Crush (18+)

Chapter 37

Alex was softly singing along with the radio as I stared out of the window. After we finished dinner, we went to the beach and sat there for a few more hours, just talking. Before going out with him, I figured Alex was kind of shy but tonight he proved me wrong. The boy could talk for ages about his life and family and I didn't mind it at all. The more we talked about his life, the less we'd have to talk about mine.

Alex wasn't the type of guy I'd instantly go for. He was spontaneous and open; he wasn't scared of saying what's on his mind. I remember when I dated Brandon, he was so careful with what he'd say because he was constantly scared to hurt me. Now that I think about it, I used to feel so fragile around Brandon. With Alex it was totally different though, I really felt like I could be myself around him instead of pretending I was someone I'm not.

Being myself required being honest though and there were still a lot of things Alex didn't know about me. He had no idea I broke up with my last boyfriend because I slept with his father. I really liked Alex and I wanted to be honest with him, no matter how scary that might be, but I knew that I had to talk to Noah first. There was no chance in hell for Alex and me if Noah would still be around. 

On Monday at work, I'd tell him I wasn't interested in him and that he needed to leave me alone, though with Noah it was never that easy. I had to find the right thing to tell Noah in order for him to finally let go of me. To finally make him realize we would never, ever work.

Alex's car stopped in front of my house and as he got out, he hurried to my side of the car and opened the door for me. "Thanks," I smiled. We silently walked to the front door and I noticed the lights were off inside. I inwardly thanked God, because that meant Rafael and mom were asleep and I would get no questions about my date tonight.

"I hope you had a good time tonight," Alex broke the silence. "And I'm sorry if I was kind of a nervous wreck at the beginning. It's just that I really like you." I looked up at him through my lashes and blushed. "Tonight was honestly perfect. Thank you, Alex."

Alex hesitated for a moment as he tried to read my face. At first I wasn't sure what he was doing but when he moved his face closer to mine, I realized he was going to kiss me. My heart suddenly started beating really fast and I wasn't sure if I was ready to kiss him already. Of course I liked Alex, very much, and that's why I wanted to take things slow with him. My previous relationships were so rushed and we all know how that ended.

But instead of feeling his lips on mine, I felt them on my forehead and I relaxed immediately. His hand softly stroked my arm as he moved his lips from my forehead to my ear. "Have a good night, Val."

I wanted to jump and scream of happiness when I watched him get into his car. It scared me how much I already liked this guy since I literally barely knew him. Well, tonight he told me a lot about himself and his family. I wish I could listen to his stories forever.

I didn't want to rush things with Alex because I was afraid that might ruin everything, but how could something as pure as this get ruined? We were just two simple individuals who really, really liked each other. That had to mean something, right?

Alex waved one last time before driving off. I took a deep breath before heading inside and I decided to get some water before heading to bed. I stopped in my tracks when I saw a shadow figure standing in the kitchen. It was really dark and I could barely see it, but I was sure it was there. The figure slowing moved in my direction and I was literally ready to kick his ass when I saw it was my brother. Could've known it was him, the asshole.

"Fuck you, Rafael," I growled as I walked into the kitchen and grabbed a bottle of water.

My brother chuckled as a response before speaking up. "Fuck me? Didn't you and Alex just do that? Oh well, you know I'm up for everything."

Once again, my brother's inappropriate remarks made me sick. I wanted to defend myself and tell him Alex and I hadn't even kissed yet, though it was honestly none of his business. My brother didn't give a crap about what Alex and I have or haven't done, he just took every little oppurtinity to annoy me.

"And what about you, Raf? A little birdy told me you've been seeing some old dude lately. What's that about, huh?" I asked innocently and Rafael's face fell. I didn't expect him to get so uptight because of this question. This definitely meant something was up.

Rafael's shocked face quickly changed to angry and he brushed passed my shoulder, ready to leave the kitchen. There's no way I was going to let him leave so easily.

I grabbed his hand and even though he was much stronger than I was, he didn't resist. I bit my lip and looked my brother in his eyes, a deep frown on my face. "Please tell me you aren't in trouble? Raf, you know we'll be back in Mexico in no time, if not in jail!"

Rafael shook his head and ran his hands through his hair. "This is not like that," he breathed.

"Then what is this like? Come on, you know you can tell me," I almost begged. Even though I was really scared to find out the truth, I needed to know what kind of trouble my brother had worked himself into. 

Rafael roughly pulled his hand back and he looked at me with dark eyes. "Just stay out of it, for fucks sake," he hissed before leaving the kitchen for real this time. I sat down on one of the kitchen tables and buried my face in my hands. He was never going to tell me. Maybe he was right, maybe it was better if I stayed out of it. I didn't know half of the things my brother did in his life, so why would I suddenly get involved?

I turned off the kitchen light and got ready for bed. Despite Rafael's strange behavior, this night was pretty fucking awesome and just thinking about Alex made my heart flutter. I kept telling myself to take it slow, while all I could think about was being with him. I really had to talk to Noah tomorrow and tell him I was seeing someone. I wasn't sure why I felt the need to tell him about my love life, maybe because it felt like there was still some unfinished business between us.

So the next day when I got to work, I waited until the end of the day to go to Noah's office. He had meetings all day and I knew disturbing him in between his meetings would be a no go. Fortunately, it was quiet in the building since almost everyone had left already. Noah seemed surprise when I knocked on his door and walked into his office.

"You're still here?" he asked me with raised eyebrows.

I nodded and nervously played with my fingers. "Yeah, we need to talk."

Noah seemed intrigued and nodded, gesturing me to take a seat on the other side of his desk. It was weird seeing Noah and I didn't know how to act. The last time I saw him, he fingered me inside his car and I cried about it. Okay, he didn't exactly see me cry but it was still very awkward and inappropriate.

As Noah waited for me to speak up, I was looking for the right words to say. I should have prepared what I wanted to say or something, because now I just look like an idiot.

"I want to quit."

The words had already left my mouth before I even realized what I was saying and I quickly looked up to see Noah's reaction. Of course he didn't look happy. He looked rather annoyed. A busy man like him had no time for a girl who couldn't make up her mind. Expect I think I did make up my mind and he needs to hear it.

"You want to quit? Where is this coming from, Valeria?" he frowned.

I stood up and walked to the other side of the office. I didn't want to be so close to him because honestly, he was so intimidating right now. I wanted to say what I had to say and get the hell out of here.

"I, uh.. I like someone.. I like someone. Someone else."

It was quiet for a moment and my stomach hurt from anxiety. Please just say something.. Anything, just please make an end to this unbearable silence.

After a while, Noah stood up from his chair and walked over to me. I gasped when he pressed me against the nearest wall and locked me by putting both of his hand beside my face. His breathing had become so loud and he was so close as well. I swear if he moved just a little closer, our bodies would be pressed together.

He seemed so tall hovering me and while I usually liked it when he was being dominant, I hated it right now. I felt small and weak and for the first time in a long time, I was genuinely scared of what was going to happen next.