THIRTEEN

 Finally able to get a decent amount of sleep, Alexander woke up feeling better than he had felt in weeks.

He wasn't one to sleep in but for the first time in forever, he was tempted to. After all, the day before was pretty fulfilling- he got work done, was able to sleep without drinking or forcing himself and Lana didn't nag him at all despite him getting home "late".

Quickly dismissing the last thought, he rose to his feet and got out of bed. Lana had never and could never have any effect on his sleeping pattern. Her little tantrum might have caused him to spend a night away from his own house and bed but that didn't mean she was in any way the actual reason he couldn't sleep.

 It was a Sunday and naturally, he spent it either working or golfing. On rare occasions whereby he wasn't golfing or working, he spent it with his two friends. And that Sunday just had to be one of those occasions as the moment he walked out of his bathroom, his phone buzzed, signifying a text from Yvonne.

Yvonne: Hi, I miss you.

Yvonne: Can I come over?

Yvonne: Shit I forgot you're now married.

Yvonne: Do you want to come over then?

Not giving him time to respond, the second her last text delivered, she switched to a video call, Alexander quickly reaching for a shirt to put on before accepting it.

"Did you just come out of the shower?" She peered through the screen as she asked. "Or did you rush out because of me?"

"I didn't rush out because of you," he said, moving towards his closet. "Why are you calling?"

"So you just came out then," she replied, watching him drop the phone on the bed. "Don't leave me hanging! I video called for a reason, hello?"

"What's up," he gave in and picked up the phone again, noticing a smile appear on her face. "I saw your text. Is that why you called?"

"Yes," he heard her say, his eyes now on his dozens of shirts in no more than five different colors. "Can you come over? I'm bored."

"You're bored?" He finally picked a grey shirt. "Call one of your female friends and gossip then. Isn't that your favorite thing to do?"

"You know I don't have that much female friends," she rolled her eyes but he didn't catch it. "And even if I did, we'd probably all talk about you. So what's the point in talking about you when I can talk to you?"

"Yvonne-"

"Don't even try to tell me you're busy cause we both know you're not," she continued. "It's a weekend so you aren't obliged to be at work. And you can always cancel whatever golfing plans you have today if that's going to be your excuse. Also, after the sick stunt you pulled with Nick I'm pretty much the only friend you have now so-"

"Fine I'll come," he cut her off before she could finish and accepted her request, knowing he had no other option. He couldn't actually say no to her and if he tried to, it was only going to be a matter of time before she frustrated him into saying yes. "I can hang up now, right?"

"I'm hanging up first."

Ignoring the option to give the ended video call a review, he tossed his phone onto the bed and continued dressing up. He paired the grey shirt with brown pants, matching brown loafers and after minutes of styling his hair, was ready to go.

He headed downstairs, immediately walking towards the dining and took his seat, the cook bringing his breakfast in no time. Seconds later, he reached for his cutlery and as he was about to begin his feast, noticed the empty seat next to him.

"Mrs Frane headed out already, sir."

"I didn't ask," he twirled the pasta around his fork. "You may leave."

She bowed and left the dining, leaving Alexander with his meal and his thoughts. The dining was quiet- the way he liked it so if anything he was glad Lana wasn't at the table to disrupt his peace.

He didn't finish his breakfast before leaving, picking Yvonne's favorite out of his cars as his ride to her place. He contemplated picking up a snack for her but changed his mind, gracing her with nothing but his presence in about an hour.

"I was afraid you weren't going to show up," she hugged him as he walked in, his response not as enthusiastic as hers. "You jerk."

He nodded, used to her way of affection and strolled in, heading straight to the couch in the living room. Yvonne mansion was huge-probably too huge for a single person but just like him, she understood the concept of personal space and devoted her time and money into creating a perfect one for herself.

"Wine?" She walked past him and made her way to the drink cabinet, grabbing two glasses without waiting for his response. "I've tried but I just can't seem to beat your wine collection. It's a shame I won't be able to show up randomly at your place anymore to raid your shelves. I don't want your wife thinking I'm a weirdo."

Alexander was silent in response, simply watching her as she returned to the living room and sat next to him, handing over his glass before filling in. She looked at him as she poured his wine, noticing how all he stared at was the red liquid until it was almost filled up.

"You're welcome," she returned the bottle to the center table then drew closer to him, crossing her legs. "So tell me, how's married life?"

"Is that why you asked me to come here?" He took his first sip of wine. "To ask me that?"

"Cause I missed you and yes, that."

"Well," he allowed himself think for a while then shook his head. "It's normal."

She eyed him. "So everything's normal?"

"No," he shook his head again. "Something's off."

"Tell me," she drop her glass and leaned in closer. "What's off?"

"The supernova bar," he replied her. "For like a week now, whenever I go there, no one comes up to me."

"What?"

"It's hard to believe I know," he continued. "But it's strange. All the girls that frequent the place and swarm up to all begging for a chance have all seemed to vanish. It's unusual and I don't think it's a coincidence."

Yvonne stared at him for a while and then sighed, wishing she didn't drop her glass. She ran her hands through her hair and moved away from him, adjusting her sitting position so the flimsy fabric of the gown she wore could finally cover her thigh.

"So that's what's wrong," her tone lacked excited. "Have you asked the manager? The waiters? Maybe something happened? Restrictions maybe?"

"Of course not," he huffed. "Why would I do that? I'm only telling you because it's you."

"Right, because it's me," she reached for her glass and immediately chugged down the wine to the last drop. "And you don't think this is happening because all the girls finally got tired of your hubris?"

 "We both know that cannot be the case."

"Yes of course," she almost reached for his own glass. "I of all people know that. Very well."

"I-"

"Maybe it's your wife?" She continued before another word could come from him. "I mean, you just got married. Maybe she went there and marked her territory. Told everyone to stay away from her husband? Or just maybe they naturally want to stay away from you because you're now married?"

Alexander shook his head, Yvonne twitching her lips in response. He clearly wasn't convinced yet.

"I mean I heard she has been meeting up with Nicholas lately," she went on. "I don't think they knew each other before you came into the picture so don't you think it's strange? Nicholas definitely can be petty so maybe that's their way of getting a sort of revenge on you? Take away all the girls from the bar since you're clearly so addicted to ditching the ones close to you to hook up with random girls?"

"What?" Yvonne finally got a reaction from him, Alexander's eyebrows furrowing in a flash. His eyes narrowed, his forehead wrinkling as he allowed his mind roam and calculate what the odds of that truly happening were. "Fucking hell, why do I think you're right?"

"Because I'm smart?" She giggled then drew closer to him once again. "I don't know you should probably not get worked up about it. If that's the case they'll get bored in two weeks max. And it's not like that could even stop you."

She was right. Messing with his favorite bar was a childish move and not one he was supposed to allow bother him.

But it did. So much even when Yvonne rested her head on his shoulder and eventually snuggled towards him, all he could think of was whatever sick games Lana and Nicholas could actually be thinking of playing.

With her arms wrapped around him, Yvonne eventually slept off, Alexander left with the burden of remaining in his position to not interrupt her sleep. He didn't move and allowed her sleep for as long as she wanted and when she finally woke up, bid her goodbye and left.

He didn't return home immediately, heading over to the bar once again to confirm his suspicions. He got there and Yvonne's words immediately rang in his head, the bar actually free from any familiar faces he knew.

Pissed, he got into his car and drove back home, ready to actually confront Lana. He clearly must have been mistaken to think she was on the same page as him regarding their marriage. For him, nothing in his life was to change after their marriage but clearly, she had every intention to not stick to that.

He stormed out of the car and in no time, grabbed the door knob. He gave it an impatient shove and the second he took his first step into the house, almost tripped, suddenly attacked by a figure he wasn't expecting appearing in front of him.

"What are you doing?" He balled his fists, his eyebrows knitted in confusion and anger as he stared at Lana. She smiled at him, took a step followed by another towards him, forcing him to take unexpected step backwards. She didn't stop until she was right in front of him, her feet at the very entrance, his outside the door. "You-"

She cut him off, finishing his sentence with her own choice of words. "You are late."