Tangled Threads

By the time we arrived at the restaurant, I felt like I had stepped into another world. The place was pure elegance, dim lighting, chandeliers casting a golden glow, waiters dressed in black and white moving gracefully between tables.

And then there was Alexander.

He stood as we approached, his eyes immediately locking onto mine. He looked refined in a tailored dark suit, but it wasn't his clothes that caught me off guard.

It was the way he looked at me.

Like I was something worth waiting for.

I got to the table that had been kept for us three and he went all the way out to give me a kiss on the cheek welcoming me before adjusting my chair to sit.

You look really beautiful Rose, while ignoring Alice's existence, you are just like a garden of roses, he said with a smirk that gave him a glazing aura.

I wasn't able to look him in the eye knowing that compliment was racing through every sense of my body making me blush uncontrollably.

Thank you, don't flatter me that way in front of my friend, I said slowly looking back at Alice.

"This is Alice, you met her the other day at the auction."

Finally giving a bit of recognition to Alice's existence, he stretched out his hand with a smile that almost seemed fake to me.

Good day Alice, nice to finally meet you. I have heard a lot from Rose about you, and I wanted to say thank you for being a friend to this deity, he said, trying his best to flatter me in every sentence.

In my mind I wondered if he was trying to piss her off, making her feel a bit jealous. 

She shouldn't be getting pissed or jealous though, after all she is my best friend and she shouldn't see any harm in my date trying to flatter me, i thought to myself.

Alice cleared her throat beside me, cutting through the moment. "Wow. This place is fancy."

Alexander's lips curled into a smirk. "I thought it was fitting for the occasion."

He signaled to a waiter to take our order and from the moment the dinner started, the tension crackled beneath the surface.

Alice was quick to establish herself as not impressed. She asked pointed questions about his business, his personal life, probing in a way that almost felt like an interrogation.

Alexander, to his credit, didn't seem fazed. If anything, he seemed amused.

At one point, after Alice had finished grilling him about his real intentions with me, he leaned back, swirling his wine.

"Alice," he mused, "you seem very invested in making sure Rose doesn't make a mistake."

Alice raised a brow. "She's my best friend. I should be invested."

"Of course," he said smoothly. "But sometimes, the biggest mistakes come from the people closest to us, don't they?"

Alice stiffened for a fraction of a second.

I glanced between them, something unsettling creeping into my chest.

"What does that mean?" I asked, my voice quiet.

Alexander didn't look away from Alice. "Just an observation."

Alice's smile was tight. "Well, I think your observations are a little off."

The rest of the dinner continued with a strange undercurrent of unspoken words.

And for the first time, a sliver of doubt crept into my mind.

Was Alexander trying to warn me about Alice?

Or was he just planting seeds of suspicion?

And the most terrifying question of all, was I starting to believe him?

The night air felt cooler as we stepped out of the restaurant with plans of heading back home, the tension between us still lingering. I had enjoyed the meal, yes, but not the constant, subtle friction between Alice and Alexander. It was supposed to be a lighthearted evening, a celebration of my work, but instead, it felt like walking through a minefield that kept me on my toes 

Alexander who noticed it too. His hand brushed mine as we walked toward the car, and his eyes met mine with an unreadable expression. "That dinner didn't go as I hoped," he admitted, a quiet honesty in his voice. "I wanted it to be about you and me… but instead, it was just filled with tension."

"I agree," I said, shaking my head. "Alice wasn't exactly... easy to get along with."

He smirked, but there was sadness in his eyes. "Well, I guess this is what happens when you mix two worlds—mine and yours. But we don't have to let it spoil the night. What do you say we go somewhere to clear the air?"

I felt a flicker of relief. "Like where?"

"How about a club? Somewhere we can just... unwind?" He raised an eyebrow, as if testing me.

I thought for a moment. Alice loved to dance, to drink, and to let loose. Maybe this would be a way to ease the tension and move past the awkwardness. I quickly texted Alice who was beside me:

Hey girl, what do you think about hitting a club tonight? You know it's a Friday, and you love it. Come on, let's shake off the evening.

I didn't expect a response so quickly, but when my phone buzzed, I found her reply:

Not feeling it. I'm going home, you have fun, she replied.

That was Alice for you, always unpredictable, and tonight, definitely not in the mood to let loose.

I felt a bit of disappointment and relief together at once. "Alice isn't coming," I told Alexander, glancing up at him. "She's going home."

His face softened a little. "Well, that's her choice. But we don't have to waste a perfectly good night. What do you say?"

I felt bad, but honestly, I wanted to forget about the tension too. I was ready for a break, and with the way Alexander looked in his tailored suit, the saint of his heaven-like cologne that was oozing from him, the promise of a night out with him was deeply hard to resist.

I nodded. "Okay. Let's go."

I sent a quick text to Alice, letting her know I was heading out with Alexander, and that I'll be fine on my own. She gave me a side eye and said bye in a low tone that didn't seem too friendly while walking into the uber we had ordered to go home.