The Boy from New York City

Alexzander was currently waiting for me, and had been doing so for the past 20 minutes. It wasn’t that I was still getting ready—I wish that were true—No, it was the fact that I was mentally freaking out. Not only was I going to the extravagant engagement party, but I was going as the best man’s girlfriend. And as if I wasn’t nervous enough, Alexzander’s parents were going to be there.

I stare at my reflection, taking a few deep breaths to calm myself. There was a quiet tap on my door before Alexzander enters. He walks up to me grinning, “you look gorgeous, Sam.”

“Really?” I ask, turning to face him just in time to catch him nod, I once again look in the mirror, “I haven’t worn a dress since I was nine.” I comment, trying to distract myself from the near future.

Alexzander grabs my hands and pulls me away from the mirror. “You look beyond amazing. And you’ll do great tonight, just be yourself.” I raise my eyebrows at the last part of that statement, “okay, maybe cut back a little on some of the topics. Many of the men present tonight are not used to women in the field yet.”

“I know that silly. Just smile and nod.”

“Exactly. I’ll be with you the whole night, so nothing terrible will even have a chance to happen. Now come on, the best man can’t exactly show up late.”

About twenty minutes later the limo pulls up to another mansion in the surrounding area of ours. My hands were shaking, fiddling with the strap of my clutch. I look out my window and catch Alexzander’s amused expression in the reflection. “What?” I ask, worried that I was doing something terrible.

“Nothing, you just look adorable when you’re nervous. You can get up on a stage and strip until you in the tiniest bit of cloth, but you’re scared to go talk?”

I had told him more about my past jobs, my past life. I figured he deserved to know exactly what he was getting. Obviously, though, he has no idea about my family. He knows what Doug knows, which means he knows nothing.

“That’s different. On stage I’m not myself. I’m not listening to the devaluing comments; I’m not concentrating on the facial expressions. I’m just dancing. I’m just doing what I have to do to get paid.”

He takes my hand and squeezes it, “it’s not easy to dislike you, Sam. You’re an easygoing person, and damn, you can hold a conversation about economics better than most of the men in there. You will be fine tonight. And if at any moment you feel you need to leave, just tell me.” I nod, agreeing to do so, “Now, are you ready?”

“Yeah, I think I’m good now.” I tell him, and it was the truth. Unlike all those times I lied about my feelings, this time I wasn’t doing that. I was honest, because he actually cared. I knew if I said no, we’d sit in the car a little bit longer and talk. And because I knew this, it gave me the strength to push through the night.

Alexzander makes a tapping sound on the window and the door opens. He slides out first and holds out a hand for me. I grab it and smile as we walk into the house. A few flashes went off, but not many, since this was a private party and I’m sure they limited the amount of paparazzi.

A maid takes our coats at the door and as she walks away I stop and take a deep breath. “You do realize that’s nothing, right?”

“Yeah, I know, I just have to get used to it. It’ll take a couple times.” I explain, glancing back at the small group of cameras.

He nods and places a hand on the small of my back. “Come on, we’ll start off with my friends. They’re hardly scary compared to most of the people in this room.”

I chuckle and follow him towards a group of mostly young men. There were a couple women within the group, but they were obviously the girlfriends of some of the guys. The instant we came close to them, Alexzander noticeably relaxed. His arms weren’t so tense around me, and his smile wasn’t forced as much. This was obviously his comfort zone. On the other hand, I tensed up the once we reached his friends. Who wouldn’t be nervous to meet their boyfriend’s good friends? I think that’s just a universal fear.

“Smile,” Alexzander whispers, his breath warm against my skin. Automatically a smile appears on my face just as we stop in front of his friends. They were talking before we showed up, but stopped once our presence was there.

“I didn’t think you were so special to shut-up when in the presence of you.” I whisper, or at least tried to whisper to Alexzander. He chuckles, but so does the rest of the group, at least the guys.

“I’m pretty sure it’s not me they shut-up for. But thanks for the flattery babe.” I roll my eyes, regretting the fact that I just fed his ego that much more.

Alexzander started to put names with the faces but I was spacing out during that time. The thought of my brother being here popped into my head and decided to overtake every functioning part of my brain. “And this is my partner in crime, Liam.” His words echo through my mind. Where have I heard that name before?

“Just don’t call me from jail and I think this relationship will work out.” I joke, holding my hand out to shake with Liam, “nice to meet you Liam.”

He smiles and shakes my hand, “pleasure is all mine, Sam. Any girl who can get Alex to settle down is definitely someone I want to meet.”

I laugh and move slightly closer to Alex, “well it’s only been a few months, so I don’t think that means I’ve changed.”

“A few months longer than any other relationship of his.”

Alexzander slaps his arm, “shut-up Liam. I’m not that much of a player!”

“Its okay, Alexzander, all that matters is that you’re not like that now.” I tell him, leaning up and giving him a kiss on the cheek.

Our conversation takes a turn as the girls pull me away from Alex to gossip. They kept asking me questions left and right about our relationship, question I would definitely consider private.

“I mean, he must be amazing in bed, right?” The girl to my right asks. She had bright red hair, but I couldn’t recall her name, it was something common.

“Oh, he’s definitely good in bed,” Diane, the girl standing on my other side, says in a suggestive tone. I know she’s trying to start something with me and I wasn’t about to put up with that.

“You do realize that I know my boyfriend dated and had sex with women before me, right? It’s not like I think he’s innocent. The only important part is that he’s with me now, not you.”

“Sam! I told you that dress would just work perfectly!” I hear Sara’s voice ring through the crowd, not letting Diane say anything more to me. Sara appears and pulls me out of the group, to the side, “now what in the world are you doing with them?”

I laugh and roll my eyes, “they wanted to know about my sex life.”

“Of course they did, you’re with Alex.”

I step back from her embrace to take in her full look. I’d seen the dress before, but not on her and not with the hair and everything else done. “You look, I don’t know, gorgeous just doesn’t seem to do it.”

Sara chuckles, “you’re the first woman who has complimented me and not followed with, ‘who are you wearing?’”

I lean in some to whisper in her ear, “When I start saying that, shoot me.”

She nods in agreement, “oh trust me, I wouldn’t let you make up an excuse for it.”

“Good.”

I look over her shoulder and see Alexzander still standing there, talking about something that I assume is important. “Let’s go dance,” Sara suggests, noticing that my boyfriend wasn’t going to leave the group anytime soon.

“You’re the spotlight of the night, so I guess I have to do as you say.”

“Well duh!” we head to the middle of the dance floor just as the Cha-cha comes on. It wasn’t until later that I found out it was Jason who had the DJ playing songs like Cha-cha and the YMCA. He wanted to make the party fun and entertaining. Not just another social event we all have to attend.

Sara and I danced for about half an hour before I felt arms wrap around my waist, “mind if I step in?” Alexzander asks, the question directed to Sara.

“Of course,” she replies with a smile and wink before heading off to find her husband-to-be.

I turn around in Alexzander’s arms, “are you enjoying yourself?” I ask, leaning my head against his chest like almost every other woman in the room was doing with their dance partner.

“I wasn’t much until now.” He spins me and pulls me back in, “that’s what boyfriends are supposed to say, right?”

“I would think so, but how would I know? This is my first relationship.”

“There should be a book on how to do this.”

“I’m sure you could find a copy in a bookstore if you actually took the time to look.”

“And get caught looking for dating advice? Yeah, that would be good press.”

I notice Alexzander peeking over my shoulder before he lets out an aggravated sigh, “I guess we can’t hide all night.”

I didn’t have to turn around to know that he was speaking about his parents. In all honesty I wasn’t really that afraid to meet his mother. From what I’ve heard, Lucy is quite a nice person. Henry on the other hand, I was terrified.

“You know, I was rethinking this whole thing and I mean, really, do you expect us to get away with it?”

“Come on, don’t chicken out of this. You’ll do great. You have fooled all my friends and my sister; my father should be just as easy.”

“What if I crack under his stare?”

He laughs, and we were so close that it vibrated through my body as well. “Then I’ll say that I fell in love with a street girl and there’s absolutely nothing he can do about it.”

“Hmm…it would be quite entertaining to watch someone stand up to Henry Leighton, especially his own offspring.”

“Oh, you mean like how you stood up to me?”

I smile innocently and walk off towards his parents without replying. I reached them just seconds before Alexzander showed up by my side. “Mother, father,” Alexzander says, nodding to both of them, “I’d like you to meet my girlfriend, Sam. Sam, this is my mother, Lucy Leighton, and my father Henry Leighton.”

I smile my best smile and wait for Henry to hold out his hand to shake. The awkward thing is that he never did, and I was always told that the elder is to initiate the hand shake. Instead, Lucy pulls me into a rib-crushing hug. “Oh dear, it is so wonderful someone has been able to tame this boy.” Luckily she steps back before I lose my breath, “and what a beautiful woman it is who accomplished the task.”
Alexzander wraps his arm around my waist, “thank you ma’am.”

“Oh and she has manners! Henry, can I start planning the wedding now?” I notice Allison standing on the other side of her parents and she turned at her mother’s words.

“Manners? Mother, did I not tell you what happened the other day? She was rude to me!”

Lucy just brushed off her daughters’ complaint, “I’m sure you deserved what you got Ali. Now about that wedding, Henry?”

This whole time Henry was staring at me. I made sure to keep my eyes away from his in fear he would somehow see through me. But even without contact, I wouldn’t put it past him to find out my lie. “No,” he answers with a cold, dead voice.

“No? But look at them! Their perfect! She’s just what Alex needs as a partner.” Lucy complains, flabbergasted by her husband’s response.

“No. I don’t like her.”

In any other scene, I would have been a part of the fight. But I couldn’t exactly call out my future father-in-law. Alexzander though, did. He pulled his father aside, out of the room; even then I could still hear their fighting. “Don’t worry dear; Alexzander was never one to listen to his father. He’ll choose you any day.” Lucy tells me with a kind smile. I must say, everyone was right when they said she was nice.

I smile and turn away from the door, “yes, I’m sure he will. I just hate to see them fight over me.”

“Tell me more about yourself. Where’s your family now?”

My family. Now there’s a subject Alexzander and I have yet to make a story about. “My parents passed away about a year ago.” I tell her with no emotion behind it, “I grew up here in New York and moved to Chicago with some friends after graduation. Alexzander and I, as I’m sure you know met there, and he helped me get into Barnard. I’ll be studying Economics and Women Studies there. Um, I’d really like to work in the business field but I guess I might be a housewife instead.”

“Nonsense, you’ll do whatever you want whether you marry my son or not. That can’t stop you from living your dream.”

“What do you do? I don’t mean to be offensive, but the media makes it seem like you follow your husband around.”

“Well, between you and me, I write.”

“Write? Like books?”

“Indeed, I’ve got a pen name and everything. So when Henry is at work, I’m usually here, writing. There was a time that Henry knew about it but I’m sure he’s long forgotten with all his work, which no matter what has always been more important than mine.” Lucy pauses and looks at me more intensely, “Alex has never been like his father. I know my son well enough to know he doesn’t do relationships because he doesn’t want to end up like his father. So there must be something pretty special with you if he’s risking all of it.”

I nod, “yeah, there must be something pretty damn special.” I was hesitant to agree, but did so in the end because it was true. Why else would Alexzander Lucas Leighton choose me, out of the billions of people on the planet, to be his wife?