Kiss Me Tenderly

After the little play date Owen, Sassy, and Missy had, it was like they were attached at the hip. Sort of like a strange Siamese triplet. Is that a thing?
It’s a thing now.
Now, my days settled into a happier rhythm. Instead of struggling through the day, feeling like there was a hole in my heart that was left when Ven left, just trying to make it through the day, I looked forward to going to pick up my daughters because I got to see my new friend. Alex was always happy to see me, his light brown eyes sparkling when I appeared in the glass doorway.
January melted into February, the snowfall getting slightly worse as the days went by. Soon enough, it was that time of the year again; the time when teenagers floated around in a blissful cloud, poorly cut paper hearts found their way into my messenger bag and my laptop case and under the milk carton in the fridge. This year, however, I kind of looked forward to it again. This year, I had Alex to commiserate with; we were both single guys with adorable kids to love on and no body to love us back. Oh well.
I pushed the glass doors open, shaking the snowflakes out of my hair, grinning at Alex sitting behind the desk. The entire room looked like a paper heart factory had exploded inside, pink, red, and white covering almost every available surface. Alex gaped at me, standing up and walking around the desk.
“Jack, what did you do to your hair?” Alex asked, reaching out a hand to tug gently on a lock of hair, half of which I had my sister, May, dye peroxide blonde.
“You like it?” I grinned at him, smoothing the hair up on the side where it was slightly spiked up.
“I love it!” he smiled from ear to ear. “It looks so cute on you!”
I blushed. “Thanks.”
We stood in a not so awkward silence, just smiling at each other like idiots. Alex’s eyes flicked down before he blushed. I felt fingers lacing themselves with mine and I looked down. Alex’s fingers were gently slotted between mine, the gentle hold not a demand or a statement, it was a question. My cheeks burned bright red before I gently squeezed my fingers. If I had thought Alex was happy before, it was nothing compared to the Cheshire smile he had stretched over his face now.
You know the expression ‘butterflies in your stomach’?
Yeah, if I opened my mouth, real butterflies would come flying out.
The door swung open behind me, interrupting us. A red haired guy sauntered in, grinning at Alex.
In his hands, he had a dozen red roses.
My throat tightened, the coppery red taste of anger mixing with salt leaking onto my tongue, and my fingers flexed in Alex’s, momentarily forgetting we were fingerlocked. Was that jealousy? Bitch, it might be.
I glanced at Alex and was shocked. He had paled, his eyes spoke of fear, anger, and pain, and his entire body was still. His hand started shaking in mine.
“Alex, baby, I missed you!” the redhead tugged him away from me, pulled him into his own arms. Alex stood in his arms stiffly, his fingers still linked with mine.
After a couple seconds of this awkward encounter, the guy pulled back and looked Alex in the eye and asked, “Can I talk to you? Alone?” Red eyed me irritably, eyes narrowing at Alex and my fingers tangled together. Alex pushed him away with his free hand.
“No, Nick, I’m at wor-”
“It’ll just be a minute.” Alex was being pulled out of the room already, a quiet look of help me in his eyes. The two men went outside, leaving the roses on the counter.
I watched through slotted eyes, watched Alex shivering in the cold, saw the guy slip off his coat and drape it around his shoulders, Alex smiling gratefully (I bristled at that). I stood there, for a good ten minutes, watching them talk, saw the redheaded guy’s face change from happiness to shock to anger, Alex’s face not changing one bit, staying the same stoney, angry look. The other guy - Nick - grabbed Alex’s upper arm, pulling him close. I could see the muscles working in his jaw, the narrowed eyes, Alex wincing in obvious discomfort.
Before I could even stop and think about it, I had the door open, icy winter air swirling in the warm daycare center. I stepped out into the snow, behind Alex, a hand on his shoulder, staring straight into those deathly green eyes.
“Do I need to ask you to leave, Nick?” I questioned, venom in my voice.
Nick’s nostrils flared before he gritted his teeth, releasing his death grip on Alex’s bicep.
“No. I was just leaving. Have fun raising that little leech on your own, you little bitch,” he spat at Alex.
Alex flinched away from the harsh words, backing into my arms.
“This isn’t over.” He held out his hand, clicking his fingers impatiently as Alex tugged the warm jacket off his shoulders and placed it into his hand. Nick gave me one last glare, which I answered with a death glare of my own, pulling Alex tight against my chest to keep him from freezing to death, before he stomped off into the winter wonderland.
I stared after him, absently chafing Alex’s shoulders which were shivering with cold.
Silently, we returned indoors, Alex shivering against me, I trembling with anger. How dare he, how dare he? To Alex? That perfect littl-
“Well.. That was awkward,” Alex said irritably, rubbing his hands together and blowing on them in an attempt to warm them.
“Who the fuck was that prick?” I half snarled, anger tightening inside my stomach again.
Definitely jealousy.
Alex huffed a long sigh, running his fingers through his shaggy, dark brunette locks.
“That was Nick.”
“I gathered as much. What was he doing here and why did he call you baby?” I didn’t mean to snap at the poor man, it just happened.
The thing with Nick was really offputting.
Alex took a huge breath before letting it out, slowly.
“That was Nick. My.... Ex fiance.”