Chapter 3 - Alex

After going through the drive-through at In-N-Out and ordering everything 'animal style', they headed to a nearby park with a gorgeous lake view. It was relatively quiet with the exception of one or two pedestrians walking or jogging by.

Alex watched skeptically as Jordan pulled a large blanket out from the back of his trunk.  "So is that your move? Take her for takeout then cuddle up on a blanket in the park?" Alex asked sarcastically.

"Don't flatter yourself. I'm a dog owner, and I always keep a blanket in the back for days when I take him to run on the beach."

"So, basically you're gonna have me eating on a dog blanket." Alex said.

"You're lucky you're beautiful because you have something to say about everything." Jordan said, shaking his head and laying the blanket out near a tree.

Alex was always being told she was beautiful, so she wasn't sure why Jordan saying it caught her off guard. Although she was slender, at 5'5" she wasn't tall enough to be a runway model. And even with the entertainment industry being the most diverse it's ever been, her cocoa colored skin was still an anomaly.

"Is that what it takes to stop you from talking smack?" Jordan laughed, "a compliment does the trick? I'll make a mental note of that." he said, tapping his temple.

"Shut up!" Alex laughed.

"Yup, I'ma put that gold nugget in my back pocket." Still laughing, Jordan now pretended to fold a piece of paper and put it in his pocket.

"Remember it's that joking that got you curbed, earlier." Alex said sitting down on the blanket. Jordan joined her and for a few minutes, they ate in comfortable silence while looking out unto the lake.

"I didn't mean to offend you on Friday. I'm sorry about that." Jordan said quietly.

Alex felt he was being sincere, and appreciated the apology. "It's OK. Sometimes I take things too seriously." She nibbled on a fry thoughtfully. "You're doing so well...carrying back to back projects. But you seem so relaxed and chill. How do you deal with having to be on all the time?" she asked turning towards him.

"To be honest, no one can be 'on' all the time. I definitely have days where I need to decompress, and get away from it all. The key is to make sure you have good people around you to keep you focused and grounded. The more successful you become, the more difficult it is to figure out who's really on your side." He was looking at her now, and they were only a few inches apart. Alex wanted to break eye contact, but couldn't look away. She watched as Jordan's eyes dropped down to her lips and her body tensed.

Jordan licked his lips, before asking "What about you? What do you do to relax...to decompress?"

Was this joker serious? Alex thought, to herself. She needed to get a grip and regain control of the entire situation.

"I don't know...yoga" she responded; then immediately caught herself when she saw the smile on Jordan's lips. "Mediation and prayer type yoga!" Alex clarified, and they both doubled over in laughter.

The night continued in a similar pattern of thoughtful conversation, intensely charged moments, and laughter to break things up. They were laying side by side, staring at the night sky when Alex yawned, "What time is it?"

Jordan looked at his watch, "Damn, it's almost 4 am." He sat up and looked down at her. Alex's eyes were closed. "Are you asleep?" he asked, wondering if she had dozed off that quickly.

"Nope, just resting my eyes," she said smiling. "But I think we should get going."

Jordan nodded, and started to gather their things. "Thanks for hanging out with me, tonight," he said opening the trunk and placing the blanket inside. "You're welcome." Alex responded and nonchalantly walked to the passenger side.

"Word?" Jordan smiled slamming the trunk shut, then walking over to open her door.

Alex sighed, "I had fun hanging out with you, Jor-dan!" she climbed in and he shut the door.

It was only a 5 minute drive to Alex's apartment, and they listened quietly to Beyonce's 'All Night' along the way. When they pulled up to her building, Jordan put the truck in park.

"I should probably get your number." Jordan said, handing his phone to Alex.

"Why? Knowing where I live isn't enough?"

Jordan rolled his eyes, in exasperation, "I swear if you wasn't so cute!" He put his palms to his head.

"Now who can't take a joke?" Alex smiled, putting her number in his phone, then texting herself.

"Thank you, Jordan." she said softly before hopping out of the car. Jordan didn't drive off until she waved down to him from her second floor balcony. When she walked back into her apartment, she looked at her phone for the first time in hours.

She had several text messages and several missed calls from Zee.

[Text from Zee to Alex] Are you cool? Did you make it back? Text me when you get home, ASAP!

She was too tired to talk and figured Zee was asleep by now, but texted her back so she wouldn't worry.

[Text to Zee from Alex] I'm home. Will call you later with deets. Goodnight.

By the time she showered and got into her bed, she had played the night back over a dozen times. As she started to place her phone on her night table's charging pad, she saw she had a new text message.

[Text from Jordan to Alex] Goodnight.

She placed her phone down and turned the light out. She had a lot of thinking to do. But first, she needed to get sleep.