Girl in a Hoodie: Where the Future Lies

Chapter 73

Riley's POV:

"You wait here with El. I'll go talk to Alexa," I tell James as we were parked outside the club bar. He nods, his hand placed firmly over my knee as I reach over to kiss his lips before pulling away to take my seatbelt off. He removes his hand and keeps it to himself as he stays sat inside the car whilst I get out. I smile at him softly before leaving his presence when I enter the club. It wasn't time for my shift just yet, nor was it my day to be working, but when I step inside, I see Alexa stood behind the counter, wiping a glass.

I walk towards her slowly and prepare myself for what I was about to say to her, a bunch of lines of speech whirring through my mind, before I finally reach the counter and I put my hands out in front of me and clear my throat. She turns around but then blinks when she sees me.

"Hey..." I say slowly. She bites her lip but doesn't say anything to greet me, except for,

"What can I get for you?", acting like she didn't know me at all. I sigh and drop my arms by my sides.

"I was wondering if we could talk."

"Sorry, 'talk' isn't an option for a drink we sell," she tells me. I roll my eyes tardily.

"Please, Alexa. You told me you like me and-"

"Will you be quiet?" she snaps under her breath. "I don't need everyone knowing I'm some sort of femme." I exhale and shake my head.

"Alexa, I can help you with this. Liking a girl isn't something to be ashamed of," I tell her.

"Yeah, but liking a girl who's married and has a baby definitely is," she corrects me. "So again... what can I get you?" she asks, seemingly frustrated. 

"I said I need to talk to you, so that's exactly what we're gonna do." Ashleigh comes around from outback, holding her phone in her hand with an air-pod in her ear. I call her name when I see her and then she turns around to face me, humming in response. "Is it okay if Alexa takes a break? I promise I can cover her shift for her another day, but this is important," I say, practically begging. She looks at me and how desperate I seemed, then to Alexa who seemed pretty startled by my sudden actions, but then Ash shrugs. 

"Sure, just make sure you do extra hours on your next shift," she tells me. I smile and thank her before rushing Alexa out.

"Okay, okay. I'm coming," she groans. I laugh a little, watching as she takes off her black apron and hangs it before walking around the counter to follow me. "Where are we even going?"

"James is waiting in the car outside. I need you to come with us and not say a word. Everything will be revealed shortly," I tell her. I see her look hesitant at the mention of James, but she doesn't say anything and obeys my instructions as we walk out of the bar to walk over to his car. "You can sit in the front. I'll sit by Ellie in the back," I tell her. Again, she seems reluctant but begrudgingly does as I say.

"Hey," she mumbles to him when she closes the door and does her seatbelt. James says the same back to her. 

I shuffle up towards my daughter's buckle-up car seat of which she was sleeping in, in her cute light pink baby grow - her eyelashes grazing the bags under her eyelids. I smile softly at her and lean over to kiss her cheek, allowing my finger to curl together with hers as I used my other hand to part her short tufts of brown hair. James looks at me through the rear-view mirror and I watch as he smiles in my direction before Alexa cuts the contact between us.

"Okay, as cute as this whole family thing is, can one of you please explain to me where the hell we're going and why? You literally stopped me from working. This practically counts as kidnapping," she exaggerates. I roll my eyes but James explains to her.