‘What’s on the itinerary for tonight?’ Matt asked.
‘Don’t have one. We’ll go back to my place and decide from there,’ Alex said.
‘Sounds good. Just us?’
Alex looked over at his friend and caught the knowing look on his face. It annoyed him sometimes, just how well Matt knew him. ‘Emma’s coming over.’
Matt didn’t comment. Alex knew it was more than a little unusual for him to invite a woman along when standard procedure dictated that they’d cruise the social scene as unattached eternal bachelors. An introduction meant something. Alex knew it would make Matt curious to see what Emma was like for himself. Alex also wanted to see how she got along with Matt. Which meant he was in bigger trouble than he’d realised.
Traffic had come to a crawl and it was already sunset. Alex wondered if Emma was at his flat yet, but he didn’t linger on the thought as Matt caught him up on everything going on back in London.
Emma parked in the second empty bay assigned to Alex and carefully picked up the box of cakes she had purchased on her way over.
With a beep, her car was locked, and she made her way to the elevator which was waiting. She pulled out the key to Alex’s apartment, still surprised that he had given it to her. It might only be for one night, but it felt as if there was more to the gesture. She hoped she wasn’t reading too much into it.
You are, a snide voice at the back of her mind commented.
She slid the key into the lock, opening up the door, and stepped into the apartment.
‘Alexander?’ she called, but there was no response.
Glancing at the time, she figured he would be on his way back. Her heels click-clacked on the wooden floors as she walked through to the kitchen to deposit the sweet treats on the counter. The apartment was eerily quiet. Then she realised there was no music playing. The only time it had been this quiet was when she’d first come over after the masquerade, and then she hadn’t really noticed because Alex had seemed to fill the space they were in.
She looked around for something to do, fingers drumming on the countertop. Nothing appealed to her more than making another trip to the library. There she found the book she had been reading, still placed on the couch. Except there was a long copper-coloured bookmark between the pages she had stopped at.
Emma settled in and fell into the story once more. It was at least an hour before she heard voices coming from downstairs, and Alex and Matt finally arrived at the apartment.
Emma flew down the stairs, and the first thing she saw was Alex moving towards her. It had become the most natural thing in the world for them to gravitate towards each other. As if the world had tilted on a different axis.
He kissed her ardently. As if they were being reunited after a great time apart.
‘Have you been waiting long?’ Alex asked.
‘A little over an hour.’
‘Sorry, traffic was a nightmare,’ he apologised.
She waved it off and he held her against his side.
That was when she saw the man standing with a large black suitcase next to him. As tall as Alex, but much broader, he was an imposing figure with kind green eyes, a handsome face, and a shock of blond hair. Emma thought that these two friends together would set hearts alight wherever they went.
‘Emma Brown, this is Matthew Taylor,’ Alex said.
‘Just Matt.’
Emma smiled.
‘It’s nice to meet you, Matt.’
‘And you, Emma.’
‘Before I forget, Alexander, I went to the patisserie. There’s a box on the kitchen counter.’
‘I like her already.’ Matt grinned.
She watched the two men head to the kitchen and inspect the contents of the box. It was a treat to watch Alex like this. She had already seen so many sides to him, and watching him now, with Matt, he seemed younger. More relaxed.
Alex fiddled with his tablet and music came alive overhead.