Page 4 of Release
Wilkes looked her in the eye and squeezed her hand, and Alexandra really wanted to believe him. She didn’t even know why. Maybe just to get the satisfaction of knowing she hadn’t been wrong about him in the first place. Or maybe it would help her feel better to think there was at least a decent reason for him screwing around, or that he made an honest mistake.
However, even with his good reasons, it didn’t take away the sting of what happened. In her mind, she had a flashback to how it felt looking up at that wall of display screens showing Wilkes—the prudish guy she used to have to beg to be sexually adventurous with—being free and passionate as he made out with Lydia. Suddenly everything he was saying just felt so damned empty again.
“Wilkes, you have to understand something. The idea that it took your cheating on me for you to come to all these realizations is what’s screwed up. It honestly takes away from your reasons. Why hurt someone if you feel they can hurt you?”
“I know, and there aren’t enough words to tell you how sorry I am, Lex. I’m here to tell you I’m ready to be sincere with you. You want passion? I’ll show you my passionate side. I can be faithful, loyal, and loving, and I can be in your life in a way that few other people can. I’m asking you to understand that I messed up. I don’t want to lose you over this. I’m in love with you, Lexxi. The real me loves the real you. I just want to show you who I am…”
Conflicted, she murmured, “Thanks for talking to me about this. It puts a few things into perspective.” She did not want to give him anything more, so she added, “Don’t expect my feelings towards you to change, Wilkes. You hurt me. In a public way that was so unnecessary. I kept trying to figure out if I did something wrong to make you do what you did. In the end, it seems you and I came to the same conclusion. I never met the real you. Maybe down the road we can be friends, but I can’t go back to where we were.”
“Is it that fella you’ve been seeing?” he asked.
She shook her head. “That topic is off limits,” she warned, hands raised. Wilkes immediately conceded and didn’t push the issue with Bash.
Everything inside Alexandra screamed that this was another ploy to break down her guard and let him back into her life.
She added. “I’m not offering anything more than friendship down the road. I can’t right now. Just know that when I come around to us being friends, that friendship is all it will be. No benefits. No besties. Just non-hatred.”
She held out her hand to shake his.
A wavering smile touched his lips. “If that’s all I can get, I guess I can make do for now,” he said, shaking her hand. He dug into his pocket with his other hand and pulled out a ring box, offering it to her.
“Wilkes,” she said in a warning voice.
“Now, don’t be alarmed. I’m not done wishing, hoping, and praying you’ll take me back, Lexxi. I’ll accept it for now, but I bought this ring for you and I want you to have it. You can do whatever you want with it. Toss it out the window. Give it to someone else. I don’t have any control over that.”
Alexandra was not going to accept this ring, but she was curious. She took the black velvet box and slowly opened it. Nestled in the shiny silk was a rose gold ring, encrusted with impressive diamonds and rubies, gleaming in contrast to the black lining of the box.
“There’s no way I can accept this,” she said, still in awe.
Wilkes tilted his head to the side and playfully pinched the tip of her nose. “Give it to charity, then. I’m sure one of those fundraisers would love to auction it.”
She softened a little, but did not accept it. This could be more fodder for Wilkes to use with the media. “Thank you, Wilkes. I think I’d prefer it if you take care of getting rid of it. I hope you can understand.”
“Okay…so I guess I’ll see you on the music scene?” he asked hopefully, accepting the ring box.
Alexandra shrugged. “We’re with the same label, so yes. I’ll be around.”
After he turned and left, Alexandra closed the door and returned to her living room to contemplate what just happened. Sighing, she got up and went back to bed.
