Unu || Alec

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Every person is one decision away from completely blowing up their life, Mila thought to herself.

As she tugged on a piece of her hair, she was reminded of how three years before, she'd learned that lesson the hard way.

It was Saturday afternoon and she was on the bus travelling from her office in downtown Seattle to her Capitol Hill apartment. Per usual, she'd been stuck in her head, pondering, and lost track of time. Her boyfriend, Evan, had dinner reservations for them at Alki Beach and she couldn't be late again.

After a solid minute of searching in her purse for her phone, old receipts and gum wrappers began falling out. She reached down to pick them up and half her bag's contents fell onto the bus floor, including her phone, which hit the ground with a thud.

So gross, but at least she found her phone!

Two older women sitting in the handicapped section couldn't stifle their giggles.

She worked hard to seem put together, to keep things neat and tidy, but was still a mess in some ways. As the bus reached her stop, she ungracefully stuffed the remaining contents back into her purse and hopped off.

It was eighty-two degrees, sunny, and so clear outside, in the distance she could see the snow-topped mountains high above the sparkling Puget Sound. Summertime in Seattle was so beautiful it was almost worth the eight months of rain the rest of the year. Almost. Her hometown in Idaho was slightly sunnier.

Her curly hair felt hot on her back after leaving the air-conditioned bus. She was happy it was getting long again, and the combination of summer sun and chlorine had raised it to a lighter brown. Three years before, it was shaved after an accident. Every inch meant she was further away from the ordeal.

Things were better than ever.

She lived in a historically gay neighborhood, which in her opinion, was the coolest the city had to offer. Her apartment building was dated, and her apartment a bit of a fixer-upper, but she had a decent-sized loft. It was prime real estate with easy access to trendy spots.

While waiting for the glacial elevator in her building she would get out of 'work mode' and back into 'weekend mode.' By the time she entered her apartment, fully relaxed. So was the plan...

Her mind was so preoccupied, she did not see someone already standing by the elevator when she arrived. She caught herself just before walking into him.

When he turned around, he smiled at her. She was taken aback for a moment as she looked up at him.

He was intimidatingly attractive with dark hair and contemplative eyes. He wore nice black slacks and an expensive-looking grey button-up. A large TV box with a big red bow sat in his arms. She remembered seeing the box sitting in her landlord's office as an incentive for new tenants.

"Looks like I won." he said. His voice was deep and pleasant, with a hint of something unfamiliar.

"Congratulations on winning the TV." she said. "Welcome to the building!"

"Thank you!" he grinned. "Working on the weekend?"

"Yeah," she replied. "How did you know?"

"You've got that tense look everyone has when they're not quite unwound from work yet."

"I'm a marketing manager at a firm downtown." she said.  "I'm one of the youngest people there and still kind of new, so I have to prove myself."

It wasn't so bad. The office was quiet on the weekends, and she was always prepared when Monday came around. When the elevator arrived, she gave him a polite amount of personal space, and found they were both going to the third floor.

His cologne smelled wonderful and fit him well. She didn't even push the 'door close,' button per usual to speed up the elevator.

She couldn't help but analyze him further. In her defense, she did it with everyone. Turning her brain off could be a struggle.

After a closer look, she concluded his eyes only looked intense because his skin and hair contrasted them so. Summer had barely begun in Seattle, but he looked like he'd spent plenty of time at the beach. He even had slightly disheveled beach hair.

No harm in looking, right?

"Believe it or not, this is the first television I've ever owned." he said, making conversation.

"Ah," she mouthed. 

Though she thought it a bit odd for a grown man to never have owned a TV, she believed him. He probably spent his time doing cool obscure hobbies and dating hot women. He gave off a cultured vibe, and looked older than her, early 30s maybe. Whatever his age, it played in his favor.

"Are you just moving to Seattle?" she asked.

She changed the subject. The elevator hit the first floor and they were running out of time for conversation.

"Moving back, actually." he replied. "I grew up here and just finished by PhD in Vancouver. Now I'm working for a company that specializes in cyber security."

"You didn't want to be a professor?" she asked. Her best friend was in the process of completing her PhD, so she was familiar with the career path.

"I realized half-way through, it wasn't my thing." he said.

Mila was surprised at his friendliness, and the ease of their conversation. It felt like she was conversing with someone from back home. In Seattle, it's wasn't so common for people to immediately open up, let alone with personal details.

"That's awesome! I love Vancouver. You didn't want to stay?"

He looked at her curiously for a moment before responding.

"I've been working a very long time to get here."

The elevator dinged, letting them know they'd reached the third floor. They stepped out and faced each other.

"Alec Laurent." he held out his hand. She responded by shaking it firmly. Like she would for a business contact.

"Mila Black."

Before she pulled away, he turned her hand over and put it to his lips.

She felt what could only be described as a mild heart palpitation. Wondering why she was reacting in such a way, she thought of her boyfriend--Evan. He was wonderful, and for a while now she'd been thinking he was 'The One.'

Evan was kind, warm, and giving. Alec was mature and worldly, with an alluring presence. They were both attractive in different ways.

"See you again soon...Mila." He gave her one more stare before turning to his apartment.

*****

"It was nice to meet you!" she waved to him. Her happiness was so vibrant it radiated off her skin, and when he kissed her, she smelled like flowers.

Despite her slightly mousy, small-town lack-of-style, she was still very beautiful. And though her yellow sundress made her seem like she belonged at a southern church bazaar, the color was appropriate because she reminded him of sunshine. Like the clouds had suddenly rolled away. 

As he put his key in the door and moved into the apartment, he was disappointed to leave her. He knew if he lingered for too long his friendliness might come off as interest, and he didn't want to scare her off.

He needed her to trust him.

He certainly had been waiting a long time to get to Seattle.

She did remind him of sunshine, he thought. It was time to bring the rain.




















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This book is undergoing a massive edit. Currently working on splitting POVs into separate chapters. Bare with me.

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