Chapter 2
Four gin and tonics later, and they've hardly exchanged 10 words.
She realizes that she is now heavily buzzed.
Suddenly, he stands up. "I'm going. You coming?"
Not sure if this is an offer of peace or an invitation to more trouble, she stands too. She sees some co-workers at a table not too far away. They are staring and talking. By now everyone knows what happened today, and now they get to see the results.
Goren walks with his long strides to the door and Alex follows behind, a little unsteady on her high-heeled boots. They exit the bar to 20 degree winter darkness. The cold air feels refreshing on her flushed face.
She clicks along next to him, not sure where he is headed. He seems to have a destination in mind. When he hails a cab, she still doesn't ask where they are going. She doesn't hear what he says to the driver.
So, she just stares out the window at the other cars on the road, until she feels his eyes on her. She looks over at him, and he maintains his gaze. She wants to say something flippant to him about finally noticing she was there, but the look in his eyes stops her.
Silence.
He puts a hand out, slowly, and touches her cheek. It feels exploratory, as if he is trying to see what she is made of.
"You think you can save me." He says it like it's a challenge.
"I think I can stop you from making a fool of yourself. There's a difference."
"You're coming home with me." Not a demand. A statement of fact.
So that's where they were going. "Apparently."
When they arrive at his building, they walk up to the door and he has his keys out. But instead of opening the door, he turns to her. He is close to her, towering over her deliberately. He is trying to test her, make her turn around and go home. He leans in toward her small frame and pushes her up against the brick of the building without even touching her. By sheer will.
She doesn't know what to make of this behavior, but she is not intimidated. She looks him in the eye. They hold each others gaze for a long, long moment.
She sees his anger still there, but she sees desperateness too. And he thinks she is the antidote.
"You think I can save you." She says this softly, surprised.
"Can you?" His voice is a low rumble.
"No."
He leans in and puts his face right up to hers, so they're not quite touching. "Try anyway"
Her heart is racing a mile a minute. She holds her head perfectly still and snakes her arm around his torso to find his hand. She takes his keys.
"Move," she orders, in the same voice she uses with the most belligerent suspect.
Four gin and tonics later, and they've hardly exchanged 10 words.
She realizes that she is now heavily buzzed.
Suddenly, he stands up. "I'm going. You coming?"
Not sure if this is an offer of peace or an invitation to more trouble, she stands too. She sees some co-workers at a table not too far away. They are staring and talking. By now everyone knows what happened today, and now they get to see the results.
Goren walks with his long strides to the door and Alex follows behind, a little unsteady on her high-heeled boots. They exit the bar to 20 degree winter darkness. The cold air feels refreshing on her flushed face.
She clicks along next to him, not sure where he is headed. He seems to have a destination in mind. When he hails a cab, she still doesn't ask where they are going. She doesn't hear what he says to the driver.
So, she just stares out the window at the other cars on the road, until she feels his eyes on her. She looks over at him, and he maintains his gaze. She wants to say something flippant to him about finally noticing she was there, but the look in his eyes stops her.
Silence.
He puts a hand out, slowly, and touches her cheek. It feels exploratory, as if he is trying to see what she is made of.
"You think you can save me." He says it like it's a challenge.
"I think I can stop you from making a fool of yourself. There's a difference."
"You're coming home with me." Not a demand. A statement of fact.
So that's where they were going. "Apparently."
When they arrive at his building, they walk up to the door and he has his keys out. But instead of opening the door, he turns to her. He is close to her, towering over her deliberately. He is trying to test her, make her turn around and go home. He leans in toward her small frame and pushes her up against the brick of the building without even touching her. By sheer will.
She doesn't know what to make of this behavior, but she is not intimidated. She looks him in the eye. They hold each others gaze for a long, long moment.
She sees his anger still there, but she sees desperateness too. And he thinks she is the antidote.
"You think I can save you." She says this softly, surprised.
"Can you?" His voice is a low rumble.
"No."
He leans in and puts his face right up to hers, so they're not quite touching. "Try anyway"
Her heart is racing a mile a minute. She holds her head perfectly still and snakes her arm around his torso to find his hand. She takes his keys.
"Move," she orders, in the same voice she uses with the most belligerent suspect.