Melinda barely had any sleep last night. She kept on thinking about Alexander. Maybe Rhoda was right. Alex could be a different guy. But she was scared to give in to him. She didn't want to get hurt again.
She could not even bring herself to reply to Alex's text message yesterday. She kept typing and erasing for like eight times. She didn't know what to type so she decided she was going to apologize to him in person, today.
Melinda had dressed up for work, She just finished having breakfast when the sound of the doorbell came through. She stood up from the dining table, straightened her clothes, and walked towards the door.
She opened the door and saw Alexander standing on the other side, looking more handsome than she could recall yesterday. Melinda did not know how long she kept staring at him until she was brought out of her trance by Alex's voice.
"Good morning Miss Davis," He greeted.
Melinda didn't know why but she felt a certain pain in her heart when Alex called her Miss Davis. But she couldn't blame him. She had told him last night that their relationship should be strictly professional and nothing more.
"Morning Alex," Mel said, clearly embarrassed. It was obvious that he noticed she was checking him out.
"I just came to tell you that the car is ready," Alex said, after which he turned to take his leave.
"Alex, wait," Mel requested and Alex turned back to face her.
"Can I talk to you for a second, Please?" Melinda asked with hopeful eyes.
She opened the door wider for him to come in and he did. After which she closed the door behind her.
Melinda was nervous. It was Alex who did the talking most of the time. He used to be the one to initiate their conversation. But now it was the other way round and she was as nervous as hell but she began anyway.
"Alexander, I'm sorry for the way I reacted yesterday. I shouldn't have acted that way and neither should I have shouted at you. I'm deeply sorry and I hope you forgive me." Mel said while looking him straight in the eye.
Alex could see nothing but remorse and truth in her eyes.
He sighed, then closed the gap between them. "It's okay, Mel. I forgive you." Alex said and Mel exhaled. It was a sigh of relief. She was glad he forgave her and did not insist on Miss Davis this time around.
"Even if you say otherwise; that you don't feel anything for me, I know it's a lie because your eyes don't lie. They tell it all. Trust me, Melinda, This is one of the hardest things I have ever done. To admit to my boss that I'm deeply in love with her. I just want you to fight for me the way I am fighting for you. What we have between us is not something that can be ignored. I understand you are going through a lot now, with your divorce and all. And I'm ready to wait for you until you are ready. I'm ready to defend our love to everyone. But if you don't want me because I'm your employee, just tell me and I will understand" Alex said while looking straight into her eyes.
"Come on, let's get going, you don't want to be late for work," Alex said as he patted Melinda's shoulder and exited her Apartment.
It took a while for Melinda to move from the spot she was standing. Alex's words had really touched her, leaving her speechless and more confused.
...............
LATER AT THE OFFICE!
It was 5:03 pm and Melinda had just finished a board meeting which was held in the conference room. As she entered her Office, She was pulled into a very tight hug by Desourire.
"Look who we have here," Desourire said in a sing-song voice as she kept on hugging Melinda.
It was a Friday. Melinda usually spends her Friday nights with her best friends. Not all Fridays but most Fridays.
"Dee, I missed you," Mel said as she pulled away from the hug.
"When did you get here? Hope you have not been waiting that long. Sorry, the board meeting took longer than usual." Mel said as she walked behind her desk to take a seat While Dee sat across from her.
"Just got here about 12 minutes ago,"
"I missed you, Dee. I can't believe you went for a whole two weeks." Mel said.
Desourire had not been around for a while. She went to Australia to visit her cousin who just gave birth.
"Yess baby. I know you miss me and I miss you more." Dee Chuckled.
So where will we be going today?" Melinda asked as she started to pack her bag and clear her table.
"My house," Dee replied.
"hmm. Not bad."
"What about Nate?" Mel asked.
"He said he will meet us there. He's trying to wrap up what he's doing in the office." Dee replied.
"Let's get going. We still have to go to the grocery and get some ingredients for dinner. Expect you and Nate want to starve or feed on Pizza tonight." Dee said.
"No way. We are not going to starve nor are we feeding on junk tonight. I missed your cooking, babe. We are eating your homemade dish." Mel said with a hungry look.
"Alright. But you will help me with the cooking." Dee said.
"No way. A guest is not meant to do anything rather than to sit and enjoy while the owner of the house does the cooking." Mel said.
"Whatever, Let's just go," Dee smiled. She knew her best friend was lazy when it came to kitchen work. So she will have to ask Nate for help. Nate was a great cook too. But Mel prefers Dee's food to Nate's.
"Did you come with your car?" Mel asked as they walked towards the parking lot.
"No dear. I came in a Taxi. So I'm tagging with you." Dee replied.
As they almost approached Mel's car, they could already see Alexander, standing beside the car, by the Driver's seat. Melinda walked towards him while Desourire walked towards the front passenger's seat.
Mel started feeling butterflies in her stomach as she approached Alex.
"Hmm Alex, don't worry about me. You are free to go home. Desourire and I are going somewhere so I will do the driving."? Mel said nervously while tucking a strand of hair behind her ear.
Melinda was always bold whenever she talked to people. But whenever she was with Alex, she was always nervous and out of words and Alex noticed that too. He didn't like the fact that she was shy around him. He wanted her to be comfortable and to be herself whenever she was around him.
"Alright," Alex said with a low voice and handed her the car keys.
Alexander's fingers brushed against Mel's own and Mel shivered as she felt a tingling sensation run down her spine. They both stared at each other for a while before Mel broke the silence.
"Have a nice weekend. I will call you if I need anything." Mel said and Alex nodded before taking his leave.
Melinda opened the back seat to drop her bag before settling into the driver's seat. She exhaled as her head hit the headrest.
"I think my best friend is in Love" Dee giggled.
"Dee, please don't start again." Mel groaned.
"No problem. But as soon as we get to my Apartment, you must tell me everything. What I missed for the past two weeks" Dee said.
"You wish" Mel mumbled and Dee put up a sad face.
.........AFTER DINNER...........
"From what you have said Mel, I think he really likes you," Dee said with a sad smile.
"I've always known that," Nate said after which he took a sip of his red wine.
The three best friends just had dinner and now they were seated in the living room, talking and entertaining themselves with some wine. Mel just told them about all that had transpired between her and Alex for the past two weeks.
"I've never been so confused in my life," Mel said as she rubbed her right hand against her forehead.
"There's no big deal about it, Mel. It's up to you if you really want to give him a chance." Dee said.
"Yes, Mel. Even though you haven't said the word directly and literally. I know you like Alex and I think you should give him a try. At least, you should get to know him and see how things go." Nate reasoned.
"I will think about it. I really don't want to be in any relationship for now. I want the divorce with Frank to be over first. I just feel so stupid that I fell into his trap." Mel said with regret.
"Don't worry Mel, I'm sure the judge will rule in your favor" Dee assured.
"Okay enough of the sad talk about me. What's up with you guys." Mel said, trying to change the atmosphere.
"Well, there's this Girl Nate met and he's crazy about her." Dee squealed.
Nate blushed instantly.
"No way!!! Tell me about it. When do we get to meet her." Mel said after which she dumped her empty glass of wine on the table as she prepared to hear all that Nate had to tell her about this girl.
.......HOURS LATER......
Mel came out of her bathroom in her white towel and stepped into her walk-in closet to put on her comfy pajamas for bed. She just came back from Dee's place not quite long. She loves spending time with her friends. As Mel was applying her face treatment, her phone beeped, indicating she had a message.
She exited the bathroom and reached for her phone on the bed. It was a message from Alex.
"I'm trying to fall asleep but I can't stop thinking about you." Alex
Melinda blushed as she playfully bit the tip of her fingers thinking of what to type.
"I hope they are good thoughts."Mel.
"Better than you can ever imagine. I'm happy you replied. Hope you enjoyed dinner with your friends." Alex.
Mel smiled as she read his reply. She had never replied to any of his messages and this would be the first.
"Yeah. I had fun. Thanks for asking.".
"So, what are you doing? I hope you are not working at this time." Alex.
"No. Just had a shower. Preparing myself for bed."
" Alright then. Let me leave you to rest. Sweet dreams. I hope I'm in them." Alex.
"Goodnight." She replied him.
Melinda slept with a big smile on her face. She was happy she was on good terms with Alex. At least it was a good start for both of them.