The Boy from New York City

It had been a few days since my run in with Alexzander. A few days of wondering if we’d ever talk again. I know I sound like a crazy girl with a crush but honestly, that’s not it. It’s just really nice talking to someone who isn’t Doug. I don’t socialize very often and my friends are limited. Alexzander was a fresh face, someone new to discuss things with. Along with that he was much more well-read then my other friends. I could easily talk to him about something going on in the world and he’d know what I was talking about.

I continue to walk mindlessly around downtown New York. Technically I had better things to do then this, but a walk seemed nice. The streets were busy, as always, and when I walked around the tall skyscraping buildings I felt as if I were home. Of course I didn’t live in something like that. My parents owned a house outside the city with a yard and everything. But I spent a lot of time with my dad at his office, and that was the block I was currently on.

Stopping in front of the Charleston Corporations sign that still sat right outside the building, I look around. Things hadn’t really changed that much since Henry Leighton bought it. Of course the Leighton name was on the sign too, but I chose to ignore it. Just another reminder that nothing of my families is actually that anymore—my families.

“Miss me already?” I hear a familiar voice say. I turn around to find a smirking Alexzander standing there.

“Alexzander! What are you doing here?” I ask, momentarily forgetting that of course he’d be here, he works here.

“Had a meeting. But at least that makes sense. What would you be doing here?”

I look around at anything but him, “um, just taking a walk around town.”

“Well that’s a relief. Thought you’d come around here to kick my ass for that picture.”

My head snaps in his direction, “what?”

Alexzander looks down at his feet, “I’m assuming that means you didn’t see.”

“See what?” I ask worriedly, “what’s going on Alexzander?”

He looks hesitant for a moment, almost as if he didn’t want to tell me. “Let’s take this inside. I was meaning to track you down anyways.”

I follow him into the building that I vaguely remember so many years ago. As I stepped into the elevator I knew this is where I belonged. Not to sound rude or anything, but I was supposed to be running this company, not Alexzander. Out of habit I reach over to press the button in the elevator at the same time he does. Once the top floor lights up he looks over at me confused, “sorry, just assumed it’d be the top floor and I was closest to them.” I say, making something up. I actually knew what floor his office was on. I knew what office it would be. What I didn’t know, but would soon find out, is if I’m strong enough to walk the halls of this company once again.

We enter the halls of the top floor and I make sure that I’m the one following him. I can’t slip up again and make it seem that I know this place better than he does. Alexzander opens the door to what was once my father’s office. I thank him and step inside.

Alexzander walks around his desk and pulls out one of those gossip magazines. Something was telling me that this wasn’t any good news. He sets the magazine on the desk and I look down at it. We weren’t on the front cover, thank goodness, but we were a couple pages in. There was a picture of us at the coffee shop laughing. “Sources say that they were discussing marriage. Is Alexzander Leighton finally settling down?” The caption read which made me want to laugh and be sick at the same time.

“That’s what I was apologizing about before.”

“I see.” I stare at the picture a couple minutes longer. Honestly I kind of liked it. I definitely know that if I was followed everywhere I went I would hate it once again. But I miss the attention, the paparazzi. It made me feel like what I said and did was important. “It’ll just brush over in a couple days, right?” I look up to meet his eyes.

“Right. Hopefully. I haven’t been in the news for a while so it might be more than a couple days.”

“Since they don’t know who I am, I’m sure it can’t get that bad.”

He laughs, but not because something was funny, “my dad wants to meet you.”

My eyes bulge out and I realize that’s really what he was apologizing for, “what?!”

“I told him no of course, but he got all mad that I didn’t tell him I was getting married.”

“You’re dad reads these? My-” I cut off short before saying something about my dad, “that just seems like a stupid thing to do.”

“No, he doesn’t. But a few of his assistants do to make sure there’s no media we have to go threaten.”

I nod, understanding. “So, is that all?” I ask, ready to leave. It was nice to be back in this office, at the same time though, it brought back too many memories

“I have a proposition for you.” He takes a seat in his chair, acting all serious like what he is, a businessman. “Remember back at the coffee shop you mentioned having a marriage that was just a business transaction?”

“Yeah…” I answer, feeling the need to take a seat myself.

Alexzander’s eyes shift away from me for a moment. He seemed nervous about something, but I couldn’t pinpoint what it was exactly. “Well I was thinking about how great of an idea that was.”

“Right.” Then it hit me like a brick, a proposition, wanting to take over the business, marriage. “Wait, what? No.”

“No? I haven’t asked a question yet, Sam.”

“But I know what you’re going to ask and I cannot and will not accept that offer Alexzander.”

I quickly stand up and start to make my way out of the office. I would have made it too, if it weren’t for Alexzander grabbing my wrist and pulling me back into his office. “Would it be that terrible to be married to me?”

“What? No! Of course not. Well, at least not from what I can tell. That’s not it Alexzander. I just, marriage…it’s a foreign idea to me.”

Alexzander chuckles, “it is to me too. And I wasn’t going to make this a one sided deal, that would be unfair. I was going to offer free education for you. Wherever you want to go I’ll get you into the school and have it paid for.

Wherever I want to go. That concept hasn’t been in my mind in forever. “Barnard,” I say. It was, or rather is, my dream college. I’ve wanted to go there since I was a kid and my dad told me that Columbia was the family school. Well, at least for the males. I didn’t want to go to a school where all the men in my family went to school. So I did some research and found out that my great-grandmother went to Columbia’s sister school, Barnard, and that’s actually how they met.

I decided then that I would be attending Barnard, and just like the men have a tradition in the family, the women will now have one too.

“Barnard?”

“Yes, that’s my dream school.”

“Barnard, really? What about Harvard or Yale?”

“Barnard is the most selective college in the country. If you can get me into Barnard, I will consider your proposition.” Proposition. That’s what he called it in the beginning so that’s what I’m calling it now. All this would be is a business transaction, a contract. I’d get an education and a job and he’d get the family business. “Why me?” I ask, suddenly curious.

“Besides the fact everyone thinks we’re getting married? I don’t know. You’re different from the people I’m forced to be with every day, a good type of different. I think you’d make a great partner in the business and also in whatever field you wish to go into.” I could tell he wasn’t mentioning one of the reasons. For right now that was okay, I understood, but if this was going to happen I’d be asking questions. A moment of silence falls between us, “You’d get a safer place to live and not have to worry about money. Along with that you’d get a great education, a job, everything that I think you’ve always wanted.”

“I wouldn’t be doing this for your money.” I defend, making sure he understands that money can’t buy him everything.

“I know that. I didn’t mean to make it sound like you would be. But I also don’t see you as the type who enjoys doing what you have to do to survive.”

“And what do you get out of the deal?”

“Full control over the business.” He answers. The same answer he gave me the other day.

“That’s all? There’s nothing else you want or need? I get education, money, a job and you get the company.”

“That’s all I need.”

I smirk. I knew he was lying. I knew he was withholding a very important piece of information from me. “I let you in on a little secret. I may be poor now. I may be on the verge of homeless. But that wasn’t always the case. I used to have a life exactly like yours. Exactly. So don’t lie to me Alexzander. I know you need a child to carry on the family business and that would all be a part of the deal, right?”

He sits there, staring in awe, “uh—right. Yeah. That just, that’s not going to happen for a while.”

“Of course not, but it’s still part of the deal and you know better than anyone to lay out all of the content before agreeing on anything.”

Alexzander places his arms onto the desk with a sigh, “maybe this isn’t the best idea, you’re becoming too smart for me.”

I laugh, “Which is why you’ll want me on your side,” I remind him and turn to leave, “get me that acceptance and I’ll give you an answer.”

“Wait, Sam, what did you mean you used have a life like mine?”

I turn my head back to look at him, “I might tell you, someday.” I say with a smirk and with that I head back down the all too familiar hallways and out the door that used to belong to my family. I knew I wanted this life again. I knew I wanted to find answers, and this was the easiest way to do so.
Alexzander’s proposal was definitely something to consider.