously.  “Claire, I’m falling in love with you.  You have cast a spell on me and I don’t know what is going on, but I do know that I love you.  I can’t recall the last time I’ve felt this way about anyone.  To be honest, I don’t think I’ve ever felt this strongly about anyone before you.  You don’t have to say it in return.  Please don’t, because I’m not saying it to hear it back. I just want you to know how I feel.  I love you, Claire,” he added almost in a whisper.

I was completely taken by
surprise. My heart skipped a beat.  Alex loved
me
. The butterflies in my stomach were fluttering. I wanted to say it back, but was too afraid to.

“
Alex, I uh, I didn’t know you felt this way.  I’m taken by surprise and very honored that you would say that to me.  I have such strong feelings for you and I think it’s something that’s going to lead to love,” I replied, but Alex cut me off.

“
Don’t say it.  I don’t want you to say anything until you really feel it, like I do. I feel so much better getting that off my chest,” he said as he started kissing me with his warm lips.

  We talked and talked until the sun started to appear.  The sunr
ise was breathtaking from the roof, as the ocean began to glisten from the birth of the sun.

“
I think we can go to sleep now.  What do you say?” asked Alex.

We took the eleva
tor back down and went to his bedroom, crawled into bed and fell asleep in each other’s arms.

“
Sweet dreams baby.  I love you,” were the last words I heard from Alex before I drifted off into sleep.

<><><>

My cell phone buzzed around ten in the morning.  It was a text message from Katherine asking if Alex and I would like to meet her and John somewhere for lunch.  Alex seemed interested, so I returned her text asking her where to meet them.  We got out of bed and took our showers and got dressed.  Alex packed his bag for the evening, since the restaurant was closer to my place and he would be staying the night.

We met Ka
therine and John at Paul’s Italian Cuisine on Ventura Boulevard around one in the afternoon.  Katherine gave me a big hug as usual and John was excited to see Alex.  They had really hit it off at my housewarming party.

“
Ugh, my bladder is so small,” complained Katherine.  “Claire, do you need to use the restroom?” she asked.  The look on her face told me that I’d better say yes.

“
Uh, yeah, don’t go alone.  I will go with you,” I replied.

We walked to the restroom and once we were inside, Katherine couldn’t wait, “So, how was it, where did you go, what did you do?  Did
you do anything I should really know about?” she asked.

I laughed, “Oh, Kathy, you’re so funny.  We went to Vibe
, the new nightclub in Hollywood.  Alex’s friend owns it.  It was salsa night, so you can imagine all the dancing we did.  It was so fun!  Then, we went to his place and admired the sunrise together and he told me that he loves me,” I added casually.

“What?
Did you say he told you that he loves you? And you guys haven’t, uh, you know?” she asked.

“
Yes, he did and no, we haven’t had sex, if that’s what you’re asking,” I replied, blushing.

Katherine was jumping up and down, so excited for me.  I told her to hurry u
p and use the restroom, so we could go back to the boys.

“
I don’t have to pee, silly.  I just said that to have a few minutes alone with you for girl talk,” she replied as we both laughed.  When we headed back to our table, the boys were talking about sports.  Their conversation was so intense that they hardly noticed we had returned.  I sat next to Alex and took his hand, as he gave me a big smile.

Katherine and John couldn’t stay much longer after lunch
, since they were invited to John’s brother’s house.  Alex and I took a walk on Ventura Boulevard to pass time and digest our food before heading to my place.

“
I’m going to miss you when I’m away for two weeks, Claire,” his face turned serious again.

“
I will miss you too, Alex.  I’ve gotten really used to you being around, so it’s going to be an adjustment for me.  Who’s going to help me through my nightmares?” I asked.

“
Let’s make a deal, anytime you have a nightmare, you have to Skype me, okay?” he said.

“
It’s a deal,” I confirmed.

When we arrived at my condo, we noticed my flowers had wilted.  Alex said he would get me new flowers to keep
the vase and me happy.  We changed into comfortable clothes and sat outside on the verandah, enjoying the city view.  Alex’s phone rang just as we were getting comfortable.

“
Hey, Melissa, how is everything?  I missed you too.  Yeah, that would be great.  I’m going to Guatemala for a couple of weeks.  I leave this Wednesday, but when I’m back, we will definitely do dinner with you guys.  I can’t wait for you to meet Claire.  You’re going to love her.  Sounds good. I’ll call you then.  Bye,” he turned to me after he hung up the phone.  “That was Melissa, my sister.  She lives in Santa Monica with her boyfriend and wants to meet us for dinner one day,” he explained.

“
That sounds nice, can’t wait to meet her,” I replied.  I wondered if Melissa would like me, or if she was one of those sisters who thought no girl was good enough for her brother.  I guess I would have to wait and see.

Alex and I had a drink on the verandah and talked until it was late enough to go to bed to face another week at work.

<><><>

His
alarm went off before five in the morning, startling me.  He jumped out of bed and into the shower.  It was going to be another busy day in the operating room for him. He kissed me goodbye and I slept for another hour, showered, and dressed for work.

I logged on to my computer at work and opened my email and calendar to see what the day had in store for me.  There was a new email from Mark Kohler.

Hello Claire,

I was just wondering if you could join me for a bite to eat after work today.

Mark

Was this jerk for real?  I thought my last email response would have set him straight, but apparently it hadn’t even made a dent.  I needed to respond to his email immediately.

Dr. Kohler,

I have already made prior arrangements.

Claire Morgan, MHA

Administrative Assistant to

Walter Wells (CEO)

Downtown Memorial Hospital

I hoped that email sent the
correct message.  I continued to work, booking meetings for Walter and assisting Laura with work she was overloaded with.  I received a response from Mark.

Dear Claire,

Have you made arrangements for every night this week?  Maybe we can go out on a night you are available.  Please let me know your availability.  Thanks.

Mark

He was really pushing my buttons now.  Maybe it was time to tell him that I was seeing someone.  He didn’t need to know who
m I was seeing, for it was none of his business, anyway.

Dr. Kohler,

I’m afraid I won’t be available any night of the week
, since I do have a boyfriend.  Please discontinue sending such personal emails.

Thank you,

Claire Morgan, MHA

Administrative Assistant to

Walter Wells, CEO

Downtown Memorial Hospital

That should set him straight, I thought.  If he didn’t get the message after that email, then he lacked comprehension.  The remainder of the day was very quiet.  I didn’t receive a response from Mark and hadn’t heard from Alex either.  I knew he was going to have a very busy day.  Alex called me as I was driving home to tell me he was on his way, but would like to stop by at the gym if it was all right with me.  I thought it would be the perfect opportunity for a good hour of yoga.

The thought of
Alex leaving for Guatemala for two weeks made me feel down.  I hoped those two weeks would pass very quickly.  When he came over, I threw my arms around his neck and did not want to let go.  I decided to let him settle in for a while before I told him the story about Mark and the recent emails. He headed for the shower as I cut some fruit for us to eat, since it was too late to eat a meal.

“
Guess who I received an email from today?” I asked Alex.

“
Don’t tell me it was from Mark,” he replied.

“
That’s correct,” I replied.  “He had a dinner date in mind, but don’t worry, when he didn’t seem to get the message that I had other arrangements, I told him I have a boyfriend.  He doesn’t need to know it’s you, but now he knows that I have absolutely no interest in him whatsoever,” I told Alex.  Alex rolled up his eyes and looked very annoyed.

“
Claire, please don’t be surprised if he doesn’t get the message.  I will bet my Ferrari on it that he continues the pursuit,” he replied.  I couldn’t help but laugh.  Alex really didn’t think very highly of Mark, but I was confident he would stop sending those emails.

“
I can’t wait for the day that prick finds out you’re mine, all mine and he will not even be allowed to glance at you,” he confessed.  That was a side of Alex that I had not seen and found quite interesting.  He didn’t care that I was not interested in Mark Kohler.  He just hated the fact that Mark liked me and was pursuing me.  I assured Alex that there was no way in hell I would go out with someone like Mark.

“
He’s nothing like you, Alex. I only have an interest in you, not some gigolo,” I assured him.  He was leaving for Guatemala in two days and the last thing I wanted to do was spend those few days talking about a man that neither one of us were fond of.

Alex searched
for music that he liked on my iPod to get our minds off of unpleasant things.  He played “Dreaming With A Broken Heart” by John Mayer, taking my hand and leading me to the living room to slow dance with him.  He held me so close to him I could feel his heartbeat, as we swayed side to side.  We came to realize minutes had passed since the song ended, but we still swayed to silence.  I looked up at Alex as his eyes penetrated into mine, holding my face in his hands, moving them down to my neck and down to my breasts.  His lips met mine, which sent an electrical current down my spine.

“
I love you, Claire,” he whispered into my ear as he wrapped his arms around me.

<><><>

I overslept the next morning.  Alex left before five o’clock and I had forgotten to set my alarm.  I was an hour late to work, so Laura had to take care of a few things for me.  “I’m so sorry, Laura.  I totally overslept,” I apologized.

“
No worries, Claire.  Oh, by the way, Dr. Kohler was in the department earlier this morning, looking for you.  I asked if I could help him and he said no, he’d rather discuss it with you,” she added.  I couldn’t believe that man.  Who did he think he was?

“
Maybe it’s about the meeting on Thursday morning.  Thanks, Laura,” I replied and walked back to my desk. I logged onto my computer and opened my email only to find one from Mark.