Maybe that’s exactly what you need.
The seating area has pod-style cubicles, which is great for ignoring everyone else. Reaching down, I lift my suitcase and slide it into the overhead compartment above me. Then, I take a seat and get myself settled.
My eyes shift toward the tarmac outside the window, gazing with a heaviness inside my chest.
It’s been four years.
A long time, or maybe too little time to move on from the past.
I wonder where she is, what she’s doing. She isn’t back home, nor has she been for the last four years. My parents still owned their home, and I’m certain my mother would have told my sister, who then would have mentioned something to me.
After Adriana and I visited her mother, it was clear I was to stay away. She had moved on.
My Charlotte had found happiness elsewhere.
On occasion, I toyed with the idea of hiring a private investigator, but what would I say even if I found her? The damage is done. If I saw her with another man, I wouldn’t be able to control my jealousy. All it’d do is make her resent me even more. No matter what I do, I’m the loser in all of this.
The phone rings inside my pocket, forcing me to retrieve it to answer. My gaze falls upon the caller ID as I expel a small grunt before answering.
“Yes,” is all I say.
“I didn’t get a chance to say goodbye to you,” Adriana whines.
“I was busy.”
“C’mon, Alex.”
“Don’t call me that.”
“Sorry, Lex.” I almost hear her roll her eyes. “I wish you would have stopped by to see our place. You were only a cab ride away.”
Adriana had recently graduated with Elijah, and they moved in together. For every milestone she’s reached, I thought about Charlotte. Somewhere out there, she would have graduated.
I choose not to acknowledge Adriana’s comment. The last four years have been strained between us. I’m not innocent. It’s because every time I’m with Adriana, I half-expect to see Charlotte by her side. I knew I had to distance myself when it all became too much.
“Listen, I need to go.”
“Lex?” Adriana calls.
My hand moves toward my face as I pinch the bridge of my nose in frustration. “Yes.”
“Good luck in London. I hope you find what you’re looking for.”
The call ends, leaving me to ponder on her last comment.
What I’m looking for are peace and quiet. A break from the guilt which eats away at me every day I wake up. I’m done fighting these demons, ready for change and a life of solitude that will suit me just fine.
And just as quickly as the call ended, the plane took off into the sky for my next journey.
* * *
My assistant, Kate, holds the large boardroom doors open as I walk in, dressed in a new Armani suit.
Kate started only yesterday, and so far, no complaints on my end. She’s young but obeys my commands and doesn’t appear threatened like the other pathetic employees who run and hide the moment I step into the office.
Inside the boardroom, everyone stands at my arrival. Most of them I know from my previous visits. All but one man who stands on my right.
“Bentley James Woods,” he introduces while extending his hand.