Burning Desire

Chapter 34

It had been five days since I'd seen or spoken to Alex. Five days since he'd gone to work. Five days since anyone had heard a peep out of him.

My calls had gone unreturned, my texts unanswered. I was passed the point of thinking he was just ignoring me, and now I was actually concerned for his wellbeing. I'd even called his mom, but it seemed that Alex hadn't filled her in on what had happened, as she'd sounded just as lost as I was regarding his whereabouts.

She'd told me that he'd come home the night of the dinner and likely packed a bag while she'd been out with her book club friends. When she'd returned home, there was a note on the fridge telling her he'd been gone for a while, that he needed time to himself. When Mrs. Stephens told me that, it started to sink in just how much I'd hurt him.

Despite Alex's absence, I tried to put on a happy face and stay positive for everyone else. So far, everything had gone according to plan.

I'd gone home Thursday afternoon and finished most of my packing by two in the morning. Selena and Kacey had helped each other pack and gotten that chore knocked out in record time.

We'd met with the landlord in Belleville on Friday, signed some final lease documents, and agreed on a move-in date, which ended up being a lot sooner than I'd expected.

On Saturday, Daren had been kind enough to rent a U-Haul for us. We loaded up most of our boxes and some furniture that afternoon, and then started moving in the next day. We made four trips back and forth on Sunday, with it taking all of us, including Joseph and Lindsey, to get the large furniture items loaded up and moved. Even Jesse had stopped by to lend a hand.

Kacey started her first day of work with Angie on Monday while Selena and I chose to stay home and unpack. Daren spent the morning with us, helping arrange the heaviest furnishings in between kissing Selena and helping her make breakfast with the few pieces of cookware we'd located in the mountain of boxes marked "kitchen."

Watching the way they connected and harmonized with each other reminded me of Alex and myself, and a little bit of jealousy crept into my heart. Fuck, I missed him.

I tried to keep myself busy the rest of the day to keep my mind occupied with unpacking rather than dwelling on my love life woes, but it was no use. His face kept invading my brain. The sound of his laugh kept dancing through my thoughts. The worst part was when Selena helped me reassemble the Christmas tree we'd had to take down in my house to move. Putting the ornaments back on just reminded me of when I'd helped him decorate his tree. We'd shared our first kiss that night. I could still feel his soft lips on mine and the zing of bliss that had coursed through my veins at his touch.

Selena had made spaghetti for everyone that night and we'd intently listened to Kacey's every word about her first day at work. Lindsey had dropped by to give us a housewarming gift – a massive flat screen for our living room – and the four of us had sat in a circle on the kitchen floor, laughing, eating, drinking wine, and talking about the move. Not once did anyone mention Alex, which I was thankful for. They all knew I wasn't ready to talk about him. I kind of wondered if I'd ever be ready.

Hell, I wondered if I'd ever even hear from him again... Where the fuck could he have run off to?

The girls and I spent the latter part of the evening getting our bedrooms set up, putting sheets on the beds, and putting our towels and toiletries in the bathrooms. I was in the midst of unfolding my monstrous comforter when my phone started ringing. I hurled myself across the room, praying that it was Alex calling, but it wasn't.

'Don't get your hopes up, Kate,' that annoying little voice in my head lectured.

"Hello?" I answered, trying to hold the phone between my cheek and shoulder while I continued making my bed.