Tell Me Lies (15 page)

“How did you know I was here?”

“Your cel phone.”

“My cel ….” Alexis hadn’t used her cel phone since she’d left, opting to turn it off so she wouldn’t have to deal with the texts and voicemails she was sure Leo would be leaving.

“Yeah.” Leo grinned sheepishly and looked down at the ground. “I looked up your bil and then signed up for a tracking service. You know, the kind people use in case they lose their phone.”

they lose their phone.”

She took in a deep breath and shook her head. “Leo,” she said, “you shouldn’t have come here.”

“I don’t understand what’s going on,” he said. “You were in New York, then you were in Florida, and now you’re back here.” He smel ed like alcohol, and she wondered how much he’d been drinking. She wanted to step into the hal way, to get out of the room so that at least if he tried to do something he wouldn’t have her trapped. But when she tried to move past him, he just stood there, his legs planted firmly on the ground.

“Leo,” she said. “I don’t think you should be here.”

“Why not? Let me come in.” He took a step toward her, and she tried to step back into the room and close the door.

But he put his hand out, blocking it. “Alexis,” he said. “I need to know what the hel is going on.”

She licked her lips. “I’m leaving.” Saying the words out loud made her feel strong.

Leo frowned. “Where are you going?” He seemed confused.

“I don’t want to tel you that,” she said. “It’s over, Leo. I’m sorry, but it’s over.”

The truth was, she wasn’t sorry. There was nothing left. No sadness. No heartache.

Nothing but anger and resentment for the fact that she’d wasted so much of her life on him. Time when she could have been building a life for herself, a life where she could have had friends and happiness and a career that she loved.

“What do you mean it’s over?” The confusion on Leo’s face was turning to anger.

“I don’t want to be together anymore.” Alexis forced herself to look him in the eye. It felt good, like something that had to be done. “I’m going to be over to get my things later.”

He shook his head. “You can’t leave. You have nowhere to go.”

“It’s real y none of your business if I have somewhere to go or not.” She crossed her arms over her chest, trying to do her best to make her voice sound strong. But she heard the crack in it.

“I think it is.” Leo took a step toward her, and so Alexis stepped into the hal way and shut the door behind her. The last thing she wanted was to end up in her room with him, alone.

But with the door shut behind her, she had nowhere to go.

Leo grabbed her arms and pushed her back against the door, his nails digging into her flesh. “You’re nothing without me,” he said.

“Leo,” she gasped. “Please, let go of me. You’re hurting me.”

“Alexis? What’s going on?” Reid was back. He was holding a paper bag and walking toward them down the hal . His eyes moved from Alexis to Leo and back again.

“Who the hel are you?” Leo asked. His grip on Alexis loosened just a little.

“I’m a friend of Alexis’s,” Reid said.

“A friend of Alexis’s?” Understanding dawned on Leo’s face as he looked back and forth from Alexis to Leo. “You little slut,” he spat, pushing her back up against the wal .

“Take your hands off her,” Reid said.

“Get the fuck out of here,” Leo said. “This is a private matter between me and my girlfriend.”

Reid didn’t waste time. He grabbed Leo by the shoulders and pul ed him away from Alexis roughly.

This made Leo irate. He pul ed his arm back and punched Reid in the face.

“Oh, my God!” Alexis screamed. “Leo, stop it!” But she didn’t need to worry.

Apparently Reid could take care of himself. He took a step back and touched his jaw gently, checking to see if there was any damage.

“You real y shouldn’t have done that, man,” Reid said, shaking his head regretful y.

“Oh, yeah?” Leo sneered. “You’re nothing, man. She’s going to be done with you just like she was done with me.”

“I’m nothing like you,” Reid said. “So you’re wrong about that. But you are right that Alexis is done with you.”

Leo charged at him, but this time, Reid was ready. He pushed Leo to the ground and jumped on top of him. The two men began wrestling, tumbling around on the floor.

After just a few moments, Reid got the better of the situation, sitting on top of Leo and pinning him to the ground. Leo kicked and struggled as he tried to break free from Reid’s grasp. “Stop, man!” Reid said. “Seriously, stop it.”

Before Alexis could even process what was happening, there was a security guard pul ing Reid off of Leo.

A crowd had started to form in the hal way -- other hotel guests had started to come out of their rooms to see what al the commotion was about.

“It’s okay, man,” Reid said angrily, shrugging off the guard.

“It’s okay, I’m fine.

I’m not going to touch him.”

Leo skulked over to corner of the hal way.

“Nobody move,” the security guard said. “The police are on their way.”

Reid ran over to Alexis, and took her hands in his. “You okay?” he asked. “Did he hurt you?”

“No.” She shook her head. “I’m fine.”

“Your hands are shaking.” He took them in his own hands and rubbed them.

“And you’re cold as ice.”

“I was just scared,” she said. “I didn’t… I wasn’t sure what he was going to do.”

Reid pul ed her close, and she rested her head against his shoulder. What the hel had just happened? It was insane, Leo showing up here and getting into a fight with Reid.

Alexis took deep breaths and tried to calm her beating heart.

When the police came, they took a statement from the three of them, along with some hotel guests who had seen the whole thing. They corroborated Reid’s story that Leo had come after him.

Alexis filed charges.

“I’m planning on getting a restraining order against him tomorrow,” she told the officer, shocked to hear herself say the words out loud.

“Good,” the cop said. He pul ed off a copy of the report and handed it to her.

“Show this to the judge, and you shouldn’t have any trouble getting one.”

Alex nodded, her hand clutched around the paper.

“Listen,” the policeman said to Reid. “Leo is going to be taken down and arrested for assault, but if he posts bail, he’l be right back out.” Alexis shuddered. “You should wait to get your things until you can coordinate it with the police department. Leo wil be informed of the restraining order, but if he comes back, cal the police immediately, okay?

Don’t try to handle it yourself.”

“Okay.” Reid nodded, his jaw set. He seemed convincing enough, but Alexis knew that if Reid saw Leo again, he wasn’t going to be able to stop himself from getting involved. The thought was comforting – obviously she didn’t want Reid getting hurt or getting into a fight, but the fact that he wasn’t scared of Leo, not in the least, made her feel better.

When the cops were done, Reid led Alexis back into their hotel room. He looked her over. “Are you sure you’re okay?

He didn’t hurt you, did he?”

“I’m fine.”

He turned her wrist over gently in his hand. “You have a bruise on your wrist.”

She looked down, rubbed her finger over it. “Probably from when he grabbed me.”

Reid took in a big breath and then let it out. “I should have knocked that asshole out when I had the chance.”

“It’s okay,” Alexis said. “I don’t want him to get hurt.”

He shook his head. “Then you’re a better person than I am.”

“Yeah, wel ,” she said, grinning, “I thought we’d already established that.”

He smiled. “So what should we do today?” he asked.

She shook her head. “Something fun,” she said.

“Something to get my mind off al of this.”

Reid grinned. “Sounds like a plan.”

***

They spent the day not talking about Leo, or what Alexis’s next steps were going to be, or how Reid had quit his job.

Instead, they walked around Philadelphia, doing al sorts of touristy things. They went to the Philadelphia Zoo, where they saw lions and tigers and elephants. They watched a planetarium show at the Franklin Institute. And then they strol ed up and down the city streets, window shopping and drinking frozen lemonades they’d bought from street vendor.

When it was time for dinner, they ordered cheese steaks at Geno’s.

“This is amazing,” Reid said as they ate, sitting on a bench outside the restaurant.

“I told you,” Alexis said. “Best steaks in the city.” She was proud that she was able to show him al Philadelphia had to offer. But it was bittersweet. She’d lived here so long, and she hadn’t even real y experienced it beyond what she’d shown Reid today.

“What are you thinking about?” Reid asked.

She shrugged. “Nothing.”

“Alexis---”

“Fine,” she said. “I was just thinking how sad it is that I’ve lived here for years, and yet today is one of the first days I’ve ever taken to real y just explore the city and have fun.”

She shook her head and looked down at the sidewalk. “It’s just real y sad.”

Reid nodded, appearing to be lost in thought. And then he reached over and took her hand. “What would be sad,” he said, “is if you hadn’t realized that, and if you hadn’t decided that you were going to make a change.” He squeezed her hand. “That’s what would be sad.”

Alexis took in a deep breath and shrugged. “I guess,” she said. “But if you’re a coward and then you make a change, it doesn’t change the fact that you were a coward.”

He looked at her, his eyes blazing. “You are not a coward,”

he said, shaking his head. “Don’t even say that.”

She looked down at the street, and felt her eyes brimming with tears. The air was cooling down now, the streets starting to become populated with wel -dressed people on their way home from work. The day was ending. And as fun as it had been, she was going to have to get back to reality soon.

“So should we head back to the hotel?” she asked, standing up. “I know it’s only six, but I’m exhausted.”

They walked back to the hotel, taking their time, talking and laughing and poking into shops as they went. When they got back to the room, they ordered Chinese food and watched dumb reality shows on Bravo.

And when Alexis fel asleep that night, Reid was holding her close.

***

The next morning, Reid was awake at five am. He set up his laptop on the desk and got to work brainstorming ideas for his own company.

When Alexis woke up at seven, he’d already put together an impressive list of clients he could pitch. Clients that he’d been dying to work with, but had been too smal or too trendy for his father’s agency. He’d get on the phone as soon as he got back to New York and start setting up lunch meetings.

He also began putting out a few feelers to employees at other agencies, mostly people he’d worked with in the past who he knew would be a great fit for his agency.

He’d final y be able to construct his own team, on his own terms. The thought excited him.

“Hey,” Alexis said, sitting up and stretching. He watched as she lifted her arms over her head. The bottom of her shirt rode up just a little bit, exposing the bottom of her stomach.

God, she was beautiful.

He slipped back into bed and pul ed her close. She smel ed like sleep and shampoo, and he kissed her softly on the lips.

“Good morning,” he said. “How’d you sleep?”

“Surprisingly wel .” She snuggled against his chest, and he stroked her hair. She felt perfect against him, and the overwhelming urge to protect her surged through him.

God, he was turning into some kind of romantic mess. Reid kissed her again, this time sliding his hands up under her shirt.

“We should stop,” he breathed a few minutes later. “The courthouse opens at eight, and we should get there as early as possible.”

She burrowed into his chest again, and he stroked her hair.

There would be plenty of time to have his way with her later.

***

The process of filing the restraining order was relatively painless – the judge granted the temporary order, effective immediately. Alexis would have to return to court for a hearing in a couple of weeks to get a permanent one, but until then, she was done with the whole mess.

Alexis was quiet on the way out of the courthouse, and Reid picked up on her mood immediately.

“What’s going on?” he asked.

“Nothing.” She shook her head. “I just don’t know what to do.”

“I do.”

“You do?”

“Yes.” He opened the passenger side of the car he’d rented, and she slid in. Reid walked around and climbed into the driver’s seat. “You’re coming back to New York with me.”

She shook her head. “I don’t think – ”

“You don’t think what? That it’s a good idea? Why not?

You’re my roommate, right?’ He grinned at her, trying to lighten the mood. But the thought of her being away from him was too much to bear. The feeling shocked him. He’d never felt this way about a woman before.

“I don’t know.” Alexis shook her head. “I mean, I don’t have a job in New York.”

“You’re going to have to find a job wherever you go,” he told her. “New York isn’t going to be any different. You have a place to stay in New York. I can lend you some money for whatever you need. Don’t worry about getting your things right now –

we can get them when we come back for the hearing in a couple of weeks.”

Alexis looked out the window and twisted her hands in her lap. She took a deep breath and Reid was sure she was going to ask him what it meant, the two of them living together. If she did, he decided, he’d tel her how he felt.

“Okay,” she said, taking in a deep breath. “But only until I get back on my feet.”

***

Alexis was relieved that she would be staying with Reid.

She told herself it was because she didn’t have anywhere else to go, and so of course the fact that she was being offered a place to stay was making her happy.

But she knew that wasn’t the only reason. It was confusing –

even though Alexis knew it was just sex, she wasn’t ready for her time with Reid to end.