A New Life: Book 2 of Charmed life

Chapter 4

© All rights reserved.  LittleThingsInLife

Chapter 4

Danielle carried on talking, but I didn't hear a word she said as I openly stared at three of my favourite guys. What were they doing in New York, in a random diner... that I worked in?

I was frozen on the spot, I didn't know what to do, what to say. Do I run out and come back when the coast is clear? Do I say hello? Do I hope they don’t notice or recognise me?

‘Alex? Alex?! Are you ok?’ Dan cried out gaining the attention of many of the customers and to my utter horror... the Spencer’s.

They looked at me, I looked at them. None of us knew what to do.

They definitely recognised me that was for sure.

Sam slowly stood up his eyes squinting, making sure I wasn't just a part of his imagination. He got closer to my statue of a body and finally his eyes widened. It was definitely me and I was real.

‘Alex! Oh my god... I. Wha- I don’t... We-’ Sam stuttered uncharacteristically, getting closer and closer to me before we stood chest to chest.

Unable to form words he threw his arms around me and pulled me flush against his body, holding on as if he’d never let go.

Joel my boss ran over and pulled him off me thinking he was some kind of threat, mistakenly thinking my horror struck face was because he had grabbed me. (Little did he know that it was far more complicated than a simple pervert getting too close for comfort)

Lucas and Jamie finally defrosted and ran over, pulling Sam away from an angry looking Joel. I knew I had to speak up, set things straight with Joel so he didn't kick them out; I just had to get my mouth to work first.

‘Jo. It's ok, he wasn't hurting me. He’s an old friend I was just surprised that's all’ I explained, unable to look at any of them so I kept my eyes on Joel as he nodded and apologised to Sam, offering their meal on the house.

Sam only nodded keeping his eyes on me. It was like they’d seen a ghost and I realised they must have thought I had wound up dead.

‘How about you take another half hour off Alex, so you can talk to your old friends’ most of the time I loved Joel. If it weren’t for him I wouldn't have a place to stay or a job, he took me and Charlie in and sorted us right out. I owed him a lot. But right now, this ‘favour’ he was doing for me, wasn't something I was grateful for.

Walking over awkwardly to their table we all sat down. Nobody said anything for a few moments, they just stared at me waiting for me to speak up, but I didn't know what to say.

‘I just can’t believe you’re here’ Jamie shook his head ‘We thought you were dead. We looked everywhere for you, had the police involved and everything’ I expected as much so my expression stayed the same. ‘But New York, now that's somewhere we didn't think to look. Have you been here the whole time?’

I nodded flicking my gaze between the three. If anything, time had only improved their looks and I could see why Danielle would stay behind for them, they were gorgeous, better than I remembered, they were buffer, and they’d lost their boyish softness and changed it into rugged manliness.

Snapping my eyes from their good looks I noticed they caught me observing them and put my head down to cover my embarrassment while the smugly grinned at each other, what was I doing? I hadn’t seen them in 4years and the first thing I do is check them out!

Sam coughed to pull our attention over to him; his serious face told me I was in for a world of questions. This time they deserved an answer.

‘Not here. I’ll tell you everything but I don’t want everyone to hear. Just give me two seconds to talk to Jo’ not waiting for an answer I stood up and walked over to where Joel was talking to Gil about his drinking habits.

‘Just tone it down when you know you’re in the next day. You want me to have to fire you, because I will. Now go get some medicine and be back down in five minutes and stop your whining. It was self-inflicted; I have no sympathy for you’ Jo reprimanded Gil but he does it such a way that you still leave the argument liking the guy.

Turning his attention to me he gave me his usual smile saved for me and I was glad he was in a good mood, it made me asking to leave early all that much easier.

‘Hey Jo, firstly I'm sorry about before, but thank you for coming to my rescue, at least I know when it's real you’ll be there to look after me’ I started off by buttering him up. He caught on quickly.

‘What do you want Al’s?’ he asked chuckling at me

‘I was hoping to leave early... like as in right now. I’ve got quite a lot of explaining to do and it's not really the place to discuss it you know? I’ll make it up to you and of course I wouldn't expect to be paid’ I was cut off by Joel waving his hands at me.

‘Don’t be silly Alex you’ve never had so much as a sick day. Of course you can go, if that's what you want to do... they’re not making you are they. They aren’t who you were running from are they?’ Joel knew a little about my situation, given he was the one to find me and take me in.

‘No. They’re good people. Don’t worry Jo. And thanks, you’re too good to me’ I gave him a quick hug and went to grab my things.

I quickly rang Mrs. R while in the staff room to ask if she could pick Charlie up. I wasn't sure I was ready to let them in on that kind of information.

‘Of course dear I can look after him till you get back. You have to stay behind for work or something?’ As grateful as I was for her kindness she was an awfully nosey woman.

‘That's great Mrs R I owe you one. Actually I've just run into a couple of old friends of mine and just wanted to catch up a little, well I have to go thank you again. I’ll see you later, tell Charlie I love him, bye’ I said good bye and put the phone down before she could ask me if these were male friends which I knew was going to be the first question she asked. I’ll just have to try to avoid her as best tonight when I go over to get Charlie.

Keeping my breathing even I walked over to their table, they had all been in quiet conversation with each other. When I approached the table they all stopped talking and looked up at me.

‘Joel has let me take the rest of the day off’ I announced ‘so if you guys want to go somewhere that we can talk then I’ll answer your questions’

Nodding, they each stood up and we made our way out of the diner, I nodded to a few people and gave a reassuring smile to Joel.

‘How about we go to the hotel room?’ Jamie offered and we all agreed. I didn't want them to come to my place, for obvious reasons.

‘My car’s just across the road’ Lucas told me. I noticed we could all feel the awkward tension between us. I didn't expect anything else, but I hoped soon, once we’d spoken things could relax a little.

‘It's only a ten minute drive to our hotel’ Sam told me. These one sentence conversations would have to stop pretty soon.

We arrived at the hotel they were staying at. The silence crept around us as we rode the elevator and walked down the hall to their door.

I walked in after them and they headed straight for the couch, sat down and looked at me expectantly.

‘Well... start explaining’