Alekses' POV
We spent eight hours at the mall, and out of all the stores we visited, she herself got nothing. She kept saying she didn't want anything, but I still got her things. I'm sure she's gonna chew my head off.
After we left the mall, we took a walk at the park. Sad Paws wasn't with us to enjoy it.
After the park, we ate at a restaurant for dinner. Funny thing is, I remember neither the restaurant name nor what I ordered. I could only remember the look of happiness on Xhenia's face when she saw the food. She didn't hold back either, which was cute.
Part of me didn't want the day to end, but the other half wanted to lock her in a room and away from the world for three days and nights.
"What are you thinking so heavily about that you've gone deaf," I heard an agitated voice squeak.
"Chaining you to a bed," I answered truthfully without glancing at her. "For personal reasons."
"Was last time not personal?"
"Let me correct myself. For pleasurable reasons."
She went silent then muttered something under her breath. When I finally looked at her and away from the book I was reading, I noticed her ears and nose twitching. She's blushing.
"Pull your head from the dark side, love," I teased. "Weren't we supposed to discuss something important today?"
I didn't forget.
"That's what I was saying before you said that," she frantically said while flailing her arms. She looked up, saw the smirk on my face, and turned away from me.
"Hey, hey, don't be like that, Whiskers," I chuckled, pulling at her exposed waist.
"Don't call me that," she squealed while swatting at my hands. "At least not right now."
I know the last part wasn't meant for me to hear but I did.
My smirk now resembled a devilish grin. I wanted to tease her about it, but she looked like she'd blow a fuse if I did.
"So, you want to get to know me, hm? I must warn you, my life wasn't extravagant," I shrugged.
"To you, it wasn't, but I'd still like to know more about you, Alekses."
She grabbed my hands between hers and looked up at me with a pure look in her eyes. I'm sure the look in mine was far from.
"Do you know how tempting you look right now?"
"Alekses, don't change the subject," she sternly replied. I laughed at her tone because it reminded me of a mother being stern with her child.
"Don't worry, I have no intentions of doing so," I laughed her off. "Now, where should I start?"
"The beginning, I guess."
If that's what she wants.
"On September 9 of 1989, my parents had sex."
"Alekses, not that far," she gasped and covered my lips.
"You said the beginning," I snickered behind her hand. I knew she would react like this. "I'm like a genie. Be careful what you wish for, and how you wish for it."
"Alekses."
"On May 19 of 1990, I was born in Russia. The specific area doesn't matter since it no longer exists."
"What happened to it?"
I looked at her and she closed her lips.
"We moved from Russia to America when I was three, so I don't have many fond memories of my birth place, but when I turned twelve, we would visit my grandparents every year until they passed."
I noticed she was about to say something so I raised my hand. "It's in the past, Xhenia. No need to give your condolences."
"Ok."
I went on with telling her how I grew up, the kind of relationship I had with my mother, and how I met Vera for the first time.
Like I told her before, my life was boring. I didn't have the typical "rich kid" life. I didn't have a nanny. We didn't have maids. If I wanted something, my father made me work for it. He even had me get a job when I turned sixteen to empathize with the less fortunate.
Fast food and retail are not for the weak.
We went on further down the timeline until Paws barked at the back door. That was the only time I stopped my history lesson.
"And at the age of thirty, I was promoted from CFO to CEO."
"So, your dad literally had you work from the bottom of the food chain to the top," she hummed in thought. "I'm sure you learned a lot."
"I did. Most importantly, I learned how to hone my emotions and skills. People will say and do anything to get under someone's skin, but it's up to you to be the bigger person about it."
She hummed and wrapped my arms around her. She leaned back on chest and started playing with my palm.
"So, when did you meet me?"
I'm sure she was nervous to ask that, but I can it was bugging her that I didn't bring it up. I had told her before that I knew her before she was hired.
"Four years ago, my father promoted me. To celebrate, Ona and I went to a bar. We had lots of drinks, and that was all. Eventually, we got bored and she met up with Amie and they left, so I did too. I was driving around out of boredom when I passed a dimly lit park."
"Alekses, you shouldn't drink and drive," she muttered.
"Don't worry, it was the only time I did."
"Glad to hear. Sorry, you can continue."
"Thank you. I stopped at the park with no objective, and blindly walked around. I walked for a bit until I got bored again and was about. That was until I heard someone crying. At the time it was a bad judgment, but I searched for whoever it was. It took me a while, but eventually, I found you sitting behind a tree, facing a pond. The light ahead only flickered for a moment before it went out, but it was enough to see your face, and I became drunk off of more than just alcohol. Your tired eyes were filled with tears. You were staring at the sky, mumbling about being tired. Sadly, the moon wasn't out that night, so it couldn't enhance your features. Not that you needed it," I said. I was gonna describing what she looked like, but she interrupted me.
"Okay, okay, you can stop with the compliments," she rushed out, making me chuckle. She gets embarrassed so quickly.
"Fine, if that's what you want."
"Thank you."
"As I was saying, I stood there for a moment and let you cry before I spoke to you. When I did speak, I told you it was dangerous to be out there alone at that time of night, and if you knew better, you would go home. You said, and I quote, I don't have a home that I feel safe in, but for some you feel safe. Will you sit with me? I did and we talked for a while about anything we could think of. Eventually, I asked you if you would look at me because you never did, and you said-"
"If I do, I'll start searching for you wherever I go," she finished. "So that night wasn't a dream?"
"Nope, it wasn't a dream," I mumbled and kissed her head. "And like you said you would search for me wherever you went if you say my face, I began doing that. I started searching for you in places I knew you wouldn't be in, but they were places I would be in. I kept having dreams of you telling me to find you, so I did. I started looking in places I wouldn't be, and I found you. At first, I would watch from the shadows and silently help you while finding out any and everything I could about you, but then my obsession grew, so I pulled you closer to me by creating an inconvenient but significant role at work and hired you. I thought I'd be satisfied, but seeing only made me worse, but I couldn't let you go, so I took you. Now here we are."
"I don't know if should be in awe or repulsed, but I'll choose to be in awe," she uttered after some time of silence. "I'm glad you found me, Alekses, but, honey, you could have said hi before acting on your own."
"You're right, and I'm sorry for the things I did to you."
She turned on my lap and kissed my head. "I forgive you for everything, except you ghosting me for four months."
"Sorry."
"Sorry won't cut it. You have to make up for lost time," she pinched my cheeks. "But still, if you hadn't disappeared, I probably would have developed a mental disorder. Still, I'd probably have to see a therapist about more than just being abducted."
I know she meant it lightly, but it could have happened.
"But, what if you did develop one?"
"A mental disorder? Alekses, I've been through worse than being abducted by someone who only wanted to feed and pound me. Why would that be my last straw?"
"What do you mean worse?"
She looked in my eyes before sighing.
"I guess it's my turn to give a history lesson."