Pursuit For Lucidity (Crashing Waves) (5 page)

“
Enjoy the rest of your day, Alex.  I’m sure you could use a nap.  I’ll see you later,” I left the diner and headed back to the hospital. 

I kept replaying our lunch in my head on the way back.  He h
ad me mesmerized with his looks and the way he carried himself.  I would be counting the minutes to Friday.  Until then, I needed to concentrate on work and packing for my move.  I still hadn’t gone to the tire shop to replace my spare tire with a new one.  All that had been on my mind since that visit to the mall that past Friday was Alex Blake.  I shook my head.  I needed to think clearly and not let his appearance and charm steer me away from my career goals.  I had to be strong.

The rest of the day went by
rather quickly.  I stopped by at the tire shop on the way home and took care of the tire.  One thing I could check off my to do list.  When I got home, I began to pack.  My parents had left empty boxes for me to start filling up with my belongings.  I was going to start a new chapter in my life with a bigger, fancier, and safer place to live.  Things were looking good from where I stood.  I thanked God once more for all of my blessings.

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Someone was running after me again.  I ran faster and faster and still could not escape the shadow of the person behind me.  I ran toward the white van, trying to run past it as quickly as I could, but I wasn’t quick enough.  The side door slid open and a pair of dirty hands reached out to grab me.  The one chasing me grabbed my waist from behind me and I collapsed in fear.  I was awakened by my own scream, sitting up in my bed, drenched in sweat.  It was that nightmare again.  When was it ever going to end? I was exhausted from the same nightmare I had been having for years.  I got out of bed and changed into a dry pair of pajamas and knew I didn’t want to fall asleep again, so I turned on the television to distract me until morning.

I was exhausted the next morning.  The day dragged on and I didn’t hear from Alex at all during work.  I was a little disappointed.  I wanted to text him
, but didn’t want to bother him.  I thought he was preoccupied in the operating room again.  I somehow made it through the day and the drive home.  A new text came in from Alex that night.

Hey, I missed you today.  I was in the OR most of the day.  We had an emergency surgery.  How was your day?

Hi Alex, I missed hearing from you today.  My day dragged, as I didn’t sleep well at all last night.

I’m sorry.  You could have called me. I was up most of the night tossing and turning.  I would have loved to talk.

Next time I have a bad case of insomnia, I will text you and if you’re up for it, you can call me.  How’s that?

Without a doubt, I will definitely be up for a chat with you.  I hope we can have lunch together tomorrow.  I will text you if my day is not as crazy as today.  Goodnight, beautiful.

Goodnight, Alex.

Oh, why was I getting attached to this guy?  This was not headed in the right direction.  He was only going to want one thing.  He had no idea that I was not like the other women he had known.  To distract myself, I continued to pack.

The next few days went by very quickly
.  With work so busy and Alex constantly asking me to meet him for coffee or lunch, I was having difficulty juggling my heavy workload and secret lunch encounters.

The day had finally arrived
.  Friday.  I was getting anxious as the workday began to come to an end.  I had asked Alex to meet me at one of my favorite restaurants, Café
Amor
in Malibu.  It was such a beautiful restaurant on a cliff overlooking the ocean.
 
I decided to wear a little black dress, as you could never go wrong with that.  I was always in slacks at work and figured it would be a nice change.  I put on my dress, platform shoes, grabbed my clutch and made my way out of the condo.  Alex had arrived before me.  He looked more handsome than ever in his tight black shirt and dark blue jeans.  His hair was perfectly combed with some strands over his eyes.  He smiled when he saw me, revealing his perfectly lined bright teeth.  He took my breath away.

“
You look stunning. This dress is beautiful on you,” he said, looking me over with admiration.  “Shall we?” he asked, holding out his arm for me to hold.  We made our way into the restaurant and were escorted to our table by the hostess.  “You have great taste in restaurants.  This is one of my favorite places to dine,” he said.

“
Food is a big part of my life.  I have a passion for great tasting food,” I said, as we both laughed.

“
So, Claire,” he started, his eyes glued to mine, “tell me a little about yourself, aside from the fact that you’re beautiful, funny, and sweet.  Tell me something I don’t already know,” he requested.

“
How sweet of you to find me to be all those things, but I’m hardly beautiful.  Funny and sweet, maybe,” I replied as he smiled big, exposing his dimples.  “Well, I’m in my early twenties, born and raised in California.  I have a master’s in healthcare administration from USC.  I like to dance, do yoga, meditate, sunbathe, and read.  My father is an attorney and my mother is a psychiatrist.”

“
Very impressive, Claire.  I like to dance too, by the way.  Maybe we could go dancing together sometime,” he offered.  I wouldn’t mind going dancing with him one bit.

“
So, aren’t you going to tell me about yourself now, Dr. Blake?” I winked.

“
Oh, okay, my turn.  Well, you see, I’m just some average Joe who goes around changing flat tires of beautiful women’s cars.  I hardly work or do anything other than sleep and play video games,” he joked.  “All right, I was born and raised in New York, Manhattan, to be exact.  I did my undergrad at Cornell University, went to Yale for med school and did my residency at the University of Pennsylvania.  I specialize in craniofacial reconstructive surgeries, mostly.  I have a passion for making a difference in people’s lives that were born with a facial deformity or acquired it from an injury or accident.  My father is a neurosurgeon and my mother is a radiologist.  I have a younger sister, Melissa.  Do you have any siblings?” he asked.

“
That’s very impressive, Alex,” I said.  What an amazing man, I thought.

I told him about Kyle and Calvin and how my parents were planning on having one more child after me
, but ended up with two for the price of one.  We finished eating dinner and Alex asked if I wanted to take a walk on the beach.  I thought that was a wonderful idea.

“
May I have the check, please?” I asked the waitress.

“
Dr. Blake has taken care of the check this evening,” she replied as she smiled at Alex.

“
Alex!” I reprimanded, “This was supposed to be my treat for the tire change, remember?”

“
There is absolutely no way I would allow a lady to pay for dinner,” he replied.  “Let’s take a walk on the beach.”  He grabbed hold of my hand and we headed out and walked down the pathway, which led us to the beach.

“
Thank you for dinner, Alex.  I really wanted to treat you this time,” I said.

“
Another time, maybe.  Or, in another life,” he replied.

He held my
hand while we walked on the beach and talked about his life in New York and how different his childhood was than mine.  He came from such a crowded city and I lived my entire life in the Valley.  He stopped, and turned me to face him, “Claire, I hope we can do this again.  I really enjoy your company.  You have a way of brightening up my day with a simple text message or a joke.  It’s been a while since I’ve met a woman I can’t stop thinking about,” he said.

“
Yeah, I don’t blame you, Alex.  I can’t stop thinking about myself, either,” I replied.

He laughed.
“See, that’s exactly what I mean.”

He held me tight an
d looked into my eyes without looking away.  I felt myself blushing because I knew what came next.  The kiss.  Yes, I was right.  He leaned down and his soft, warm lips pressed against mine so slowly, sending a tingle down my spine.  Then his kiss became more intense, more powerful, and more passionate.  I couldn’t stop, and neither could he.  When I felt myself getting weaker in the knees, I pulled back a little.  “Is everything okay?” he asked, his eyes a deeper blue in the moonlight.

“
Uh…yeah, everything is fine.  You just caught me off guard there,” I confessed.

“
I couldn’t help myself.  Your beauty is intoxicating.  I really don’t want this night to end, Claire.  Can I see you tomorrow?” he asked.

  I told him about my move and how I needed to pack my things
, so I would be busy.  He offered to help, “I can help you move, that is, if you want me to.  I can even help you pack.  Whatever you need, Claire, just let me know.”

“
It’s okay, Alex, I got it.  My parents are going to help me pack and move.  I will let you know if anything changes, though.” I said sincerely.

“
Just don’t hesitate to ask for help.  Even if it’s packing and moving, I would be more than happy to help just to spend some more time with you,” he replied genuinely.

“
Thank you, Alex.  What you can do now is walk me to my car, so I can head home and rest up for my busy day tomorrow,” I said.

He put my hand into his and escorted me off the beach and to my car.
“Drive safe, Claire.  Please call me to let me know you made it home safely.”  He leaned over and gave me a goodnight kiss that made my heart skip a beat.

I repl
ayed the kisses in my head on the drive home.  He had such soft lips.  I wondered if all plastic surgeons had soft lips.  I made it home and parked my car in the parking garage and walked over to my condo.  Inside were endless boxes of my belongings that I had packed during the week.  There was still so much more to pack.  I didn’t even want to think about moving and unpacking.  It was going to be very exhausting.

“
Hi Alex.  I made it home safe.  Thanks so much for a lovely dinner,” I called to let him know I had made it home in one piece.

“
Hey, I was just about to call you.  I miss you already.  Don’t forget to ask for help with your move, okay?  I wasn’t just saying that to sound nice, you know?  I’ve put in some time at the gym. I’m strong enough to carry a few heavy boxes, don’t you think?” he joked, making me laugh.

“
Yes, I can tell from your solid muscles that you will be able to carry a few heavy items for me,” I know he heard my smile.  “Okay, Alex, I’m going to hit the sheets now.  Can I talk to you tomorrow?” I asked.

“
Please call me tomorrow, or I will suffer from depression and end up in a psychiatric ward and your mother will have to treat me,” he joked.

“
Okay, okay, I will call you tomorrow, I promise.  Just don’t kill yourself,” we both laughed.

“
Goodnight, gorgeous,” he said.

“
Goodnight, Alex,” I replied.

It wasn’t fair.
He was so sweet, the perfect gentleman.  There was no way he would stay with me.  He would soon get tired of me and run off thinking I am crazy, like James, my ex boyfriend.  All men were the same and they only wanted one thing.  I didn’t want to get hurt again.  Maybe Alex was different.  Maybe I’d have the courage to tell him my story.  Maybe he would understand.  Or maybe he wouldn’t.  Maybe he would run off like James did or think I was a liar.

With tho
se thoughts, I surrendered to sleep but was awakened from the same nightmare.  The white van appeared closer as I ran toward it to pass it. I was running as fast as I could, running away from the shadow of the one chasing me to possibly hurt me.  I ran faster, trying to pass the van as quickly as I could, but the door slid open as a pair of hands reached out to grab me.  This time I awakened before the shadow caught me.  I was soaking wet with sweat, so I had to change my pajamas.  When will this nightmare end?  I was afraid to sleep most nights because of that repetitive nightmare.

I tried to go back to sleep
, but it took hours.  I somehow drifted off to sleep after six in the morning, but was awakened by my mother’s phone call. She couldn’t make it to help me finish packing because she was called in to work.  My father had to finish working on a case that was coming to an end.  I let her know not to worry or feel bad and that a coworker offered to help me.  She sounded relieved.  “Oh, honey, that’s great.  At least someone will be there helping you out.  I love you, honey.  I have to go.  A patient needs me desperately today,” she said before we hung up.

Less than fifteen minutes later, my cell phone buzzed.  It was Alex, “Good morning, beautiful.  I hope you had a good night sleep.  Please tell me I can come help you today,” he pleaded.

“Yes, please. That’s actually perfect because both of my parents have to work today, so I’m going to need some manpower,” I said.

“
That’s great!  I was hoping you would ask me to help.  I’ll be there in less than an hour, just give me your address,” he replied.