by R. R. Banks
Alexis nodded. “I haven’t decided which yet,” she said, making Nathanial grow a bit more uneasy as Hannah pulled her arm back. “I’ll come out there and find you in a few minutes when we’re done, ok?”
“That’d be awesome,” said Hannah as she stepped away. “I’ll get you another drink and have it waiting on you.”
“I’m probably going to need it.”
Hannah smiled and stepped away, leaving Nathanial and Alexis in the hallway staring at each other. “So, do you have more to say or should I go ahead and start drinking again?”
Nathanial opened his eyes wider as he tried to grasp what all was going on. Alexis was being incredibly standoffish as he spoke to her, doing his best to apologize so that both of them could move on. “I guess not,” he said, clearly defeated after hearing the conversation between Hannah and Alexis. “I’ll just leave it at, I’m sorry for everything.”
Alexis nodded, still doing her best to hold the look of scorn on her face. “Do you mind if I ask you a question?” she said in a perturbed tone. “What did you hope to get from this? There had to have been a reason for you to fly to New York to see me.”
“I wanted you to know that the man you saw wasn’t really me; that’s not who I want to be and I’m sorry you had to see that,” he said.
“Excuse me?” asked a confused Alexis, becoming more perturbed as he spoke. “How could that not have been you?”
“I was frustrated and angry. I lashed out and I shouldn’t have,” he stammered as she stepped closer toward him. “After everything that had happened, I felt betrayed and I lashed out toward you because I associated you with everything at first, but the more I thought about it, it’s not your fault that I had to sell my company. It’s my fault.”
Alexis smirked as she continued to look up at him. “You’re damn right it’s your fault,” she said angrily. “You made the decision to not take an active role and then when you were forced to actually run the company, it was so far gone that there was nothing you could do. It was your fault that it got that far, not me, not the consortium, you.”
“I know!” he yelled in frustration. “Everything over these past few weeks has been my fault! Everything! And instead of actually sitting back and rationalizing everything, I instead compartmentalized it and then snapped on you when in reality, I should’ve been yelling at me!”
“So, who you are really mad at!?” screamed Alexis, prompting Hannah to step back from the main room and look into the hallway, seeing her body language become a bit more aggressive. “Are you saying that you just went off half-cocked and are now realizing that you made a mistake? Are you regretting treating me like you did?”
Nathanial breathed slowly as Alexis became more animated, looking down at her while he tried to calm down. “Yes,” he said softly and slowly, relaxing his body and looking a lot more defeated. “Yes, I’m saying that I regret the way I treated you.”
Alexis fumed as she crossed her arms and tapped her foot. “Really? I think it might be a little late for your regrets.”
“I figured as much, but I wanted to at least come tell you to your face,” he continued. “Look, I don’t regret what happened to the company and if I’m being honest with you, as well as myself, I wanted to get out of oil somehow on my own terms. My only regret is how everything went down with you. I regret that and I knew that I couldn’t live with myself if I didn’t see your face one more time and apologize to you for the way I treated you.”
Hannah looked down the hallway as Trish and Davis stood there with her, with Russell standing at the bar acquiring more drinks for the group. “I wonder how heated that conversation is getting,” asked Trish as she stood beside Hannah, looking down at Alexis as she fumed at Nathanial.
“On a scale of one to ten, I’d give it a solid eight,” answered Hannah as she turned away and grabbed her drink, taking a sip from it before turning back to watch. “It’s like watching a train wreck. I can’t look away.”
“I can’t either,” said Trish as she stared at the conversation. “I mean, I hate it for him. He looks like he is about to fall over from the tongue lashing he’s receiving, but man, that’s rough.”
Hannah smirked as Davis walked up behind Trish and placed his hands on her hips. “Are you that vehement normally?”
She looked up at him as he towered over her. “Depends on how mad you make me,” she replied with a smirk. “If you push me too far, absolutely.”
Davis’s eyes opened up while he looked out toward the discussion Nathanial and Alexis were having. “I’ll keep that in mind,” he said as he shook his head. “I feel for that guy.”
“You shouldn’t,” said Hannah as she turned and looked at him. “He’s a nice guy but he was an absolute asshole to Alexis. He deserves this.”
“How can any man deserve this?” asked Davis.
“He put his ego ahead of his relationship,” said Hannah. “He treated her like dirt when he thought he was being dealt a bad hand. He tossed her aside like she was garbage and then he realized that he made a terrible mistake. This is him trying to be contrite and win her back.”
Davis nodded. “How did he get a raw deal?”
Hannah smiled. “That’s a very long, difficult, and arduous story to get into, but let’s just say, he ran a business the wrong way and it came back to bite him.” She paused and turned to face Davis, who was clearly curious as to what happened and how things fell apart for him. “To put it simply, he hired someone to run the company for him that ended up screwing him over and because it happened on his watch, he was responsible for that man’s action. Alexis and I saved his company from bankruptcy but the powers that be decided that he wasn’t fit to own his company anymore. Once he realized that he was on the way out, he lashed out at Alexis, thinking she was partly to blame for it. Once it passed, he realized that he screwed up and knew he had to fix things because she was the best thing going for him and he needed her more than she needed him.”
“That makes sense,” he said. “Not to defend him, but sometimes, when we put money at the forefront of our lives, the thought of losing it makes us panic. You can’t take it out on people, but I can understand why he panicked, though there is no excuse for taking it out on her.”
“Once he got all of the facts, he backed off and started to apologize,” she said. “And I agree with you. If I were in his situation, I would’ve also panicked. However, she is my best friend and you don’t treat her like dirt.”
Davis smiled. “Clearly,” he said, turning to face the bar while grabbing his drink. He turned it up and placed the empty glass on the bar while Trish did the same thing. “You want to get out of here?” he asked as he looked at the beautiful Trish. “Maybe we can spend some time getting to know each other a little better in a setting that isn’t so loud or hostile?”
Trish smirked. “Are you saying looking out at those two in the hallway is hostile?”
“I’m saying that it might give you far too many ideas,” he replied. “I love strong women and I love the fact that you know what you want but don’t need you getting ideas about how to yell at me.”
Trish laughed while Hannah shook her head. “Wow,” said Hannah as she shook her head. Russell walked up and placed another drink by Hannah, as well as placing two more at the bar behind her. “Davis, it’s been great seeing you again,” she said as she leaned in and hugged him. “Don’t be a stranger.”
“I will do everything in my power to not be,” replied Davis as he embraced Hannah, letting go long enough for Trish to step in and hug her.
“I may keep him around,” said Trish. “I’ll talk to you tomorrow.”
“Good,” said Hannah. “I’ll see you soon.”
“Great!” exclaimed Trish as Russell shook hands with Davis and Trish leaned in and hugged him. “It was nice meeting you,” she said. “I’ll see you again soon.”
“Yes, I will see the two of you again soon,” he replied as he watched the two of t
hem walk away with Hannah at his side. “They are quite nice people,” he said as he watched them wade through the dance floor.
“They are,” said Hannah. “I’m really glad she came back into my life, and I like him too.”
Russell grinned as he turned and looked toward the hallway where Alexis and Nathanial were still talking.
“Look, I came here to apologize and tell you that treating you the way I did was a mistake.” He paused briefly as Alexis slowly calmed down. “I didn’t come here to win you back or beg for your forgiveness,” he said coldly as he started to regain his confidence. “I came to New York to offer you an apology and show you my gratitude for coming into my life when you did. You really helped me through that time and I am eternally grateful for it.”
Alexis continued to relax while she looked at Nathanial, though now with a much softer expression instead of scornful. “So you don’t want to date me anymore?”
“I didn’t say that,” said Nathanial. “But if that’s something that you want, then we would need to really talk about what happened and how it doesn’t happen again.”
She shook her head as she turned back to see Hannah looking into the hallway at her, keeping a close check on her. “What would you do to make sure this doesn’t happen again?”
Nathanial exhaled slowly as he turned his body and placed it against the wall. “Honestly, I don’t know the answer to that,” he said dejectedly. “I’ve always been a very prideful person and I don’t think I can change that. I do think that if you and I are not working together in the same industry, that could be a major benefit.” He paused and turned his head to face her. “Honestly, the only thing that I could tell you I would do is to be more mindful of it and to listen to you if I were at that breaking point. I would have to understand when I was approaching it and I would have to make it a point not to let it get between us again.”
Alexis nodded as she stepped forward and placed her hands on his side. “You have a lot of work to do to show me that you can be the man that I think you can be,” she said as she looked up into his eyes. “I think you can be an excellent person but I need you to show me that side of you. I need you to show me the side of you that made me fall in love with you the day I met you.” She leaned forward and kissed him on the cheek.
“I will work at it every day to show you that I am the man you think I am,” he replied as a small smile came across his face. “But, I have a small confession,” he said as Alexis backed up, leaving her hands on his side as she looked up at him. “I don’t like New York.”
Alexis smiled as his charm slowly returned. “Then I’m afraid you’re going to have to get over that, sir,” she said with a snarky tone as she turned around and grabbed him by his hand, pulling him out of the hallway and into the main room where Hannah was waiting on them with two drinks. “Really?” asked Alexis as Hannah handed both Nathanial and Alexis a drink. “You got him a drink too?”
“I knew how this was going to play out,” she said with a sly grin. “I knew that the moment you put your eyes on him that you’d be open to listening to him, even though you did look like you were about to take a swing at him back there.”
Nathanial chuckled as he reached for the amber liquid with a smile. “Thank you,” he said as he reached for the drink. “Did you poison it?” he joked.
“I don’t know, did I?” asked Hannah with an awkward gaze.
Nathanial looked on with an awkward glance as he sipped on the whisky, tasting it in his mouth before swallowing. “It tasted like whisky.”
“Hah!” she exclaimed. “It was vodka! You’ve been poisoned!”
He laughed as he shook his head before walking up and placing his arm around Hannah’s waist in front of Russell. “Thank you for your help,” he said as he kissed her on the cheek. “I owe you a lot for that.”
“Wait, what does he owe you for?” asked Alexis as she grabbed the glass of wine from Hannah’s hand. “What did you do?”
“I told him to text you,” she said with a smile.
“When I was trying to make sense of everything, I reached out to Hannah to ask her opinion,” explained Nathanial. “Once we got past the fact that I screwed up royally, and Hannah being sweet enough to tell me repeatedly that I had, she told me that you were also having a rough time dealing with it. She said that it might be best for me to reach out and talk to you.”
Hannah stepped in front of him and looked Alexis in the eyes. “I told him that you needed closure and from what he was telling me, he needed it as well,” she said politely. “Now, I didn’t tell this genius to fly from Sydney to New York to tell you to your face, but, well, here he is.”
Alexis smiled. “Yeah, that was pretty bold,” she said. “I guess I should give you some major props for that.”
“I think you should,” he said as he sipped the drink Hannah provided him. “I like to think that I have a few romantic moments in me.”
“Only a few,” joked Alexis. “You probably used your yearly allocation since we met.”
Nathanial held his drink and smirked, looking back at the rest of the bar while thinking of the proper reply. “Probably,” he joked. “But I guess we’ll have to see if I can find a few more.”
Hannah walked behind Nathanial and placed her arm around Russell’s waist. “Please don’t ever be that cheesy,” she said as she looked up into his eyes. “I’m almost positive that would make me vomit.”
“I don’t think you have much to worry about,” he replied.
“I don’t think I do either,” she continued as she looked back at Alexis as she rekindled the feelings she had for Nathanial. “How about we get out of here and let these two have a great night to themselves.” Hannah let go of Russell and walked up behind Alexis. “Hey, Russell and I are going to head out of here for the night. I want to know everything from tonight and if you and Nathanial are able to make your relationship work, then make sure to tell me all of the details.”
Alexis smiled. “Aren’t you a bit nosey?”
“Always,” she replied. “Besides, I know how Trish’s night is going to end. I really want to know how yours ends.”
“You want to know if I give in to his physical prowess?” asked Alexis.
“I want to know that you’re going to be happy,” she replied. “Nathanial, even with his faults, was really good for you and you were equally good for him. Maybe, just maybe, the two of you can figure this out.” She looked back at Russell as he stood by the bar and paid their tab. “But, you’re not allowed to leave New York,” continued Hannah with a smile.
“I will never leave New York,” confirmed Alexis. “My life is here and besides, he’s from the United States. It’d be coming home for him.”
Hannah smiled. “Good,” she said. “I’m not losing my best friend for anyone.”
“And I would never let that happen,” she replied as she stepped up and hugged her. “I love you, Hannah.”
“And I love you, Alexis,” she said as she embraced her tightly. “Have a good night,” she said once she released her and looked into her eyes. “I’ll talk to you soon.”
Alexis turned back to Nathanial as Hannah walked away with Russell, leaving the bar for the night and heading back to her apartment. “So, want to go grab a bite to eat?” asked Nathanial as he looked out at the bar and the people dancing the night away.
“That sounds like a great idea,” she replied, thinking back to the Chinese food she ate earlier in the evening with Trish. “What do you have in mind?”
Nathanial shrugged his shoulders in indifference. “I think there’s a diner near here that’s open this late.”
Alexis nodded. “Oh yeah, pancakes would be amazing right now,” she said with a smile. “Let’s go hit that up.”
“Lead the way,” he said as he pointed toward the door, allowing Alexis to walk in front of him.
Chapter 7
Trish walked into Davis’s apartment, immediately taking in the sc
enery before walking over to the couch to join him for a drink. It was very plain, in comparison to the apartment that she’d moved into. The walls were a soft taupe and provided a very relaxing aura while the floors were a lightly toned hardwood that was stained to be slightly off from the walls. Also on the floors were several small rugs, all of various colors and shapes but providing enough of a contrast to allow it to be considered different. She walked into a small dining room with a beautiful table and six chairs, all constructed of wood. Looking over it, she noticed the intricate designs on the sides of the table and the tops of the chairs. “This is beautiful,” she said as she noticed the designs, placing her hands on top of the chair and rubbing her hand against it.
“My mother has a knack for purchasing old, antique furniture and my father and I enjoy restoring it,” explained Davis as he stood beside her. “Too many people throw out things they consider to be old or outdated, instead of appreciating the craftsmanship and the work that was put into these pieces.”
“I guess you firmly believe that they don’t make things like they used to?” joked Trish as she stepped past the table and walked through an archway into the living room before turning back to take notice of the arch. “Did you restore this too?”
Davis smiled as he looked over the magnificent, wooden archway, wrapping his fingers around the post. “No, I actually made this,” he said humbly. “All of this wood came from a fallen redwood from California. I took several of the branches and converted them into various pieces of furniture.”
Trish smiled earnestly as she looked back at Davis and gazed into his blue eyes. “So, you work with wood in your spare time?”
“I do,” he replied calmly. “Apart from real estate, I work with these pieces of wood and create magnificent pieces of work, selling them to my clients to put into the homes I sell.”
“So how does that work?” she asked while standing under the archway with him. “How does your job work?”
Davis shook his head. “It’s quite simple, really,” he said with a soft smile. “I purchase distressed property, repair it, and then resell it.”
