Alexander's Pov
The first thing I felt was the warmth of the sun on my eyelids. The second thing was the empty space in the bed.
My eyes snapped open. The other side of the bed was rumpled, but cold. The suite was silent. Too silent.
"Helene?" My voice was a croak, too loud in the huge room.
Nothing.
I sat up, my heart starting to do this weird, thumpy thing against my ribs. Maybe she was in the bathroom. Or getting water. I checked everywhere. The bathroom door was open, the lights off. The living room was empty. Just the remains of our dinner from last night, the crystals glasses looking sad in the morning light.
She was gone.
A cold feeling settled in my stomach. She'd left. Without a word. Without a note.
I replayed everything from last night. Had I done something wrong? I'd read the books, I'd tried to be careful, I'd asked if it was okay. I thought it was… good. Amazing. She'd… she'd seemed to like it. At the end, before sleep, she'd been quiet, turned away. I thought she was just tired. Shy.
Now, the silence felt like a judgment. I'd messed it up. I'd been too awkward, too nervous. I'd talked about Chapter Seven. God, why did I talk about chapter seven? I'd fumbled with her clothes. Of course she left. Who would want to stay with someone who knew nothing about sex?
I dragged myself to the lab a week later. I couldn't focus. The code on my screen was just blurry lines. All I could see was her face. The way she'd looked at me when I kissed her.
I thought she liked me.
"Hey. Earth to Alex." My friend Leo waved a hand in front of my monitor. "You've been staring at the same line of code for twenty minutes. You okay, man? You look… weird."
I pushed my glasses up my nose. "I had a date last night."
Leo's eyebrows shot up. "A date? You? Mr. 'My work Is My Girlfriend'? No way. With who?"
"Her name is Helene. She's… a musician. She does these amazing TikToks with her guitar…"
Leo grinned. "Get out. How did a nerd like you land a musician? What is she, blind?"
See? Even Leo knew it didn't make sense. "I don't know," I mumbled, fiddling with a pen. "She was just… really nice. And beautiful. Like, out-of-a-movie beautiful. And she initiated it"
"And?" Leo leaned in, eager for details. "How was it? Was she a good kisser?"
My face got hot. I could still feel the soft press of her lips. "It was… it was my first time," I admitted quietly.
Leo's jaw dropped. Then his expression softened. "No kidding. Wow. So? How was it?"
I thought about it. The feeling of her skin, the small sound she made, the way she felt in my arms. "It was the best night of my life," I said, and the truth of it ached. "But she left. This morning. She was just… gone."
"Ouch," Leo winced. "Sorry, man. That's rough. But hey, first times are always weird. Don't take it personally. She probably just…"
He was trying to make me feel better, but it wasn't helping. He didn't understand. It wasn't just a date. It was her. Helene Winona James.
My phone rang, buzzing loudly on the desk. The screen showed a number I hadn't seen in months. Atticus Scott. My Grandfather.
I watched it vibrate and Leo watched me watch it.
"You gonna answer that...I mean, it's no biggie, just the second richest person in the world that happens to be your grandpa"
I answered the phone, my throat tight. "Hello"
"Alexander." His voice was like gravel. No hello. No how are you. Just straight to the point "I got a call from Senator Hollander. He seems to be under the impression you and his daughter Summer have an understanding. An engagement. Care to explain?"
I exhaled. Summer. Of course. Her father was always trying to tie our families together, something grandfather approved of.
Something neither Summer and I wanted. She was a popular superstar with two Platinum albums and I was me...how did she put it again...oh yeah, a squirrelly excuse of a man who has neither the sex appeal or the stamina to "suck" her puss—lady parts.
"There's no engagement," I said quickly. "There's... there's someone else." The words were out before I could think.
"Her name is..." I stopped myself. I wanted her to myself, I wasn't ready to share.
"Alright. Bring her home " he told me "If you're serious about this girl, then act like it. It's time you stopped hiding in your labs. Bring her home. I want to meet her." He paused, and his tone shifted. "And call your brother. He's in some free clinic in Orleans City. Handle it."
The line went dead.
I held the phone to my ear, the dial tone buzzing. Leo was staring at me, his eyes wide. "Dude," he whispered. "What was that? Engaged?"
I lowered the phone and looked at Leo.
"I have to find her," I said. It was the only thing that mattered.
Leo blinked. "Find her? Alex, she ran out on you! What are you going to do, stalk her TikTok?"
"Yes," I said, already turning back to my computer, my fingers flying across the keyboard. My mind was racing, plans forming. I could find her. I had resources. I had skills.
"Whoa, hold on," Leo said, putting a hand on my chair. "Let's say you find her. Then what? What are you going to do?"
I looked up at him, the decision solid and perfect in my mind. It was the most obvious solution. The only logical step.
"I'm going to marry her," I declared.
Leo just stared, his mouth open. I didn't care. He didn't understand.
"But what about Summer?" Leo asked.
I blinked. The name meant nothing. It was a variable that had been erased from the equation. All that remained was Helene. "There is no Summer," I said, my eyes already back on the screen. "There's only her."