This Tangled Thing Called Love: A Contemporary Romance Novel (31 page)

It had been five days since she had last seen Alec. Every day Claire left her apartment, she secretly hoped to bump into him in the elevator. The same thoughts entered her mind when she came home from work. It was infuriating how it was possible for two people to exist in such close proximity without sharing an encounter for days. For Alec was only a few feet away from her, separated by the ceiling of her apartment. Yet, for all the good it did, he could have been living out in Alaska. That’s how wide the gap between them had felt since their dismal date. But however humiliating the memory of her last encounter with Alec was, Claire had to put her pride aside and contact the man. She needed a copy of his great uncle’s photograph, and she was going to get it, come hell or high water.

Claire carefully reapplied her make-up. In her experience, it always helped to look good when trying to get a favor out of a man. For Alec would be doing her a favor. He really did not have to get her a copy of the photograph, not to mention the original, which Claire hoped to convince him to lend her for the exhibition as stage two of her plan.

After her make-up was finished – a fresh coat of mascara, a dusting of powder, a bit of blush, and some lip gloss – Clare switched her attention to her outfit. She wanted to select something attractive but effortless – a pair of indigo jeans that hugged her butt in all the right places and that mauve top she had found on sale at Bloomingdale’s. Her wedge sandals would complete the ensemble.

Claire appraised her appearance in the mirror. It was the perfect girl-next-door look she had been aiming for – not too obvious, but not too shabby either. And this time she would leave her shyness at home. Perhaps she and Alec would get a second chance after all.

Her head held up high, Claire closed the door behind her.
I am confident and collected
, she mouthed her improvised mantra,
and I am going to get what I need.

She pressed the elevator button and waited. It was only one floor to Alec’s apartment, but Claire had no intention of climbing up the stairs and appearing winded on his doorstep.

Finally, the elevator door opened, and it was all Claire could not to gasp at the sight of her upstairs neighbor.

“Alec?” Claire blinked as she racked her brain for the right greeting. Should she tell him that she was on her way to see him, or should she play it down and say that she was going out for groceries?

“Claire, I’m so glad I caught you. I was on my way to give you this.” Alec handed her a manila envelope. “It’s a copy of the photograph that you asked for.”

“Thanks. I wa
s beginning to think that you’d
forgotten. I really appreciate your help.”

“I never forget my promises.”

Claire opened the envelope and hoped that her disappointment was not betrayed by her expression. Alec must have gone to some trouble to obtain the restored copy, but the restored version was a far cry from the original. The smoothness of the perfected image obliterated the original character, taking away its genuineness.

“Is something wrong? You don’t like it?”

“It’s wonderful, thank you.” Claire blinked, searching for the right words for what she wanted to say. “It’s just that for the exhibition, I was hoping for a more dated look. The original look of the photograph would be perfect… But this will work. Thank you again. You’ve really done me a huge favor.”

“Well, I could always make you another copy, or if you’d like,” Alec hesitated, “I could lend the original for the exhibition.”

“You would do that?” Claire’s eyes lit up.

“Well, seeing how much this means to you and how serious you are about organizing this event, I know that I can trust you with the photograph.”

“Thank you, Alec. You won’t regret it. I can’t even begin to explain to you how much this means to me. Your great uncle’s photograph will be the centerpiece of the exhibition.”

“I’m glad I can help.”

“So am I – believe me!” Claire laughed, forgetting all about her earlier unease around Alec.
Somehow standing there with him in front of the elevator felt extremely natural.
“Well, I’d better get going.”

“Were you going somewhere? I was wondering if you’d like to keep me company for a walk around the neighborhood. It’s a wonderful night out.”

Claire had to agree. It was a wonderful night - or to be more precise, it had been a completely ordinary night until a few minutes ago, but now that she was standing there with Alec looking at her with his smiling brown eyes, it felt like the best night on earth.

“Sure, let me just drop this off in my apartment and then we’ll go.”

Alec had been right. It was a magnificent evening with temperature down to the mid-seventies – a rare treat for a New York summer. As she walked next to Alec, Claire could not help sneaking furtive glances at her neighbor. It was simply sinful for a man to be that good looking: his dark hair brushed the nape of his neck in a careless mess, his body, weaved of lean muscles, moved in effortless grace as he walked beside her, seemingly oblivious to the effect he had on her. But it was not just Alec’s looks that caught Claire’s attention. It was his demeanor, the way he held himself, as though the world were his playground (or his dance floor, to be more precise) that Claire found both irresistible and intimidating. Irresistible, because somewhere in the hidden recesses of her mind Claire harbored a fantasy of Alec having eyes for no other woman but herself, and intimidating because she had no idea how to make her fantasy a reality.

“How about a drink?” Alec asked as they walked down Second Avenue.

“I could definitely use a drink,” Claire conceded. And why not? There they were, sharing a perfectly pleasant walk. Why not take the evening further and see what happened?

“I know a new place that’s just opened on Third Avenue. It’s this way.”

Alec held the door open for her, and Claire stepped inside. It was a typical lounge with lights dimmed so low that she had to be extra careful not to trip over the steps that led up to the bar. Despite it being Monday night, almost every table was occupied.

“I see a spot over there.” Alec pointed to two women getting ready to leave their seats by the bar.

Before Claire could as much as blink, Alec grabbed her hand and steered her to the two emptying seats. Claire’s heart was in her mouth as she followed Alec, one
question pulsating through her mind. Was his touch just a friendly gesture, or was it something
more,
and how should she respond without being too obvious?

“Perfect timing.” Two leggy brunettes who were the former occupants of the now empty bar stools winked at Alec and gave Claire an appraising glance.

“Thank you, ladies.” Without so much as a look in the women’s direction, Alec pulled the chair for Claire and waited for her to sit down. Then he too took a seat next to her.

“What would you like to drink?”

Suddenly, Claire seemed to have forgotten all the cocktails.

“Oh, I’ll have a cucumber martini,” she repeated the drink special that she saw on the menu propped on the bar stand.

“Sounds refreshing. I’ll join you.” Alec placed the order with the bartender, who proceeded to mix the concoction in a shaker that looked like a futuristic device. “So, tell me more about yourself, Claire.”

Claire felt Alec’s knee brush against her thigh. He sat on the bar stool opposite hers with his long legs perched on the chair’s footrests. Could it be that he was simply unaware of his lanky appendages coming in contact with her body or was the move deliberate?

“Um, I don’t really know where to start.” She shifted in her seat. If there was one thing she truly hated, it was talking about herself.

“Well, why don’t you start from the beginning,” Alec grinned.

Again Claire felt his knee brush against her. She glanced at Alec, but his expression did not betray anything other than an easy smile.

“What’s your favorite color?”

“Green. What’s yours? Wait, let me guess – is it red?”

“Why would you say that? Ah, I know.” Alec shook his head. “Because of the paint job I did in my apartment. That’s just for dramatic effect for when I have students coming in.”

“You give dance lessons in your apartment?”

“Are you going to report me to the building management?”

“No, I was just curious, that’s all.” Claire blushed, remembering her first encounter with Alec. Her track record more than warranted his reaction.

“Because if the noise of footsteps bothers you, I’ll stop.”

“It doesn’t bother me. I hardly heard anything.”

“I try to schedule all the lessons during the day while people are mostly out at work, and I make sure to keep the volume in check.” Alec shot her a meaningful glance.

“You’re not going to let me live it down, are you?”

“Well, I must say that your first visit was rather memorable.”

“I hope that you don’t think that I habitually burst into people’s apartments. It was just that I rang the bell and got no answer, so I knocked again and the door pushed open…”

“So you just let yourself in,” Alec concluded, clearly enjoying Claire’s abashment.

Claire grinned, too embarrassed to come up with a witty retort.

“I’m only kidding, Claire. In fact, I’m rather glad that you stopped by that day. Otherwise, it could have taken weeks for us to meet.”

“There you are.” The suave bartender unwittingly came to Claire’s rescue as he placed the drinks before them.

“Thanks, man.” Alec placed a generous tip on the bar. “Here’s to getting to know your neighbors.”

Claire raised her glass and took a long sip. The smooth, cool liquid refreshed her.
             
“
Mmm
, this is good.”

“The bartender certainly knows what he’s doing,” Alec agreed. “But back to the original topic of conversation. Now that I know your favorite color, I’d like to learn more. That is, if you don’t mind, of course.”

“Ask away.” Claire glanced at Alec over the rim of her glass. She was feeling much more relaxed, courtesy of the generous helping of rum in the drink.

“Do you like to travel?”

“I love to travel,” Claire gushed, abandoning her previous reservations. She might hate talking about herself, but talking about her travels – never. “When I was working on my Master’s, I studied in Barcelona for several semesters. I think it’s the most beautiful city in the world.”

“I have to disagree with you. Barcelona is beautiful, but it’s not the most beautiful city in the world.”

“Oh, yeah? So what’s your favorite city - Buenos Aires?”

“Wrong again.”

“Darn it.”

“I don’t have one. There are too many to choose from to pick only one: Paris, London, Prague, Vienna, and yes, Buenos Aires, are only the beginning of my list. Then there’s Venice and Bruges, St. Petersburg, and Moscow. Each is remarkable in its own way.”

“You’ve been to all those places?” Claire did not care if she sounded awestruck. She had never been to even half the locations Alec named.

“Yes.” Alec nodded bashfully. “Mostly for dance competitions, but I also did some backpacking through Europe during college. It was a lot of fun.”

Claire finished off the rest of her drink. She could easily imagine a younger version of Alec, prowling his way through Europe, conquering hearts along the way. No wonder he could not pick a favorite city. No doubt, each place had a special memento for him.

“I was with my girlfriend at the time. We dated all through college.”

Wrong again
, Claire thought, hoping that her thoughts were not plastered on her face.

“What happened?”

“We were too young. She got a job offer in another city after graduation and that was the end of it. She said she wanted to try seeing other people.”

Claire felt an almost uncontrollable surge of warmth towards Alec. He was not some irresistible superman after all. He too knew what it was like to be rejected and thrown over by the one you loved.

Alec opened the lobby door for Claire when they returned to their building.

“Well, thank you for a wonderful evening,” he said.

“Thank you. I really needed a night out.” Claire inadvertently brushed against Alec as she made her way inside the building lobby. Suddenly, before she knew what was
happening, her foot skidded against the freshly polished tile floor, and she was slipping and sliding, desperate to keep her balance, her hands flying out at all kinds of absurd angles.

“Careful there.” Claire felt Alec’s hands clasping her firmly around her waist. “Are you okay?”

“I’m fine now.” Claire blushed. Her head was spinning from the proximity between her and Alec who still had his arms around her. Next thing she knew, Alec drew her closer to him, and his lips were kissing hers, his face brushing against hers, his arms holding her tightly.

“Alec,” she murmured. It was too much,
too soon.

“Claire.” He let her go. “I’m sorry. That was forward of me.”

“Yes,” Claire panted, instantly wishing to slap herself. What was she doing? The kiss she had dreamed of all week was finally happening, and there she was, pushing Alec away with her own hands. “That’s not what I meant.”