Forever After All(2)

Chapter 2





A lexander



Her eyes… they have me captivated. The swirls of green amidst the light brown; they’re beautiful, and vaguely familiar. The girl sitting next to me is stunning in a timeless way, and she’s got me enthralled. I take in her ridiculously long lashes, her high cheekbones, and that luscious long hair. She’s a classic beauty, unlike the plastic girls I’m usually surrounded with. None of that bullshit, the fake-everything, fake nails, fake lashes, fake hair, fake lips. I’m tired of it. This girl… she’s real, and she might very well be the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen.

She seems nervous as she sits down next to me, her fingers pulling on the hem of her dress, as though she’s uncomfortable in that sexy dress that she’s wearing. She has no reason to be. She’s sexy as fuck without compromising on the classiness she oozes. She looks up, and when her eyes find mine, she’s got me spellbound.

“You have me at a disadvantage. You know my name, yet, I don’t know yours.”

Her eyes widen ever so slightly, as though the question surprises her, and I’m intrigued. She seems so out of place here, yet her gaze is filled with an unspoken challenge.

“Diana,” she murmurs, her voice wavering. She bites down on her lip, and my eyes follow her every move. I swallow hard as I wonder what those lips of hers will taste like. I have a feeling that stealing a kiss from Diana isn’t going to be easy.

“Hmm, Goddess of the Hunt. What is it you’re hunting tonight, Diana?” I ask, my tone teasing. She smiles, amused at the cheesy line.

“Honestly, just a bit of peace and quiet.”

I raise my brows, my eyes roaming over her face. Yeah, I can see that. Every other woman I speak to is after something , but not Diana. If anything, she seems annoyed to find this seat occupied.

“So, you’re on the run?”

Diana shrugs, but I catch a glimpse of sorrow in her eyes before she looks away. “Aren’t you too? Otherwise, you wouldn’t be in my seat.”

I look down at my legs with a smile on my face, as if to verify that I am, in fact, in her seat. “Your seat, huh? Does that mean I’ll find you here next time?”

Diana smiles and shakes her head. “No. I don’t come here that often. But yes, when I do come to Inferno, I usually end up here.”

I grin and nod at her. “Noted.” I already know this is the first place I’ll be going every single time I come here from now on, just in case I’ll find her here.

“What is it you’re running away from tonight?” she asks.

I sigh, my mind flashing back to the countless tasks waiting for me; my mother’s endless demands, my grandfather’s ridiculous requirement for marriage before he’ll let me take over the company that I’ve worked myself to the bone for.

“Responsibility,” I murmur.

Diana nods and looks away, as though she somehow understands, when there is no way she could. I see the cheap worn shoes, the rough unpolished nails. Diana is one of the lucky ones, the ones that think money solves everything when more often than not, they have the sort of happiness I can only dream of. A happy family, a fulfilling life, dreams of their own, a path of their own choosing.

“Since we’re both on the run… let’s run from negativity. Tell me three good things that happened to you today?” she asks, startling me out of my thoughts.

I stare at her, my eyes widening. That question… it sounds familiar, yet I can’t place it. It feels nostalgic somehow, something from my childhood, maybe? I smile at her and shake the thoughts away.

“Well, I finally closed a deal I’ve been working on for months. I took my mom out for our weekly lunch date today and we managed to have a good talk… and I met you .”

Diana smiles, but her eyes tell a different story. A story of understanding tinged with longing. She looks down at her lap and nods.

“Hmm, sounds like a perfect day,” she murmurs as I finish my champagne. A waiter appears seemingly out of nowhere to top up my glass, startling both of us. I hand Diana a glass of champagne, and she smiles at me.

“Being Alexander Kennedy certainly does have its perks,” she says. “I’ve never had anyone come take my order here,” she adds, nudging me with her shoulder.

I chuckle, I can’t help it. She’s not pretentious, like so many others. I’ve gotten so used to the entitlement that surrounds me that her relaxed attitude surprises me.

Diana and I stare at the Manhattan skyline, both of us perfectly comfortable. I can’t even remember the last time I sat next to a woman that didn’t chat my ear off, and I’m finding this oddly peaceful, despite the noise surrounding us.

“Hey, if you could have one wish, what would it be?” Diana asks, surprising me yet again.

I stare at her blankly. “I have to admit that no one has ever asked me that question before.”

She laughs, her face tipped up, her eyes on the stars in the sky. She’s beautiful, and she looks so incredibly sweet. Far too sweet for a man like me.

“That isn’t an answer,” she says. “You’re not getting out of this one.”

I laugh and take a big swig of my champagne, lost in thought for a moment. “I’d wish for genuine happiness, Diana,” I tell her honestly. For a while, I thought I had the happiness I craved, but I was proven wrong. I shake my head, feeling lost for just a single moment. “What about you?” I ask, my voice soft.