The rest of the plane ride is short and silent between us. We stay seated together, but I stare out the window and act like I am engrossed in watching the nothing in the darkness and just watch aimlessly for city lights. Alexi stays with me, quietly listening to his family and occasionally joining in across the aisle to chat without really returning to the party—an uneasy vibe between us.
I don't care. I wish he would move and leave me be, but he seems oblivious to what I want. We are close to landing anyway so it isn't that much longer before we do, and Alexi seems introverted and sulky, no longer in the mood to join the fun in any real way. I guess our row has killed his mood but I have no remorse over what he started.
He's still a shit head.
I just feel numb and tired and have no will to get merry anymore.
When we depart quickly from the plane everyone is shuttled in a bus to a nearby five-star hotel they all seem very familiar with and left to get ready. Much to my shock, considering how well I know him, Alexi has booked me my own room next to his, but not connected by internal doors. He ushers me there, carrying my bag for me in our weird moody silence, and then deposits me without any fuss; Handing me my key card as he wanders to his own without a second glance. No smile, no verbal, nothing. Just directed, deposited and deserted.
I guess he is still in the mother of all moods ... Sulking or something.
I don't spend much time pondering that but get showered as quickly as I can, knowing we are heading right back out and not lingering in our rooms. It doesn't take me long to get glamorous, seeing as speed prepping is a skill I acquired over the years. I mean, when you are paid by the hour and want to get out as soon as your client pays you for his fuck, you get your ass ready in a heartbeat and leg it before he expects extras. A lot of men get buyer's remorse once the money leaves their hands and no longer agree they should pay for sex.
As soon as I am ready I wander out to the hall to see if Alexi is out here yet and catch him leaving his room too, his eyes running over my short sparkly number and high strappy shoes with more than an appreciative glance. He doesn't seem as frosty now and my own mood is marginally lifted from the process of doing my hair and makeup. It's always been a calming pastime that I enjoyed. Turning plain jane into supermodel. It makes me feel better.
It's obvious he likes what he sees and that flat expression warms a little around the edges. I feel a million dollars in this outfit and I am hoping it puts the glitter back in my tight emotions. I haven't found a reason to be happy about being here yet and the little frown still lingering on his face just adds to that sense of foreboding. Both of us brewing I guess.
'You look stunning. Silver is nice on you.' Alexi surprises me by breaking the cold silence between us with a compliment and I blink at him a little suspiciously. His furrowed brow smooths out as he scans the complete glittery number that moulds to my body, and he hits me with a dimpled smile instead— A subtle one—It has an odd effect on my nerves.
'Thanks. You paid for it.' I add in response drily, eyeing him up in his all black getup; shirt, casual trousers and expensive matt leather shoes. His leather jacket is back on and shades nestled in his hair even though it's late evening and hardly sunny. It's darker than dark out there already.
I can grudgingly acknowledge he does look hot, as per usual, and yet he is still pissing me off by just breathing. Even if he's back to playing nice and applying the charm thickly, I cannot just move on the way he seems to.
'Still pissed, huh?' He walks towards me and casually holds out an arm for me to take, as though chivalry is a normal act for him, but I just pull my silver leather clutch bag closer and shrug him away with a glare.
'I'm not pissed. I'm nothing ... Let's go.' I answer haughtily, refusing to give in to his arsey self and lifting that defiant little chin of mine in a show of 'couldn't care less'. I walk off first, leaving him standing as I head for the bank of lifts and Alexi follows obediently; surprisingly, but I don't stop to examine his compliance. I just want to get to our destination and let go with loud music, dark lighting and lots of people. There's no pressure for chit-chat in a nightclub and I might be able to lose him for a while to go dance by myself if I am lucky. I always loved to dance my night away.
'You know? ... You are hard work sometimes.' It's a slightly humorous comment, given in a light tone but I spin on him harshly.
'Says you? Oh, my God, you are the most infuriating, mind-fucking person I have ever met in my life, and you have the nerve to say I am hard work? How ironic!' I snap at him and get madder when it's met with a grin instead of that normal Alexi fire and rage. He looks smugly cocky and just infuriatingly happy all of a sudden.
'Mind-fucking? Is that a thing?' He chuckles at me as though enamoured with how adorably cute I am being and tweaks my cheek playfully. I flinch at the surprise gesture, eyes popping with the non-Alexi manoeuvre and blanch at the same time. It infuriates me and I slap his hand away, no more amused with that than any of this conversation. I wonder if he has suffered a bang to that thick bloody skull of his which resulted in a personality transplant. I mean, when the hell did he start pinching people and acting like some goofy happy weirdo?
'Piss off, Alexi.' I have no other words. He is trying to goad me into whatever this is, and I am not playing ball. Alexi is all games and smiles and I am not taking part in his highly suspicious and unnerving behaviour.
'You know you are the only female I have ever known that is openly hostile towards me, no matter what I do? ... Well, maybe my mother, but that's a different kind of passive-aggressive.' His tone is still light and breezy but I just frown hard and throw him an impatient look, checking my phone for the time and ramming it back into my bag in a wave of frustration.
'Why are you talking to me?' I throw my bag under my arm abruptly, tucking it in tight and visualising Alexi's head as I squish it under my armpit; More than a little annoyed that we are not progressing to the lift like I want. Regardless of being angry with him, I still need to wait on the tosser to escort me to our transport to the club. I have no clue where we are going and I don't want to sit here all night alone and bored like Billy no mates! I could have done that back home in the apartment and not wasted time and effort making myself look red carpet ready just to stare at a hotel room walls.
'That's what friends do ... they talk to one another. It's supposed to be nice.' It's a slight eyebrow raise and another oddly happy smile and I just hit the sarcastic giggles. Ridiculous 'are you mad' sort of manic laughter that makes me wonder about my own sanity. He's not amusing, he's deluded! He brings out the absolute worst in me sometimes.
'Are you serious right now? Friends? On what planet, Alexi?' I retort, hand on my hip as I scan him with a glare that is meant to portray 'I think you're high right now'. I'm not impressed at all and just getting more fidgety and uptight every second we spend loitering here and not making progress.
'Well, what would you call us ... if not friends?' His gaze narrows on me, smile fading and something more serious in its place. Still not moving, like a tall stubborn mannequin and I relent with an exasperated sigh, knowing he has no intention of going again until he decides he's moving. Talking is on his agenda for some stupid reason.
'I don't know ... business acquaintances. People coexisting for a mutual benefit, but certainly not friends! Friends like one another, Alexi!' I point out scathingly, using my bag to point at him and me as though to emphasise my statement, willing him mentally to just walk forward and get in the damn lift I can hear pinging away about twelve feet from us as they open.
'I like you, so ...?' He shrugs boyishly, expression solemn now and I know he's just trying to get to me.
I know that's bullshit and now he is trying to just pull me into another little mind game.
'Like a sore head, right? Or like a bullet to the kneecap?' I ask sarcastically, turning and decide to go it alone. He can catch up or I will simply wait downstairs until pig-headed moves his arse. I am done with this weird chatter he has going on.
'I was going to say you are more like an itch I can't scratch. Sometimes though, it feels really good, because I am weird with stuff like that.' He smirks as he comes level with me, finally keeping pace and this time I eyeroll. It's hard to stay furious or act indifferent when he starts coming out with this nonsense. I wonder if he drank more while getting ready as he's merrier than I expected and completely on one. If this is him trying to be funny or endearing then it's not working.
'There's something wrong with you,' I point out, looming closer to the doors and press the button to call one to our floor once more. We only just missed two of them because of his infuriating stalling and God knows how long before the next. It's a massive hotel with twenty floors.
Alexi stands back a bit, eyes still eating me up shamelessly and I do my best to ignore it. I'm simmering between bad mood and not giving a shit, and if he could just stop antagonising me until we get there then I might actually loosen up a little.
'You're what's wrong with me, London ... You just haven't figured that out yet.' Alexi moves closer to wait beside me properly, body heat enveloping me like always and that hated tingly effect he has on my nerve endings. I am starting to get used to the fact that my internal horn trigger is sensitive to whatever he exudes and learning to dismiss it a little easier ...
Sometimes.
I turn to look at him but am interrupted when the lift opens before us. I go to move quickly, relieved I have the excuse to move us apart, but he catches hold of my hand from behind in a soft grip, halting me, and I turn instantly, shocked by the touch.
My heart jumps into my mouth and I lose all bravado when he's practically nose to nose with me in one easy step forward. The urge to shove him away is stalled by the sudden impact of those haunting eyes so very close to mine. Alexi is practically within kissing distance and I breathe in a heady mix of his scent and the aftershave he reserves for nights out. Thrown by this manoeuvre. He smells divine and it just annoys me all the more.
My body does what I hate; goes limp and submissive when caught in his spell and every single sense hits high alert as a steady flow of goosebumps ripple across every surface of me.
'I think you might be mentally unstable and that's what's actually wrong with you.' It's more of a whisper, body reacting to his close proximity and my fire burning out so rapidly it leaves me breathless.
'Maybe you just make me crazy.' He utters it so softly I feel the breath of his words against my lips and realise how close we have gotten ... Heads angling closer, almost mesmerizingly so.
I clear my throat and move away from him, suddenly conscious of the lack of air between us, shaking his hand from mine and pulling it up to cradle on my chest out of his reach. Aware that he's in predator mode and this is a seduction move that I almost just let myself be swept into. I should have known this would happen along the way, I just didn't expect it so soon.
'Feeling's mutual, now back off before I knee you in the balls. I told you this was never happening, so fuck off. I mean it!' I push him hard in the chest and get a smug smirk as he steps back unwillingly. Finally, space again. I brush myself off and inhale to remove the traces of his effects over me. Rattled and body on sexual high alert in the worst possible ways. Sensitive to everything around me now.
'How do you do it?' Alexi asks. A random thing to say and I blink at him in surprise, halting my visual shaking him off. Itching to just get in the damn lift but he's driving me crazy with this.
'Do what?' I blink at him, infuriated and ready to drag his arse in there as he stands his ground, eyes on me again, boring intensely into mine. They are back to the almost colourless hue he has most of the time; Rimmed with the darkest grey border that sometimes gives them the look of a wolf or a husky. Weird for a human but it only ever added to his appeal. Alexi has eyes that look like they belong on a vampire or a soulless being.
'You never give up!'
It's not a sarcastic or condescending statement, but I know it has to be some sort of jab at me on some level, even if he sounds soft and strange. I would say in awe, but I know that's wrong and it's just Alexi being a mind-fuck.
'Okaaay, you are clearly drunk and being odd. Alexi, sober up or I am going back to my room and you can go dance solo. You're weirding me out with this shit and I'm over it already.' I throw my hands on my hips and he sighs heavily.
'I'm not drunk ... I'm just ... Never mind. Come on, they're all waiting downstairs to meet up.' He finally relents; obviously guessing this is getting him nowhere and starts moving.
'I'm not coming if you're going to act like a freak with me all night!' I make a point of standing my ground this time but Alexi is having none of it, he walks by swinging an arm around my waist snugly and forcefully walks me with him so that I yelp at the handsy move. A step closer to our lift and now I am the one who doesn't want to go in.
'I'm going to be a gentleman all night and prove to you that I can be a decent guy,' He grates out stubbornly in a less than gentlemanly tone.
'Yet you say those words while manhandling me, when I clearly told you that touching me was a no-no!!' I push myself out of his embrace but don't get far when he catches my wrist and continues to drag me inside the small enclosed space. He turns on me with a grin that has all dimples and flashing charm on show.
'Yeah, sue me. I said decent, I didn't say perfect.'