Page 40 of Lightning Angel
She gave him an assuring smile. “Positive. Don’t worry, I’m not trying to convince you now and go off to the bridge later. It was selfish of me wanting to die—and yes, you were right. Iwasgoing to take my life. I lied earlier, but I think you figured that out already.”
“I didn’t believe you for one second, though.” The smile didn’t reach his eyes. “So, you promise not to do anything like that again?”
Alexa exhaled. “I promise.”
“Good, because I want to see you again.”
“Me too.”Alexa smiled. “How are you going to head back to your house?”
“I’ll call a cab or something.” He took the key off the ignition and opened his door. “Let me walk you to your house.”
Alexa stepped out before he came to her side and opened her door. Tristan handed her the key. She grabbed the teddy bear from the back and they crossed the road to her house together.
Thanks to the light from the streetlights, her house wasn’t shrouded in darkness. She had forgotten to leave the lights on; she wasn’t even thinking straight when she left the house hours ago.
The moment the thought of death entered her mind, it was all she could think about, like everythingbutdeath was wrong and distressing. It manipulated her into seeing her sister’s love for her in a twisted way, making her question it, and Alexa would never succumb to such a thought ever again.
Despite what was waiting for her tomorrow, Alexa felt grateful to be alive to this moment.
“My sister is accompanying her friend on a work trip to Orlando; she won’t be back until tomorrow evening. It’s been just the two of us after Dad’s passing,” Alexa explained as they crossed the lawn to the porch. “Are you coming in?”
“Perhaps some other day,” Tristan said, hands in the pockets of his jeans.
Alexa stopped at the steps leading up to the porch and turned to him. She didn’t hide the surprise from her face and her voice. “We’ll meet again soon?”
“Ofcourse,” he said, emphasizing the last word. “How about tomorrow?”
“Really?”
He gave her a crooked smile. “That is, if you want me around.”
“I’d love to,” she said. “And to introduce you to my sister. I told her about our bookstore encounter.”
He chuckled, probably at the memory. “I’ll look forward to that.”
“Except, I don’t think I’ll be available tomorrow. I, uh, I’ll be a little busy.” Alexa gulped down the sudden lump from her throat, her anxiety for tomorrow building. “How about… uh…”
“How about you call me when you’re free?”
Alexa’s shoulders relaxed a little. “Sounds good.” She unlocked her phone and handed it to him. When he handed it back after typing his number, she dialed him and hung up at the first ring. “There, now you have mine too.”
“Thank you.”
“It’s just a phone number, Tristan.” She chuckled, and then her face grew serious. She reached for his hand hesitantly and took it in hers. Looking up into his suddenly unreadable eyes she said, “Thankyou,for saving my life. I owe you.”
His eyes softened. “You don’t owe me, Alexa. If I was a second late, I don’t know how I would’ve lived with myself again. I’m just… I’m just so glad you’re safe and away from that temptation, and that I was in time to stop you.”
There was the irony again.Stopyou. Not,saveyou.
Fine, he could play as long as he wanted. But one day,she was going to figure it out.
“Me too,” she said and let go of his hand. “Goodnight, Tristan.”
“Goodnight.” His eyes smiled down at her. As she turned to climb up the porch, he called, “And Alexa?”
She spun around to him. “Yes?”
“I won’t let anything happen to you,” he said, his eyes and words intense as he took a step forward. “I won’t let anyone harm you, not even yourself. You have my word.”