Taming Alec(11)

Ah, there’s that smirk I love to hate.

“Good point. I’d never slam the door in food’s face,” I joked.

I held out my hands, and he gave me the pizza. We stood there awkwardly, neither of us sure what to say next.

“Do you want to come in?” I finally said.

“I thought you’d never ask.” He stepped into my apartment.

I closed the door before following him to the couch.

He sat down and picked up the stack of papers I’d been grading. “What’s this?”

“A one-page report on the Revolutionary War. I have to say, grading homework is probably my least favorite thing about teaching. I have to keep searching random phrases online to make sure they didn’t plagiarize. The little shits are smart.”

He chuckled. “When I was in school, I had dial-up. It would’ve taken me longer to copy something online than to write the paper myself.”

“Careful, you’re telling your age, old man.”

I put the pizza down on the table and opened the lid. I picked up a piece and gestured for Alec to do the same. I watched him out of the corner of my eye as I took a bite. He looked relaxed as he ate. I couldn’t help but notice the difference in his attitude now compared to when we’d first met.

“Why did you act like an * in the hallway that first day?” I asked him.

He frowned. “I already told you why. I know your type, Rebecca, and I saw the way you were looking at me. It was better to scare you off and be done with it.”

“So, you don’t normally act like that?” I asked.

He grinned. “No, I do.”

I sighed. “You’re so confusing. I hope you know that. If you’re normally an ass, why weren’t you being one that night? Why aren’t you being one now? The guy I met in the hallway would never have cared enough to break into my apartment to apologize.”

“I didn’t technically break in. I just opened the door,” he pointed out. “I don’t know why I’m being nice to you now. Maybe I’m just hoping that we’ll end up as friends.”

“Are you normally friends with chicks?”

He hesitated. “Not usually.”

“Then, what’s so different about me?”

He seemed thoughtful. “I don’t know.”

We were quiet for a while, both of us lost in our thoughts. I nibbled on my pizza as I tried to figure Alec out. He was a walking contradiction. He’d claimed to be an *, and I’d been a witness to more than one episode proving that, but there were times when I’d wondered if he was really as bad as he acted. An ass would never have apologized for what he’d done to me. He wouldn’t be sitting here with me now, eating pizza, like it was a normal thing for us to do on a Friday night.

“Why aren’t you working?” I asked.

He shrugged. “I had some personal shit to take care of, so I called off work yesterday and today. What are they going to do? Fire me?”

“What kind of personal stuff?” I asked, unable to stop myself. I knew next to nothing about Alec, and I was curious. I knew I shouldn’t try to get to know him better, but when he was around, I couldn’t seem to remember that I needed to distance myself.

He looked away but not before I saw the pain in his eyes.

“My dad has cancer, and he isn’t doing very good. I went to see him and get his affairs in order.”

If I hadn’t seen the pain in his eyes, I would have heard it in his voice. Without thinking, I reached out and took his hand in mine. He looked down at our joined hands and lightly squeezed mine.

“I’m so sorry, Alec. I didn’t mean to pry, especially with something so painful.”

He shrugged. “It’s okay. It sucks, but it is what it is. My dad and I have never been close. He worked all the time when I was growing up. I was mostly raised by nannies.” He chuckled, but it was humorless. “My dad and I found out about his cancer almost a year ago. I think I’ve spent more time with him since then than I ever have before.”

“Is he receiving radiation or chemo?” I asked.

He shook his head. “It’s inoperable, and he’s refused any other treatments. I’m surprised he’s made it this long. It’s only a matter of time, probably weeks, until he goes.”

“My mom is a doctor. I could call her, and maybe she could look at his records and see if there’s anything else she might suggest,” I said, desperate to help him.

He squeezed my hand again. “There’s no point. He’s ready to go, Rebecca. I think he’s been ready since we lost my mom when I was little. I’m not going to spend the last few weeks of his life fighting with him over it. I respect his wishes.”

I closed my eyes, trying to hold back my tears. I felt so helpless. All I wanted to do was make things better for Alec, but there was nothing I could do.

“Hey, don’t cry. It’s okay, really. I’ve accepted it.”

“I can’t help it.” I sniffled.

He pulled me into his arms, shocking me. “You know, I hate it when you cry. Please stop, or I’ll do something drastic.”

“Like what? Hit on me?” I asked, trying to lighten the mood. It might have worked if I wasn’t still sniffling.

“I could tickle you until you pee.”