Heart of Stone

Returning Home

After loading up Luna into the back of her suburban along with her overnight bag, she turned to Alexander. He stood there before her, the warm morning sun lighting up the rich tones in his dark hair, like polished ebony. She couldn't help feeling lucky to have him in her life, when just a few weeks ago she was dreading his return and what it might have meant for her. She had definitely never imagined this, not in her wildest dreams.

"You know...something has been bothering me a bit." He said.

"What is it?" She asked curiously.

"Your parents live near here, don't they?" He asked.

She simply nodded, wondering where he was going with this. A note of nervousness gripped her. She hoped he wouldn't want to meet them, because it would give her away instantly.

"Have they asked you to come home at all after the break-in?" He asked.

"Oh...well, my mother wanted me to, but I declined." She said, slightly relieved by this line of questioning while simultaneously feeling uncomfortable.

She didn't like to talk about her mother. Apparently, it was clear on her face, because Alexander's brows pulled down slightly in concern. She had never been very good at hiding her emotions.

"Why wouldn't you want to stay with them?" He asked.

"I just..." She sighed. "I stayed with them the night before Evelyn's sweet sixteen and it was enough of being home to last me a while. They haven't pestered me because I told them I was staying with a friend."

"I see. Do you plan on telling them you're returning home?" He asked.

"I thought about it. I hadn't decided yet." She admitted.

"Can I ask what happened the night you stayed with them?" He asked, a note of concern in his voice.

"They tend to argue a lot. My father's priorities are...on a different spectrum, and it effects my mother a lot." She explained.

"I understand. My mother can be highly emotional since my father died." He said, his eyes softening.

"I'm sorry." She murmured, reaching out and touching his face.

He leaned into her touch and stepped closer to her. He pressed his lips gently against hers, his warm hand coming up to cup her small face. Eloise would never tire of this. She smiled against his lips before he pulled away and he gave her a small smirk in return.

"Be safe." He told her.

"I promise you, I will." She said.

He gave her a nod before stepping back to allow her room to climb into her SUV. She glanced at him one more time and gave a wave before pulling out of the hotel parking lot with Luna in the back. She felt a bit sad to be leaving him, wanting to return to the hotel room and spend their nights together perpetually, but she knew that was not possible. It was time to return to reality.

Once Alexander made it into the office, he sat down at his mahogany desk and unpacked his laptop. He powered it on and began to go through his emails to catch up on anything he might have missed since yesterday. Soon his secretary would come in with the day's paperwork and he'd be stuck in meetings later.

Sometimes he wondered if he was really cut out for life back in the states. Everything was incredibly fast paced and there was hardly any time for rest. Not that he wasn't cut out for hard work, in fact he rather enjoyed throwing himself into it, but he'd felt like he'd barely had a moment to breathe since he got back. LouLou had been a breath of fresh air, however, and he wondered if she was the real reason he was feeling like this. He'd never had any interest in paying attention to much other than his work, but he found himself yearning to be with her like a drowning man reaching for a boat.