Page 85 of The Scientist
“Don’t go there,” he warned.
“I knew it,” she said with a snicker. “What is it, Lex? Is it that you think you actually have a shot with her? Pathetic.”
He didn’t say anything.
“I promise you’re not that girl’s type. Barbie wants a Ken who watches football in his spare time. Not one who’s trying to discern membrane capacitance.”
“You don’t even know her.” His voice sounded calm, but I could tell she was getting to him.
“I know her type—chest full of silicon, face full of botulin.” She laughed derisively. “Apparently, it’syouthat I don’t know because I never took you for the kind of guy to think with the head that’s not on his shoulders.”
I pressed my ear to the door, waiting for Lex to say something back to her, but it was dead air.
“Honestly, what do you even see in her?” she continued. “Our team is doingrealwork here, trying to make an actual difference in the world, and what is she doing? Singing show tunes and writing crappy pop songs for the glitterati of Hollywood. You know… the kind of shit we used to make fun of. But here you are fawning all over her with the rest of those idiots down there.When are you going to wake up and realize that she’s not waiting for you, Lex? She’s waiting for the latest sale at Sephora.”
I waited for him to defend me… to say anything at all as the seconds ticked by, but he said nothing. Not a word. His silence spoke volumes, and I’d heard enough. I swung the door open to see them both standing in Lex’s doorway with twin looks of shock.
“Don’t mind me. I was just leaving,” I said to them. Lex stood there stunned with his mouth slightly open, eyes wide with surprise. I could barely look at him, I was so hurt.
I turned to Nicky. “Give my compliments to your hairdresser, Nicky. The pink really distracts from the horns you have growing underneath.”
I looked to Lex and said, “I’ll let you get back to your conversation. You two actually have way more in common than I thought.”
I started for the stairs.
“Hadley, wait!” Lex said, trying to step around Nicky, but I could see her blocking his path.
“Where are you going?” she cried.
I was down the stairs, grabbing my jacket before he could say another word.
“I’m leaving,” I told Stuart when he looked at me questioningly. “Thanks for having me.”
The cold air stung my face as I ran across the walkway back to my house. The tears started to well in my eyes. I couldn’t believe this was happening. I felt like such an idiot for letting myself believe there was something more between us when the truth was he couldn’t even be bothered to defend me against his snake of an ex.
“Hadley, stop!” I heard Lex calling from behind me. I hurried to fish my keys out of my pocket to get inside, so he wouldn’t see my crying. When I finally wrenched the door open and wentinside, I caught a glimpse of Lex running across the walkway in nothing but his jeans and a navy, button-down shirt. He wasn’t wearing a jacket in what felt like 30-degree weather. I closed the door and leaned my head back against it. The guilt was riding me hard as I thought of him out there in the freezing cold when a second later, there was a loud knock at my door, making me jump.
“Hadley, please open up!” he called out, continuing to pound on the door.
“There’s nothing we need to talk about, Lex. Go back home and get inside.”
“I’m not leaving until you talk to me. Please, just let me explain.”
My first instinct was to ignore him or tell him to go to hell, but I sighed, knowing I didn’t have it in me to leave him out there to freeze. I opened the door to see his body shivering and steam filling the chill air from his heavy breathing.
“Jesus, Lex. Get in here.” I grabbed his arm, pulling him inside. “Honestly, what were you thinking running out there without a jacket in this weather?”
“I don’t care. I needed to talk to you,” he said breathlessly. His cheeks were flushed from even that brief time in the cold.
I crossed my arms, feeling protective of my heart. “There’s nothing left to say.”
“Hadley—” he started, but I didn’t want to hear whatever excuse he was going to give me.
“Look Lex, what you did for my mom… there aren’t enough words to express how truly grateful I am for what you did for us. I’ll owe you in every lifetime, but right now, I can barely stand to look at you.”
He flinched, his eyes lowering to the ground. “I’m so sorry about what she said.”
My anger and hurt boiled over. “I couldn’t care less about what she said! It’s what you didn’t say. You just stood there and let her say hateful shit about me,” I fumed.