Find Me Alastar

I glare at her.

Game on, mole.

I turn and storm to the staircase. That fucking bitch is going down when I get back.

I take the stairs two at a time with Alastar hot on my heels. I stop at the landing and turn to face him.

“Okay, what do you want?”

He frowns. “I want ten minutes.” My eyes widen. “I’m at work. You get five.”

“Your boss said you could take fifteen minutes. I want to grab a quick coffee.” “Are you deaf? I am at

work. I can’t go for coffee. What is so damn desperate that it can’t wait until tonight?”

He looks at me. “I just

want to explain myself and after our ten minutes at coffee you will never have to see me again. I

promise. Okay?”

My heart deflates at the thought of never seeing him again. I do want to hear what he has to say. Damn

it. “Fine.” I turn and start walking down the stairs and he follows me silently. We get to the bottom and he

gestures to the door. We walk out onto the street.

“Which way?” I ask.

He points to the café down the road, and two minutes later we have ordered coffee and are sitting at a

table for two in the back of a trendy little space.

I sit still, unsure what to say.

He appears nervous, although I know he can’t be.

He grabs my hand across the table and my face drops. Please don’t touch me.

“The things that you said to me on the weekend are playing on my mind and I can’t stop thinking about

them.”

I raise an eyebrow. “That was five days ago, Alastar.”

“I know.”

“What’s changed?”

He shrugs. “I was just going to leave it but I can’t until you know that I’m not the person you think I

am.”

“And what kind of person is that?”

“Married and in love with someone else. Or that I used you for sex.”

I frown.

“You lied to me, straight up. You got a text and I asked you who sent it and you said nobody. I heard

the text come through, Alastar. I’m not stupid.”

His eyes hold mine. “I had a photo shoot six hours north on the Saturday morning. Thomas was coming

with me and we were going to spend the weekend away.”

He squeezes my hand in his and I find myself watching his face.

“Thomas was staying at my house because we were leaving early. When he went to bed, I was meant

to be going to an auction for just two hours. He had no idea where I was when the alarm went off in the

morning, telling him it was time for us to leave. That’s when he text me.”

I frown, hmm, is this true? “Then why lie?”

He shrugs and his eyes meet mine. He fiddles with my hand as he tries to articulate his thoughts.

The waitress puts our coffee on the table. “Thank you,” we both reply in unison.

He swallows as if contemplating asking the next question. “I have to know something.”

“Yes.”

“You said it had been a long time before me.” Our eyes meet. “How long is a long time?”

“Fourteen months.”

A frown crosses his face. “How many?”

“One.”

His eyes drop back to the table.

“Is that it?” I fake a smile. “I get it. You’re not married and you just banged a virtual virgin. Thanks

for clarifying.” I pull my hand from his and try to leave.

“Sit down, please.” He scrunches his face up as if I hurt his feelings.

I sit still. “I have to ask you something, Alastar.”

His eyes come back to mine.

“Why act jealous? If you didn’t care, why act so jealous?” I really do want to know this. It’s been

weighing heavily on my mind.

He frowns. “The jealousy isn’t an act. I can’t stand the thought of you with someone else.”

I look at him blankly.

“Em, I just have a lot of things going on right now and I can’t-”

I cut him off.Upstodatee from Novel(D)ra/m/a.O(r)g