“That’s right,”
I said proudly. “And you know what?” I made a face and kept talking. “All that
gray area is really very colorful; in fact, it’s also quite reliable and
definitely more pleasant.”
He grunted. “You
may think so, but people who let emotions dominate their actions get hurt
easier and fall harder.”
“Well, that may
be so,” I said, crossing my arms, “but we also bounce back quicker, forgive
faster, and love deeper.” Suddenly embarrassed, I stopped talking and wondered
just how and why the conversation had taken such a philosophical turn.
He regarded me
with that piercing gaze, the one he’d mastered so artfully. Finally, in a
resigned tone he said, “What I was originally trying to say before we got off
on this tangent is that I rarely allow emotions to play a role in my decision
making. But for some reason, when it comes to you, I find myself tripping over
them. You invade my senses and my logic, and I’m not sure how to handle that.”
“That’s good,” I
said with a slight smile, “you obviously need to be thrown off balance. Maybe
you need a few more
illogical
friends in your life,” I suggested. A look
of amused disbelief flickered across his face. “In fact, I’m sure that’s it.
You’re a little too tightly wound,” I persisted, suppressing humor into a grin.
“Do you know when I first got here today, I wasn’t sure if I was hoping you
would
be here or hopin
g
you
wouldn’t
be here.”
“And now that
you’ve seen me, I hate to hear the verdict.”
I raised one eyebrow.
“Still out. But once I step off this emotional roller coaster and regain my
balance,” I smiled, “I’m sure I’ll be ready for another ride.”
“Definitely more
forgiving than I’d be.”
“Too true,” I
said with a smirk. “We emotionally-driven people tend to be that way.” His lips
curved into a soft smile. Feeling unsure about where we stood, I sighed and
said, “I think we’ve exhausted this conversation. I should probably get going
and let you get back to work.”
“Alex,” he said
softly, “I can’t make any promises, and I still think you’d be better off not
knowing me, what with my bad manners and all,” he said sheepishly, “but I’d
like us to be friends – if you still want to, that is.” He looked at me
anxiously.
Managing a
casual shrug, I said, “You’re not making a lot of sense, and I don’t know what
these issues are that you think you have, but don’t worry, I was born patient.
And despite your abrupt good-byes and your personal space issues, I still find
you interesting.” He was completely unaware that my heart was fluttering, and I
wanted nothing more than to grab hold of him by the tie, pull him closer, and
kiss him.
He smiled and
ran his hand down his tie. “That’s a good thing, I hope.”
Tilting my head,
I nodded. “Oh hey, I promised Ally I’d introduce you. Do you have a couple more
minutes?”
A slow grin
spread across his face. “Sure.” He bit his lip, studying me thoughtfully. “I
don’t know. There’s just something about you.”
How strange,
that’s what I always said about him. I gave him a funny look. “Yeah, you too.”
“Come on. Let’s
go find her,” he said, walking past. “Have you told her you might not want to
be a teach…” As we rounded the corner he stopped, and his mouth dropped open.
I followed his
stunned gaze over the top of the Walla Walla onion display and saw Ally and
Jessica’s sister, Madison, talking excitedly and heading our direction. They
didn’t look like they’d spotted us yet. Jason looked at me. Then his eyes
darted all around, as if he was looking for an escape route. I had no idea what
his problem was, but I wasn’t overly joyed about the prospect of introducing
him to Madison. As usual, she was striking. A satiny green dress accentuated
all her curves, and a pair of absurdly high heels emphasized her never-ending
legs.
Jason whipped
his head around and stared at me with a look of chagrin. “Alex, I need to
explain—” Abruptly, he broke off and clasped his hands behind his blonde head.
“Just the two
people I’m looking for and you happen to be right here together. Strange
coincidence, don’t ya think?” Madison expelled in an agitated voice. A pair of
sunglasses, resting artfully on top of her head, held back her jet black hair,
but a few loose strands hung around her face. If Aphrodite suddenly appeared
next to her, there was no doubt in my mind Madison would send the Goddess
spiraling back to Mount Olympus.
She glided up to
Jason, wrapped an arm around his shoulder in an intimate manner, and greeted
him enthusiastically. His shoulders tightened, and he moved slightly the other
way, but she took no notice. I glanced at Ally, who shrugged and whose blue
eyes were wide open with wonder.
“Jason,” Madison
said and ran her hand over the back of his head, “I’d like you to meet my
friend Ally.” She gestured in Ally’s direction, and Ally slipped the grocery basket
onto her left arm then reached out with her right hand.
He seemed self
composed again and smiled warmly as they shook hands. Before he could utter a
greeting, Madison turned towards me and said in a smooth voice, “And I think
it’s about time you met Le—”
“Yes, Alex and I
have already met,” he interrupted, a forced smile upon his lips.
Instantly,
Madison removed her hand from his neck, crossed her arms, and corrected him.
“What are you talking about? This is
Lexi.
You know…”
“Lexi?” He
frowned. His voice sounded distant when he muttered my name again. “Lexi? You
mean Jessica’s Lexi?” His voice grew louder with each word.
“Well, of course
I mean Jessica’s Lexi. Hello! What do you mean you’ve already met? And why are
you calling her Alex?” she asked disdainfully.
They were
carrying on as if Ally and I weren’t even present. I could tell Ally was way
past her tolerance level, and I was completely shocked Jason and Madison knew
each other. For some reason that knowledge made the knot in the pit of my
stomach grow larger and pull a little tighter. My bigger concern was the
intimate manner in which Madison had placed her arm around Jason. Oh, wait a
minute…tell me that was not a leash I saw hanging from her handbag.
A loud male
voice boomed over the intercom system, “I need a wet clean-up with glass on
aisle eight please. A wet clean-up with glass on aisle eight. Thank you.”
After the
announcement, Jason stepped closer to me and a little further away from
Madison. My heart surged at the unexpected gesture. The lines at the corner of
his mouth deepened, and he said, “Not that this is any of your concern, but I
met Alex at Village Books.”
As that wasn’t
exactly the truth either, my head jerked slightly and I caught Ally’s eye. Her
dubious expression mimicked my feelings. Why would he omit the truth about our
original encounter on the sidewalk?
“And
Alex
is
the only name I know her by. Since she’s never corrected me, I assume that is
also her name.” Dark gazes abruptly shifted my direction.
Madison
advanced. “Would you care to enlighten us?”
I felt as if I
was being cross-examined on a witness stand for a crime I didn’t commit.
Ally all but
dropped her grocery basket and sighed loudly. “Oh for heaven’s sake! It’s not a
big deal. You see,” she pointed at me, “Lexi’s friends
usually
call her
Lexi, but some of the people closest to her call her Alex. They are both short
for Alexandria. Simple nicknames.” She proceeded to brush something off her
arm, indicating there was nothing else to add. I nodded with appreciation. Of
course, Ally also knew the only person who really called me Alex was my dad. I
silently thanked her for not sharing that little tidbit.
Jason stood
looking at me with a crazed expression, while Madison turned and faced me.
“Well, I’ve never heard anyone call you that. Not even my sister who you’re
supposedly such good friends with,” she complained.
Heat flushed my
cheeks, but this time with anger. Before I could respond Jason said sharply,
“Give it a rest Madison. You’re embarrassing yourself.”
That shut her
up, and the only sound that came out of her mouth was a “Humph.” After
readjusting her stance, she placed one hand on her hip and stood with renewed
confidence. “Well, whatever. I suppose it’s not important what name you use.”
She grabbed her sunglasses and shook out her hair. “I’m just surprised you
already know each other. Jason’s heard so much about the famous
Lexi
from
Jessica. Yet, he’s never even mentioned
you
before.”
“Excuse me,” a gruff
voice interrupted our conversation. A series of beeps followed, and we all
stepped aside, allowing an older man in an electric shopping cart to roll past
us.
Madison flicked
her hand my way and paused dramatically before proceeding. “I came to surprise
Jason on his lunch break.” She flashed him a wide smile and said, “So when I
ran into Ally and learned that Lexi was here too, I knew it was the perfect
opportunity to introduce you both to my
boyfriend
.”
At the word
“boyfriend” my world came crashing down. The realization that they were a
couple made me feel sick and insanely jealous. I looked over at him for
reassurance – a sign they weren’t really together. But his gaze was directed
solely at Madison, and it was filled with cold animosity. She was smiling
demurely back at him, and they appeared to be having some kind of mental
battle. Unfortunately, at that moment, she was kicking his butt.
Unable to help
myself, I said incredulously, “Jason is your boyfriend?”
Madison slowly
raised one brow and smiled. Giving me that, he’s mine and I’ll kill you if you
so much as glance at him look, she replied smoothly, “Well, of course. We
even…”
Jason cut her
off and countered in a chilly tone, “Madison.”
She shrugged off
his warning and lifted her chin but didn’t utter a word. His tone held daggers,
and I don’t think she wanted them unleashed, because they would have been
thrown directly at her heart. And I knew for a fact that he had good aim.
He turned
towards me, and when our eyes locked he said in a desperate voice, “Alex,
there’s more to this, and what Madison said is not entirely accurate. There is
so much more you need to understand first. I told you my life is complicated,
and this is part of it.” Madison snorted loudly, and he shot her a look that
promised violence. She lost some of her stature and her lips trembled slightly,
but she held her shoulders high.
Ally intervened
and brought the whole uncomfortable exchange to a close. “We really need to
finish shopping and get home. Besides, it sounds like you two have some serious
issues to resolve. Might be a good idea if you do that.” She feigned a smile
and seized my arm. I shouldn’t have been surprised by her blatant advice, but I
was. She bid them farewell and propelled me out of the produce department before
I could say good-bye.
Once we were out
of earshot, I said, “What is going on with those two?”
She shrugged.
“No idea, but you didn’t look so good, so I decided it was time for us to
split. Are you okay?”
“I think so,” I
said, concentrating on her face.
“Should we grab
the last couple items on my list or get out of here?”
“I’m fine,” I
assured her. “Let’s get your stuff.”
“Okay, but let
me know if you change your mind,” she said as she pulled her crinkled grocery list
out of the basket. While searching the spices for Savory, I began feeling sick
to my stomach and made a mad dash for the bathrooms. Upon finding the public
restroom occupied, I made my way up the stairwell in the backroom to the
‘Employees Only’ restroom. Being an older store, the bathroom had yet to be
remodeled, but it was clean and smelled fruity. I splashed some cold water on
my face and took a drink from the faucet.
How was it
possible that Jason was involved with none other than Miss Ice Queen herself?
Madison might look like the Goddess of Beauty on the outside, but on the inside
she was none other than Narnia’s evil White Witch. Any hope of a relationship
with him was diminishing fast; although…he had made it sound like he and
Madison weren’t really together. Well, they were either together or they
weren’t. But if he was with Madison, who probably utilized a ball and chain
rather than a leash, what did that say about his taste in women?
Maybe he was
right. Maybe I should keep my distance. I stood with the back of my head
pressed against the cold, pink-tiled wall and closed my eyes. Under the
florescent lights, I listened to the water running through pipes in the wall
and waited for my bout of nausea to pass. After several minutes, I headed back down
the stairs but heard raised voices coming from the break room. Voices I
recognized.
“Just when were
you planning on telling the rest of us about
Alex
? Is she some little
secret you thought you could keep from everyone?” Madison’s voice echoed
loudly.
Jason responded
in a restrained but cold tone, “Please keep your voice down Madison. Anyone
walking through the back room could hear you.”
“I don’t care
who hears me right now. I’m so pissed off, and I want answers from you.”
Not usually
prone to eavesdropping, I quickly decided there was no way I going to forgo
this heated exchange, especially when I was the main topic of discussion. Maybe
I’d learn what was going on between them. Of course, I’d ask Jessica for inside
information later, but with Madison being her older sister, I didn’t know how
forthcoming she’d be. Besides, I didn’t want to place her in an awkward
situation. Tip-toeing, I eased my way along the back stock and sunk into a
crouching position behind a pallet of canned vegetables.
“I was not keeping
Alex a secret,” Jason said in a calm voice. “I was just biding time until I had
more information about her. This is a big deal. Her life will change forever
once she finds out about her capabilities and learns about us. Except of course
she already has, since she’s Jessica’s
Lexi
.”