Those Damn Butterflies

Chapter Eight

It had been two weeks since that night at the club and I hadn't heard anything from Alex. Mel didn't try contacting me either.

My usual day was working either in the morning or in the afternoon and in the evening Emma would come over and we would rant to each other while drinking red wine. We should probably really think about the possibility that we might have had a drinking problem, but to be honest, I didn't really care. I was feeling miserable and was downing my self-pity. But hey, not everyone could say that they were able to ruin everything good in their life.

Right now, I was looking at my laptop screen, the homepage of the local animal shelter opened on it. Morgan had told me to consider adopting a pet, to make me feel less lonely when Emma wasn't around and to give me a purpose again. I wasn't opposed to the idea of giving an animal in need a loving home, since my landlord allowed pets like dogs, cats and bunnies.

After a while I landed on the profile of a one year old Great Dane dog named Pedro. He was white with big black spots across his body and about the cutest thing I had ever seen. Safe to say I immediately fell in love with him and filled out a form to get an appointment to meet him. I would drag Emma along to it.

Suddenly someone knocked on my door. I looked down at me. I was a mess. The only thing I was wearing was a tomato sauce stained white tank top and black underwear, while my hair was in a messy messy bun atop my head.

With a sigh I got up and just hoped it was no one important at the door.

Boy, was I wrong. My hopes were shattered in the matter of a second as I saw Alex standing in the stairway of my apartment complex.

I quickly shut the door in her face again.

"Riley." She called out but I didn't respond. Simply because my heart started beating so fast. "Can you open the door?"

Could I? Yes. Did I want to? Not really. Was my heart cursing out my brain for wanting to say no? Yes. I sighed. "Give me a few minutes."

She scoffed. "Fine." Her audacity was out of this world.

I quickly made my way towards my bedroom and changed into something more presentable which didn't make me look like a woman in her midlife crisis. Thinking about it, this might have actually been my midlife crisis. I also let my hair down.

When I opened again, Alex was leaning comfortably against the door frame. She looked good in a pair of black jeans and a white button up. So formal.

"You forgot this at the club." She pushed my jacket into my hands. I had honestly already given up on the jacket after I forgot it, because I wasn't planning on ever returning to that club. So, it was a nice surprise to get it back.

"Thanks." I replied, unsure of what else to say.

Alex nodded. "No problem." Then she swung around, about to walk away again. Walk away from me and out of my life again.

"Alex." Before I could even stop myself and overthink the situation, I called out her name. I didn't want her to go just yet.

Upon hearing me, she halted in her tracks and seemed to think for a few seconds. Probably to consider if she should listen to me.

I heard her sigh before she turned around to face me.

"Yeah, what's up?"

"Do you want to come in?"

She raised an eyebrow at me. "I'd rather not."

My face fell. That rejection felt like running full speed into a solid brick wall. I looked down, trying to hide the tears that just shot up into my eyes but didn't dare to spill over yet.