Chapter 47

• She was avoiding him. Ray realized as he saw Alexis rushing to the elevator to catch up with her friends. He was glad to find out that Donnie was a cool laid back guy but what made him happy was that the guy wasn't interested in Alexis. He should have been ecstatic but he'd seen the way Duke looked at Alexis, with longing and admiration. Normally, Ray wouldn't do anything. Today was not normal. Especially when Alexis did everything she could to avoid talking to him. He knew he shouldn't have said those three little words.
• He hadn't meant to say them out loud. However, when she'd gotten on her knees, that was all he could think about. How much he loved her and how much she needed to know that. But clearly, that had been a mistake because every time Alexis saw him approaching her, she'd go the opposite direction or pretend to be busy. This morning they'd both stepped out of their apartments at the same time. She had been shocked to realize he was her neighbor and he'd expected some kind of reaction from her but she had gone back inside, waiting for him to leave. He should have stayed outside her door until she came out but they were both running late, so he'd let her be. At the office, she was never alone. Anna or Donnie was always with her. Should he confront her in front of everyone? He asked himself wanting to follow her. They were probably at the cafe downstairs. No. If she felt embarrassed he'd be in deeper trouble than he was. As much as he was dying to talk to her, his intention was not to push her away. Going back to his office, he reviewed his schedule to see if he could create a situation where she wouldn't be able to avoid him.
• Bingo! He'd ask Duke to invite her to their afternoon meeting. Let's see how she avoided that.