Chapter Two

She tried to swallow but her throat was dry. It was a quick reminder of the night that ended only a few hours ago

"Ms. Alexis?"

She turned her head and everything began to sway. "Uh... Alexis" She said to herself, putting the palm of her hand to her forehead

She then tugged at the covers and answered Ms. Lansbury on the other side of the door

"Come in"

She held a tray with a cup of hot tea and some sort of breakfast type food Alexis wanted nothing to do with

"You had a late night last night" Ms. Lansbury stated handing Alexis the cup of tea

Alexis suddenly felt like she had been caught breaking curfew

She only shook her head in reply trying to gather her thoughts and not yet coherent enough to be embarrassed

"Kristina?" Alexis questioned

Ms. Lansbury smiled

"Shes fine. Mr. Nicolas insisted you sleep in and has taken on the duties to serve Miss Kristina her breakfast"

Alexis looked relieved "He really is a prince"

"Now Ill give you some time to get up..."

"Thank you"

"Oh and you must have made quite an impression on the gentleman you were out with last night. Two dozen red roses arrived for you this morning. They are down stairs, would you like to have me have them sent up to you?"

"Oh God"

"What is it?"

Alexis squeezed her eyes shut "Nothing, nothing Im sorry"

Ms. Lansbury looked puzzled but it was none of her business to ask questions

"The flowers? Do you want me to have them sent up?" she asked again

"Um no, no thank you. I will be downstairs after a quick shower. Will you tell Kristina I will be there soon"

"Yes maam"

Ms. Lansbury closed the door behind her and Alexis eased her way out of bed and into the bathroom, looking at herself in the mirror

She wiped away the mascara that circled her eyes...

"Alexis, for Gods sakes... Sonny?" She said scolding herself

+++++++++++++++++++

He stood in the hallway outside of his penthouse facing the now vacant penthouse door on the opposite side

She would fumble with the lock every time she tried to open it. Not being able to easily open her own door made her livid

It made him smile

What made her more frustrated was that he would walk right up behind her ask for her keys and then simply open the door

It was the little things...

The way she would laugh... when she really laughed, her ponytail and her wispy bangs that she constantly shuffled away from her eyes and she ate too much popcorn, she had poor nutrition...

He thought to himself he was glad she was at Wyndamere. At least he knew she was eating properly

Sonny seemed amused at his concern for her nutritional needs

Suddenly he was aware of his surroundings

"Sir"

Sonny turned his attention to Max

"She got the flowers..."

Max could tell Sonny was having a million thoughts

"Do you think shell like them?"

It was out of Sunnys character to seem so uncertain, so smitten... Max understood, It was her...

"Yes I do. They were beautiful"

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Alexis struggled for a moment to single handedly open the card. Her daughter rested on her hip, content being in her mothers arms and carrying out her responsibility to hold the envelope her mother just handed her to occupy her

His handwriting

"You are a constant reminder" was all it said. He didnt sign his name only wrote, "You are a constant reminder"

"A constant reminder?"

He knew she would be intrigued

Kristina now took interest in the roses, reaching for one closes to her, distracting Alexis. Alexis pulled the flower from the vase and brushed the soft pedals against Kristinas cheek

Kristina giggled

"We cant do this" Alexis whispered "I know theyre beautiful...but we cant do this"

Kristina looked up at her mother as if she understood

"Ive literally spent your whole life, baby girl trying to keep you a secret. I cant fall for him again. I cant let him into our lives...I cant" Kristina still looked at her as if she were listening. Holding her tongue for any gibberish she had to say

Alexis sat down in the chair with Kristina facing her in her lap "Hes in my head... I hate this. I hate what he does to me." Alexis said speaking to Kristina as if she were to get adult conversation in return. "A constant reminder of what?"

Kristina stuffed her thumb into her mouth and relaxed herself against her mother not suspecting a trouble in the world

"A constant reminder..." Alexis again whispering again now to herself "A constant reminder.. A constant reminder of what? How it feels. How good it feels to be charmed by him..."

Alexis rubbed Kristinas back as she continued to think out loud. "I cant do this... I have to be strong and smart. I have to remember how much I detest him"

"Ill go to him. Ill tell him again we cant do this. Ill say thank you for the flowers but thats it. I have to make him understand..."

++++++++++++++++++++++

Sonny picked up the phone and then sat the receiver back down. He began to pace again... and then he picked up the phone and sat it back down again

He seemed disgusted with himself at how absurd he was being. His inability to make a phone call...

His inability to make conversation with a woman he had a made a million conversations with before seemed so absurd

He poured himself a drink and sat down on the couch taking in his first sip

"A little early for Scotch dont you think?"

The sound of her voice startled him

There were no warning sounds of two inch heels, just the silence of her tennis shoes

She was a sight, beautiful. Her jeans, her violet cashmere sweater, her ponytail and wispy bangs... she wasnt playing the same role she had played the night before

It was her, the way she looked on her days off, the way she looked when she would come across the hall to just talk, not to discuss business

"Hi"

"Hi"

He sat down his drink no longer finding much use for it

"Did you..."

"Yes I did thank you. Theyre beautiful"

"Im glad you liked them"

"Look um..." suddenly her game plan didnt seem so intact "Sony I..."

"Alexis if the flowers were inappropriate Im sorry"

"No, no they were... a lot. A lot of roses"

"You know I like to go overboard" he said smiling satisfied

"You always do"

An awkward pause

"Would you like to sit?"

She sat down, she wasnt sure why she sat down

"I almost expected them to be gardenias"she said letting a nervous laugh finish her sentence

She couldnt believe that came out of her mouth. She didnt want him thinking she even remembered the gardenias much less that she would flittingly joke about remembering them

"Well you said you didnt want to relieve the past so... I figured roses were better" he said as if he were worried that they werent better

God, he remembered them too

She fidgeted

He watched

"Look Sonny I uh, I just wanted to say thank you for the flowers and just you know..."

"Youre welcome"

He didnt want to make the conversation hard on her. For whatever reason he could tell just being there made her nervous

"Well I should go..." she said standing

He got up following her

"I just wanted to thank you in person and , and thank you for seeing that I got home last night"

"Youre welcome"

"Ok... um I should go" she said turning towards the door

"Dinner?" She stopped in her tracks at his voice "I mean would you like to have dinner tonight...with me?" he himself seeming a bit nervous

"I cant...I cant because I have Kristina. I left her last night to go out... obviously"

"Oh, yeah, yeah bring her with you"

"Shes, shes at that age and its hard to..."

"Ill cook for the both of you"

Alexis bit at her lip. Her stumbled excuse was her "nice"excuse

"Sonny I cant"

"Ill cook lasagna, you love my lasagna remember?" He said with an encouraging grin

"Im sorry..."

Her voice changed

His heart no longer pounded from the sound of her voice and the sad, sorry look on her face

His nodded his head in disappointment

"I cant get mixed up in this again and my daughter..."

Sonny didnt realized he was just staring at her

"Sonny, Im sorry"

Alexis never looked Max in the eyes as she walked passed him. She did however turn back to the sad face that stood in the doorway

"Thanks again for the roses" she said again bitting her lip revealing her uncertainty

And then she stepped into the elevator and before he could get the nerve to stop her she was gone

Sonny looked over to Max

"Ill get her back here if you want me to boss"

Sonnys eyes found the floor

"No, no I want her to come back again on her own. In the mean time I just have to remind her why she was in love with me"

End of Ch. 2