35 Someone who's sorry

Selena allowed herself to sit in silence. The swing, crafted from weathered wood and sturdy ropes that had been there since her childhood, hung from the towering oak tree nestled under its shade provided that for her. It swayed gently in the breeze like a pendulum.

Around her, wildflowers bloomed, their yellow colors contrasting with the lush green of the grass. A few bees hummed lazily, staying away from her as long as she caused no trouble. Selena closed her eyes and rested the side of her head against one of the swing's ropes, a smile dancing on her lips.

It had been long since she'd been to her happy place. Selena's garden; was what everyone knew the little flowery haven to be. She could see her younger self busying away planting flowers like their gardener then had taught her, and the place had grown to be colorful, like a place plucked from a fairytale story, until she had stopped visiting, and with her absence, it seemed like the place had lost its magic.

When she had woken up that morning, she had the sudden urge to go there and wondered why she hadn't been in such a long time. Time slowed to a crawl, and worries faded away like mist in the warmth of the setting sun. This was her therapy.

She emptied her mind of adulthood, of Tequila Corporation, of her father's rapidly aging face, of her mother's zoned-out looks, of Valentin's emotional manipulation, and allowed her mind to relax. But even during that, there was only one person who managed to flit through her thoughts, and he had ignored her ever since her little trick at the new club opening. She wasn't surprised Alex didn't want to have anything to do with her anymore, she understood, as much as she didn't want to admit it, she knew she was very wrong.

There was only one way to reach him directly, mainly so that he would not infiltrate her peaceful time.

She brought out her phone from the pocket of her sundress and removed it from flight mode. She called Tamika's number, preparing herself for the drama that would unfold when she made her request.

Tamika picked up on the second ring. "Hey boo."

"Hey Darling," Selena shot as much enthusiasm as she could into her voice. "How're you? How's business?"

"Ugh, I'm still waiting on that vacation," Tamika said. "Have you heard from Reema? She traveled to India last week and hasn't posted us on anything."

"Yeah, she did," Reema always had one place or the other to visit, relying more on her father's money to fund her lifestyle than her photography business, which was almost more of a casual hobby at this point. "She's fine. She does this when she's having way too much fun."

"Ugh, I want to have way too much fun too," Tamika wailed. "I hate her."

"Hey Tam, I actually called to ask you a favor," Selena brought up.

"Yeah sure, anything. What's up?"

"I need, well, I need Alex's number," Selena said.

There was a bit of silence on Tamika's end. "Why do you need his number?"

Yikes. Wrong verb. "It's important."

"What's so important that you have to discuss with him?" Tamika pressed.

"Look, I forgot to ask him. We've got some business together, so are you going to give it to me or not?" Selena used her business tone. It worked because Tamika was once again quiet.

"Fine," she succumbed, albeit hesitantly. "When we meet, I want to know what all the business is about. You can have his number anyway, he's no different from the rest of the men I've met. Stringing different women along until he gets bored and dumps them one by one. So in case you're…"

"Tamika, I told you it's just business," Selena cut her off, irritated. Tamika was too pretty a woman to be getting needlessly jealous.

"Okay, check your message. Sent, bye girl."

Selena felt relieved to be off the call. She immediately called Alexander's number and listened to the phone ring on. She tried the second time, then the third, until his voice finally came on the line.

"Hello?" He answered.

Selena breathed out a sigh of relief. "Alex."

"Who's this?"

Selena contemplated telling him her name, least he didn't end the call there and then.

"Are you there?" He asked when he got no answer.

"Someone who's really sorry," Selena said, her voice soft.

There was a tired sigh on the other end. "Selena."

Her name sounded like a rotten fruit in his mouth.

"I'm not usually sorry, but I really am this time." Selena went on.

"And I should count myself lucky because of that?"

"What do you want me to do, Alex?"

"For starters, how about you leave me alone?" Alexander said. "It would do us both good to stay out of each other's lives."

His words stung. "I'm not the devil, Alex."

"Don't call my number again, Selena," His voice was cool, but she didn't miss the finality to it.

"Alex, I…"

She didn't finish as the line went dead. She stared at the phone, shocked at his action. Was he that angry with her?

She could feel the swell of her pride, the anger that surfaced. What was it with Alexander Sterling and making her go to the extremes of her anger since the day she had first met him?

She looked at her surroundings, at her peaceful haven, and didn't feel close to peace at the moment. One thing was for sure, she was going to get her peace back, even if that meant forcing Alexander to accept her apology.

...

"How are the horses doing today, Max?" William asked as he trudged down Max's sprawling landscape. Next to him, a white Samoyed bounced happily, its tail wagging.

"Looks like Bimp's hale and hearty!" Alexander bent on one knee as the dog bounced toward him. He almost toppled him over as it wet Alexander's face with happy licks. "Attaboy." Alexander laughed, missing his furry friend.

"He survived," William looked a lot more relaxed now, all the tension in his body released. He pocketed his hand and stared down at the dog circling his leg. "He eats even more. I'm afraid he's going to be obese before the year runs out."